Remembering the 2009 Loire vintage – Le Pays Nantais

Chereau-Carré (Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine) – offices  

Chereau-Carré (Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine)

Melon de Bourgogne grapes from the 100 year old vines 

(above and below)

 Bernard Chereau

Bernard with the 2009 juice 

 

 Picker

Melon de Bourgogne 

 The pigeonnier 

Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin 

Pierre Luneau with a sample of Muscadet

2009 Muscadet, Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin

Domaine des Herbauges (Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu) 

 Jérôme Choblet and his family

Luc Choblet – Jérôme's dad

Two days in Muscadet: 21st and 22nd September (part one)

2010 Melon in one of the Luneau-Papin's vineyards

Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin

Yesterday we got to Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin (Le Landreau) just after midday on another glorious September day. By mid-afternoon the temperature was up to 27.5˚. The Luneaus are in the middle of vintage and concentrating on the best parcels that they pick by hand, which they expect to finish on Thursday. Then the rest will be harvested by machine. The fruit isn’t quite as perfect as last year as there is a little bit of rot caused by a small amount of rain around 15^th August. In Le Landreau they only had 15mm but in nearby Clisson it was 30mm. Even so they are having to pick selectively to avoid any rot. However, overall here it is very dry with little rain falling from April.

Understandably Pierre and Monique, their son – Pierre-Marie – and Marie, their daughter are very happy with the quality of the fruit again this year. “The Ban des Vendanges for Muscadet was on the 8^th September but we started last Tuesday (14^th),” said Pierre. “Grapes from the young vines are coming in at 10.9˚-11˚ potential, while from older vines it’s between 11.1˚ and 11.7˚. Acidity levels are between 4.2 – 4.3 grams per litre, which means that they will end up around 4.”

Pierre-Marie added: “The yields are lower than we expected – 35 hl/ha in our cru vineyards compared to 45 hl/ha last year. When pressed the grapes don’t give a lot of juice and the skins are thick.

We tasted juice from various parcels. All were very clean and quite rich with some freshness in the finish.

Luneau-Papin: hand-picked Melon awaiting processing

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Guy analysing his 15% Melon

Guy Bossard

The next visit was to Guy (Le Landreau), who is just up the road. He was always very happy with how the vintage is going, although he is somewhat concerned that the juice from the end of the pressing is an extraordinary 15˚. Overall the potential alcohol levels are between 12.5˚ and 13˚ with the acidity between 4.5 and 4.7. ‘We started on the 8th,” said Guy. ‘In the morning we picked Pinot Noir for our sparkling and then Melon in the afternoon.” (Melon de Bourgogne is the only grape permitted for Muscadet.) "Not only is the quality of the grapes good but we are also getting a decent yield – 50 hl/ha." In 2007 and 2008 Guy had tiny yields due in the former year to mildew and then April frost the following year.

I tasted the juice of Guy's range of Muscadets and all were rich and clean. "We got two more days of harvest left," said Guy. He told me that he had had a phone call from Mark Angeli, the well-known producer and wag in Thouarcé in the Layon. When Mark heard the alcoholic degrees Guy was getting in his 2010 grapes, he remarked "Well for once you are going to have ripe grapes!"

Some of Guy's 2010 crop


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Joseph Landron picking 21.9.2010

Joseph Landron (La Haye Fouassière)
Like the Luneaus and Guy Bossard, Joseph is pleased with the 2010 vintage although there is some rot that has to be cut out. Some of this rot has dried out and become botrytised. 

"We started on 10th September," he explained. "Our degrees are not as high as Guy's – around 11.8% with the acidity around 4.8 grams per litre.  We are getting between 50 and 55 hl/ha and the juice is pure, elegant and fruity. Although we harvest our best parcels by hand and I prefer to harvest by hand with 45ha I have no option but to harvest some by machine. The harvest lasts about ten days. The problem with Muscadet is that we don't really get the price per bottle that justifies picking selectively. However, I still do it."

His parting words were on the UK market. "England is my worst market. It just hasn't been possible to find a good importer." I assured him that he wasn't alone and that there are many good producers who find the UK to be an impossible market to break into. Probably because we are so fixated on price.

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Grapes waiting to be processed@Chasseloir

Bernard Chereau – Chereau-Carré (Saint-Fiacre)
Our last visit in Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine was to see Bernard Chereau at Château Chasseloir. "We started picking last Thursday and continued on Friday when we picked our other domaines including Château l'Oiselinière," said Bernard. "We moved onto Chasseloir yesterday and we have about another week's picking to do. The quality is good with around 12% potential and between 4-4.5 gms/litre acidity. It has been dry – this hasn't been a problem for our old vines but the younger vines have suffered. We haven't needed to treat against mildew since the 10th July."

The juice here again was clean with considerable weight.

 

 

What's Oz Clarke got against Muscadet?

I was recently sent a review copy of Oz Clarke's new book: 'Let me tell you about wine' - a beginner's guide to understanding and enjoying wine (Anova Books £14.99).

I was surprised that, in the short section on the Loire, Oz dismisses Muscadet both for flavour and value. 'One more important grape is Muscadet, grown around Nantes at the mouth of the Loire and used for neutral-tasting dry wine of the same name. (P122). 'Muscadet is overpriced for its quality.' (P123).

Of course it is difficult to give any nuanced opinions in a book on the whole of wine in 192 pages with plenty of photos but I do think that Oz has been very harsh on Muscadet and, perhaps, not recognised the improvements in quality that have been made over the last dozen years or so. True Muscadet is not a strident wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Gewurtraminer but it does have flavours including floral, citric notes, mineral. It is a marvellous match with many kinds of fish. Also in many instances it offers remarkable value for money.

To test Oz's assertion that 'Muscadet is overpriced for its quality' I opened a bottle of 2005 Comte Leloup du Château de Chasseloir, Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine from Bernard Chereau. It had some considerable weight from the ripe vintage, bready and citric notes with a definite sur lie prickle in the mineral finish. All in all a delicious drink that went very well with my seafood pasta. One of those bottles that seemed to empty itself effortlessly.

2005 Comte Leloup

The Comte Leloup comes from vines over 100 years old at Chasseloir and the 2005 is available from Frank Stainton Wines priced at £9.50. For its quality and to enjoy a top Muscadet this seems to me very reasonably priced.

More evidence of quality and value from Muscadet's can be found here with the 2003 Le Clos du Pont from Pascal Guilbaud enjoyed at the tasting I attended in Paris on 22nd October.

Loire producers in London

Tuesday 12th May 2009 London International Wine Trade Fair, Excel

The day started with an excellent presentation of the Great Wine Estates of Western Australia by Andrew Caillard MW to a masterclass run by the Circle of Wine Writers. Andrew is head of the wine department of Langton’s, Australia’s leading auctioneers.

Bulles de Roc

The rest of my day was devoted to visiting the various Loire producers at the fair and tasting their wines.

First up I saw the always ebullient Philippe Germain. The 2008 Chenin, Anjou Blanc is has attractively crisp, grapefruit flavours, some weight and length. The 2008 Solitaire, Saumur Blanc from Philippe’s elder brother, Thierry, has a similar accent on grapefruit and minerality.

Then something entirely new from Thierry and Michel Chevré – a sparkling Saumur called Bulles de Roc. 100% Chenin Blanc with no dosage. It has attractive weight and fine lemony finish. A delicious fizz – unfortunately only 3600 bottles have been produced.

Domaine Nebout has 45 hectares in Saint-Pourçain with 60% planted with red varieties – Pinot Noir and Gamay. Julian Nebout took over the family estate three years ago from his father Serge.

I started with the melon fruited Blanc Tradition 2007 – 75% Chardonnay and 25% Tressalier. Then I moved onto the more interesting 2007 Le Tressallière des Gravières. Here Tressallier, the local variety, makes up 90% of the blend with Chardonnay 10%. 10% is vinified and matured in oak. Tressallier is thought to be a local variant of the Sacy, a grape variety found in the Yonne. It is also believed to be a relation of Chenin Blanc. There are now only 40 hectares of Tressallier left – all in Saint-Pourçain. Tressallier is usually picked in early October. Le Gravières comes from vineyards close to the Allier, the major tributary to the Loire and it has attractive rich, concentrated fruit balanced with a mineral and citric finish.

Julien Nebout with the 2007 Le Tressallière des Gravières

On this evidence the vignerons of Saint-Pourçain ought to be planting more Tressallier. Hopefully this will happen as there is now a much greater appreciation of good indigenous varieties, the importance of preserving them and thus keeping wine’s individuality.

The two reds I found less convincing. Firstly 2006 La Malgarnie – a blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Gamay. It has sweet brambly fruit, some weight but lacks zip and lift in the finish. I’m not convinced that Gamay and Pinot Noir is a successful blend and cannot recall ever having tasted a good one. Then the 100% Pinot Noir 2007 Elevé-en-barrique – some sweet fruit but lacking definition.

Bernard Chereau and 2003 Le Clos

Next to see a relieved Bernard Chereau of Chereau-Carre (Muscadet-de-Sèvre-et-Maine). Now clear of the threat of frost, Bernard said that this year there had been a good and regular sortie (good number of potential bunches of grapes). I tasted a couple of 2008s – L’Oiselinière de la Ramée and Château de Chasseloir, which have yet to be bottled. I preferred the Chasseloir – more concentration and length with lemon and hazelnut flavours. The 2007 Chasseloir is more austere than the 2008, reflecting the vintage difference. The 2005 Comte Leloup de Chasseloir is very different from the 2007 and 2008s tasted. Made from 100 year old vines it has considerable richness and concentration, although its lemony finish gives it balance. The last wine was Le Clos 2003 one of the Haute Expression Muscadets that are aged for more than a year on their lees. It has the typical weight and concentration of 2003 but retains a freshness that makes Le Clos elegant and attractive.

Staying with Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine I tasted wines from Jean Aubron at L'Audigère, Vallet. Jean Aubron has 84 hectares of vines. Of these 71 are planted with Melon de Bourgogne including the 11-hectare. Clos de l’Audigère. The balance is rest made up of Gros Plant, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Unfortunately the first bottle of 2008 Grand Fief de l’Audigère Tradition had some cork taint – once again emphasising that a delicate white like Muscadet really should not long be closed with cork. All Muscadet ought now to be in screwcap. Of the two 2008s I tasted I preferred the weightier Grand Fief de l’Audigère Vieilles Vignes with its attractive mineral finish.

I finished with the 2003 Grand Fief de l’Audigère Vieilles Vignes, which like the Chereau -Carre 2003 Le Clos is also showing well, despite the belief in some quarters that the heatwave vintage of 2003 produced ungainly wines. Certainly it is rich and weighty for a Muscadet but it has a touch of bitterness along with minerality in the finish that stops it being cloying.

(To be continued.....)

Some Loire producers@2009London Wine Fair

Bernard Chereau and his wife with Le Clos 2003 Muscadet de Sèvre-et-MaineChristian Chabirand, Prieuré la Chaume in the Vendée
 


Bernard Jacob, directeur-général of Ackerman-Rémy Pannier

Bertrand de Mascarel de la Corbière with his Château de Minière, 2008 VV Bourgueil

Carine Simoneau (Touraine) with her special designed label for the 2008 Chenin

Olivier Mouraud, export director for Bougrier

New packaging: Vin blanc à boire frais

Bulles de Roc, Saumur, Thierry Germain and Michel ChevréJulien Nebout of Domaine Nebout, Saint-Pourçain holding a bottle of 2007 Le Tressalliers des Gravières

Hope to add comments on some of the wines tasted yesterday...