Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Thursday 28 January 2010

Liberty Wines: 19th January 2010

This is always a large and often crowded tasting – hardly surprising given Liberty Wines' high reputation and fine roster of growers. The 2010 edition at the Oval Cricket Ground had 422 wines plus a few Cognacs and grappas to taste but my primary attention was on their Loire producers.


Philippe Günther with the 2008 Saint-Fiacre

I started with the very clean and crisp 2008 Saint-Fiacre Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine (recommended retail price: £8.49) from Château du Coing. With its iodine smell of it made me wish I had a plate of oysters in front of me. "In 2008 we only made 30 hl/ha because of the frost. Whereas we made 50 hl/ha in 2009 and we are very happy with the quality.

Philippe's wife Veronique Günther-Chéreau is the sister of Bernard Chéreau of Chéreau-Carré (Château de Chasseloir). The two properties used be to be combined but are now split.

Sébastien Vaillant with his 2009 Valençay Blanc 

Then onto two wines (both 2009) involving Sébastien Vaillant – one under Sébastien's name and one under the Vignerons de Valençay. The first – a Valençay (RRP: £9.99) – is a blend of 80% Sauvignon and 20% Chardonnay and spends four months on its lees. Attractive grapefruit flavours allied with a soft, roundness that comes from the Chardonnay. It has a Selvin closure (screwcap). See previous notes on the 2008 vintage here and here. The second wine is a Loire Sauvignon Blanc vin de pays (RRP: £9.99) – also Stelvin closed. Bottled early – in mid-December – this is quite rich with attractive citrus flavours with grapefruit to the fore.

Next a bracing 2009 Sauvignon de Touraine from Domaine des Corbillières, Oisly (RRP: £9.99)  At present the aromas are discreet on this quite lean wine, although it does have fair length. With a little time this may take on more weight and become more expressive. On present showing I'd go for the Valençay vin de pays at the same price. 
Report on the tasting on-going. 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

When the new Muscadets arrive in Edmonton from C-C (April),it will be interesting to see which vintage/s we have.

Bob in Alberta.

Jim's Loire said...

Bob I suspect that it will soon be the 2009 because of the succession of short vintages culminating in 2008.

Which ones have you got at the moment?

Anonymous said...

`04/`05 Coing de St Fiacre.
`06 Perraud Granite de Glisson.
`07 Muscadet Perraud.
`05/`06/`07 Oiseliniere Ramee.
`04 Cuvee Centenaires C Carre.

Hoping to get some L-Papin from Calgary.

Bob

Jim's Loire said...

I expect to see the Luneaus on Monday morning. Normally their wines are freezing cold – the Luneau ice cream parlour – from being in an over cold fridge all weekend.

This year I have been promised it will be different – we will see!