Deux régales – 2005 Côt, Clos Roche Blanche + 2014 Saumur Champigny, Château de Villeneuve

 2005 Côt, AC Touraine, Clos Roche Blanche 

2014 Saumur-Champigny, Château de Villeneuve 

2005 Côt, AC Touraine, Clos Roche Blanche 

Last night we opened a bottle 2005 Côt, also sometimes called Malbec outside the Loire, from the Clos Roche Blanche in Mareuil (Cher Valley), Catherine and Didier have now retired but this 2005 is a great testament to them. Over time the tannins of the Côt have softened, the 2005 has richness, floral notes – violets and in the finish a freshness – the hallmark of the Loire. 

It matched perfectly the wonderfully good calves liver from the Criée de la Boucherie in Bléré. 

Too presumptuous to hail this 2005 as a Grand Vin de Loire?  

2014 Saumur-Champigny, Château de Villeneuve 
Very different in approach to the 2005 Côt, this domaine Saumur-Champigny from the always impressive Jean-Pierre Chevallier is definitely ready to drink now. Unlike the Côt it doesn't need time in bottle to show its best. The 2014 has  softly textured black fruits, very soft tannins and a lovely balance. The level in the bottle or decanter falls so quickly that you fear that the container is cracked and leaking.

Jean-Pierre also makes a Vieilles Vignes and his Grand Clos. Both are more structured and need time to show their best. Equally they are likely to age a long time. I suspect that the straight Saumur-Champigny will age well but why not enoy its delicious fruit now?       

2015 Loire: lucky if you have Sauvignon! – Vincent Roussley + Thierry Delaunay

 Epeigné-les-Bois: torrential rain this morning  

rapidly turning the local road into a river

 Water gushing as it heads downhill

The story of the 2015 Loire vintage may prove to be divided between those who were able to harvest all or the bulk of their wines before the last five days of heavy rain starting Sunday and those with later ripening varieties, especially Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, had to wait and so have been hit with a very wet few days. 

Catherine Roussel (Clos Roche Blanche but now retired) told me that their successor Julien had started picking the Sauvignon en famile on 30th August. Catherine has enjoyed picking this year without the responsibilty of having to organise the pickers etc. All of the Sauvignon has now been picking – the yields reduced by coulure in June during the flowering. With the recent downpours Catherine is expecting a great crop of mushrooms. 

In Angé Vincent Roussely has also finished all of his Sauvignon, except for the small parcel left for the sweet wine Cuvée Libertine. He has yet to start on the reds – that will start on Saturday with friends picking Gamay and Pineau d'Aunis. 

Just down the road in Pouillé Thierry Delaunay told me that they started picking Sauvignon on Friday 4th September and finished the final parcel last Tuesday – after the weather broke last weekend but before the heaviest rain of yesterday and this morning. The Sauvignon has come in at between 12.7% and 13% alc – acidity is between 3.8 and 4.2, so relatively low. Thierry has reduced the amount of skin contact this year by half – 20% of the total against the normal 40% in order to keep acidity. Yields are down this year – around 49 hl/ha due to coulure at the flowering in June and also probably due to the heat and drought in the summer.   

They have picked Gamay last week and today to make Rosé.    

 Rain gauge @Vincent Roussley showing 45 mm since Sunday

 A few, well separated bunches of Sauvignon Blanc left for Cuvée Libertine 

– Vincent Roussely's 's sweet wine cuvée 

(above and below)

 Vincent making sure ther Libertine-destined 

bunches are well aerated

 Vincent Roussely – if he looks tired it is partly the harvest but 

also he has just become a father for the second time 

– a daughter just before the start of the harvest

 

 Domaine Joël Delaunay – free run juice for Gamay Rosé

 New offices @Domaine Joël Delaunay, Pouillé

Clos Roche Blanche (Touraine) picking 120-year-old Côt assisted by Jules Dressner

 Gnarled trunks of the 120-year-old Côt – small yields of concentrated juice

(above and below)

Yesterday morning we dropped in on the Clos Roche Blanche to see Catherine Roussel pick her 120-year-old Côt vines (Malbec is a synonym) for the last time. Among the pickers was Jules Dressner (Louis Dressner), Roche Blanche's American importer. Jules had just flown in from New York the night before. Fortunately he wasn't suffering from jet-lag. He thought grape picking wasn't 'rocket-science', which is a fair comment in a rot-free vintage like 2014 but rather different in one like 2013 or when you are picking selectively when the practice can be considerably more challenging than the theory.    

 

 A pause before tackling the 120-year-old Côt 

 Julien Pineau who, along with Laurent Saillard, will be taking 

over the Roche Blanche vines.

Julien used to work for Bertrand and Lisse Jousset in Montlouis 

 

 Julien - final shot of coffee before the off

How did we manage to harvest before the advent of mobiles?

 Jules Dressner@work

(above and below)

 Photos approved by La Patronne

Small, loose bunches of Côt

Jules Dressner's reports on the harvest at Clos Roche Blanche can now be found here.

Clos Roche Blanche, AC Touraine – historic last vintage for Catherine & Didier

  Catherine Roussel rallying the pickers for nearly the last time

 

Didier Barouillet down in the cellar

2014 is the last vintage for Catherine Roussel and Didier Barouillet at the Clos Roche Blanche (AC Touraine@Mareuil-sur-Cher). Retirement beckons for them. Over the past few years some of their vineyards have been sold off, in particular to Noëlla Morantin. The remaining vineyards, including a small parcel of Côt (Malbec is a synomym) where the vines are celebrating their 120th birthday this year, will be split between Laurent Saillard and Julien. Laurent and Julien will each be making their own wines.  

 

Picking Sauvignon Blanc on a misty late September morning

Catherine picking

 

 Another small crop of Sauvignon Blanc in 2014: 15-20 hl/ha 

There were a large number of spiders' webs this morning

 Picker amongst the vines

Laurent Saillard@Clos Roche Blanche 2011 harvest

 

Mid-morning break

Didier in the cellar pouring a sample of 

2014 Sauvignon Blanc coming in at an average 13.3%, 

5.4 acidity and 3.28 acidity 

Quality is good but quantity is again low