2006 Saumur Champigny, Château de Villeneuve

2006 Saumur-Champigny, Château de Villeneuve

If you listened to some received ideas you would imagine that this 2006 straight Saumur-Champigny from Château de Villeveuve would be well past its best. Not at all! In glass it still looks youthful – no sign of brickiness. Similarly on the palate it has the roundness, soft texture and structure that is associated with the 2006 vintage. Tasted blind I am sure it would be difficult to say that this wine is nearly 12 years ago.

Impressive as this is Jean-Pierre Chevallier's straight Saumur-Champigny and not either the Vieilles Vignes or Grand Clos. 

Several bottles in search of a 70th birthday celebration

Elegant, Touraine Brut, Château de l'Aulée 

Mainly Chenin Blanc with a little Chardonnay

Back to Tuesday 3rd October and a 70th birthday celebration. We warmed up with a bottle of Elegance, Touraine Brut from Château de l'Aulée before moving onto Jacky Blot's Triple Zéro, a firm favourite from Montlouis.   
 

Apéros over it was time for the first course a largely seasonal salad with goats' cheese, lardons and a selection of different mushrooms including cèpes and girolles. This was accompanied by a magnum of the 2009 Clos Saint André, Fiefs Vendéens from Jérémie Mourat. 100% Chenin Blanc this had the richness and soft acidity that worked very well with the salad 

With the main course a couple of plain roasted Poulet de Racan a couple of bottles of the classic 1996 Vieilles Vignes, Saumur-Champigny from Château de Villeneuve. With aged this wine has developed lovely complexity while still remaining youthful. This 1996 must surely be good for at least another 10-15 years and probably more.    

 

Back in time for the cheese with the 1961 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Demi-Sec from Domaine Huet. Still amazingly youthful it opened out in the carafe and then in glass. I probably should have opened and decanted this several more hours in advance. Even so it was stunning – wonderfully precise with some honeyed tones.  

We finished with a rich chocolate birthday cake. The 1988 Banyuls Cuvée Francis Cantié from Domaine la Tour Vieille with its rich nutty, raisined and coffee flavours. 

2007 – two whites showing very well – Saumur and Chinon

2007 Chinon,  Château de Saint Louand (Baudry-Dutour)

2007 Saumur Château de Villeneuve 

Here are white Loires now at ten years old – both 100% Chenin Blanc, both showing extremely well and surely good for a number of more years. Both have taken on a more golden colour than when they were first bottled – this is particularly true of the 2007 Chinon. They have both gained complexity in bottle with some slight aged oxidative notes, which are not at all problematic as they just add complexity. Both remain very clean, fresh and delight to drink. 

The Saumur from Château de Villeneuve is the 'generic' cuvée and not the prestige Les Cormiers. Château de Saint Louand is a Baudry-Dutour prestige cuvée coming from vines planted on limestone on the heights above and to the west of the centre of Chinon. Vinified and aged in oak I detected some wood notes that added to the complexity rather than detracting. This Chinon Blanc is closed with a superior Lux Plus srewcap.

2007 was a latish vintage after a poor summer but with a good autumn. The 2007s have a real Loire backbone of racy acidity. This vintage is another example that, given the diversity of Loire wines, it is rare to find a vintage that is good/ideal for all styles. 2007 dry whites and sweets are generally superior to the reds. 

I have little doubt that these two wines will still be showing well in another ten years.           

Château de Villeneuve, Saumur – the new cellar and winery

 Front of the new Château de Villeneuve winery 

Last Thursday we dropped in on Florence and Jean-Pierre Chevallier at Château de Villeneuve in Souzay-Champigny. Jean-Pierre had time to show us quickly round their new winery, which uses the amazing cellars/caves that run under the château. The caves are extensive and remarkably dry. 

In 1969 they were sold to the Pays Nantais négociant Santejeau, which is now part of Castel Frères. This was the same year that the Chevallier family bought the estate. Later they were used by the Saumur sparkling wine house, Veuve Amiot. Then 20 years ago Jean-Pierre bought them back and has now renovated them. Previously his wine-making facilities were above Château de Hureau a little under two kilometres further west towards Saumur. 

Jean-Pierre is currently renting his old winemaking facility at Hureau to Patrice Rétif, who used to be one of the partners in Les Champs Fleuris. Patrice with his wife Catherine now has his own domaine – Domaine des Damoiselles.

The entrance to the winery is on the 

main road from Chinon to Saumur.  

Looking down on the winery 

with the caves under the château

Fermentation tanks

(above and below)

 CRM and Jean-Pierre inspect some foudres

 New barrels 

 A couple of eggs

 

The extensive cellars

(above and below)

Root growing down through fissures in the rock

Me and my shadow

Cave privée

Sorting the just picked 2017 Cabernet Franc 

for Saumur-Champigny 

(above and below)

Deux régales – 2005 Côt, Clos Roche Blanche + 2014 Saumur Champigny, Château de Villeneuve

 2005 Côt, AC Touraine, Clos Roche Blanche 

2014 Saumur-Champigny, Château de Villeneuve 

2005 Côt, AC Touraine, Clos Roche Blanche 

Last night we opened a bottle 2005 Côt, also sometimes called Malbec outside the Loire, from the Clos Roche Blanche in Mareuil (Cher Valley), Catherine and Didier have now retired but this 2005 is a great testament to them. Over time the tannins of the Côt have softened, the 2005 has richness, floral notes – violets and in the finish a freshness – the hallmark of the Loire. 

It matched perfectly the wonderfully good calves liver from the Criée de la Boucherie in Bléré. 

Too presumptuous to hail this 2005 as a Grand Vin de Loire?  

2014 Saumur-Champigny, Château de Villeneuve 
Very different in approach to the 2005 Côt, this domaine Saumur-Champigny from the always impressive Jean-Pierre Chevallier is definitely ready to drink now. Unlike the Côt it doesn't need time in bottle to show its best. The 2014 has  softly textured black fruits, very soft tannins and a lovely balance. The level in the bottle or decanter falls so quickly that you fear that the container is cracked and leaking.

Jean-Pierre also makes a Vieilles Vignes and his Grand Clos. Both are more structured and need time to show their best. Equally they are likely to age a long time. I suspect that the straight Saumur-Champigny will age well but why not enoy its delicious fruit now?       

off on an adventure: Day 17 – Jean-Pierre Chevallier

 Jean-Pierre Chevallier

Château de Villeneuve, Saumur-Champigny and Saumur

 As I suspect there will be limited time to post on Jim's Loire while we are away – there are posts prepared in advance that will feature pics of Loire producers and may be from elsewhere plus some recently enjoyed bottles.   

Soirée de la modération pour 6 – 8th June 2016

2002 Triple Zéro, La Taille aux Loups, Jacky Blot

On Thursday night we enjoyed a soirée de la modération with André Ribeirinho (Adegga), Beatriz Silva and two other friends. We warmed up with a bottle of 2002 Triple Zéro, which Jacky Blot had kindly given us following a very good  tasting with him at La Taille aux Loups in Husseau. The 2002 was still very fresh but with additional complexity from the bottle age.  

2008 Remus Plus, Montlouis, Domaine de la Taillé aux Loups

During the tasting with Jacky we had tried a Remus Plus in half bottle that was considerably more evolved than this very precise full sized one, which showed a touch of oak. It worked well with our fresh asparagus. The 2008 will clearly last a long time gaining further complexity in bottle. 

1995 Le Grand Clos, Saumur Champigny, 

Château de Villeneuve

The 1995 Grand Clos was one of the real stars of the evening – no sign of brickiness in the colour, complex, finely textured, beautifully balanced black fruits, structure and acidity with the simple roast chicken acting as foil. 

1989 Anjou Villages, Domaine Ogereau

For the other red with the main course we went back to 1989. Although full of ripe, succulent black fruit, the 1989 Ogereau suffered a little coming after Le Grand Clos as it showed less complexity on the evening. However, trying a small amount that remained the following morning it had softened and developed showing the rich, very ripe fruit that is a characteristic of 1989. Clearly I should have opened it earlier.   

  

2005 Le MD de Bourgeois, Sancerre, Henri Bourgeois

Le MD from Henri Bourgeois is always a solid banker and the 2005 from a sunny vintage, which we served with the cheese, was no exception. As always it was a particularly good match the goat's cheese – a Petit Lochois. Although the 2005 was a warm year the finish of this MD remains fresh and clearly has the potential to continue to age well for a number more years.

1989 Le Marigny Selection Grains Nobles, Vouvray, 

Domaine des Aubuisières

Just lovely! This Le Marigny showed why 1989 is such a great vintage with rich honeyed, apricot flavours, wonderful texture and the capacity to age for further decades.  

1963 Gould Campbell

To make André and Beatriz feel at home we concluded with this richly concentrated 1963. Initially it showed slightly spiky alcohol but this soon calmed down leaving a fine and complex Port.  

1970 Croft 

We had tried this 1970 early on Thursday morning as André and Beatriz's morning flight from Lisbon on Wednesday had been cancelled and the next flight to Nantes didn't get in until late evening, so it was just after 2am that they reached Epeigné. However still time to enjoy this 1970 Croft before retiring. Less rich than the 1960 this had very fine cherry fruit – a bottle with a lot of finesse. 

Loire – a few recently enjoyed bottles

Last night we had our first meal at Le Lézard Vert (Epeigné-les-Bois) under the new ownership. We were favourably impressed by the food and happy with the limited choice of wine where the Closerie de Chanteloup in Touraine Amboise features strongly. I have long been impressed with these wines. We tried their 2014 Sauvignon Blanc that has good concentration of fruit along with ripe acidity – typical of good 2014. 

We were particularly impressed by the 2014 Cuvée François Touraine Amboise. All too often this Cuvée is light, weedy and of little interest. In contrast this example is very attractive with a long concentration of rich black fruits – just lovely to drink. 

 This evening we enjoyed a couple of wines from Château de Villeneuve starting with 2009 Les Cormiers, Saumur Blanc with rich evolved fruit showing the benefit of a few years in bottle as well from this ripe vintage. Ready to drink now but can certainly be kept for a number of years yet.  

We followed this with a couple of bottles of 2005 Vieilles Vignes, Saumur Champigny also from Château de Villeneuve. I loved the wonderfully textured, succulent black fruits and now very soft tannins. The 2005 VV went perfectly with a simple roasted Barbary Duck that we had bought this morning in Montrichard Market.     

 

2015 Thunder in the Glens – Harleys head home + Loire harvest snippets

After a weekend the thunder has stilled in the Glens as the Harleys and other assorted motorbikes have headed home now that the 2015 edition of Thunder in the Glens has finished. Peace has returned to the hills – the distinctive and attractive roar of a Harley or two has stilled. Here are a few pics of bikes headed home passing through Newtonmore.  

 God Protect Those Who Ride in the Wind 

•••

 

Loire harvest snippets  

Picking Chardonnay for sparkling wines in the Saumur region is due to start on Wednesday, while the estimate for the start of the Vacherons picking in Sancerre likley to be around the 15th September. Château de Villeneuve (Saumur) may well also start picking Chenin around the 15th as well.