Some recently enjoyed Loire bottles .....

We opened the 2005 Mi-Pente, Bourgueil from Domaine de la Butte to welcome one of the new members of our French group. She had first visited us in the Cher Valley in 2005. her stay included a visit to Jacky Blot and she was very struck by Jacky's explanation of the terroirs of La Butte. Naturally it felt appropriate to mark the occasion with the 05 Mi-Pente, which is currently drinking very well. Lovely soft, developed fruit, supple structure – all in all the 2005 Mi-Pente seems much younger than its 13 years.

Château de l'Aulée's Crémant de Loire Crémant de Loire Brut Zéro is our house Loire sparkler. Made from 100% Chenin it is very clean, pure and precise. Despite having no dosage, the finish is attractively austere but never acidic. A fine sparkler, which spends between 24 and 36 months sur latte, for less than 10€ from the domaine!

Bought on Sunday at the latest edition of the Bios Jours de Bourgueil attended by organic producers from the Pays Nantais, Saumur and Touraine. This well-made 2017 Bourgueil cuvée printemps from Domaine du Rochouard offers great value at 6.50€ the bottle.  Ripe fruit, some fairly soft structure, this entry level Bourgueil can be drunk now with pleasure but should improve over the next two or three years in bottle.

In contrast with many of the other wines on sale at the Bios Jours Jean-Luc Duveau's Bourgueil was offered at a very good price. Many of the other exbibitors had wines that started at around 10€ without the quality found in this 2017.

A magnum of 2012 Negrette bought from Jérémie Mourat's domaine in the Fiefs Vendéens. A magnum is an ideal size if you have a number of people around the dinner table. Negrette is the majority grape of Fronton, to the north west of Toulouse. It is also found, however, in the Fiefs Vendéens. Mourat's Negrette has lovely juicy black fruits – the 2012 slipped down without a struggle. Time to buy some more!

The 1989 Grande Année is a lovely classic from Bernard Fouquet's Domaine des Aubuisières and it was wines from this great Loire vintage that established Bernard's reputation. Less rich than his 1989 Le Marigny, Grande Année has lovely delicacy, finesse and balance with potential to continue to age brilliantly as on close to 30 years old it has lovely freshness.

2016 Le Petit Clos, Vouvray sec, Bernard Fouquet – Domaine des Aubuisières

This 2016 Vouvray Sec Le Petit Clos from Bernard Fouquet has terrific balance – a lovely blend of ripe fruit with vibrant acidity giving a typical austere Vouvray finish. This comes from a single vineyard with the vines planted on clay limestone. 

The 2016 is drinking well now but clearly has the potential to mature and develop over many years. Demonstration that Bernard Fouquet is among the best producers in Vouvray.   

More recently enjoyed Loires in late March

2014 Le Reinet Gamay Vieilles Vignes, 

Domaine de la Grange, AC Touraine   

Luckily last year we took the precaution of buying 24 bottles of Bruno Curassier's deliciously juicy 2014 Gamay, which has been drinking very well over the past year. Note that Bruno suggests serving this at 15˚C. Our stocks are beginning to run low so will have to invest in the 2015 when next out in the Loire.

During our three week stay in the Loire we enjoyed (avec modération) a number of good bottles. This is the second post. The first is here.  

This post was uncompleted yesterday when we set off from Newtonmore for the Isle of Colonsay. It is now Tuesday morning and we are settled into the refurbished Avenue Cottage in the woods of the Colonsay Estate. 

 1996 Le Plan de Jean, Vouvray Moelleux, 

Domaine des Aubuisières, Bernard Fouquet

Very lovely, mature sweet honeyed 1996 Vouvray from Bernard Fouquet with characteristic balanced acidity stopping it from being cloying. Sweet enough to match an apple dessert.  

 2010 Chinon Domaine du Raifault

One of two bottles of this very good 2010 Chinon bought at a bargain price from Ludo and Sophie's retirement wine sale at Café de la Promenade. Underlines what a good vintage 2010 is for Loire reds. Certainly ready to drink but will happily keep for a good number of years depending on how you like your Loire reds.

 2014 Clos de Beaujeu, Sancerre, Gérard Boulay

This pure and crisp but still youthful Sancerre is from Gérard Boulay, one of Sancerre's top producers, and coming from one of Chavignol's steepest vineyards. I wouldn't like to guess whether the Cul or Clos de Beaujeu is steeper than the more famous Côte de Monts Damnés. Good to drink now but will surely gain extra complexity with time in bottle.   

2014 Merci la vie, Bourgueil, L'Oubliée, Xavier Courant 

Another bargain from Sophie and Ludo's sale, early drinking, wonderfully juicy Bourgueil from Xavier Courant. To enjoy rather than analyse. All of Xavier's wines are named after famous French films.

2014 Saint Louans, Chinon, Pierre and Bertrand Couly

Yet another example of a remarkably forward and attractive 2014 Loire Cabernet Franc red but with the potential to age well. Yes this Chinion from Pierre and Bertrand Couly has structure but this is well enveloped by the attractive black fruits. 

It would be good if Jacques Couly's (Couly-Dutheil) very recent death is taken by both sides as a time to start to try to heal and resolve the sad schism within the Couly family. It may be too late but one can only hope!   

2011 Touraine (100% Cabernet Franc),  

Château du Petit Thouars

2014 Touraine (100% Chenin Blanc), 

Château du Petit Thouars 

Two wines from Château du Petit Thouars that were kindly sent to me by Sébastien du Petit Thouars as samples. The 2011 Cabernet Franc is well balanced, complex and showing again that the 2011 vintage is attractive to drink now and although there is no rush to drink this up it may well not keep as long as say 2010 and 2014. The 2014 Chenin is from young vines. Initially I serve this a little too cool and CRM commented that it was rather sharp. As it warmed in the glass it took on more weight putting the acidity into better balance.   

2014 Pouilly-Fumé, Les Cornets, 

Domaine Alain Cailbourdin

It is not just the 2014 red Loires that are showing well but the whites are attractive and well-balanced, too, as this Pouilly-Fumé demonstrates.  

2010 Savennières, Clos Le Grand Beaupréau, 

Anne and Yves Guégniard

Superb, rich, complex, lightly honeyed 2010 Savennières from Domaine de la Bergerie emphasising bot the quality of the wines from La Bergerie but also what a fine vintage 2010 is. This comes from the Clos that is shared by La Bergerie, Domaine Ogereau and Château Pierre Bise.

2015 Touraine Sauvignon, Moulin des Aigremonts

Cellier du Beaujardin

Crémant de Loire Cuvée Prestige, Cellier du Beaujardin, Bléré
50% Chenin, 40% Chardonnay, 10% Cabernet Franc 

(pressurage direct), élevé 36 mois sur latte, vendange manuelle.

The last two wines are from the Cellier du Beaujardin – the Bléré Cave Co-opérative. Both offer good value – the crisp, ripe 2015 Touraine Sauvignon is 4.70€ and has attractive gooseberry flavours, while the full flavoured Crémant de Loire spends 36 months sur latte and retails for just 6.20€ from the co-op, which is remarkable value for a sparkling wine that spends three years on its lees.   

#2015Loire – Vouvray (23rd September)

 Les Bidaudières, Vouvray

Apologies that this report on a visit we made to Vouvray on Wednesday 23rd September but rushing about in the Loire has put me behind! Vouvray started for the still wines around Monday 21st September although for the sparkling the starting date was earlier. Vincent Carême, for instance picked his Jeunes Vignes for sparkling Vouvray on 17th September.     

Bunches in Les Bidaudières

rented by Tanguy Perrault and Anne-Cécile Jadaud

Vincent Carême in his Peu Morier vineyard (Vouvray)

checking the maturity of the grapes

Some of the vines are 60 years old

Grapes picked through the vineyard 

squashed to obtain a...

... reading on the mustimeter

After meeting Vincent in his vines we went on to Domaine Champalou where we saw Didier Champalou. "We started this morning picking by machine for our Vouvray sparkling. Next we'll begin picking for our still wines. 

Bernard Fouquet (Domaine des Aubuisières) was our final stop. Bernard: "We started yesterday. Yields are low – 50 hl/ha for sparkling (up to 65hl/ha is alllowed for sparkling). Potential alcohol for the sparkling is between 11.8-12%. Then on the Coteaux I expect it will be between 35-40 hl/ha. Last week we had some 50 mm of rain – Rochecorbon had less than we did."

Bernard, whose domaine is organic, told us about an anti-rot treatment that absorbs the moisture.  

Since our visit a week ago last Wednesday the weather has improved dramatically. On Saturday the wind swung round to the north east and we have had a series of perfect days with the cold quite strong wind drying and concentrating after the deluge of 13th-18th September. 

We plan to take at look at Montlouis and Vouvray tomorrow, so doubtless we shall see some happy producers. If the current forecast doesn't change and is accurate, it may not be wise to wait too long as some showers are forecast from Saturday with heavier rain due from Wednesday.  

As usual with Chenin Blanc considerable variations even within the same row.

2014 Loire: Vouvray 7th October

Yesterday afternoon we had a quick spin around the western part of AC Vouvray – Rochecorbon, Parçay-Meslay and Vouvray itself visiting Alexandre Monmousseau (Château Gaudrelle), Benoît Gautier (Domaine de la Châtaigneraie),  Catherine, Céline and Didier Champalou (Domaine Champalou) and Bernard Fouquet  (Domaine des Aubuisières) .

The arrival of rain – firstly on last Saturday evening, Monday afternoon and today – has inevitably changed sentiment. Last week there was some talk (rather premature, I fancy, given the weather in July and August) that 2014 might be the equivalent of 2005 and 2009. Producers could be relaxed and choose the best time to pick. Now it is more a question of getting the crop in. "It's not the year we hoped it would be," said Alexandre Monmousseau. Benoît Gautier mentioned 2006 – the year of the race to get the crop in before the rot got the grapes.

None of the four we visited thought it worth waiting – the grapes were ripe, so time to press on. The forecast is not good – further rain and mild nights, so favourable conditions for rot. The photos of grapes below show mainly noble rot but wet, humid conditions can quickly change this into grey rot, especially in parcels prone to rot.  

From 2014 there will be sparkling, sec with probably some demi-sec made. A little sweet wine may be a possibility with Alexandre, for instance, leaving some grapes in on the vine to see what happens but all will, of course, depend upon the weather. The Loire really needed the fine weather of September and the first few days of October to continue for another week to ten days. Sadly this has not been the case. However, all the 2014 juice that I tasted was very clean with texture and body and good acidity in the finish. It seems promising though I cannot predict how it will turn out. Bernard Fouquet had grapes coming in at 13.2% potential.

Yields are around 40 hl/ha. Very irregular according to Bernard Fouquet – some parcels as low as 25 hl/ha and some close to 60 hl/ha. He thinks one the factors is last year's hailstorm on 17th June. Vines affected have had a year off, so have produced more. 

 Rather snatched photo of Alexandre Monmousseau

@Gaudrelle's premises, Rochecorbon

 Cyril Nénin – Alexandre's chef de cave

 Muddy going @Benoît Gautier's winery (Parçay-Meslay) after rain on Saturday evening, 

Monday afternoon and evening and today

 However, Benoît is well pleased with the clarity and 

quality of the juice (11.6% potential) despite the rain and it being machine harvested

Yields around 40 hl/ha

 Benoît among the vats 

 Harvest scene@the Champalous

 Céline and Didier Champalou busy cleaning up at the end of the day

 Grapes up on the plateau @Vouvray

(above and below)

 

 Still on the Vouvray plateau but 

closer to the Premier Côte

(above and below)

On the Premier Côte just above the Vallée Chartier, Vouvray

Below grapes from this parcel of vines