Half an afternoon's work by one picker@Noëlla Morantin in Pouillé
(In a spirit of green journalism I will be posting the three articles on the 2012 Loire vintage that were first published on Les 5 du Vin. Week one was posted on 25th September.)
From
driving around a few parts of the region it is already clear that there
will be very wide variations between the different parts of the region.
The widest
variations look to be in terms of quantity. In parts of the Cher
Valley, for example around Pouillé it really is a question of playing
hunt the bunch of grapes following an acculmulation of
spring frost, poor flowering and mildew. To find two good bunches of
Sauvignon Blanc per vine is noteworthy! In contrast there are some
other parts of the Cher where quantities are reported to be
much closer to normal.
Since
it is such a small crop the grapes have ripened quickly – they already
have 13%-13.5% potential alcohol, although the acidity levels are still
quite high –
between 5.5 and 6.5. Ironically after all the rain between April and
July producers could have done with a little rain just to help the
grapes swell and ripen plus lower the acdity. Since July it
has been amazingly dry with only 11mm being recorded in Tours from
the beginning of August through to 20th September. Those who waited did
some rain on Friday afternoon and some more over the
last couple of days with the wind and weather now coming from the
west instead of the east. Give the malign conditions of 2012 this change
may signal a prolonged downpour – let's hope not!
Pinot Gris@Le Vau, Evres-sur-Indre
The
Noble Joué vineyards (a rosé made from three Pinots: Gris, Meunier,
Noir) were reported to have been badly hit by the frost of April
16th-17th. On Saturday,
however, we had a look at the vines around Esvres-sur-Indre, where
the majority of the vineyards for this small appellation are, and
although it clearly isn't a bumper harvest and I can't claim
to have looked at all the vineyards, the crop here is considerably
more plentiful than further east. Variable ripeness, due to the extended
flowering, is a major concern and this was evident
here.
Grapes@Château de l'Aulée
As we were on our way to Café de la Promenade (David Cobbold's pied à terroir in the Loire) in Bourgueil for the Bourgueillothérapie,
we also had a quick
look at the Chenin@Château de l'Aulée in Azay-le-Rideau where they
estimate a loss of 20% in overall production due to the adverse
conditions.
The
vines at Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil look in good shape.
Yes, the crop is probably down a little on normal but this should
produce more
concentrated wines. They had a little rain on Friday – 8mm according
to Jean-Claude Mabileau (Vignoble de la Jarnoterie). Jean-Claude would
be happy with another 12mm.
2012 Cabernet Franc@La Minière, Ingrandes-en-Touraine (Bourgueil – above and below)
Jean-François Mabileau
Returning
from Bourgueil today we drove around through the gravel vineyards of
Cravant-les-Coteaux and Panzoult. Again, although the crop is reduced in
places the
grapes are plentiful in comparison to examples in the Cher Valley to
the east of Tours. Again this is from a quick impression driving around
with a few stops to walk into the vines. Harvesting
Cabernet Franc in Bourgueil, Chinon and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
for the reds is unlikely to start much before the 8th October with most
producers, who were involved in the 2012
Bourgueillothérapie, saying they would start between the 8th and 15th October – depending, of course, on the weather.
2012 bunch of Cabernet Franc in Chinon
Chinon: just a few grapes left but this was a rare sight
Tomorrow we are off to Muscadet where picking should now be fully underway.
