Could the French parliament ban the Breton's " Nuits d'ivresse " ?

 

Paul Breton, son of Catherine and Pierre Breton

It looks as though April 1st may have arrived early this year! The French parliamentarians apparently want to ban the use of Nuits d'ivresse on Catherine and Pierre Breton's well known cuvée of Bourgueil. They claim that it sets a bad example and could enourage drunkeness.

Perhaps they also want to ban the film Nuits d'ivresse made by Bernard Nauer and released in 1986?

Report in La Nouvelle République:

'A Bourgueil, faut-il interdire la cuvée " Nuits d'ivresse " ?La célèbre cuvée du Domaine Breton est prise comme “ mauvais exemple ” par des parlementaires qui préparent une loi sur la santé publique et le vin. 

Dans le vin, comme en politique, l'étiquette a son importance ! C'est pour cela que des parlementaires vont bientôt remettre sur le métier une loi sur la santé publique et l'alcool. « Et ils ont pour objectif de faire interdire sur nos étiquettes toutes références au plaisir. D'ailleurs, c'est une cuvée de bourgueil, Nuits d'ivresse, qui est citée dans ce rapport », s'insurgeait hier matin Jean-François Mabileau, au micro, devant un parterre d'élus locaux.'
Read the rest here.

Jean-François Mabileau

Bourgueillothérapie 2013 – more famous artists...

 @Café de la Promenade 

 @Gérard Vallée

 @Sébastien David 

 @Domaine Georget

 @Château de Minière

 @Catherine and Pierre Breton

Domaine de la Chevalerie

International artist@Café de la Promenade

Three portes ouvertes + lunch@Café de la Promenade

Part of the remarkable cellars at Domaine de la Chevalerie

Although the weather was foul on Saturday we had an excellent outing taking in three Portes Ouvertes – Domaine de la Chevalerie and Château de Minière (Bourgueil), Château du Petit Thouars and with time for a very fine leisurely lunch at the increasingly popular Café de la Promenade in Bourgueil.  

We started at the Domaine de la Chevalerie being looked after by Stéphanie Caslot and her assistant – Clémence, while Pierre Caslot busied himself topping up barrels – mainly 2012 but also with some 2011 still being aged.

We tasted from 2011 through to 2009 with a couple of 2005s to finish. I particularly liked the 2010 Galichets and Buscardières and from 2009 Peu Muleau, Galichets and Chevalerie. Finally the 2005 Buscardières was impressively good.  

Identifying the bottle stacks (above and below)

Clémence

Pierre Caslot topping up barrels (above and below)

Stéphanie Caslot

Barrels, bottle stack and stainless steel vats for storage

 La Dilettante, sparkling Vouvray, Catherine and Pierre Breton

After the 2005s we headed off to lunch at Café de la Promenade, which is packed. Obviously the format of sharing slates of cheese, charcuterie, oysters etc. along with sensibly priced wine is proving a great success, especially as it is open every day and up to 15.30, so ideal if you need somewhere to have a late lunch. How much custom in tourist areas in France do restaurants lose by turning people away from 1.30 onwards? Owners Ludo and Sophie told me that business in the first three months of the year is up on 2012.

We started with a bottle of the Bretons' sparkling Vouvray. I tend to find their Vouvray more consistently convincing than their reds. We shared a number of platters – all consistently good – and enjoyed the soft and juicy 2010 Rouge Désir from Guillaume Galteau, Domaine des Vins Coeur. I don't think I have tasted the wines of this young vigneron, who is based in Ingrandes at 44 Route de Touraine, before. Certainly someone to look out for.     

2010 Rouge Désir, Bourgueil, Guillaume Galteau, Ingrandes-de-Touraine (above and below) 

We followed lunch by a quick excursion to Château Petit Thouars, on the south bank of the Vienne. Here the 2010s were showing well, so we came away with a couple of very reasonably priced six packs: Sélection and the Réserve, along with the same of 2009 Cuvée Amiral, a new cuvée made using only the press wine and aged for 14 months in oak. This still needs time for the oak to fully marry but it will be interesting to see how Amiral develops.  Currently AC Touraine the wines here will become AC Chinon in 2015. Before that the domaine will produce its first white from a recently planted parcel of Chenin Blanc in 2014.    

 bienvenue au Château de Minière

After Petit Thouars it was back over the Vienne and the Loire to Minière on the western side of Ingrandes, where we tasted another six wines including the new sparkling Bulles de Minière. I found the ripe, soft but structured 2010 Château de Minière from old vines the most impressive of the reds. 

Renovation work@Minière continues (above and below)

   

 

A light made from wine bottles  

@The Green Man & French Horn with Jo Landron and Pierre Breton

Jo Landron (Muscadet Sévre-et-Maine sur lie)  

Dinner with Pierre Breton and Jo Landron 

at the Green Man and French Horn

Pierre Breton (Bourgueil, Chinon and Vouvray)

Last night was the first time that the relatively recently opened Green Man and French Horn have held a dinner with Loire producers. They kicked off with a vertical from Jo Landon's Fief du Breuil, which was fascinating with the wines really reflecting their vintages. With the reds we started with three vintages from Pierre Breton followed by two older years from Pierre Ferrand, Château de Ligré. 

Dinner cooked by Ed Wilson and his team was very good - not flashy just good ingredients correctly cooked. I thought the sander in beurre blanc and the rabbit in white wine with mashed potatoes were the stand out dishes.

Journalist guests at the dinner included Victoria Moore (wine correspondent for the Telegraph), restaurant critic Bill Knott, Richard Siddle (editor of Harpers Wine & Spirit).

Notes on the wines:

Joseph Landron – vertical of Fief du Breil:

2010  

Weight, good conc still youthful - attractive now but should develop greater complexity with time.

2007  

Nicely austere typical of the vintage very clean – très droit. Oysters please!

2000 

Weight more flattering and approachable than 2007. Still youthful tons of life. Calls for a plâteau fruits du mer. 

1998 

A return to austerity although less so than 2007 has evolved a little, good length persistence – another one for a plâteau fruits de mer. 

1995

Slight deviation in the middle, quite austere.crystalline quality but not sure about middle palate. Unfortunately the second bottle was completely corked.

With dinner: 

2012 Grains de Raisin

Easy drinking with some weight from the concentrated 2012 vintage. Has to be called Muscadet Nouveau. Jo prefers to stress the Grains de Raisin name rather than Muscadet Nouveau. ut this is only part of his reservations over the wine, which stem from having to rush it by mid-November only weeks after the vintage, although it does have the advantage of giving him more time with his Amphibolite cuvée before releasing it. A solution would be to release Grains de Raisin in January – it wouldn't be a nouveau but this might well not matter. 

 

2002 Fief du Breil magnum 

Unfortunately the first bottle was corked but the second was excellent with all the purity and balance you would expect from the 2002 vintage. Sadly Jo has very few of these left. 

***

Pierre Breton: vertical of Bourgueil Perrières and two from Château de Ligré

1996  

Mid-plum, some weight grainy tannins, touch of sous bois pas mal but not same standard as the Villeneuve Grand Clos but perhaps an unfair comparison.

1994  

Bricky colour, evolved Cabernet Franc nose, certainly impressive for this difficult  vintage where tropical conditions during the harvest produced a lot of rot, lighter body than 1996 but enjoyable and showing well.

1985  

Noticeable green pepper aromas but soft fruit on palate. Needs food but holding up.

There is a definite nod to Burgundy in these wines especially as they age.

Two from Château de Ligré: 

1983  

Sous bois, bricky, sweet evolved fruit but still there.

1976 Ligre

Aromas of mousseron and sous bois, rich fruit, another 76 on impressive form

With dinner:

2011 Avis de Vin Fort

Very easy drinking, soft red from a five day cuvaison. However, it is quite expensive for what it is. wine-searcher shows the 2011 retailing in France from 11 euros, while the 2010 Château de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny is available from 8.50€.   

1997 Les Perrières Pierre Breton

Very soft and seductive – typical of the 1997 vintage and showing very well. 

Chef Ed Wilson tasting

 L_R: Bill Knott, Victoria Moore, Douglas Wregg and Richard Siddle 

 Victoria Moore

 Josie Stead of the Quality Chop House 

Jo and his moustache 

  Douglas Wregg expressing mild surprise that 

natural wines haven't yet conquered the world