2017 Loire in Anjou – Anne, Marie & Yves Guegniard, Emmanuel, Catherine and Vincent Ogereau

Yesterday we headed across westwards to Anjou to check on progress with the 2017 harvest. We were well aware that the 2017 harvest is virtually over. We dropped in the see the Guegniard family – Anne, Marie, Marie-Annick and Yves (Domaine de la Bergerie) – and also caught up with Jean-Michel Monnier, their wine consultant who happened to be visiting at the same time.

They have virtually finished the harvest – there just remain a couple of tris in Chaume and Quarts de Chaume. Picking started pretty early on 4th September. Fortunately they have been less hit by frost in 2017 than they were last year. However, in the Moulin de Beaupreau (Savennières), which they share with the Ogereaus and Papins, was badly hit by frost where they lost two thirds. The Ogereaus lost even more – virtually 100%. Luckily the Guiegniard family's La Croix Pichot, a parcel further east in the Savennières appellation was not hit by the frost. The Guegniards' La Croix Pichot is excellent and offers very good value at just under 14 euros from the estate. 

Unusually in 2017 the Cabernet here on schist was picked earlier than the Cabernet on limestone in Saumur – normally it is the other way round. 

On 4th October they did their first tri in the Quarts de Chaume, which came in at 21˚ potential, while Chaume was at 20˚. This year for the first time they have made an Anjou Sec from golden grapes in Chaume. The aim is to eventually create a Anjou Villages 1er Cru from a range of recognised sectors each with their own name. The intention is to give the top dry whites from the Anjou Blanc appellation great cachet than they currently have. Producers in Chaume and Quarts de Chaume are apparently the furthest advanced. However, I suspect that it will be some considerable time before this new designation will be accepted by the INAO and come to fruition.  

       Anne, Jean-Michel, Marie, Yves and CRM 

 Jean-Michel Monnier takes a sample from their 'egg', 

which is made from sandstone 

 Marie Guegniard

Domaine Ogereau, Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay:

Emmanuel Ogereau with their Vent de Spilite, 

which they hope will be an eventual Anjou Blanc Cru 

The Ogereaus have also nearly finished picking – just a last tri in the Quarts de Chaume – Les Martinières – and a parcel of Layon to finish. 

They started early – 1st September. By 30th September they had harvested their Cabernet Sauvignon parcel on the Côte de la Houssaye, which is remarkably early. Because of severe frost damage there will sadly be no Savennières this year. What few grapes they did pick have been combined with a small amount of dry wine harvested in their Quarts de Chaume parcel making just a barrel.

The first Quart de Chaume tri was on 25th September with grapes reaching a potential of 19.5%. For the second tri the potential was 22%.    

As at the Domaine de la Bergerie we tasted some nascent 2017 Chenin Blanc and again the juice was very clean with good length.  

 

Harvest virtually over the Ogereaus can relax:

Vincent, Emmanuel and Catherine 

Domaine Ogereau, Anjou – profile

Domaine Ogereau, Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay, Anjou

Vincent, Catherine and Emmanuel Ogereau

Vincent and Catherine Ogereau

 

Emmanuel Ogereau during the 2015 vintage – October 

 

Here at Domaine Ogereau, as in a number of other Loire domaines, the changing of the generations is underway with Emmanuel Ogereau increasingly taking over from his parents – Vincent and Catherine. Emmanuel officially became an associate on 20th April 2015. Emmanuel is the 5th generation in this family of vignerons. The Ogereaus have owned this domaine since 1890s. 

Vincent and Catherine took over responsibility for the domaine in 1989 – the year when they made an excellent 1989 Coteaux du Layon St Lambert Cuvée Prestige and followed this success with an award winning 1990 Coteaux du Layon St Lambert Cuvée Prestige.      

Vincent is thoroughly modern in his approach to quality wine-making. His winery is impeccably clean with high quality throughout his Chais. Vincent is a great believer in Chenin Blanc. His Savennières is wonderful. His bright hued, dry Rosé de Loire has an enjoyable red fruit character with zest and style.

Vincent’s reds are some of the best in the appellation. His “straight” Anjou Rouge is nowadays made in a slightly lighter style for earlier drinking, whilst his 'Villages' wines are sterner stuff and need a few years cellaring to show their finest attributes. The Ogereaus top red is a single vineyard – Côte de la Houssaye. This is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and only released in good vintages when the Cabernet Sauvignon ripens properly.

There are two dry whites: an Anjou Blanc En Chenin made, as the name implies, from 100% Chenin Blanc and a Savennières Clos le Grand Beaupréau. This is from the joint venture vineyard with the Papins (Pierre Bisé) and the Guégniards (Domaine de la Bergerie). 

They also make very elegant and refined Coteaux du Layons – a range of three. First off a straight Coteaux du Layon Saint-Lambert and a top wine the Clos des Bonnes Blanches from a well-sited single vineyard that overlooks the Layon. Fermented in 500-litre barrels and the aged for 18 months this is only made in good vintages. This is one of the top sweet wines from the Layon.   

Then there is a recent introduction – Harmonie des Bonnes Blanches. This is lighter and less rich than Clos des Bonnes Blanches. It is also vinified in 500-litre oak barrels and aged for 15 months.   

2015 saw two exciting additions to their range of wines: the acquisition of 43 ares in Coteaux du Layon Chaume and 87 ares in the Quarts de Chaume. 

Before returning to Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay Emmanuel had considerable experience working away from the Loire. He spent just over two years at Les Vignerons de Buzet from July 2010 to July 2012. Then he had a short spell at the Cave de Tain l'Hermitage from September 2012 – November 2012. At the beginning of 2013 Emmanuel headed to New Zealand spending six months (January to June) at Carrick Wines in Central Otago. He also had a work experience at Domaine Serene in Oregon during the autumn of 2009.   

Unlike his parents Emmanuel is at home on social media with Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin accounts. However, both Vincent and Emmanuel are fine musicians. The Ogereau tasting room has a photo of Vincent playing with his father. 

     

 

This profile is one of a series I am gradually writing for RSJ News – the blog for the RSJ Restaurant in London's Waterloo. The other two profiles completed, so far, are Domaine Luneau-Papin and Château Pierre-Bise.  

 

   

Domaine Ogereau: two new wines

2009 En Chenin, Anjou Blanc, Domaine Ogereau

With the 2009 vintage Vincent and Catherine Ogereau have two new wines: En Chenin – an Anjou Blanc – and Harmonie des Bonnes Blanches, a Coteaux du Layon Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay.

Previously the Ogereaus had two Anjou Blancs: one that was bottled early and was a blend of 80% Chenin Blanc with an addition of 20% Chardonnay. "The Chenin-Chardonnay doesn't sell well," explained Vincent, "our clients are looking for Chenin. The En Chenin will also replace our Anjou Cuvée Prtestige."

The 2009 has quince and pear aromas with a hint of honey and mouthfilling fruit with an attractive mineral finish with some light wood notes on the finish. I'm pleased to see this change as Chenin-Chardonnay wasn't a great success and the 2009 version of this new cuvée is well superior to the old Anjou Blanc.

2009 Harmonie des Bonnes Blanches 

Harmonie des Bonnes Blanches will replace the Coteaux du Layon Cuvée Prestige. In a sense it will be second wine of the Clos des Bonnes Blanches. "We only make the Clos des Bonnes Blanches in the best vintages – so probably one year every two or three years," said Vincent. "We expect to make Harmonie almost every year and this will give us greater flexibility. The 2009 was picked at the end of October with a potential of 21˚. We have made a Clos des Bonnes Blanches in 2010 – 100 hls."

The 2009 Harmonie has a lovely purity of fruit along with a lightness of touch.  

Stars from the Layon in London: Guegniard, Ogereau, Papin

At least Eurostar arrives on time for strike threatened party 

The stars from the Layon – Martie-Annick and Yves Guegniard, Catherine and Vincent Ogereau and Joëlle and Claude Papin – arrived in London early yesterday afternoon for a brief 24-hour visit for a couple of tastings at the RSJ Restaurant in London's Waterloo. Unfortunately the six are threatened with transport strikes on both sides of the Channel. Starting yesterday evening there is a 24-hour London tube strike and when they get back to Paris later today they could hit the start of a French rail strike. 

Here are some photos from the tasting at the RSJ last night:

Claude Papin

Catherine Ogereau

Joëlle Papin

Marie-Annick and Yves Guegniard

Vincent Ogereau

Tasters

Three stars of the Layon@The RSJ Restaurant, Monday 6th September

Claude and Joëlle Papin with their Decanter World Wine Award Trophy for best Loire sweet wine 2009

This Monday night sees three of the Layon's best producers at the RSJ Restaurant in Waterloo showing their wines at a tasting and dinner – unfortunately now completely sold out.

 Vincent and Catherine Ogereau

Yves Guegniard, Domaine de la Bergerie

Details of the wines to be tasting before and drunk during the dinner here.

Salon trip Day 1: 30 January 2010: Dom Ogereau and Ch Pierre-Bise

Vincent and Catherine Ogereau, Domaine Ogereau

With a light dusting of snow when I got up around 5am and flakes still falling  there was a concern that our journey from London to Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay would prove difficult. Fortunately the fears were groundless and we arrived at Domaine Ogereau almost on the stroke of 3.30 as arranged as, apart from the odd flurry of snow, the journey was uneventful. We were soon tasting with Vincent and Catherine Ogereau – a few 2009s with the rest from 2008 and 2007.

The news from Vincent and Catherine is that they are considering slightly simplifying their range dropping their Anjou Blanc Cuvée Prestige. In the future they will have two dry whites: their Savennières and Anjou Blanc sec, which will be pure Chenin with the Chardonnay that used to be part of the Anjou Blanc blend being used for their Crémant de Loire. They are also likely to simplify their sweet wine range. Again dropping the Cuvée Prestige and having the light and versatile 'generic' Coteaux du Layon Saint-Lambert and the single vineyard Bonnes Blanches. They would hope to make the Bonnes Blanches every year with less of an accent on the sugar and more emphasis on a refreshing citric character.

Stand out wines from the tasting:

2009 Rosé de Loire (60% Grolleau/40% Gamay)
Soft grenadine character with just enough acidity (malo fait) to carry it off.

2008 Savennières Clos du Grand Beaupréau

2007 Anjou Villages Côte de la Houssaye
Pure Cabernet Sauvignon with remarkable concentration in this difficult year for reds.

The still infantile 2009 Houssaye is already showing a lot of promise but there is a long time to go before it is bottled.

••

Château Pierre-Bise

The next rdv was just across the Layon at Pierre-Bise with Claude and Joëlle Papin. Claude is running an experiment on not using sulphur on a small number of bottles of his 2007 Anjou Blanc Haut de la Garde. We started the tasting by comparing the 2007 without SO2 with one with the normal dose that Claude uses – both wines came from the same vat and were bottled on the same day. The bottles had been open for five days. The one with sulphur was a little more deeper – more golden in colour. It was also had more aromas with no signs of oxidation. When bottling Claude had used CO2 to give the unsulphured wine more protection. He is now carrying bottles around in his car to see how it will react to changes in temperature etc. An experiement to follow!

Stand out wines from the tasting:

2008 Roche aux Moines, Savennières
Honey and floral nose, lovely concentration and balance – one of those seamless wines where everything is in harmony. This was recently bottled because its malo started late – 75% complete. Unanimously our favourite wine.

2008 Schist Anjou Villages

More detailed notes on your visits to follow in the next week or so.