Off on an adventure: Day 12 – Sébastien Riffault

Sébastien Riffault, Sancerre and a halo

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.   

2017 Renaissance – Saturday 4th February

Louis-Jean Sylvos, Château de la Roche, Azay-le-Rideau

modelling a fine hat. They also make good Chenin Blanc

Florence Sylvos, Château de la Roche 

Photos from the Saturday (4th February 2017) session of the Renaissance tasting:

Mark Angeli – the sage of Thouarcé 

 Pascale de Bonnaventure, Château de Coulaine, Chinon

Jean de Bonnaventure  

 Florent et Claire Bejon, Domaine Florent Bejon, 
Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne 

with two hectares of Cabernet Franc 

previous Appellation Touraine

but Chinon from 2016   

Claudine Tisserand, Domaine Terres de Roa, Saint-Pourçain 
Domaine of 18ha making attractively austere Tressalier.

Sébastien Riffault, Domaine Riffault, Sancerre
Continuing to make intriguing 
and very individual Sancerre

Anthony Robin, Domaine du Clos Frémur
St Gemmes sur Loire 5ha just 5km from Angers 
where Damien Laureau started before moving to Savennières 
Making attractive sparkling wine – Le Puits de Rèze,
juicy, easy drinking Grolleau.
Took over domaine in March 2015, so
2015 is Anthony's first vintage

Adrien de Mello, Domaine de la Petite Soeur
Château de la Génaiserie
badly frosted in 2016 – 7 hl/ha
2016 is his 2nd vintage 
Globule Rouge 2015 ((70% Cab Fr, 30% Cab S)  soft and rich

RAW12: a few more photos from the fair

Nicolas Joly: La Coulée de Serrant

 Coralie Delecheneau: Domaine la Grange Tiphaine 

Jérôme Saurigny, Saint-Aubin de Luigné

 Louis Jean Sylvos, Château de las Roche en Loire, AC Azay-le-Rideau

Sébastien Riffault (Sancerre) and Alexandre Bain (Pouilly-Fumé)

2011 Loire vintage: Sancerre

Signs of rot in a vineyards after the mechanical harvester had passed through (above and below)

Much of the vendange at Sancerre is now finished with many starting around the 1st September and finishing either at the end of last week or the beginning of this. 2011 looks to be a year when good vineyards management was rewarded and that grassed over vineyards proved to be particularly efficacious, especially as Sancerre was hit by a very heavy storm on Saturday 3rd September when up to 50mm of rain fell just half an hour in places like Chavignol.

Sébastien Riffault was one of the few remaining vignerons still picking – his Sauvignon Blanc looked to have a quite significant proportion of noble rot. We caught up with his last afternoon of picking – he was critical of those vignerons who had 'rushed to pick' at the end of August.

Sébastien Riffault's last afternoon of picking:

Emptying into the hod

In the pink!

Grapes in the bin

Nobly rotted

The vineyard supervisor

Sébastien Riffault sorting the grapes

Les Sarments du Berry: sign on one of the pickers' cars

    

Les Caves de Pyrène: Real Wine 19th April 2010

Last PLace on Earth, Bramley Street London W11

Eric Narioo and his Les Caves team continue to bravely and fearlessly explore West London's 'badlands'. Last year it was Porchester Hall. For 2010 they moved a little further west down the tubeline to Latimer Road.

Eric Narioo, one of the wine trade's leading lights 

As usual Les Caves' invitation nailed their colours and beliefs to the mast – no room for ambiguity here! Real wines – natural wines and a lack of 'imaginary' bottles... Last week's demonstration of natural wines by Dynamic Vines was in this sector of London – perhaps it has a particular affinity with this style of wine. 

Althugh there were many enticing things to taste from across the world, I unfortunately only had time for those from the Loire and a few others. Incidentally a different type of reality – flight restrictions due to volcanic ash – had hit this "real wine" tasting preventing around 35 out of the 60 growers from making it to London. 

Tasting 'real or natural' wine is always interesting and an intellectual challenge. At what point along the drinkability continium do the faults or 'natural' characters outweigh its virtues and render it so bizarre or off the wall that it is no longer a pleasant drink? With one exception all were well on the right side of the drinkability continium.Little sign of jihadism in this selection of Loire producers!

The notion of a complete non-interventionist approach to wine-making is probably a caricature. Carried to its exteme you would wiat until the grapes fell from the vine. Good winemakers realise that you have to intervene – deciding when to pick, how long to macerate etc. I always think it is rather like cooking. Yes often using simple ingredients simply cooked is the best. But this doesn't mean you don't have to pay close attention to detail. Simply grilled fish is delcious if you get it right but there is a very narrow window when it is just right – a few seconds either way will give you either underdone or overdone fish. Often just less than a minute too much is enough to ruin that wonderful moist texture perfect fish has.

Good cooking tends to demand that you are at the stove not trying to do two things at the same time – off elsewhere catching up on emails or digging the garden leading all too often to burnt offerings. 

Thierry Germain: Domaine des Roches Neuves

I'm convinced that it is close attention to detail – lots of small things that makes a greater whole – is one thing that marks a real good producer. This is as true at this tasting of 'Real Wine' as it is elsewhere. Take Thierry Germain (Domaine des Roches Neuves) in Saumur. Since he arrived in 1991 Thierry has changed his wine styles considerably – always questioning. At one point he was making rich, full reds and whites with quite high alcohol. Now Thierry is looking for purity, minerality and precision. One could perhaps criticise him for moving from one extreme to another but to change the style involves intervention and it is evident that he pays close attention to detail.   

Some quick comments on wines tasted:

Domaine Pellé – Anne Pellé (Menetou-Salon)
Always very consistent. The 2008 whites showing good concentration and ripeness.

Domaine des Roches Neuves – Thierry Germain (Saumur and Saumur-Champigny)

2008 Isolite precise and quite austere. 2008 reds have sweet initial fruit but flirt with greeness in the finish.

Domaine Catherine and Pierre Breton – Pierre Breton (Bourgueil, Chinon and Vouvray)

The Vouvrays continue to be better than the reds.

Domaine de la Chevalerie (Bourgueil)

Good range of medium weight reds.

Domaine Jean Maupertuis (Côtes d'Auvergne)
Having seen this domaine mentioed favourably on a number of occasions wasn't convinced by the two Gamays from 2009.

Frantz Saumon 

Domaine Frantz Saumon (Montlouis plus négoce activity under Un Saumon dans La Loire)

This was the most exciting range of wines I tasted having lovely purity and vibrancy, particularly from the 2008s and the 2009s. Interestting to see Frantz starting a small negociant activity. I liked the Menu Pineau (sourced from Saint-Aignan) and the Romorantin (from Philippe Tessier in Cour-Cheverny).

Un Saumon dans La Loire: 2009 Romorantin

Domaine Sébastien Riffault – Sébastien Riffault (Sancerre)

I'll happily admit that I haven't got to grips with Sébastien's wines. I have only ever tasted them not drunk a glass with food. I find their oxidative nature masks both their grape variety and the terroir. They may well be drinkable but they are not Sancerre.

For Jamie Goode's take on this tasting click here to go to the Wine Anorak.

http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/natural-wine/natural-wines-what-are-they-exactly