Off on an adventure: Day 3 – Anne and Pierre-Henry Pellé

 Anne Pellé and her son – Pierre-Henry

Menetou-Salon and Sancerre

As I suspect there will be limited time to post on Jim's Loire while we are away– there are posts prepared in advance that will feature pics of Loire producers and may be from elsewhere plus some recently enjoyed bottles.  

2017 Salon des Vins de Loire – Sunday 5th February

 Pierre-Marie Luneau, Domaine Luneau-Papin, 

Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine

Chris 'Dr Loire' Kissack 

tasting Luneau's Muscadet 

Bertrand Minchin, Menetou-Salon and Valençay

Bertrand was particularly badly hit by frost in Menetou in 2016

making virtually no wine.

Was impressed by Bertrand's 2015 Fumet and 2015 Honorine 

– two Menetous from very different terroirs

 

Pierre-Henry Pellé, Domaine Pellé
Menetou-Salon and Sancerre

Anne Pellé, Domaine Pellé
Menetou-Salon and Sancerre

The Pellés were badly hit by 2016 frosts in Menetou-Salon

 Xavier Weisskopf – maker of very precise and fine Montlouis

Hardly surprising that both Carine and Stéphane Sérol 

(Domaine Sérol) are smiling – 2016 was a 

very good vintage in the Côte Roannaise 

Jean Teissedre, Domaine des Berioles

Saint-Pourçain (above and below). Jean is a talented 

young producer. I particularly 

liked the 2016 Tressalier  

Emmanuel Ogereau creating a silent 

and impressive revolution at Domaine Ogereau, 

Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay (Anjou)

Pascal Cailleau, Domaine de Sauveroy, also in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay

When I first started coming to Anjou 

and the Salon des Vins de Loire Pascal 

had just taken over the family domaine. 

Pascal continues to be enthusiastic and making good wine 

 

 

Les Caves de Pyrène: Real Wine 19th April 2010

Last PLace on Earth, Bramley Street London W11

Eric Narioo and his Les Caves team continue to bravely and fearlessly explore West London's 'badlands'. Last year it was Porchester Hall. For 2010 they moved a little further west down the tubeline to Latimer Road.

Eric Narioo, one of the wine trade's leading lights 

As usual Les Caves' invitation nailed their colours and beliefs to the mast – no room for ambiguity here! Real wines – natural wines and a lack of 'imaginary' bottles... Last week's demonstration of natural wines by Dynamic Vines was in this sector of London – perhaps it has a particular affinity with this style of wine. 

Althugh there were many enticing things to taste from across the world, I unfortunately only had time for those from the Loire and a few others. Incidentally a different type of reality – flight restrictions due to volcanic ash – had hit this "real wine" tasting preventing around 35 out of the 60 growers from making it to London. 

Tasting 'real or natural' wine is always interesting and an intellectual challenge. At what point along the drinkability continium do the faults or 'natural' characters outweigh its virtues and render it so bizarre or off the wall that it is no longer a pleasant drink? With one exception all were well on the right side of the drinkability continium.Little sign of jihadism in this selection of Loire producers!

The notion of a complete non-interventionist approach to wine-making is probably a caricature. Carried to its exteme you would wiat until the grapes fell from the vine. Good winemakers realise that you have to intervene – deciding when to pick, how long to macerate etc. I always think it is rather like cooking. Yes often using simple ingredients simply cooked is the best. But this doesn't mean you don't have to pay close attention to detail. Simply grilled fish is delcious if you get it right but there is a very narrow window when it is just right – a few seconds either way will give you either underdone or overdone fish. Often just less than a minute too much is enough to ruin that wonderful moist texture perfect fish has.

Good cooking tends to demand that you are at the stove not trying to do two things at the same time – off elsewhere catching up on emails or digging the garden leading all too often to burnt offerings. 

Thierry Germain: Domaine des Roches Neuves

I'm convinced that it is close attention to detail – lots of small things that makes a greater whole – is one thing that marks a real good producer. This is as true at this tasting of 'Real Wine' as it is elsewhere. Take Thierry Germain (Domaine des Roches Neuves) in Saumur. Since he arrived in 1991 Thierry has changed his wine styles considerably – always questioning. At one point he was making rich, full reds and whites with quite high alcohol. Now Thierry is looking for purity, minerality and precision. One could perhaps criticise him for moving from one extreme to another but to change the style involves intervention and it is evident that he pays close attention to detail.   

Some quick comments on wines tasted:

Domaine Pellé – Anne Pellé (Menetou-Salon)
Always very consistent. The 2008 whites showing good concentration and ripeness.

Domaine des Roches Neuves – Thierry Germain (Saumur and Saumur-Champigny)

2008 Isolite precise and quite austere. 2008 reds have sweet initial fruit but flirt with greeness in the finish.

Domaine Catherine and Pierre Breton – Pierre Breton (Bourgueil, Chinon and Vouvray)

The Vouvrays continue to be better than the reds.

Domaine de la Chevalerie (Bourgueil)

Good range of medium weight reds.

Domaine Jean Maupertuis (Côtes d'Auvergne)
Having seen this domaine mentioed favourably on a number of occasions wasn't convinced by the two Gamays from 2009.

Frantz Saumon 

Domaine Frantz Saumon (Montlouis plus négoce activity under Un Saumon dans La Loire)

This was the most exciting range of wines I tasted having lovely purity and vibrancy, particularly from the 2008s and the 2009s. Interestting to see Frantz starting a small negociant activity. I liked the Menu Pineau (sourced from Saint-Aignan) and the Romorantin (from Philippe Tessier in Cour-Cheverny).

Un Saumon dans La Loire: 2009 Romorantin

Domaine Sébastien Riffault – Sébastien Riffault (Sancerre)

I'll happily admit that I haven't got to grips with Sébastien's wines. I have only ever tasted them not drunk a glass with food. I find their oxidative nature masks both their grape variety and the terroir. They may well be drinkable but they are not Sancerre.

For Jamie Goode's take on this tasting click here to go to the Wine Anorak.

http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/natural-wine/natural-wines-what-are-they-exactly