More photos from 2015 Vinaviva – Saturday 28th March

 

The Sales des Fêtes @ Saint-Etienne de Chigny

Claude Aupetitgendre, Domaine de Montoray
Montlouis and Touraine

I was impressed by Claude's Bulles de Chenin non dosé, Montlouis (9.30€)  – very clean and well made – and also the 2013 Libreval sec Montlouis (8€) with its attractive texture. This was the only still cuvée they made in 2013.

Guillaume Reynouard, Manoir de la Tête Rouge, Saumur

(above and below) 

Best wines 2010 Chapitre Saumur Blanc + 
2010 L'Enchentoir, Saumur Notre-Dame (12€)

Vincent Chauvelot, Châteaumeillant

My best wine from Vincent was 2012 La Vignonnerie

90% Pinot Noir, 10% Gamay (8€)

Quentin Bourse, Azay le Rideau

(above and below)

I first met Quentin Bourse, albeit very briefly, at La Levée de la Loire at the Salon des Vins de Loire. He is based in Azay-le-Rideau, and taking over the vines of Pascal Pibleau. Pascal has decided that he want to concentrate on his sparkling wine business – carrying out the secondary fermentation process and aging on behalf of growers. Similar to Berger, for example, at Saint-Martin-le-Beau. 

I tasted the 2013s from Pascal and then the 2014s from Quentin. This is an interesting development, worth following to see how it develops. I do, however, wonder about the price increase from Pascal to Quentin. The 2013 L'héritage d'Aziaum (Pascal), a blend of 55% Côt, 25% Cabernet Franc and 20% Gamay is 8.30€ for a single bottle. The youthful 2014 Aziaum (Quentin) – 70% Côt and 30% Cabernet Franc is 25€ a bottle. I can think of many of bottles from excellent Loire producers which are substantially cheaper than this.

     

Some photos from 2015 Vinaviva – Saturday 28th March

 The stars who help to make the event happen

i/c car parking

Yesterday was my third visit to Vinaviva – a small consumer Salon now in its sixth year. It is a simple two-day affair in the Salle des Fêtes of Saint-Etienne-de-Chigny – a village to the west of Tours on the north bank of the Loire.

I try to get there soon after the Salon starts, so that I can get in about two and a half hours of tasting before moving on to have lunch at the Café de la Promenade in Bourgueil with Ludo and Sophie Ragot.

 Tanguy Perrault

Anne-Cécile Jadaud

I was delighted to discover a new to me and very exciting producer in Vouvray: Tanguy Perrault  and Anne-Cécile Jadaud of Domaine Perrault-Jadaud. I was very impressed with their range of Vouvrays – sparkling, dry through to a lovely sweet 2011. They started in 2008 and had just 2.5 hectares of vines in various different parcels until 2013 when they expanded to four hectares. Some of their vines are on the première côte above Vouvray. 

 Sébastien Cornille of La Roche Bleue

Also from La Roche Bleue

I was also impressed by Sébastien Cornille of La Roche Bleue, Jasnières, especially his very fine 2013 Clos des Molières, Jasnières which has concentration as well as being beautifully clean and precise.  

Alain Couillaud

Alain Couillaud of Le Haut Planty in Le Landreau in Muscadet was another interesting discovery as I don't recall tasting his wines before. I liked his 2013 Haut Planty (Vin de France) and the 2013 Vieilles Vignes Yonnières, Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine. The domaine is in its final year of conversion to organic viticulture. 

More photos from Vinaviva tomorrow.