Two new wine tours from La Grande Maison

2009 Cabernet Franc – Chinon

Cabernet Franc Ambassadors Wine Tour of the Loire

'Q. Why select Ambassadors for Cabernet Franc?

A. The UK Palate for red wine has historically been trained on Bordeaux blends, that of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a little Cabernet Franc. So coming to the Cabernet Franc, in the Loire, as a single varietal has traditionally been hard on the palate. This has been due to the grape not fully ripening in the cooler climate, which in turn leaves green/hard tannins. So a team at Interloire have been quietly working away on a 5 year Cabernet Franc Project to find the best Cabernet Franc wines in the Loire Valley.'

Mont Ventoux that dominates the southern Rhône vineyards

Two Centre Wine Tours i.e.: Loire/Burgundy – Loire/Rhône

Micaela and Sue: 'On another tack we have just partnered with Burgundy Discovery and Rhone

Wine Holidays to offer Two Centre Wine Tours i.e.: Loire/Burgundy – Loire/Rhône

Photos from a visit to Le Clos Cristal (Saumur-Champigny) in June 2006

Sign@Le Clos Cristal

10-hectare Le Clos Cristal is one of two vineyards designed and built by Le Père Cristal at the turn of the 20th century. Antoine Cristal built walls in his vineyards, which had holes in them. This allowed him to plant the vines in the shade and then to trained the vine through the hole, so that the rest of the plant and its grapes were in the sunshine and also benefited from the radiator effect of the sun’s heat stored and given out by the wall.

Above and below: vine roots in the shade

Rest of the vines facing the sun

Geese and a hen@Le Clos Cristal

Le Clos Cristal was planted with Cabernet Franc and only some of the vines are trained through walls, the rest of the vineyard is planted normally. However, in the Clos des Murs at Parnay (part of the Château de Parnay) all the vines are trained through the walls. This is a much small vineyard and is planted with Chenin Blanc.

Old bottles in the cellar@Le Clos Cristal

Sign@the Clos des Murs, Parnay

As far as I know nobody else took Cristal's example and planted walls in a vineyard for although it works – I have tasted several impressive vintages of the cuvée Clos des Murs from Le Clos Cristal – it must be a very expensive way of growing vines. There are some three kilometres of wall in the Clos Cristal.

More details on Antoine Cristal:

www.thewinedoctor.com/weekend/closcristalhospicessaumurchampigny06.shtml

www.mon-chef-a-moi.com/vin/val-de-loire/cristal.html

Also Le Clos Cristal www.clos-cristal.com

Cabernet Franc@London International Wine Trade Fair 2009

The Loire Cabernet Franc Project has an imposing and eye-catching stand at this year's London Interantional Wine Trade Fair at the Excel Exhibition Centre in east London.

Lindsay Oram with Divid Longfield, deputy editor of Drinks International

More photos and reports from the London fair will be posted tomorrow.

Is 2008 really a great vintage for Loire reds?

This morning the latest update from the Project Cabernet Franc plopped into my mailbox. It includes an assessment of the 2008 Cabernets from Sam Harrop MW:

April 2009 Sam in Paris for the Ambassadors' tasting

A personal view from Project consultant Sam Harrop MW
(www.loirecabernetfranc.co.uk/ENewsLetter/May2009/Story3.htm)

‘The goal of encouraging producers in the same region to work together might seem fairly rudimentary, but when it comes to the Loire – a region so rich in history, tradition and vignerons with great independence and pride – it is no mean feat! However, the unarguable progress made in guiding vignerons towards a more balanced and, arguably, more export-friendly approach, has been well worth the effort. Having just returned from the 2009 Ambassadors Selection, where I judged with a rigorous panel including Jim Budd, Jane Masters MW, Emily O’Hare, it is clear that the better examples from vintage 2008 are well above average, if not exceptional. In a year when vignerons could have been forgiven for leeching every last tannin molecule out of the seeds and skins, restraint was the rule not the exception! It seems that having freed themselves from the shackles of Bordeaux, the Loire is forging a new identify, championed by a host of fresh, dynamic winemakers.

They say most great years follow a challenging growing season, and 2008 in the Loire is a year that supports such an assertion. After a frosty, wet and cool start to the season and a very late veraison (oh and did I mention there was a hail storm early on as well); in mid September things were looking a tad hairy. Towards late September/ early October however, with the winter weather staying away, things had started to look a little brighter. For the most part the dry conditions allowed growers to leave fruit on vines in an extremely good condition well into October. This hang-time enabled flavours and phenolics to reach adequate maturity, and with the smaller crops and berries - a hallmark of the 2008 Cabernet Franc vintage - concentration was on target to impress. And impress it did!

Of the 86 wines tasted at the Ambassadors Selection (29 were 2007’s, 57 were 2008’s); 24 Ambassadors were selected. The turn-out of 2008 wines was a little disappointing, as was the fact that a number of them had to be rejected due to less than optimum condition (e.g. still in tank). On the upside however, with elevage and polishing before bottling, some of these wines showed the characteristics of real longevity. If resubmitted next year, I’d be willing to gamble that many will be a shoo-in for the 2010 Selection. But let’s wait and see. Of the 24 wines selected, six were 2007 (21 percent of total 2007 wines entered) and 18 were 2008 (32 percent of total 2008 wines entered). It is widely known that 2007 was a lighter vintage, and while there were some stand-out wines set to improve with age, in general terms 2007 wines should be enjoyed in their youth.

In my view, to date, 2008 has been the best vintage of the decade. Only time will tell if it has what it takes to be an all time classic, but the early signs look positive. The better examples (from producers who left fruit on the vine until mid October, and did not over-extract in the winery) have the typical freshness and typicity of the Loire, but without the green, sappy herbaceous notes that so often stain Cabernet Franc’s good name. These wines have the concentration, weight, supple tannic profile and moderate acid levels to not only help balance the wines, but to enable them age with grace. There is a harmony to many of the wines already and while they will unquestionably get better with age, most will be ready for drinking not long after bottling. The enigmatic, perfumed qualities, dark red fruits and wonderful definition that make Cabernet Franc so special, are present in abundance in the 2008 vintage. Be sure to stock up your cellars!’

Early October 2008: Cabernet Franc@Souzay-Champigny

I’m not sure I’m yet prepared to go along with Sam’s assessment that ‘In my view, to date, 2008 has been the best vintage of the decade’. Certainly it is way better than one might have feared during the cool and drab days of August, although the Loire was fairly dry compared to other parts of France like Bordeaux. The 2008 vintage also benefited from cool temperatures during the sunny months of September and October giving long slow flavour maturation, while a blast of autumnal heat might well have raised the sugar levels too quickly and left the grapes not ripe.

But are the 2008 reds really better than 2005 and some 2006s? Still rather too early to say I think but I’m dubious. Although the final few weeks before the harvest are very important, a vintage is also the reflection of the whole of the growing season. I note that Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve) is unlikely to release his Grand Clos Saumur-Champigny in 2008. JP will not release the Grand Clos if it is not up to the high standard he and Florence have set for this cuvée. Certainly the miraculous 2008 will have a lot of charm but as good as 2005? I’d be surprised.

2009 Cabernet Franc Ambassadors

Some of the Ambassadors from the 2008 vintage

Here are the 24 Ambassadors selected at the two day tasting (7th-8th April) in Paris last week. Many congratulations to those selected.

2007
Domaine Les Grandes Vignes, 2007 Anjou Rouge, L'Aubinaie
Lamé Delisle Boucard, 2007 Bourgueil, Vieilles Vignes
Langlois Château, 2007 Saumur Champigny
Domaine de Nerleux, 2007 Saumur Champigny, Clos des Châtains Vieilles Vignes
Domaine de la Noblaie, 2007 Chinon, Domaine de la Noblaie
Château de Targé, 2007 Saumur Champigny

2008
Famille Amirault Grosbois, 2008 St-Nicolas de Bourgueil, Le Clos
Baudry & Dutour, 2008 Chinon, Domaine du Roncée
Couly Dutheil Père et Fils, 2008 Chinon, Domaine René-Louis Couly
SCEA Charles Joguet, 2008 Chinon, Cuvée Terroir
EARL Domaine Charles Pain, 2008, Chinon, Cuvée Domaine
EARL Domaine Charles Pain, 2008, Chinon, Cuvée Prestige
Domaine de la Chevalerie, 2008 Bourgueil, Bretêche
Domaine Les Grandes Vignes, 2008 Anjou Rouge
Frédéric Mabileau, 2008, St-Nicolas de Bourgueil, Les Rouillères
GAEC Lysiane & Guy Mabileau, 2008 St-Nicolas de Bourgueil, Domaine
GAEC Lysiane & Guy Mabileau, 2008 St-Nicolas de Bourgueil, Vieilles Vignes
Nau Frères, 2008 Bourgueil, Les Blottières
Domaine de la Noblaie, 2008 Chinon
Domaine Les Pins, 2008 Bourgueil, Vieilles Vignes
Clos des Quarterons, 2008, St-Nicolas de Bourgueil, Les Quarterons
Wilfrid Rousse, 2008 Chinon, Les Galuches
EARL Taluau Foltzenlogel, 2008 St Nicolas de Bourgueil, L'Expression
Domaine des Vallettes, 2008, Bourgueil, Vieilles Vignes

In all there were 86 samples (29 were 2007s, 57 were 2008s), so the 24 selected represents a 28% success rate. The tasting was very thorough with almost all of the wines tasted at least twice, a number three times and a few even four or five times. The aim was to give the wines every chance to show their best. The tasting team (Sam Harrop MW, Jane Masters MW, Emily O'Hare and myself) tasted all the wines together.

Initially we divided the wines into three categories – Ambassador quality, possibly Ambassador quality, and not of Amabassador quality.

Next we retasted all the 'possibly Ambassador quality' and either rejected them or moved them up to Ambassador quality. Where we had the slightest doubt or we were split the wine was moved up into Ambassador category.

Finally we retasted all the Ambassador quality wines to make our definitive selection.

Very few of the 2008s were finished wines, which made tasting them particularly interesting but challenging. Among those rejected there were some very good wines, which were currently faulty – reduction, for example. Although it is highly likely that the faults will have been resolved by the time the wines are in bottle, we couldn't take the risk of making them Ambassadors this year. It is highly probable if these 2008s are resubmitted next year that they will become Ambassadors for 2010. Once again this underlines the importance of making sure that samples for tasting are carefully prepared.

After the tasting Sam Harrop MW, the consultant to the project, commented: "I think the results look really good and am looking forward to tasting the wines again at the London International Wine Trade Fair."