Excellent Jamain Reuilly for Sauvignon Blanc Day

2010 Les Chênes, Reuilly, Denis Jamain

Although I was aware towards the end of April that May Day was in addition being Labour Day was also Sauvignion Blanc Day, I had conveniently forgotten this by the time we reached 1st May. I'm not a great fan of special days to celebrate a particular grape variety. Anyway but happy coincidence I selected this 2010 Les Chênes from Denis Jamain (Domaine de Reuilly) on Friday 1st May. Along with Domaine Claude Lafond, Denis Jamain is Reuilly's top producer.

This is Denis' top white Reuilly – 100% Sauvignon Blanc as required by the appellation. It comes from 40 year old vines planted in one of the parcels of Pierres Plates in the middle of the coteau. The soil is clay-limestone Kimméridgean. Les Chênes is fermented and aged in barriques for a year. 

Denis recommends that you drink Les Chênes within five to ten years. However, this lovely 2010 still has wonderfully fresh with complex texture and concentrated fruit – peach and apricot. Showing beautifully and no reason why it should be good for at least another five years and may be more. When I first opened it was a little too cold, which subdued its complexity and made the oak more apparent. Denis recommends that ideally Les Chênes should be drunk between 13˚C and 15˚C. He is absolutely right – don't serve this cold otherwise you will miss out, which would be a great shame.        

Loire – a few dates for your diary

Sancerre

Central Loire:

31st March - 2nd April: Reuilly 65th Fête du Vin et de la Gastronomie

31st March - 2nd April: Châteaumeillant, Foire aux Vins

Touraine 

7th and 8th April: VinaViva, Saint-Étienne de Chigny 

26th-27th May: VitiLoire, Tours 

Delicious 2017 Nathalie, Reuilly

2017 Nathalie, Reuilly, Domaine Claude Lafond 

The 2017 Nathalie Reuilly (100% Sauvignon Blanc) from Domaine Claude Lafond is just simply delicious – clean citric flavours with strong notes of grapefruit. Nathalie Lafond is the daughter of the late Claude Lafond, who built both the reputation of this domaine but also played a major role in rescuing Appellation Reuilly, which had been in apparent terminal decline.   

Central Loire Vineyards: expansion and renaissance

Producer's sign in Quincy 

Shared picking machine @Reuilly 2009

La Loire @Pouilly-sur-Loire 

The last 27 years has seen very considerably changes in the Central Loire Vineyards. With one sole exception it has been a tale of success and expansion. It is fascinating to compare the area planted in each of the Central Loire appellation in 1990 with the area planted in 2017. 

An overall increase of 2451 hectares in production – a 77% increase – are the headline figures. However, the dramatic revival of appellations like Quincy and Reuilly that in the 1970s and for much of the 1980s are perhaps the interesting. The revival of Reuilly owes much to the late Claude Lafond, who had the vision to persuade the few producers to work together and to establish a common wine-making facility above the small town of Reuilly. It was similar in neighbouring Quincy where a common winery was built at the village of Brinay. These wineries are different from a cave co-operative. Here the producers make with guidance, keep and sell their own wine themselves. The facilities are shared but not the wine.     

Equally the expansion of Menetou-Salon up by nearly 200% from 196 hectares in 1990 to 576 ha last year is impressive. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé have seen the largest increase in terms of hectares – 1032 ha and 580ha respectively. 

Pouilly-sur-Loire – 100% Chasselas – is the only appellation in decline: slipping from 56 hectares planted in 1990 to just 27 last year. Doubtless those lost hectares of Chasselas have been replanted with Sauvignon Blanc – Pouilly-Fumé is so much easier to sell.  

The changes in the Central Loire are in marked contrast with the contraction in the area planted with Melon de Bourgogne for Muscadet in the Pays Nantais. In 1990 all the Muscadet appellations covered 11,280 hectares – this doesn't include Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu which was promoted to appellation status in 1994. At its highest point Muscadet reached some 13300 hectares. By 2016 this area had dropped to a total of 8200 ha. Of these Muscadet Sèvre et Maine accounted for 6300 ha, Côtes de Grandlieu – 230 ha, Coteaux de la Loire – 150 ha.

Even with this sharp contraction Muscadet (820 ha) is still substantially larger than the whole of the Central Vineyard combined – 5750 hectares.      

      

Loire Central Vineyards: the latest figures on area planted

The latest figures show that the area planted in the Central Vineyards continues to increase gradually, except for Châteaumeillant and Coteaux du Giennois which have seen a small decrease.

Central Loire (2017)
Sancerre: 2 990 ha
Pouilly-Fumé: 1325 ha
Pouilly-sur-Loire: 27 ha
Menetou-Salon: 576 ha
Quincy: 303 ha
Reuilly: 259 ha
Coteaux du Giennois: 194 ha
Châteaumeillant: 77 ha




Central Loire (2016)

Sancerre
Sauvignon blanc: 2354 ha

Pinot noir : 600 ha

Total: 2954 ha

Pouilly-Fumé

Sauvignon blanc: 1307 ha

 

Menetou-Salon
Sauvignon Blanc : 376 ha

Pinot Noir: 185 ha

Total: 561 ha

QuincySauvignon blanc : 296 ha

 

Reuilly

Sauvignon blanc : 127 ha

Pinot noir : 75 ha

Pinot gris : 50 ha

Total: 252 ha

Pouilly-sur-Loire
Chasselas : 27 ha

Coteaux du Giennois: 196 ha 

Châteaumeillant: 82 ha 

2017 Loire vintage approaches

The 2017 vintage in the Loire will be relatively early, although not as early as originally thought as the weather recently has been fresher.

The initial predictions (published mid-July) by France's Ministry of Agriculture are that the 2017 Loire will be up on 2016 by 7%. However, 2016 was 25% down on a normal vintage, so the frost affected 2017 vintage will again be considerably down on a 'normal vintage'. 

Unfortunately 2017 will do little to replenish stocks that are now very low in parts of the Loire as there have been short vintages for many from 2012 onwards. Stocks of Muscadet are very low 160,000 hls at the end of July – normally they would be between 410,000 and 430,000 hls. The 2017 vintage in Muscadet is estimated to be between 200,000 and 280,000, while a normal harvest is now around 400,000 hls. Inevitably the 2017 Muscadet will not replenish the depleted stocks. 

Elsewhere stocks of Sancerre are not problematic following a serious of generally plentiful vintages, which have bucked the trend elsewhere in the Central Vineyards and the Loire as a whole. Pouilly-Fumé, by contrast, is short due to frost both last year and this. 

Staying with Sauvignon Blanc, there is just four months of stock of Touraine Sauvignon. Stocks of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil are also very low – 50% of normal. Fortunately, redwise, there are reasonable levels of Chinon, Saumur-Champigny and Saunur. Vouvray has 14 months of stock, which is low due to the tradition of growers holding on to some stock before they sell.   

Picking in the Pays Nantais is likely to start in early September rather than in the last 10 days of August as was originally possible. In the Central Vineyards Benoît Roumet, director of the BIVC,  told me that picking Pinot Gris in Reuilly could start around 13th September with Sauvignon Blanc from 16th September. 

For the moment the grapes appear to be healthy and looking promising. Fingers crossed that this continues. 

More updates on the 2017 Loire vintage will be following.

      

Central Loire Vineyards: forthcoming events

Events: 14th August to 9th September 2017 

 

Exhibitions:

2014 Cuvée André, Reuilly (Rouge), Claude Lafond

2014 Cuvée André, Reuilly (100% Pinot Noir)

Claude Lafond 

Cuvée André commemorates André Lafond, the father of the late Claude Lafond and grandfather of Nathalie who now runs the domaine. In the 1960s André, who worked in the vineyards, saved up and bought a few hectares in Reuilly. At that time Reuilly, like nearby Quincy, was close to disappearing entirely. 

Due to the efforts and vision of Claude, who took over when his father died in 1977, the fortunes of Reuilly were turned around. From around 48 hectares then, when Claude was instrumental in transforming Reuilly, to today with 225 hectares in production with a much more vibrant and optimistic appellation – albeit still small in the grand scheme of things. 

Sadly Claude died suddenly of a heart attack in October 2015. 

Cuvée André is mid-weight with the typical Pinot Noir red fruits and characteristic Loire freshness in the finish.    

 

The late Claude Lafond 

 

 Natalie Lafond

The Claude Lafond winery in Reuilly    

Central Loire Vineyards – 2016 dates for your diary

 

 

From the vineyards of Pouilly-Fumé looking towards Sancerre

Claude Lafond @Chai de Reuilly 6th October 2008

Photos posted in memory of Claude Lafond, who died over the weekend, sorting grapes from his vineyard at Argentan in the Chai de Reuilly, where Reuilly producers share winemaking facilities while keeping their wines separate. In 1992 after the local Quincy/Reuilly cooperative collapsed Claude was instrumental in creating the winery, which was built on his land.   

Claude Lafond: saviour of AC Reuilly dies aged 63

Claude Lafond (October 2013) 

in his winery at Reuilly

I am very shocked and sorry to learn this afternoon of Claude Lafond's sudden and unexpected death during the night of Saturday/Sunday. He died in his bed of a heart attack.

When Claude took over the family domaine in 1977 on the death of his father, André, the small appellation of Reuilly was close to disappearing with only 48 hectares in production. Bored with school Claude was 14 when he started working in his family's vines which amounted to just 3.5 ha at the time. His father was a farm labourer who acquired 45 ares of hybrids when he married and started on his vinous career in the early 1960s.

As well as expanding his own domaine, which had grown to 6.5 hectares when he took over aged 25, Claude persuaded new vignerons to come to Reuilly. The appellation now has some 230 hectares in production with Domaine Claude Lafond with 43 hectares – 35 ha in Reuilly, 3ha Valençay and 5ha on Vin de Pays.   

One of the last times I saw Claude was during the 2013 harvest. With Carole and Chris Kissack (The Wine Doctor) we were on our way to Sancerre and stopped over to see how the harvest had gone. Claude was very welcoming and we tasted the still fermenting 2013s, admired his new winery and we were invited to lunch with him and his winery staff. During the lunch Claude recounted the fascinating history and renovation of the Reuilly appellation.

Claude had an engaging and mischievous sense of humour. I well remember Benôit Roumet, director of the Vins du Centre Loire, telling me that Claude had invited him to eat at the canteen. The 'canteen' turned out to be the starred restaurant in La Cognette in neighbouring Issoudun!   

Natalie Lafond (October 2013)    

 Claude Lafond's winery at Reuilly

(above and below)

  

My sincere condolences to Natalie and to the rest of Claude's family and friends.
 
Claude remembered here, here and here. 

2015 – it's all starting to kick off in the Loire!

Picking in Sancerre late September 2009

The 2015 Loire vintage is now underway and is likely to continue at least until the middle or end of October. It is certainly quite an early start – not as early as 2011 when some Touraine producers, such as the Clos Roche Blanche, started in late August. Nor as early as 2003 when Reuilly was picking by around 20th August. But it is certainly the earliest since 2011 and unusually everything seems to be starting around the same time.

The Ban des Vendanges for Pinot Gris in Reuilly was last Friday, while for Quincy it was yesterday, Sancerre/Pouilly will be this Wednesday. Often there can be a week to 10 days between the start in Reuilly/Quincy and Sancerre beginning. Not so in 2015 – everything seems to be more telescoped!

Here is a report received today from Charles Sydney, a courtier en vin based in Chinon: 

'Phil and I were out in the Touraine on Thursday - growers were picking some of the earlier ripening parcels in Noyers, Oisly and Cheverny, so I guess elsewhere too.

Philippe Trotignon's cahier shows 4 trailers coming in between 12 and 12.7° potential with acidity around 5 grams - definitely time to pick :)

Only problem is the lack of grapes in the vineyards, at least for Sauvignons in the Touraine - Muscadet and Anjou look better fortunately. It's some time since we've seen such small grapes on such small bunches. That's down to those few chilly days pre-Vinexpo, just at the end of harvest.

Some growers are starting in Muscadet this week but most are waiting - while others in Sancerre and Pouilly are starting! Le monde à l'envers !

Fingers crossed for a month or more of sunshine!'

Further west picking of the Chardonnay for Crémant de Loire and Saumur Mousseux started yesterday around Le Puy Notre Dame. See here.

In Muscadet Domaines de l'Ecu and Lunreau-Papin will be starting this week. Normally they would be considerably in advance of Sancerre.

Emmanuel Ogereau (October 2014) 
– the new generation this fine Anjou domaine.

From Anjou – Emmanuel Ogereau (Domaine Ogereau, Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay):

'Les vendanges se préparent très bien en Anjou.

Les vignes ont très bien résisté à la sécheresse au mois de Juillet. Les pluies du mois d’Août leur ont fait le plus grand bien.

Les Chenins sont très jolis pour le moment. Ils sont très goutés et les peaux sont déjà assez fines.

On pourrait donc vendanger assez rapidement. Les vendanges pourraient débuter autour du lundi 21 septembre. A voir comment ça évolue...

On espère que le temps sec et frais de ces derniers jours va se maintenir le plus longtemps possible. On croise les doigts.

Pour les Cabernet, on a le temps. Pas de vendanges avant le mois d’octobre.

On est impatients de vendanger notre vignoble de la Martinière à Quarts de Chaume pour la première fois.'

••

Due to various commitments we are unable to get out to the Loire until 16th September. It goes without saying we are impatient to be there and see what is happening first hand!

Quincy and Reuilly: Journées de l'Ocean 29th-30th August 2015

45th edition of the Journées de l'Ocean

'Quincy fête, cette année encore le plaisir toujours renouvelé des produits de la mer associés à ses vins blancs. Avec les ostréiculteurs de l’île d’Oléron et les vignerons de Quincy : huitres, moules, sardines, andouillettes, merguez, fromages de chèvre, crêpes, galettes aux pommes de terre, pommes, vins de Quincy et de Reuilly attendent les visiteurs du week-end.'

 
Read more here Gilblog

Loire presentation at the Cambridge Wine Shop

In Cambridge to present the Loire and some of its wines at the Cambridge Wine Shop this evening. Good range of wines from Muscadet to Pouilly including a Sancerre Rouge and a 2011 from the Coteaux du Layon. Should be fun! 

 Shows the popularity of cycling in Cambridge!

 Part of the CWS's Loire selection 

L'Inédit, Coteaux du Giennois – 100% Pinot Noir

Not in tonight's tasting but worth trying 

Excellent meal @Auberge du Mail in Cormery for Martin's pre-80th lunch

 In the private room @the Auberge du Mail, Cormery

Last Sunday (31st May) our house group (Les Huîtres Pétillantes) held our annual lunch at the Auberge du Mail in Cormery. We were fortunate enough to have the private room – the same room where we held our first annual meal back in February 1998. This time we had a pre-celebration for Martin's 80th birthday which he will formally celebrate on 13th June. 

We all chose the Meni Mozart at 35€, which offered very good value. 

 Santé! Martin with a glass of sparkling Vouvray 

 Martin characteristically in full flow 

 

 2013 La Raie, Reuilly Claude Lafond

Classy Sauvignon Blanc from Reuilly

 Rabbit 

 2011 Le Vau Jaumier, Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Gérard Vallée 

Gérard's rich 2011 showing very well now but has potential to age further