Côte Roannaise: first evening (17.3.14)

Vincent Giraudon: éponyme 2012 Aligoté, VDP d'Urfe

Spent an interesting and agreeable first evening in the Côte Roannaise with Yann Palais (Domaine des Palais) and Joël Lapalue (Le Clos de Jean) having a simple dinner at the Restaurant Le Central in Renaison. Yann and Joël are both organic producers with Joël being the first to go organic in the appellation starting in 1996. Yann started in 2009. There are now around 10 organic producers out of a total of 30 in the Côte Roannaise. Yann is up in the north of the appellation, while Joël is down in the south some 30 kilometres away – the two extremes of the AC.

Yann keeps sheep in his vineyards for six months from the end of the vintage to the end of March, so threatening to completely eclipse the chicken vineyard of Ingrandes de Touraine!

We started with a bottle of 2012 Aligoté éponyme VDP d'Urfe from Vincent Giraudon, the youngest producer in the Côte. He is the only producer so far using Aligoté. This was attractive with perhaps a little more weight than you find with some Aligotés. It was a good apéro and worked with the salad of foie de volailles. 

AC Côte Roannaise is limited to reds and rosés made from Gamay but there are an increasing number of IGP (L’indication géographique protégée) whites from a number of varieties including Chardonnay, Viognier, Roussane, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. 

For the main course – steak – we took the spicy and very drinkable 2012 éponyme Côte Roannaise also from Vincent Giraudon.

For the next three nights I'm staying at the chambres d'hôtes of the Domaine du Fontenay in Villemontais.

Today starts with a tasting and then I will be visiting the producers whose wines I pick out.