Chinon and Bourgueil: two items – Richard Kelley MW on Chinon + video of Bourgueil 2011

Part of Chinon including Le Clos de l'Hospice

The latest instalment in Richard Kelley's Guide to the Wines of the Loire is now published:

'The Loire’s most recognized red wine appellation

CHINON – WINES OF GREAT RENOWN
‘Chinon, trois fois Chinon :
Petite ville, grand renom,
Assise sur pierre ancienne,
Au haut le bois, au pied la Vienne’

– François Rabelais (1494-1553) from Pantagruel - 1532

Grand renom indeed, but how many wine lovers can honestly claim to know and understand the Loire valleys most widely recognized red wine appellation? Superficially, it’s straightforward enough; a single classification based on Cabernet Franc, vinified both as red and rosé, and bolstered by a token amount of Chenin Blanc planted in many instances for cynical commerciality rather than any inherent cohesion with the region's soils. Unfortunately, for this commentator at least, Chinon is both a confusing and confused appellation, in desperate need of a shake-up....'

......To read more go to:

www.richardkelley.co.uk

***

Video of the 2011 vintage in Bourgueil here.

Sancerre: evening light 22nd September

 Small commune of Amigny, part of the commune of Sancerre, and just to the west of the town 

Series of photos taken on the evening of Thursday 22nd September in a soft, warming light.

 Amigny and some of its vineyards

 Amigny with more vineyards

 Le Cul de Beaujeu  

Although the Côte de Monts Damnés is better known, Chavignol has another equally good and equally steep vineyard – Le Cul de Beaujeu. Similarly terres blanches (clay and limestone), it lies just to the south of the village and like Les Monts Damnés towers over Chavignol. Cul de Beaujeu wines from the Cotats and Gérard Boulay are often amongst the top Sancerres – powerful but with a strong minerality.         

 Vines above Chavignol, Hotel Côte de Monts Damnés and the Monts Damnés

 Looking east from above Chavignol (south of the village) towards Sancerre

Western part of Sancerre with Saint-Andelain in the middle distance   

 Vineyards and the railway viaduct at Saint-Satur

2011 Loire vintage: Sancerre – Pascal Joulin c/o Domaine Michel Vattan

Pascal Joulin 

It was good to meet Pascal Joulin again on Thursday. I first met Pascal back in the early 1990s when he was looking after La Cave des Hauts de Seyr in the Coteaux Charitois. Then he moved to the Domaine de la Grange just beyond the limits of the Pouilly-Fumé appellation. I visited him once there and then lost touch. Happily Pascal got back in touch with me when the Domaine Michel Vattan 2010 Cuvée Argile won a bronze medal at this year's Decanter World Wine Awards.  

In 2002 Pascal had moved to Sancerre to work with Michel Vattan in Maimbray, just up from the chai of Pascal and Nicolas Reverdy. In 2008 he took over the 9 hectare domaine on Michel's retirement. Prior to his arrival the wines went to the cooperative or the négoce, Pascal has developed the domaine's direct sales. Now 65% of the production goes on export – Norway, United States and some to The Sampler in the UK .   

Pascal in his old vines overlooking Maimbray 

Pascal: "We started picking on Wednesday 7th beginning with the Pinot Noir. The ban des Vendanges was on the 1st but the grapes weren't ripe then so I preferred to wait, even so the harvest was three weeks in advance of 2010. Then the following day we started on the Sauvignon Blanc. The 3rd September we had had a sharp storm with 22mm of rain in just 15 minutes. Waiting until the 7th following the potential degree rise to 12.5% and the level of tartaric acidity go up.

"I have 1.30ha of Pinot Noir – 0.70 ares goes to make rosé and 0.6 ares goes to make red. This year we had to cut off 30% of the Pinot Noir and throw it on the ground because of rot. Even having grass in the vineyards made a big difference this year.

"Everything is picked by machine at the moment but I want to move to picking the Pinot Noir by ahdn as soon as possible. My Pinot is planted on the caillottes. I did have some planted on the terres blanches (clay and limestone) at the bottom of the slope but it never ripened, so I've pulled it out.

My aim with the red is to make a typical light, easy drinking Loire red, so I use a short cuvaison so as not to extract too much tannin."