Vouvray: a rather grey 4th April

After the tasting of 2011 Vouvrays I had time to wander up into the vines by the Clos Baudoin, now owned by François Chidaine but previously by Prince Poniatowski. (It was in the Poniatowski family from 1918 to 2002.)   Up by Le Clos Baudoin there are good views across to other leading Vouvray vineyards and you see how the valleys cut into the plateau with the vines above and most of the houses below.   

 Signs of producers along La Vallée de Nouy, Vouvray

 Part of the Clos Baudoin – the south western end – with quite a few vines needing to be replaced 

 

 Gate into the Clos Baudoin

 Vineyard beside Le Clos Baudoin 

Looking across from Le Clos Baudoin over La Vallée de Nouys towards Le Clos du Bourg (Huet), which is beyond the buildings (associated with Le Clos du Bourg?) on the skyline. Both the Clos Baudoin and Clos du Bourg face southwards. 

The buds are still very closed – just as well as the nights are often frosty this cold April

 Across to the tower by Le Clos du Bourg
Taken from wall that encircles the Clos Baudoin

Clos Baudoin and across La Vallée de Nouy


Through a gap in Le Clos Baudoin looking towards Le Haut Lieu over La Vallée de Nouy

 Roofs close to the Espace du Vin with the vines starting again on the top of the slope

 A shrine near Espace du Vin

 Sign for Chambres d'Hôtes

 Vines and troglodyte cellars  

 Troglodyte dwellings and cellars

La Patrouille de France prepares to defend the vineyards of Vouvray

Photos of an impressive show put on by La Patrouille de France taken yesterday over the vineyards of Vouvray

Above photos taken from close to Huet's Clos du Bourg

13th and 14th June: Meeting de l'air at Tours. Saturday for spotters, Sunday for the public. Details here.

Vouvray in January 2009

Some photos by CRM

Working in the Clos du Bourg (Domaine Huet)

Vouvray vineyards looking towards the city of Tours

Traditional trained goblet vines in the snow

Vouvray vines and sunset

Jamie Goode: Huet 1989

Jamie Goode posted a a piece called ‘Locked in time with a Huet 89’ on his indispensable wine anorak blog http://www.wineanorak.com/blog/index.htm yesterday

Jamie was surprised by the 1989’s youth:
‘Domaine Huet 'Le Clos du Bourg' Première Trie 1989 Vouvray, France
Deep yellow colour. Complex, sweet spicy-edged nose showing lemon, herbs and crystalline fruits. The palate is pure and fresh with lovely bright tangy apple and citrus fruit with some apricotty richness. Lovely purity and length. This wine has evolved much less than you might expect and still seems like a baby, with a long life ahead of it. 72 g/litre residual sugar, so it's sweet but not too sweet. 93/100 (£85 Waitrose)’

1989 is one of those vintages when Loire Chenin went into a long dumb stage (a long sulk). It appears to have come out of this over the last few years. The difference with 1990, which never went through a dumb stage, is striking – 1990 is much more evolved and is already a deep burnished golden colour. Noël Pinguet (Domaine Huet) has always believed that 1989 is the greater of these two very fine vintages. I’m not going to argue with him. The best 1989s Loire Chenins are likely to last 100 years or more.

He also enjoyed the Domaine Huet 'Le Mont' Demi-Sec 2002 Vouvray. 2002 is a beautifully balanced vintage with autumn weather conditions fairly similar to 2007 and 2008 where after a poor summer, the vintage being was saved by a fine September with a drying wind from the east.

Clos du Bourg 1964, Domaine Huet, Vouvray

Although not the 1989, this 1964 was drunk as a aperitif on Saturday 16th August 2008 and marked the last day of the Wine Detective's summer Loire. The 1964 is still very fresh with delicate honeyed tones and its pale to mid-gold colour makes it look like a wine from the 1980s. Reasonable to suppose that it will last decades more. 1964 was a successful year in the Loire, especially in Chinon where the Clos de l'Echo is a classic.