Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Thursday 12 December 2013

Vouvray 1954?



A question from Mark about how the quality of the 1954 vintage in Vouvray: 
'Hi Jim,
Hope that you don't mind scouring your mental memory banks for a bit of advice? A good friend is turning 60 next year (a group of us hope to be joining him in Gigondas/Sablet in the Rhone for the celebrations) and I have been thinking of trying to source a bottle or two from his birth year. I've emailed Lopez de Heredia & CVNE in Rioja and hope to hear back from them and then my mind turned to Vigneau Chevraux in Chancay. I popped into VC about three years back and was able to source both '64 and  '69 Vouvrays for respective friends birthdays (at incredibly fair prices) and know that they keep considerable volumes of older vintages. Do you know if 1954 was any good in Vouvray?'

I can't remember ever tasting a 1954 Vouvray. Indeed I don't think I have ever tasted any Loire wine from this vintage. If I have tasted a Vouvray 1954 it would have been during the 1990s when the producers celebrated the launch of the new vintage with a press tasting and dinner covering past vintages. So for the launch of 1994, for example, they would have shown a selection of past vintages beginning with 4 going back to the first decade of the 20th century. Not all vintages were shown.

I can't now remember if I went to the launch of 1994 and, if I did, what was tasted. I do remember the launch of 1990 was we finished with an 1870. 

There are no 1954 Vouvrays for sale on wine-searcher. I have never seen it on a restaurant list in the Loire, although I have seen and drunk a 1953 Huet Moelleux at La Promenade in Le Petit Pressigny. My guess is that the 1954 vintage was more more than average with mainly sec and sparkling wine made, whereas 1953 was very good and 1955 was also a good year.  

Does anyone have details about the 1954 vintage in the Loire and Vouvray please? More information would be greatly appreciated.  

2 comments:

Aynard said...

You I have tasted and sell time to time in Vouvray of JJ Renaud
1947 Moelleux
1948 Demi sec
1949 Moelleux
1953 Demi sec
1964 Demi sec
1973 Demi sec
1976 Demi sec
1982 Demi sec
1982 methode Vouvray
1982 Sec
1985 Sec
1985 Moelleux
1985 methode Vouvray
1986 methode Vouvray
1989 Moelleux
1990 Moelleux

I don't think is an interesting year.
Aynard

Aynard said...

you know I have these Vouvray of JeanJacques Renaud

1947 Moelleux
1948 Demi sec
1949 Moelleux
1953 Demi sec
1964 Demi sec
1973 Demi sec
1976 Demi sec
1982 Demi sec
1982 methode Vouvray
1982 Sec
1985 Sec
1985 Moelleux
1985 methode Vouvray
1986 methode Vouvray
1989 Moelleux
1990 Moelleux
But never tasted 1954