With James Millton (Millton Vineyards, NZ) in the Loire (20.6.2014) – part 2

 James Millton, Didier Champalou and 

Céline Champalou in the Clos du Portail, Vouvray

A close inspection of the vines

After the morning spent with François Chidaine mainly in the vineyards, then a quick look at his new winery that is now finally nearing completion, a quick tour of the old cellars and then a short tasting at La Cave Insolite (the 2011 Les Choiselles Montlouis on flint was a favourite), it was onto Domaine Champalou in Vouvray where we had been kindly invited to lunch. Céline, Catherine and Didier's daughter, and her partner Kevin Fontaine, who makes the wine at Charles Joguet in Sazilly (AC Chinon) had visited James in New Zealand. 

Catherine had billed the lunch as a simple affair but it still lasted some three very enjoyable hours – eating, chatting and trying some interesting wines. I was impressed by the 2013 Sec Tendre, the harmonious 2012 Les Fondreaux, a delicately sweet 2003 la Moelleuse, despite the heatwave that years. We also tasted a couple of older wines – a 1991 sec that had taken on quite a lot of colour and was decidedly austere in the finish and the fine 1995 Tri de Vendange with white truffle and honey. It was fascinating to taste the 1991 as this was the year of the severe frost on the 21st and 22nd April, which overnight destroyed two thirds of the 1991 crop, so it is rare to taste 1991 now. 

We also tasted the promsing 2011 Clos de la Dioterie, Chinon from Charles Joguet in magnum, which is still young and will benefit from more time than we were prepared to give it. 

In time 2013 Vouvray from those producers hit by the violent hailstorm of 17th June 2013 will be equally rare. The Champalous were fortunate to have something to harvest last year as some Vouvray producers made no wine at all.       

Catherine Champalou and Kevin Fontaine, Céline's partner 

 2014 flowering close to being successfully completed

Three fine 2011 Vouvrays from Champalou

2011 Vouvray, Champalou

When the call went out for samples for my tasting of 2011 Vouvrays organised by Marie Thomas of the Syndicat des Vignerons the Champalous were away – at Prowein I fancy – so they were unable to respond. Instead Catherine Champalou kindly arranged to send me samples when I was next back in Touraine. 

These are three lovely, very fine 2011 Vouvrays. They vary in sweetness from sec through demi-sec to sweet but all have a wonderful delicacy and balance. They all have considerable potential to age but can certainly be enjoyed right now.      

2011 Cuvée des Fondreaux, Vouvray, Champalou

Notes on the three wines: 

2011 Vouvray, Champalou

Discreet nose but rich fruit on palate, touch of sweetness but good acidity in the finish to provide balance and freshness. Impressive. Very clean and precise. Worked well with asparagus. 

2011 Cuvée les Fondreaux, Vouvray, Champalou

Between tendre and demi-sec very clean citric flavours with enough acidity to keep everything fresh. Good partner with hard and blue cheeses. 

2011 La Moelleuse, Vouvray, Champalou

Lovely delicate sweet wine, citric flavours including pineapple, beautifully clean and precise. 11% alcohol. Not super sweet rather it has lovely delicacy. Very good apéro with some chicken liver pâté on rough oak cakes. Also with Gorgonzola and even worked with rognon de veau with mushrooms in a cream and mustard sauce.

2011 La Moelleuse, Vouvray, Champalou

More 9th June visits (updated)

Céline Champalou

After the Puzelats we headed westwards along the Loire past Amboise to Husseau where we saw Frantz Saumon and tasted his current range of wines. Next on to Vouvray and Domaine Champalou where we saw Céline Champalou as her parents – Catherine and Didier – were away in Lyon for a tasting and lunch at Bocuse to mark the selection of their sparkling Vouvray for a prize.

Sign@Frantz Saumon

Two empty bottles@Frantz Saumon inc a magnum of Morgon from Marcel Lapierre

We then had time for a quick visit to the new premises of Château Gaudrelle in Rochecorbon and see Alexandre Monmousseau. Alexandre said he was stunned by how quickly this year's grapes were developing. "I have to keep pinching myself to make sure that I'm not dreaming!" He made an interesting observation on the possible effect of the flowering before the summer solstice. "Normally the flowering isn't finished until after the summer solstice when the length of the days are already starting to decline. This year the vines will have an additional 20-25 days during the period of maximum light. We don't know what effect this will have."

Alexandre opening a Vouvray and checking the cork

In the cellars of Gaudrelle

Then it was back to Montlouis to see Ludovic Chanson, whose wines I first tasted at this year's Salon des Vins de Loire. Having tasted his full range I remain impressed, especially with his Montlouis. Clearly yet another emerging star in Montlouis!

Ludovic Chanson

Bertrand Jousset cultivating his vines near Husseau

Champalou and Clos Roussely@RSJ

Last night had dinner at the RSJ (tagliatelle with wild mushroom particularly recommended). We drank the 2005 Le Portail, Vouvray from Didier and Catherine Champalou and the 2007 Anthologie du Clos from Vincent Roussely.

Le Portail comes from the vineyard just by the Champalous' house and winery and is vinified and aged in newish barrels for 12 months. As you would expect the 2005 is rich and mouthfilling with peach and honeyed fruit and some residual sugar making this a tendre or almost demi-sec style. As Le Portail is already 13.5% alc it would doubtless have raised the alcohol too high to have fermented this dry. Curiously the oak is still quite noticeable – perhaps it is the sweetness that accentuates it? Although I enjoyed the wine and it was a good match with the pasta, ideally I prefer the vintages of Portail when it is sec.

We then moved onto the 2007 Anthologie du Clos from Vincent Roussely's Clos Roussely, which has plenty of bright red fruits and some coal tar aromas – medium weight and good length. Naturally this has less concentration than the 2006 Anthologie but is a real success in a diicult year for reds. I wiould drink this quite young to enjoy its youthful fruit. Anthologie is a new addition to the RSJ list joining Vincent's 2008 Touraine Sauvignon and 2008 Touraine Gamay, which are already on the list and selling well.

(Declaration: I work as a consultant to the RSJ and have done for best part of 20 years.)

Vouvray: 2009 vintage now underway

Bunch of Chenin in the Clos du Bourg – combination of noble rot and passerillage: 2.10.09

The official ban des vendanges was on 28th September, although some of the most serious producers waited until the end of the week to start picking. On the way back from picking friends up at Tours Airport today we made a quick diversion into Vouvray to have a look at the vines and also drop into see Didier Champalou and then Noël Pinguet (Domaine Huet).

First day of the harvest@the Champalous: picking machine for the pétillant

Didier Champalou: "We started today and have been picking for the pétillant naturel. The grapes have been coming in at between 12.5%-13% potential with 6.2-6.5g acidity. After fermentation this will come down to 5.5g. I'm happy with the balance. It has been very dry, which blocked the maturation for a while. Until a week ago the flavours were still un peu herbace (a little grassy) but they are fine now. Yields are between 45-50hl/ha."

Noël Pinguet backing in a load of 2009 grapes to the press area@Domaine Huet

Noël Pinguet: "We started on Thursday and in the reverse of normal are picking only the green green for our pétillants and secs as the alcoholic degrees are becoming too high. The grapes are coming in around 12.7% alc with 5.5 acidity. We are very short of stock of pétillants so it was essential that we first concentrated on picking the green grapes and leaving those starting to develop noble rot until later. So far we have 200hls of juice for the pétillants and will harvest another 100hl on Monday. It will be a big harvest this year, which will fill up our vats, although I'm not pressing the grapes hard."

Champalou (Vouvray) 2008 vintage report

Les vendanges sont désormais terminées depuis une semaine; et nous sommes agréablement surpris par la finesse et la richesse des raisins que nous avons pressurés. En effet après l'été en demi teinte que nous avons subi, nous étions peu optimistes. Mais le travail des vignes (effeuillage et ébourgeonnage serré) ainsi que les mois de Séptembre et Octobre ensoleillés, nous ont apporté une vendange saine avec un potentiel de richesse très intéressant: des degrés évoluant entre 12°5 pour les plus faibles et 17° à 17°5 pour les plus concentrés (très peu de pourriture noble mais une concentration importante par passerillage), également la structure ainsi que la texture des jus laissent présager des vins fruités avec un profil de vieillissement intéressant ( des 2002 en plus complexes pour faire un rapprochement avec un millésime récent). Je pense que cette année la gamme des Vouvray évoluera entre les secs tendres et les moelleux avec des profiles très délicats sur la fraicheur et le fruit (des vins de dentelles sans trop de sucrosité).

Didier Champalou: February 2006

We finished the harvest a week ago and are pleasantly surprised by the finesse and the richness of the grapes that we have pressed. After the poor summer we weren’t very optimistic. However, our work in the vines – deleafing and severe debudding as well as the sunny months of September and October gave us a healthy harvest with a very interesting potential: degrees from 12.5˚ at the lowest to 17˚-17.5˚ for the most concentrated. There was very little noble rot this year but had a significant concentration through passerillage (drying through sun and wind). The structure and the texture of the juice indicate that the wines will be fruity with an interesting potential to age. 2002 is the closest similar vintage with perhaps greater complexity. I think this year we will see the range of Vouvray will be from sec-tendre (off-dry) and sweets that are delicate with an emphasis on freshness and fruit – fine wines not too sugary.