BIVC - new présidents elected for a three year term

Emmanuel Charrier, Coteaux du Giennois, one of the co-présidents 

of the BIVC with Catherine Corbeau-Mellot (Joseph Mellot)

Lors de la dernière assemblée générale du BIVC qui s’est tenue à Sancerre le 6 novembre dernier, une nouvelle équipe de professionnels s’est installée pour trois ans. L’occasion pour le BIVC de retravailler ses statuts et d’élire un nouveau bureau.

 

Des nouveaux statuts qui entérinent la co-gestion viticulture-négoce des vins du Centre-Loire

Le BIVC, qui fête ses 20 ans cette année, fonctionnait depuis le départ avec une présidence alternée viticulture-négoce mais, de fait, les vignerons et les négociants du Centre-Loire ont toujours travaillé de concert, tous les professionnels étant convaincus d’être dans le même navire.

Sur proposition du bureau, il a donc été décidé de modifier les statuts afin d’établir une co-présidence à la tête de l’interprofession, permettant ainsi d’officialiser cette co-gouvernance mais également de partager les missions dévolues à la présidence entre deux professionnels.

Un bureau renouvelé au service de toutes les appellations

Les 24 membres de l’assemblée générale ont donc désigné les deux premiers co-présidents du BIVC. Il s’agit de Catherine Corbeau-Mellot et d’Emmanuel Charrier.

Ils seront aidés dans leur tâche par 6 autres membres du bureau : Christine Laloue, Patricia Luneau, Sonia Raimbault, Quentin David, Denis Jamain et Cédrick Bardin.

Quentin David, Château Favray, Pouilly-Fumé 

Denis Jamain, Domaine de Reuilly, Reuilly

Sancerre – exploring the vineyards en VTT

Scott in the vines above Chavignol  (above and below)

Lower slopes of Les Monts Damnés

This morning rode over some of the many tracks in Sancerre, which makes this an excellent place for mountain biking, although some of the paths going up the slopes are very steep. As in Touraine March and April has been very cold. Although we are now over a quarter the way through April, the vines are well of budbreak. The buds are more reminiscent of February or early March. Unless there is a blast of hot weather bud break won't be until towards the end of April with the flowering in late June.

According to Bientôt Rumeur, director of the Bureau Interglaciale Vins du Centre (BIVC): "We anticipate in 2013 that le ban des vendanges in Sancerre and Pouilly will not be until mid-November. It will be a little earlier in Quincy and Reuilly – probably early November!"      

 8th April: Buds still tight closed more February than April

Looking down on Chavignol from the east (above and below)

Clos de la Poussie, Bué:

 Brown areas of Clos de la Poussie presumably awaiting replanting after 

the severe erosion problem has been fixed  (above and below)

 

Clos de la Poussie: a parcel severely affected by erosion

Good to see that measures are presumably now being taken to resolved the problem.

To be fair the vineyard is extremely steep here

 One of the ravines

 A maison des vignes being renovated with a distant view of Sancerre through the cold mist

  

Vines on the caillottes (limestone) with Sancerre behind

Caillottes: almost no soil for the vines (above and below)

 Cold work in the vineyard replacing posts

Landslide on high road into Amigny caused by the heavy rain at the end of last year.

Closed to traffic of course. (Above and below)

Nicolas Joly seeks work in Sancerre

Spotted in the offices of the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Centre this week: M. Joly recherche travail dans les vignes. Sceptics may point out that Nicolas Joly's landline in Anjou begins 02.41. However, the green symbol is surely the clincher – Nicolas will soon be amongst the silex and caillottes of Sancerre. 

2011 Central Vineyards tasting@BIVC with Alexis Goujard

Alexis tackling just some of the 2011 red samples

I spent all of Wednesday tasting 2011s as well as this morning at the offices of the BIVC in Saint-Satur (Sancerre) in the company of Alexis Goujard of La Revue du Vin de France. Yesterday we concentrated on the 2011 whites from across the Central Vineyards appellations  – Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Pouilly-sur-Loire, Coteaux du Giennois, Menetou-Salon, Quincy and Reuilly. Then this morning we tackled a smaller number of reds.  

The tasting confirmed my impression that 2011 in white is a good commercial vintage with softer, less austere, precise wines than in 2010. 2011 is a vintage that is likely to appeal to a large number of people, whereas 2010 tended to appeal Loire amateurs. My guess is that 2011 in the Central Vineyards is not a vintage for long keeping but there are always surprises. 

 

Regarding the reds 2011 looks to be a similarly easy drinking, approachable vintage. Although fascinating to have the opportunity to taste the 2011 reds at this stage, it is really too early in general to make judgments on individual producers as some of the wines we tasted hadn't finished their malolactic fermentation, there were very few in bottle and many were a a number of months before they will be ready to bottle. However, it is clear that there is continued progress being made with the reds from the Central Vineyards and that they can offer bargains when compared to their equivalents in Burgundy. 

My thanks to the Bureau du Centre for organising the tasting and in particular to Céline.  

 Benoît Roumet, director of the BIVC, surveying all – above and below

  

See also Sarah Ahmed on a vertical of Sancerre 2005-1996 here.

Emmanuel Charrier: new president of the Bureau Interprofessionel des Vins du Centre

Denis Jamain (a vice-president) and Emmanuel Charrier (president)

C’est lors de l’Assemblée générale du 17 octobre dernier, qu’au nom de l’alternance négoce production, Emmanuel Charrier, vigneron dans les Coteaux du Giennois, a été élu président du BIVC.

Un bureau renouvelé

Emmanuel Charrier sera assisté par Benoît Brochard, vis-président représentant le négoce et Denis Jamain (Reuilly), vice-président représentant la viticulture. Catherine Corbeau-Mellot, Elisa Gueneau, Jean-Claude Châtelain, Pierre Fouassier et Quentin David complètent le nouveau bureau.     

**

News from Benoît Roumet, director of the BIVC, of the appointment of new president – Emmanuel Charrier, a producer in the Coteaux du Giennois. Emmanuel also has vines in Pouilly-Fumé. He will have two vice-presidents: Benoît Brochard representing the negociants and Denis Jamain of Domaine du Reuilly in AC Reuilly. Jamain is a really excellent producer making fine Sauvignon Blanc as well as very good Pinot Noir. 

More of the team: Pierre Fouassier (Domaine Fouassier, Sancerre), 

Quentin David (Château de Favray, Pouilly-Fumé), Denis Jamain and Emmanuel Charrier

The Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Centre represents the following appellations: Châteaumeillant, Coteaux du Giennois, Menetou-Salon, Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy, Reuilly and Sancerre.