Sign@the entrance
Courtyard of picnickers
Family group including Corinne Flamand (2nd left),
Olivier and son Romain Flamand
For today's picnic we were at Domaine Flamand Delétang in Saint-Martin-le-Beau with Olivier and Corinne Flamand. They have eight hectares of vines (10 parcels) – part in the Montlouis appellation and part in Touraine. The domaine has been passed down through in the generations in the Deletang family, while Olivier is a first generation vigneron.
Until 2003 the estate was much larger – 24 hectares in the Deletang family. Then the two Oliviers – Flamand and Delétang (Corinne's brother) – went their separate ways. In 2009 Olivier Delétang sold his domaine to Michel Antier, the largest landowner in the Montlouis appellation. Subsequently Aynard and Isabelle Clérmont de Tonnerre concluded a deal with Antier acquiring some of the vineyard.
For an apéro we started with an attractive, easy drinking Sec Pétillant Rosé Saint Martin, which is a field blend of Gamay (50% approximately), Côt (35%) and Grolleau (15%) – good summer apéro or with strawberries.
Rosé St Martin Pétillant €8.50
2012 Les Petits Boulay, Montlouis Sec, €13.20
Next we tried the very clean, citric 2012 Les Petits Boulay. Montlouis Sec, which worked very well with some delicious Marennes oysters. Then the just bottled 2013 Les Pierres Escrits, Montlouis Sec, which is vinified in wood. For the moment it is quite wood dominated but given that it has just been bottled it needs more time to for the wood to marry.
2013 Les Pierres Escrits, Montlouis Sec, €16.50
The 1990 moelleux
The picnic finished with a delicious glass of the delicate and fine 1990 Montlouis Moelleux. Markedly lighter in colour than a number of 1990 from Vouvray and Montlouis, which have tended to become rapidly mid-to-deep gold with attractive flavours – quince, peach and a touch of honey with a lovely freshness. Difficult to believe that this is 24 years old.
Cool picnic space
Oysters and other good things
Olivier Flamand
Olivier with the 1990 Montlouis Moelleux
Romain Flamand, who is an illustrator based in Paris
The bar in the extensive cave
1959 – a few bottles from the private reserve
The 100 year old lift for transporting bottles
down to and up from the cellar
Not used now as it doesn't meet 21st century norms
Not used now as it doesn't meet 21st century norms
Romain's mural on the chai
painted a number of years ago
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