Four or five festive sparklers... and where to enjoy them

One English sparkler

Sugrue Pierre South Downs: The Trouble with Dreams
by Dermot Sugrue   

Unlike British politics which has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons for best part of three years now, English or more precisely English and Welsh wines, have been garnering headlines for excellent reasons. We are now making some very good sparkling wines, which account for around two thirds of our production. The area under vine here is predicted to reach 3000 hectares by 2020. This is still small – similar in size to Sancerre (2987 in 2017) but given that vine growing only restarted here in 1952 this is a fair change. Plantings have tripled since 2004. Of course all this pales into insignificance if you consider how much the Chinese have planted over the past decade or even, on a lesser scale, the way wine production in New Zealand has increased and changed since the 1970s.

Wine has been made here since the Roman times but following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1536 vineyards in the UK gradually declined until they disappeared altogether just before the First World War. It wasn't until 1952 that vines were replanted for commercial production and there was a gradual revival during the rest of the 20th Century. 

Irish wine-maker Dermot Sugrue has been an important influence on English wine, in particular sparkling. His precise and thrilling Sugrue Pierre South Downs: The Trouble with Dreams (Chardonnay 60% Pinot Noir 40%) can be best enjoyed at The Harrow in Little Bedwyn – a brilliant Michelin starred restaurant.

Just out a quick monograph - 70 pages – to English wine
Copies from International Wine & Food Society

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Four Loire favourites: 

Pure Chenin Blanc from Château de L'Aulée, Azay-le-Rideau. No added sugar and 24 months minimum on the lees. Brilliant value, which makes it our house fizz.

Also pure Chenin Blanc with no sugar added at any stage hence the name – Triple Zéro, which has been a great success for Jacky Blot. Triple Zéro can be best enjoyed at Jacky's Le Bistrot des Belles Caves (Tours).

A Saumur fizz – Chenin Chardonnay – from Bouvet Ladubay – zero dosage. Zéro can be best enjoyed at La Route du Sel (Le Thoureil).

Lamé's delicate Crémant de Loire is a blend of 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon with 24 months sur latte. This Crémant can be best enjoyed at Vincent le Cuisiner de Campagne  (Ingrandes-de-Touraine).

 

A Giant e-bike – recommended to assist in fighting off the extra calories and weight over the Christmas period. 

(This post was first published on Les 5 du Vin. This is one of a week-long series on festive sparkling wines.) 

Loire reds: two fine 2010s – Bourgueil and Chinon

Yesterday evening we enjoyed a soirée de la modération. The main course was slow roasted lamb with a herb, anchovy, garlic and mustard crust. To accompany the lamb we looked at two 2010s.

The first was the well concentrated Cuvée Prestige from Lamé Delisle Boucard in Ingrandes de Touraine (AC Bourgueil) . Although it showed well I think it is still a little tight in the finish and could well benefit from a few more years in bottle. The second Pierre de Tuf from Domaine de la Noblaie in Ligré (AC Chinon). This is showing very well at the moment with soft, attractive fruit and well integrated structure. It will doubtless continue to impress for a number of years but it is drinking very well at the moment.
     

Dangerously delicious – 2015 Cuvée des Chesnaies, Bourgueil, Lamé Delisle Boucard

Cuvée des Chesnaies is Lamé Delisle Boucard's entry level Bourgueil. The 2015 is just delicious – dangerously so – soft, forward red fruits almost no tannin and a touch of acidity in the finish. Un vrai vin des copains. Further analysis is superfluous......  santé !

2017 Loire – flowering starting

Vines in AC Touraine above the village 

of Francueil, Indre et Loire 

Not yet flowering but probably not far off

Speaking today to Christophe Daviau (Domaine de Bablut, Brissac-Quincé, Anjou) and Philippe Boucard (Lamé Delisle Boucard, Bourgueil) both confirmed that flowering is now underway in their vineyards. Although not as early as in 2011, the fact that flowering has started before the end of May indicates that the 2017 vintage will be quite early. Philippe estimated that they will be picking their Cabernet Franc around 20th September.
 

The good news is that the weather for the moment is warm and settled. There will still be the problem of a marked difference in maturity for those badly frosted and who are relying on second generation bunches, which won't flower for some time yet.  

Fingers crossed that the good weather holds!  

Off on an adventure: Day 6 – Lamé Delisle Boucard

 Philippe Boucard, Domaine Lamé Delisle Boucard, Bourgueil

Stéphanie and Patricia

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.  

Happy Christmas everyone! Joyeux Noël ! Small selection of Loire fizz to assist in celebrations

 Crémant de Loire, Brut Zéro, Château de l'Aulée

 Triple Zéro, AC Montlouis, Jacky Blot 

 Crémant de Loire Rosé, Lamé Delisle Boucard 

 Miss Eugénie, Méthode Traditionnelle, Extra Brut, Grolleau Gris 

Domaine des Herbauges

(above and below)

Tuesday lunch @ Vincent le Cuisinier, Ingrandes de Touraine

1996 Bourgueil, Domaine des Ouches, Paul Gambier

After a such a stressful tasting at Lamé Delisle Boucard – it is always difficult to taste wines back to 1928... – a good lunch was essential! Fortunately we were all booked into LDB's neighbour – Vincent le Cuisinier. Here we enjoyed the amazing value of the lunchtime menu at just 17.50€ for two courses from Olivia and Vincent. 

After an apéro of Lame Delisle Boucard's Crémant de Loire Rosé, we enjoyed a couple of bottles of 1996 Bourgueil, Domaine des Ouches made by Paul Gambier – the father of Denis and Thomas Gambier who now run the domaine. At 45€ on the restaurant wine list this was great value and showed really well – living up to the high and deserved reputation of the 1996 vintage.     

Tomato salad with a poached egg 

from hens in their own vineyard 

Riz de veau with le Puy lentils

Poulette – again home reared chicken

Canette 

Tomorrow another fine lunch and a visit in Chinon.

1928 tasting @Lamé Delisle Boucard

 The 1976 cork

Yesterday we were again privileged to be given another extraordinary tasting of Bourgueils at Lamé Delisle Boucard conducted by Philippe Boucard. We were at the domaine with a group of keen wine amateurs who drive classic cars – two Facel Vegas and a Lagonda from before the time that the brand was bought by Aston Martin.

Serendipitously our visit coincided with one led by Ben Hawkins of Morris Field & Verdin (part of Berry Bros & Rudd), which was made up of four staff from the Balthazar restaurant in London's Covent Garden so we tagged onto Ben's group for the visit.   

We started with three 2014 single vineyard Bourgueils taken from their foudres. I found the Mont Sigou, where LDB have their picnic site along with a view towards Ussé on the other side of the Loire, to be the most seductive. 

Then it down into the magical cellar where in 2012 Les 5 du Vin had been treated to an amazing tasting of LDB Bourgueils plus some from Gambier family (Domaine des Ouches) back to 1893.

This time it wasn't as extensive or as far reaching but still an amazing experience, especially as most of the group had never tasted old Bourgueil. 

  

The line-up from 2014 Brunetières back to 1928

The fruit of four generations of wine-making 

We tasted 2014, 2009, 2005, 1989, 1976, 1964, 1961, 1959, 1947 and 1928 – notes to follow shortly. 

2014: Brunetières  
A single vineyard on the coteaux with a clay limestone soil, this shows the potential of the 2014 vintage with its attractively textured black fruits and good length. For the moment it is a little angular in the finish. Although this would be smoothed out with food, it would be best to give the Brunetières at least another three, four or more years in bottle to soften as well as developing further complexity.  

2009:
Still very youthful colour, attractive texture, rich black fruits, structure and length. Certainly drinkable now but will benefit from more time in bottle. 

2005:
Probably the best vintage of the decade for Loire reds. The tannins that were initially quite marked in these wines have now softened as this 2005 showed and with all the concentration and supple texture of this vintage. Drinking now but can be safely kept.

1989:
By Philippe's admission this is not a good example of a 1989 – one of the finest vintages of the 20th century. It was Philippe's first vintage as the winemaker. As he was in the army at the time he had to apply for special leave to be at the domaine during the vintage. This was made very complicated because it was just at the time the Berlin Wall came down and all leave from the French Army was cancelled for three days with tanks moved up to the French border.

The LDB 1989 doesn't have the weight and sweet rich fruit, more reminiscent of the Rhône than the Loire that characterises this vintage. Instead it has a green pepper character that suggests that the grapes may not have been picked fully ripe.  

1976:
One of the great classic Cabernet Franc vintages in this area. 1976 was a very hot, dry summer. It is becoming a little bricky in colour but has rich spicy concentration clearly made from wonderfully ripe fruit, well balanced and lovely length. A wonderful treat!

1964:
Another excellent vintage for Touraine Cabernet Franc. We were so lucky that Philippe opened this 1964 as well as a 1961. The quality of the two vintages here is the reverse of Bordeaux as it is 1961, which is a legendary vintage in Bordeaux with the 1964 good if picked before the rain. Here in the Loire 1961 is good but not at the same level as the very fine 1964.

This was one of the stars of this fabulous tasting – still has considerable depth of colour, herbal with some lightly peppery notes, lovely mouthfeel and very long. Very impressive at 52 years young! No rush to finish any remaining bottles!

1961:More evolved than the 1964, quite bricky and has become like a Pinot Noir, a well known characteristic of old Loire Cabernet Francs, light soft tannins. Still has charm but is on the decline. 

The delicate pale coloured 1961 Bourgueil 

                

Scenes from Paradis....

(above and below) 

 

Philippe opening the 1947

 

Balthazar staff strike gold!

Mould....

Celebrating being back in the Loire – 2Gs: Saumur Blanc (Guiberteau) and Chinon (Grosbois)

We arrived in the Loire early evening yesterday just in time to settle in and relax with an apéro. We went for Domaine Guiberteau's straight 2011 Saumur Blanc refreshing and mineral and ideal after a drive from London.    

Then with our individual chicken pies bought from Billings in Sydenham and, I confess, imported into France. We buy almost everything from local shops here but we make an exception for the first meal in Epeigné because of the long journey. Anyway the pies matched Nicolas Grosbois easy drinking 2014 La Cuisine de ma mère, Chinon with its lovely juicy black fruits and soft tannins. Despite the rather iffy label Nicolas' wine was delicious and the level in the bottle slid down with alarming rapidity.  

Tomorrow another remarkable dance to the wine of time @Lamé Delisle Boucard!

Celebrating London's first Muslim Mayor – Sadiq Khan

Crémant de Loire Rosé, Lamé Delisle Boucard

Last night we opened a bottle of the Crémant de Loire Rosé from Lamé Delisle Boucard to celebrate the election early on Saturday morning of Sadiq Khan as the new Mayor of London and the first Muslim to be elected to the post. Sadiq Khan was elected by a landslide despite a very unpleasantly racist campaign by the Conservatives that has been subsequently widely criticised by various senior Conservative figures. Khan has been impressively dignified.  

Lamé's Crémant Rosé is made from 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and spends 24 months sur latte. Lovely delicate strawberry and raspberry fruit.

Proud to be a Londoner!     

Recently enjoyed Loires in late March

2012 Vouvray Sec, Domaine du Clos Naudin, Philippe Foreau

Very precise, classic Vouvray Sec 

Two very good Vouvrays from Philippe Foreau: 2012 Sec above and 2003 Demi-Sec below

 2003 is famous as the heatwave year 

This lovely demi-sec while rich has good balance of acidity.

Just delicious, especially paired with blue cheese  

 

During our three week stay in the Loire we enjoyed (avec modération) a number of good bottles. This should be the first post of several. 

 1989 Cuvée Cénomane, Coteaux du Loir, Joël Gigou
Red from the Loir Valley – 100% Pinreau d'Aunis or mainly so.

This was an emergency consummation as I discovered that 

the cork had been leaking and the level was mid-to low shoulder.

Showed how resilient Loire wines can be still in 

very good, spicy condition. Memorable!  

 

Crémant de Loire Rosé, Lamé Delisle Boucard

100% Cabernet Franc 

Very attractive, light red fruits, delicate 

2008 Sancerre. Henry Natter 

Excellent mature and complex Sancerre from 

the consistently good Henry Natter, who is based in 

Montigny at the western end of the appellation.

Underlines again that good Sancerre can age beautifully    

 Crémant de Loire, Brut Zéro, Château de l'Aulée

100% Chenin Blanc and brilliant value from this 

Azay-le-Rideau based domaine

 2014 Pélo, Saumur-Champigny, Le Petit Saint Vincent  

Good concentration of black fruits but retaining freshness in the finish.

Yet another 2014 Cabernet Franc showing very well at the moment

 2011 Vieilles Vignes, Saumur-Champigny, 

Château de Villeneuve, Jean-Pierre Chevallier 

Softly fruited 2011 red showing that this vintage 

is showing well at the moment 

and shouldn't be overlooked

 

2003 Anjou Villages Brissac, Domaine de Bablut, Christophe Daviau

Rich, concentrated and now mature