A trio of Loire dates for your 2015 diary

Saturday 21st March 2015: Fête des Vins de Bourgueil à Tours

Saturday 21st March 2015 sees the annual invasion of Tours by the assembled forces of the Bourgueil producers for the Fête des Vins de Bourgueil à Tours.  As usual the producers will have their stands along the middle of the Boulevard Heurteloup close to the Gare de Tours.   

'Venez rencontrer une cinquantaine de vignerons de Bourgueil installés boulevard Heurteloup à Tours pour déguster les vins de Bourgueil.
 

En présence de la Commanderie de la Dive Bouteille de Bourgueil et Saint-Nicolas de Bourgueil, et de métiers de bouche qui proposent une restauration sur place, cette dixième édition de la fête des vins de Bourgueil à Tours proposera également des animations pour les enfants autour du goût et de la dégustation.'

 Vincent le Cuisinier sharing some of his secrets

Platter of rillons!

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Wednesday 27th May 2015 Domaine Frédéric Bourillon

Presentation de la Nouvelle Cuvée " Coup de Trique "avec Dominique Spiessert

http://spiessertblog.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Presentation Et Vente Primeur De La Cuvee Oppidum 2014

@30bis, rue de Vaufoynard, 37210Rochecorbon, Centre, France

Frédéric Bourillon 

••• 

Christophe Baudry launching Baudry-Dutour's

sparkling rosé from Château de la Grille@Vitiloire 2014

Vitiloire 2015 samedi 30 et dimanche 31 2015 

Annual consumer wine fair featuring producers from the length of the Loire in the centre of Tours.

Lunchtime break@Vitiloire 2014

#2014Vitiloire – some photos from Saturday 31st May

 The stands of Vitiloire start just in front of Tours station

 Christophe Baudry (Baudry-Dutour and Maire of Cravant) 

with their new sparkling rosé

Pierre Morgeau, Domaine La Tour Beaumont, Haut-Poitou

 Hervé Tijou, Château de Bellevue

Red and white Touraine from Clos de la Divinière, the birthplace of Rabelais

 Lunchtime scenes 

 Gare de Tours in the background

 Representative from the brewery in Cormery

Luc Poulain, Domaine des Echardières, Pouillé – 

AC Touraine and Touraine-Chenonceaux

Laurent Benoist, Domaine de Viel Orme, Saint Julien de Chedon

 Pierre Aguilas: 2011 Coteaux du Layon 1er Cru and 2010 Quarts de Chaume 

Cause for celebration: the first edition of Vitiloire 

where these two new appellations have not been under legal threat

Jean de Saint Venant
Château de Valmer, Vouvray 

 Serge Babary, the new Mayor of Tours

(above and below) 

Jean-Max Manceau, recently retired president 

of the Chinon appellation with Serge Barbary

2012 Salon des Vins de Loire: a few more portraits

 André Figeat, Domaine André and Edmond Figeat, Pouilly-Fumé

 Christophe Baudry, Maire of Cravant-les-Coteaux + Baudry-Dutour:

"Look Barack, I'm sorry I'm going to have to call off now – 
I'm at the Loire wine fair and am really busy!"

 Egmont Labadie, journalist and author  

 Gérard Pelletier, owner of the restaurant Le Relais, where Les 5 du Vin celebrated their 2nd anniversary (7th February 2011)

 Marc Vanhellemont (Les 5 du Vin): "I hope I've got this up the right way!"

Gilbert Bossard, Domaine Basse Ville, Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine

 Thierry Delaunay, Domaine Joël Delaunay (Touraine) 

Thierry Merlet, winemaker for and consultant to Domaine de Villebois (Touraine)

Antoine Sanzay, Saumur and Saumur-Champigny

Scarlet fone and Miss Vicky Wine 

Friday 10th June: Saumur and Chinon (part 2)

Christophe Baudry: Baudry-Dutour and Maire of Cravant-les-Coteaux

Following our morning in Saumur we headed to AC Chinon and to Panzoult for a tasting at the Baudry-Dutour winery. Given that they are now the largest invididual producer in Chinon with some 120 hectares, the standard at Baudry-Dutour is impressively high across their range. 

From the easy drinking red cuvées Domaine de la Perrière has more interest and concentration in 2010 than the leaner Domaine de la Roncée. It was the other way round in 2009. Christophe Baudry explained that due to a spring frost Perrières' yield was some 36-38 hl/ha compared to 45-47 hl/ha for Roncée. Both of these 2010s are in bottle. The mid-weight 2009 Perrières Vieilles Vignes has a smoky character, an attractively soft texture and can be enjoyed now, while Clos des Maronniers is more closed and needs a little time. 

The 2009 Château de la Grille was next up. This is the first Baudry-Dutour vintage from this previously underwhelming and expensive property. The 2009 is certainly an improvement on previous vintages with a good concentration of red and black fruits. Although the tannins are better handled there is a still a bite of tannin in the finish. However, there will be time for this to soften as it won't be on the market until the end of 2012. The fine 2008 Château Saint-Louans was the last red. Now on sale it has a good  balance of structure and fruit.

Jean-Martin Dutour: Président of Interloire   

Following the tasting we paid a quick visit with Jean-Martin to Château de la Grille, which is on the outskirts of Chinon just to the north of the main road that by-passes the town. They have recently pulled down part of the old chai and are putting up a new visitor centre. The château is now empty and will need extensive renovation.

Postscript:
The plan is to keep the existing special bulbous and heavy La Grille bottle. I think this is probably a mistake as I don't think Château de la Grille has a very good reputation (see comments). Better to start afresh with a new bottle and design to show that there really has been regime change at La Grille.  

Area where the chai was demolished

 

Visitor centre

The President on the phone

Visit to Jérôme Billard (Domaine de la Noblaie) will be an additional post.

Jean-Martin Dutour: Bourgueil and screwcaps

Jean-Martin Dutour

While tasting at Baudry-Dutour I asked Jean-Martin Dutour whether there had been any communication with the producers of Bourgueil since his recent election to president of InterLoire. Bourgueil has recently left Interloire to go their own way. There hasn't been any contact and I rather gather that the feeling is that Bourgueil is being left to discover how feasible, in particular the level of what additional costs there are, it is to promote themselves without the aid of a body like InterLoire, covering the region from Nantes to eastern Touraine.

We discussed in some detail the tricky question du jour – who has precedence: Jean Martin Dutour as president of InterLoire or his business partner Christophe Baudry, maire of Cravant-les-Coteaux since March 2008. Initially Jean-Martin thought it was Christophe as he was chosen by the electors (some 300-400) of Cravant. However, Sylvine Teston, the export director, pointed out that Jean-Martin had been elected by some 1400 producers. Clearly further reflection is required before a ruling can be made on this tricky question of etiquette. In the meantime I will have to decide who to greet first when I see them at the Salon des Vins de Loire.

Baudy-Dutour's screwcapped Chinon Blanc

We also discussed the advantages of using screwcaps on both aromatic whites, typified by Sauvignon Blanc, and less aromatic but often delicate whites such as Muscadet or Chenin Blanc. Baudry-Dutour screwcap their stainless steel fermented Chinon Blanc for export markets but use a cork for France because French sommeliers continue to oppose screwcaps. Jean-Martin is convinced that screwcaps are the best closure for this type of white. It appears that the sommeliers oppose screwcaps because it does away with the ceremony involved in wielding a corkscrew when opening a bottle and that once this is done away with their role will appear redundant.

Of course any sommelier who thinks that their only role is to remove the cork from a bottle is a complete waste of space. The real and most useful role of a sommelier isto offer advice to their customers to help them choose a wine that they will enjoy, that will match/complement the food they are having and is at a price they can afford.

Jean-Martin says that once they explain to their private customers the benefits of screwcapping wines, they have no problem buying wines closed with screwcaps. If this is the way a large number of Loire producers think, then it is long time for them to stand up and have the balls make a statement just as the Riesling producers of Clare did in 2000 and the New Zealanders did the following year. Get together, bottle your wines under screwcap, explain to the media why you are doing this and I fancy the sommeliers' opposition will melt away. But it has to be a concerted effort.

Something for the new president of InterLoire to add to his agenda?

PS: See also a post by my fellow Cinq du Vin, Hervé Lalau here. 

Jean-Martin Dutour (Baudry-Dutour): new president of Interloire

Jean-Martin Dutour in front of the Baudry-Dutour winery@Panzoult

42-year-old Jean-Martin Dutour (Baudry-Dutour) was elected the new president of Inter-Loire yesterday for a three year term at the organisation's AGM. Jean-Martin takes over from Patrice Laurendeau (Anjou). Jean-Martin is taking on a tough job as relations between the Loire négoce and the producers continue to be very poor. Last year the producers of Bourgueil signalled their determination to leave Interloire, the promotional body for producers in the Pays Nantais, Anjou-Saumur and Touraine.

With 120 hectares Baudry-Dutour is the largest individual producer in Chinon and is both a grower and a négociant. Jean-Martin will need considerable diplomatic skills if progress is to be made before Interloire's next general assembly in June 2011.
 

Christophe Baudry with proof that he is the maire of Cravant-les-Coteaux

Should he need advice Jean-Martin is fortunate that he has ready access to the Maire of Cravant-les-Coteaux – his business partner, Christophe Baudry. 

Already there is speculation that one of them may be a candidate for the 2017 French Presidential elections.  

See also article in today's La Nouvelle République.

 

RSJ Restaurant: 30th anniversary dinner: 11th October

Cheers with a glass of Régis Neau's Crémant de Loire

RSJ's 30^th Anniversary Dinner
Monday 11^th October 2010

RSJ's upstairs restaurant was packed last night for this celebratory dinner. The kitchen marshalled by veteran chef, Ian Stabler, were on top form. Also all the wines showed well with some particular stars.

Ian Stabler keeping a customary low profile but certainly producing the goods

Aperitif:

Crémant de Loire, Domaine de Nerleux, Régis Neau
Régis is one of the producers we have worked with for many years. His softly delicious Crémant is 70% Chenin and 30% Chardonnay and spends two years on its lees.


White:

1993 Montlouis Sec, Dominique Moyer
This was the big surprise of the night. Still very youthful, clean floral, buttery flavours with long, precise finish. Developed well in the glass. Was a fine match with the crab. 

1998 Saumur Blanc, ‘Les Cormiers’ Jean-Pierre Chevallier
From one of our favourite Loire producers, this was more golden than the 1993 Montlouis and richer, fine but not the best match with the crab. 

2004 Pouilly Fume ‘Pur Sang’ [Magnum] Didier Dagueneau
A sad reminder of how good a producer the late Didier Dagueneau was, this had lovely clean, precision and minerally length. A very good match with the crab.

Interesting that all three whites come from what are often termed difficult vintages. This is a reminder that the best dry white Loires often come from the cooler summers.

           

Tian of Cornish crab

watercress, crostini

Red:

1999 Chinon, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine de la Perrière, Christophe Baudry
Another star of the evening – soft and wonderfully delicate red fruits, 1999 was initially an unheralded vintage that is now showing very well. A really classic Chinon that showed really well with the duck.

1989 Anjou Villages, Vincent Ogereau
In contrast to 1999, this was a very hot year – a glorious summer and autumn to celebrate the bicentennary of the French Revolution. This had richer fruit – leather, spice and fig. 

Sancerre ‘La Perpétuelle’, Claude & Laurent Champault
This was a fascinating treat and probably the first time that La Perpétuelle has been drunk in the UK. This is made by the solera system, better known for its use in sherry. Claude and Laurent have just one 600 litre barrel of this wine, which they started in 1995 – filling it with 1995 red Sancerre (Pinot Noir). In 1996 they took a third out and bottled it, topping the barrel up with 1996 Sancerre red. Unlike in sherry they keep the barrel topped up to prevent oxidation. Just 280 bottles of this wine are produced a year. Our thanks to Claude and Laurent for their generous gift.

Gressingham duck breast & confit leg,

Hisby cabbage, carrots, boulangere potatoes

Red wine jus

Sweet wine:

9] 2005 Coteaux de l’Aubance ‘Grandpierre’, Domaine de Bablut, Christophe Daviau            

Christophe is another producer we have worked with for many years. This sweet wine is richly citric,  with some luscious concentration and the mineral character that marks the single-vineyard, Grandpierre. Although it held its own reasonably well with the dessert, this is still probably best drunk on its own.            

Apple & hazelnut torte

30 years in The Good Food Guide

RSJ Restaurant, 33 Coin Street, London SE1 9NR. Tel: 020-7928 4554.