Recently enjoyed Loires in late March

2012 Vouvray Sec, Domaine du Clos Naudin, Philippe Foreau

Very precise, classic Vouvray Sec 

Two very good Vouvrays from Philippe Foreau: 2012 Sec above and 2003 Demi-Sec below

 2003 is famous as the heatwave year 

This lovely demi-sec while rich has good balance of acidity.

Just delicious, especially paired with blue cheese  

 

During our three week stay in the Loire we enjoyed (avec modération) a number of good bottles. This should be the first post of several. 

 1989 Cuvée Cénomane, Coteaux du Loir, Joël Gigou
Red from the Loir Valley – 100% Pinreau d'Aunis or mainly so.

This was an emergency consummation as I discovered that 

the cork had been leaking and the level was mid-to low shoulder.

Showed how resilient Loire wines can be still in 

very good, spicy condition. Memorable!  

 

Crémant de Loire Rosé, Lamé Delisle Boucard

100% Cabernet Franc 

Very attractive, light red fruits, delicate 

2008 Sancerre. Henry Natter 

Excellent mature and complex Sancerre from 

the consistently good Henry Natter, who is based in 

Montigny at the western end of the appellation.

Underlines again that good Sancerre can age beautifully    

 Crémant de Loire, Brut Zéro, Château de l'Aulée

100% Chenin Blanc and brilliant value from this 

Azay-le-Rideau based domaine

 2014 Pélo, Saumur-Champigny, Le Petit Saint Vincent  

Good concentration of black fruits but retaining freshness in the finish.

Yet another 2014 Cabernet Franc showing very well at the moment

 2011 Vieilles Vignes, Saumur-Champigny, 

Château de Villeneuve, Jean-Pierre Chevallier 

Softly fruited 2011 red showing that this vintage 

is showing well at the moment 

and shouldn't be overlooked

 

2003 Anjou Villages Brissac, Domaine de Bablut, Christophe Daviau

Rich, concentrated and now mature 

Vincent-le-Cuisinier: Ingrandes-de-Touraine – another fine meal

Vincent le Cuisiner 

On Good Friday (25th March) we treated ourselves to a meal at Vincent-le-Cuisinier in Ingrandes-de-Touraine. This small but elegant restaurant has just 15 covers. However, the food, wine and ambiance is worth the effort of getting a table. Furthermore it is great value and is now one of our favourite Loire restaurants.   

A glass of Lamé Delisle Boucard's 

fine Rosé Crémant de Loire 

to start

 Delicious first course of tongue 

 Tart with a slice of foie gras

2010 Les Quartiers, Bourgueil, Yannick Amirault

 

The wine list is very good with many interesting bottles reflecting Olivia's and Vincent's passion for wine. Naturally Bourgueil has the place of honour but the interest isn't just restricted to the Loire. We chose the soft and concentrated 2010 Les Quartiers, Bourgueil from Yannick Amirault – one of my favourite producers. Yannick with his son Benoît makes consistently fine wine.  

 

 Coq au Bourgueil – rich dish with a coq sourced from 

the vineyard attached to the restaurant where the chickens etc run free.

Our friend Anita chose the veal with morilles

 Excellent pear tart – made by the Dessert Queen Olivia 

It is good to see that it isn't just us who rate the quality of Vincent Simon's cooking – see a post from Vincent Pousson here.  

Bordeaux or Colonsay? No contest!

 Colonsay – marked with a red spot

A significant proportion of both the UK wine trade, especially at the fine wine end, along with the wine press will be out in Bordeaux to play their important part in the annual en primeur circus. 

Whether the 2015 will revive the flagging interest in buying en primeur remains to be seen. Although it is always interesting to assess young wines, buying en primeur should come with several health warnings as the newsletter message below from Jancis Robinson MW indicates – 'how non-definitive these barrel samples are' and 'however tempting it must be to show us the most flattering samples'.

Email message from Jancis Robinson MW (1st April 2016)

'By the time you read this I should be fully immersed in assessing embryonic samples of the latest Bordeaux vintage. Having canvassed members of JancisRobinson.com, as I tend to do every year, I know that a significant proportion of them want early assessments of the 2015 vintage and the wines produced, so, ever obedient, I will do my very best. But I do hope everyone realises just how non-definitive these barrel samples are. The wines will not be delivered in bottle for more than two years into the future. A lot can happen in that time. And we have to rely on individual producers to show us samples that are as representative as possible, however tempting it must be to show us the most flattering samples.'

Not only may the wines well turn out to be rather different from the way they tasted during the en primeur week but there are too many examples where customers never saw the wines they had ordered and, for which, they had paid. En primeur can be a gold-plated gift to fraudsters. 

Even before the boom in scam wine investments from around 1998 there were companies like Green's and Nick Davies' The Hungerford Wine Company, which failed to deliver their customers' wine after trousering their money.  

Leaving out and out scams, such as the Bordeaux Wine Trading Company, there continue to be too many instances where customers are either out of pocket or experience disappointment and hassle. 

Right at the end of last year Marco Correira of bust En Primeur Ltd rose again as the World of Wine. Correira is still trumpeting the advantages of buying en primeur when his previous company En Primeur Ltd racked up losses of £2.4 million.      
 
This year I was contacted by Greek customer of Direct Wines/The Hailsham Cellars, who is still trying to get hold of his six bottles of Château Latour ordered en primeur way back in July 2011!        

Moi ?

I am heading in the opposite direction to Scotland on the midday Highland Chieftain from London's Kings Cross getting off at Kingussie well up in the Cairngorns. 

We are heading up for a family wedding on the Isle Of Colonsay. The intrepid couple have decided to get married on Kiloran Bay, recently chosen by walkhighlands as one of their best island beaches, in early April! Could be wonderful but equally they may be saying their vows in horizontal wind and rain.  

Expect to see some photos from Scotland over the next few days.