2019 Loire – has heat damage become a new challenge?

 

2019 Chenin Blanc from the Clos Mosny,
Domaine de la Taille aux Loups, Montlouis

Frazzled bunch of Chenin Blanc: Clos Mosny

Unfortunately due to a number of family and work commitments, I haven't been able to make as many visits during the Loire harvest as I would like and normally do. However, it is clear that 2019 is once again a good to very good vintage in terms of quality with very like rot and very healthy grapes. In respect to the whites and rosés 2019 may well better than 2018, where some of the these wines are for me just too ripe and rich to be refreshing. For example, we quite often buy rosé from Domaine de la Grange (Bruno Curassier) in Bléré. I much prefer his fresher, leaner 2017 to the opulent 2018.
 
Jacky Blot (Domaine de la Taille aux Loups) is adamant that for whites 2018 is not a good vintage, although it is a good vintage for reds. Jacky is very pleased with the potential quality and balance of the 2019, although he was hit by both April frosts and grapes shrivelled by summer heat spikes of up to 40˚C. 

However, he has been pleasantly surprised to find that his Chenin has yielded more juice than he imagined. He thought yields would be around 25 hl/ha instead they are in the region of 35 hl/ha.

But quantity is down due to April frosts, poor weather due some of the flowering period, drought and as well as grapes frazzled by successive heat spikes.

A grey 'lawn' in Cher Valley
after four months of no rain – above and below

In Eastern Touraine it was very dry from early June until 22nd September. Tours Weather Station recorded 1.2 inches of rain from 13th June to 21st September. The drought started to break on 22nd September. Everything looked very parched and when there were high winds in mid-September the emergency services were on high alert in case of fires spreading through the dry vegetation.

2019 is the sixth good quality vintage in a row starting from 2014. The Loire has never seen such a series. Previously it was exceedingly rare to have more than three successive good vintages. Looking back over this millennium only 2013 has been poor along with 2012 for sweet wines in Anjou. The days of rotten, unripe vintages in the 1960s, 70s and 80s now seems far away. Evidence, surely, of climate change.

At the International Chenin Blanc Congress at the beginning of July the South Africans said that the Loire, with its relatively small increase in temperature, would be feeling the benefits of climate change in contrast to their problems stemming from severe differences in climate. This may be so but changes are already having their effect in the Loire through increased incidences of frost plus sun frazzled grapes.

Xavier Frissant, vigneron at Mosnes and a leading actor in the push to promote Amboise to full cru status, has also been hit considerably by grapes being grilled by the sun. Incidentally 'grillé' is an expression used by the late Gaston Huet (Domaine Huet) to describe the heat of the 1947 vintage. Xavier's Chenin has been particularly hit by the sun. Grapes that face the intense afternoon sun are always the most likely to be frazzled. It was noticeable looking at some of Xavier's Côt that bunches that faced the morning sun had largely been spared, while those facing the afternoon sun had been badly hit.

"This year during the heat spikes there was a three hour danger period – from 2pm to 5pm. We may have to look again at our viticultural practices to see how we can better protect the grapes from intense sunshine."

When I first started reporting about the Loire from 1989 it was fairly common for vineyards to look like dense hedges and to have to search about for  bunches. Over the past 20 years or so opening up the canopy has become common along with spreading out bunches to facilitate ripening and avoiding rot by encouraging currents of air to help dry the grapes. Deleafing has also been popular. Periods of extremely high temperatures as seen this year, even if some of the heat spikes have only lasted a few days, raises a question as to whether this is still the right approach.

Amboise seeks Côt-solidation.......

 Ambition for a new Appellation 

During the heatwave water had pride of place....

On Thursday and Friday (27th and 28th June) I was in Amboise for the conference – Amboise and Côt. Amboise is seeking promotion from Appellation Touraine-Amboise to the cru status of Amboise, dropping the mention of Touraine in a move up the AOP pyramid. The intention is that the new Amboise appellation will be for wines from only two grape varieties – Côt for red and rosés and Chenin Blanc for whites.  It is hoped that this can all be concluded in three years time. I suspect that this timing is optimistic and agreement by the INAO and the French government is likely to take more time. 

This week's conference focused on Côt – also known in some parts of the world as Malbec. Côt producers from Amboise were joined by Auxerrois producers from Cahors. Auxerrois is the local for Côt in Cahors and apparently the original name for this grape variety. 

 Xavier Frissant, leading Touraine Amboise producer 

and President of Touraine-Amboise

A leading actor behind the push for AOP Amboise

Jérémy Arnaud

Terroir manager from Cahors
and animator of the conference

Henri Galinie 

Samuel Leturcq

Leonard Laborie

The morning of Thursday 27th was dedicated to a detailed explanation of the origins of Côt and to the similarities and differences between the climate, soils and topography Amboise and Cahors. There were four principal speakers: Henri Galinie (expert in the history of grape varieties in the Loire Valley), Léonard Laborie (historien chercheur au CNRS), Samuel Leturcq (maître de conférence en histoire médiévale à l'Université de Tours) and Françoise Vannier (expert des terroirs, Cabinet ADAMA).  

The parents of Auxerrois/Côt are the Madeleine Noir from Charentes and the Prunelard Noir with is origins in south west France. The the first textual mention of Côt in Touraine is in the latter part of the 18th Century. However, according to Henri Galinie, expert in the history of grape varieties in the Loire Valley, it is very likely that it was planted here during the 16th Century. 

The name Malbec comes from a Monsieur Malbec, who was either a nurseryman or a a producer or perhaps both who managed to make Malbec a popular variety in Bordeaux during the 19th Century from where it was widely exported to Australia, Argentina and Chile. Hence the current domination of the name Malbec. 

The tunnel under the Château d'Amboise   

After a steamy morning passed in the heat of the conference theatre we repaired to the very welcome cool of the tunnel under the Château d'Amboise to taste a range of wines from Amboise and Cahors. My comments on the wines will appear in a subsequent post.   

         

  

Touraine-Amboise: Foire aux Vins (August 15th)

Thomas Frissant, son of Xavier and Isabelle Frissant. Xavier is now president of Touraine-Amboise 

On Wednesday I spent around a couple of hours at the August edition of the Foire aux Vins d'Amboise, which is held in the tunnel under the château. I didn't manage to taste wines from all of the producers present. However, with a few exceptions it was the usual names who stood out: Xavier Frissant, François Péquin (Domaine des Bessons), Vincent Péquin (Domaine de la Tonnelerie) and Closerie de Chanteloup. As far as I know Coralie and Damien Delecheneau (La Grange Tiphaine), one of the Touraine-Amboise appellation's stand-out producers, don't do this Foire aux Vins. Certainly I have never seen them here.     

François Pequin pouring. He is Vice-President of AC Touraine-Amboise 

The very difficult climatic conditions of 2012 was a common complaint. François Péquin listed them for me. Firstly a mild January with temperatures up around 15˚C which encouraged the sap to rise early. This was followed by severe cold in February with temperatures down at -15˚C. Then a hot March and early April bringing on the vines early only to be hit by frost on 17th-18th April. High rainfall in May, June and July with a difficult flowering and widespread disease, particularly mildew.

Péquin also said that the grape skins this year were very tight and that bursts of hot weather tends to split the grapes, which may be bad news because of the high temperatures forecast for today and, especially, tomorrow. He also reported that Esca was a serious problem in his Sauvignon Blanc this year, which was a surprise as Esca is thought to be worse in dry conditions. 

In their roles as president and vice-president Xavier Frissant and François Péquin are hoping to be able to promote Amboise to cru status, so just Amboise would appear on the label rather than Touraine-Amboise. François suggested that the red might well be pure Côt (Malbec). It will be interesting to see the proposals but I'm far from convinced that Touraine-Amboise has quality in depth that would justify promotion to a cru; two steps in the pyramid above straight Touraine AC, which has some very good producers – the equal of virtually anybody in Touraine-Amboise. A suivre!         

The new chef de cave@Domaine des Bessons

Vincent Péquin

Willi Debenne of Closerie de Chanteloup

Thierry Denay (Domaine de la Croix)

Thierry Denay is the father of Brice Denay, who has recently set up on his own at the 7-ha Domaine du Breuil (06.09.44.38.19). 2011 was Brice's first vintage and I tasted his easy drinking, juicy Rouge Elégance. Made from 100% Cabernet Franc it shows promise and it will be interesting to see how Brice Denay develops at the Domaine du Breuil, where he has started the conversion to organic viticulture.        

 Elegance on the Plou stand 

Dirty Dozen tasting: some Loire wines

Half of the dozen importers were showing some Loire wines at yesterday's tasting. To respond to Chris Kissack's comment, I'd better start with H2Vin. On this occasion they were showing just two. Firstly the 2010 Les Roses du Clos (£8.00), AC Touraine from Xavier Frissant. Attractively mineral and long, Les Roses du Clos is made from Fie Gris (Sauvignon Rose/Sauvignon Gris). This has a delicacy that many Touraine Sauvignon Blancs do not have and once again underlines the lunacy of the INAO's plans to ban 100% Fie Gris from the right to the Touraine appellation.

2009 Génération X1X, Sancerre, Alphonse Mellot 

 

Les Alphonses' barrel fermented Génération Sancerre Blanc (£26.50) is far from your typical crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Rich, weighty, concentrated and long it gives more than a nod in Burgundy's direction. Its concentration in part reflects the warm summer of 2009 but also that the Mellot's along with many vignerons with vines around Sancerre town and Bué were severely hit by hail that year.