Farewell inspirational Catherine Roussel @ Clos Roche Blanche

September 2014: Catherine at the start of the last vintage  

 

We were very sad to hear late yesterday afternoon that Catherine Roussel, the inspirational owner of the Clos Roche Blanche in the Cher Valley had died. Catherine along with Didier Barouillet made wines that punched away above the standard reputation of Appellation Touraine. Their wines enjoyed great success in the USA and the wines' quality inspired others in the Cher Valley by showing what was possible through dedicated work in the vineyard and small yields. 

 

I first met Catherine and Didier in 1989 and made many visits to their vineyards in Mareuil-sur-Cher/Pouillé. We regularly bought their wines, which Catherine preferred to drink them young and wasn't convinced about their ability to age. Here I have to say she was mistaken as they age amazingly well not just the reds but their Touraine Sauvignon as well. To date examples have already aged well for best part of 30 years. 

 

We will be opening some to drink in Catherine's memory.

 

Our thoughts and condolences are with Didier and Catherine's family and friends.   

 

Her funeral will be at the Blois Crematorium on Tuesday 4th October. 

  

September 2014: Catherine at the start of the last vintage  

 

A couple of earlier posts on Jim's Loire: 

Monday, 7 September 2009

T-shirt, shorts and sandals vintage@Clos Roche Blanche starts Thursday

Tuesday, 30 September 2014

Clos Roche Blanche, AC Touraine – historic last vintage for Catherine & Didier

Brief sortie to Anjou in late October

Magnificent autumn colours from the Quarts de Chaume
and way into the distance
Also a reminder of how high parts of Q de C are
before it plunges down to the Layon

Heavily laden Chaume
Also demonstrates Chenin's variable
ripening making it suitable for making sweet wine –
sweetness from some berries freshness from others
usually necessary to pick selectively
 

On Tuesday 26th October we made a flying visit across to Anjou from our base in the Cher Valley east of Tours. We drove through foggy conditions of varying intensity. It was particularly dense as we headed down to the River Layon from Beaulieu sur Layon heading to Saint-Lambert-du Lattay. 

Emmanuel Ogereau – 'the boss'

Vincent – happy to take a back seat these days
 

After visiting Catherine, Vincent and Emmanuel Ogereau at their domaine and tasting a few fermenting 2021 wines including the 1er Tri of their Quarts de Chaume, we headed as it was lunchtime to the Quarts de Chaume for a picnic. By this time the fog had lifted and we were treated to some magnificent views with their autumn colours. We picnicked as we often do along the track to Les Martinières – a right turn off the small road that leads to the hamlet of Chaume. This track is the dividing line between Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru and Coteaux du Layon Chaume Premier Cru. See map 

Pink = Quarts de Chaume vines

Green = Chaume vines

Naturally we had a look at some of the vines. Unsurprisingly given the fine weather during October many had already been picked including the vignes larges of Domaine des Baumard. Some others had probably already been partially picked and were waiting for the final sweep through the vines. However, close to where we stopped on the northern side of the track so in Chaume not Quarts de Chaume was a very well laden parcel of vines, which looked like it hadn't been picked at all. 

Parcel of vines near the Martinières track 

 

 

A generous crop...

Although the yields shown in the above photos are clearly generous it is more difficult to say whether they meet or exceed the criteria for Coteaux du Layon Premier Cru. Had they been to the south of the track and in the Quarts de Chaume it would have been clear that this crop exceeded the Q de C criteria, which are more strict than those for Chaume. In the Quarts de Chaume each vine may not have more than 1.7 kilos of grapes for a yield of 20 hl/ha (25 hl/ha rendement butoir). The potential alcohol minimum has to be 18%. The photos show more than 1.7 kilos per vine. 

However, Chaume does not have a weight limit per vine and the authorised yield is 25 hl/ha, which can be adjusted up to 30 hl/ha and the minimum potential alcohol is 16.5%. Difficult to say if the Chaume criteria have been exceeded here rather that the producer is pushing the envelope and isn't really in line with the spirit of a village premier cru sweet wine. 

You have to wonder if the Baumards may not after all have had a point when opposing Chaume 1er Cru!!       

 

Les Treilles and TGV du Layon 

After our picnic we headed back to Saint-Lambert taking the old railway line track along the northern bank of the Layon pased the Clos des Treilles now part of Domaine Belargus. The disused railway line is now a green route between Thouarce and Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné.  

 

Clos des Treilles

'L'ancienne ligne de chemin de fer Perray-Jouannet a été ouverte le 18 août 1884 et fut déclassée en 1954. D'une longueur de 26 km, elle était aussi appelée Ligne du Layon, car elle suivait ses méandres. Aujourd'hui, la partie située en Saint Aubin de Luigné et Thouarcé est aménagée en voie verte, sur 16 km.'

 

Beaulieu-Saint-Lambert Station
The steep sides of the northern side of the Layon
can be seen heading into the distance
The Clos des Treilles is part of this massif
 

We dropped in briefly to Domaine Belargus and saw Adrien Moreau, the wine-maker, and Franck. The 2021 harvest is tiny averaging around 10hl/ha but the quality is good both from the dry Chenin and the Quarts de Chaume with a potential alcohol of just over 23˚.

View eastwards from Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay
towards Rablay-sur-Layon

 Time for a few autumn colour photos before heading back to Eastern Touraine.

 

 

 

 

Ivan Massonnat buys Domaine de Beauséjour (AOP Chinon) – a second ambitious wine project

Ivan Massonnat

Domaine de Beauséjour, Panzoult
October 2010

On Friday 15th October 2021 Ivan Massonnat realised a vinous dream that predates his Belargus project in Anjou when he signed the contract to purchase Domaine de Beauséjour (Appellation Chinon) in Panzoult. The commune of Panzoult is in the eastern end of the Chinon appellation on the north side of the valley of the Vienne. Beauséjour is a handsome property on the road between Cravant-les-Coteaux and Panzoult. On the other side of Panzoult Baudry-Dutour, Chinon's largest estate, has their winery and offices.  

Ivan, who has had a second home in the Chinon area for 15 years, had tried to buy Beauséjour in 2016 but the negotiations, which lasted nearly a year, were ultimately fruitless. Instead Ivan embarked on his Chenin Blanc adventure – Domaine Belargus in Anjou. 

Beauséjour has been created by the Chauveau family, especially by Gérard Chauveau. His father Dr Jacques Chauveau bought a simple farm in 1951. However, it didn't become a domaine viticole until 1968 when Jacques' son Gérard, an architect and town planner, inherited the property. He planted the first vines the following year and then slowly built the estate up to its current size – 100 hectares in one continuous plot, which is certainly unusual in the Loire and elsewhere in many parts of France, where it is customary for farmers to have lots of different parcels of land. The estate now has 27 hectares of vines facing south across the valley of the Vienne, 50 hectares of forest and the rest as fields.

In 1995 David Chauveau, Gérard's son became responsible for wine-making and three years later in 1998 took over the running of Beauséjour with his mother Marie-Claude. In late February 2021 Gérard Chauveau died at 95. The family sought a buyer to continue the work of Gérard and contact with Ivan was resumed. Although there were apparently a number of interested parties, the Chauveaus chose to reach agreement with Ivan. They will continue to be involved with David Chauveau as co-manager and Marie-Claude has the right to stay in the family home for the rest of her life.

The purchase of Beauséjour will allow Ivan in two years' time to give up his high finance life in Paris where he is a partner in PAI Partners, a venture capital and private equity company, and become of full-time vigneron. 

Ivan sees Beauséjour as a long-term project as he explains:

'Un projet global, un projet de vie.

Ce projet, son « Premier Amour », préfigure la reconversion d’Ivan dans le monde du vin.

Pour Ivan, tout est question d’équilibre ! Quand il aura tourné la page de sa « vie parisienne », il pourra ainsi se concentrer sur 2 projets complémentaires : Belargus et Beauséjour, le Chenin et le Cabernet Franc, les schistes et le calcaire, l’Anjou et la Touraine...

A Beauséjour, le chantier est immense : Ivan souhaite donc s’inscrire dans le temps (très) long. Les premières années seront uniquement consacrées à un travail de fond sur le vignoble et à sa conversion en bio.'

Domaine de Beauséjour, Panzoult
October 2010

In a nice piece of symmetry Ivan and his wife bought their Chinon maison secondaire from Madame Chauveau's niece...! 

In the short time (since 2018) Ivan has been involved in Anjou Ivan has already made a considerable impression, Beauséjour looks to be another exciting project – this time red with Cabernet Franc balanced by Chenin Blanc in Anjou, although perhaps there might some day be space for some Chenin Blanc plantings on a clay-limestone slope at Panzoult...  

Meanwhile in Anjou plans for a new Belargus winery are advancing.