Loire 2014 tasting with Philippa & Charles: some nascent 2014s selected

Chris Kissack (The Wine Doctor) @ this week's tasting

Just a follow on from Friday's post about this first look, since the vintage, at 2014 Loires. As I reported they are generally showing well but here are a few wines I picked out from the tasting. Not I hasten to add an exhaustive list and with these very largely being unbottled samples these are not finished wines.

Some 2014s I picked out:

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, Château du Cléray: Pierre Sauvion

Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu, Château de la Pierre, Domaine des Herbauges

Touraine Sauvignon, Domaine de la Bergerie, Jacky Marteau

Menetou-Salon, Le Prieurie de Saint-Cérols, Pierre Jacolin

Reuilly Clos des Messieurs, Natalie and Claude Lafond

Pouilly-Fumé Boisfleury, Alain Cailbourdin

Chinon (Rouge) Domaine de la Roncée, Baudry-Dutour 

Chinon (Rouge) Domaine de la Noblaie, Jérôme Billard

Chinon (Blanc) Domaine de la Noblaie, Jérôme Billard

Fiefs Vendéens Mareuil (Chenin-Chardonnay), Jérémie Mourat

Fiefs Vendéens Le Moulin Blanc (Chenin-Chardonnay), Jérémie Mourat 

Sancerre Cuvées Clémence and Flores, Vincent Pinard

Vouvray Cuvée Silex, Domaine des Aubuisìeres (Bernard Fouquet)

Vouvray Cuvée Ammonite, Château Gaudrelle, Alexandre Monmousseau

Pouilly-Fumé, La Roche Blanche, Laporte

Coteaux de l'Aubance Tradition, Domaine des Rochelles, Jean-Hubert Lebreton

Coteaux du Layon, Clos de la Bergerie, Domaine de la Bergerie, Ann and Yves Guégniard

Coteaux du Layon St Aubin, Les Varennes, Domaine Philippe Cady

(The three sweet wines above are all in the lighter apéro style. Other more concentrated wines will doubtless appear later.) 

1er Cru Coteaux du Layon Chaume, Domaine des Forges, Séverine and Stéphane Branchereau  

  

 

 

A first real sight of Loire 2014s: Philippa & Charles Sydney's tasting

 Jérôme Choblet: just one of many happy faces of 

Loire producers after the 2014 vintage

After having tasted 2014 juice and cuvées in the process of fermenting it was good to have a first opportunity to see how the evident promise of 2014 is being transformed towards finished wine. Philippa & Charles Sydney's traditional January tasting showed that there is plenty to look forward to in 2014. 

It may be one of those fairly rare Loire vintages where it is successful, quality-wise, across the range – dry whites to sweet as well as red. Quantity is going to be an issue for a good number of Loire producers who are faced with the third successive small vintage.      

Dr Loire – Chris Kissack: proof positive that 

the Scottish medical system works a 33-hour day! 

A quizzical Vincent Lieubeau, Famile Liebeau, Pays Nantais

 Jo Standen MW, Wine Society

Highly respected buyer who has long supported the Loire

 Séverine Branchereau, Domaine des Forges

Excellent range of Savennières and sweets from the Layon

 Jean-Hubert Lebreton exploring the 2013 

La Croix de la Mission, Anjou-Villages Brissac

 Richard Hemming: part of Team Jancis Robinson

(above and below)

 

 The three stages of Howard Winn 

(above and below)

Chris Hardy: wine buyer for Majestic and long Loire supporter:

assessment and impressions 

2014 Cabernet Franc@Bourgueil – 14.9

 Gravières

Photos of 2014 Cabernet Franc grapes taken on Sunday 14th September in Bourgueil. The first were taken from vines planted on gravel. Then I took some from the clay limestone coteau. For the moment the grapes look promising and coming along nicely with no sign of rot. Picking is unlikely to start much before the 25th September, although on the gravels of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil they may well start a little earlier. Apparently the skins are thin this year, so there could be problems if the weather changes to being wet, hot and humid.      

 Gravières

 Gravières

Gravières

Grapes from vines planted on clay-limestone:

 argile calcaire

 argile calcaire

 argile calcaire

 argile calcaire

 argile calcaire

  Cabernet Franc leaf taking on autumnal colours