2017 Coteaux du Giennois, Clément and Florian Berthier

2017 Coteaux du Giennois, Florian and Clément Berthier

This 2017 Coteaux du Giennois from Clément and Florian Berthier is simply delicious – not complex but lovely, very clean citric aromas and flavours including grapefruit notes. Vignobles Berthier is based in Sainte Gemme en Sancerrois. The domaine was founded by Jean-Marie Berthier in 1983 and now has nearly 25 hectares making Sancerre, Menetou-Salon, Pouilly-Fumé and Coteaux du Giennois.

This wine is represented by

Chris Hardy & Charles Sydney

Charles Sydney Wines Ltd

Petite Maison

11 Quai Danton, 37500 Chinon

France
Tél :  (France) 02 47 81 44 03

They arrange sales to the UK wine trade. 

Central Loire Vineyards: expansion and renaissance

Producer's sign in Quincy 

Shared picking machine @Reuilly 2009

La Loire @Pouilly-sur-Loire 

The last 27 years has seen very considerably changes in the Central Loire Vineyards. With one sole exception it has been a tale of success and expansion. It is fascinating to compare the area planted in each of the Central Loire appellation in 1990 with the area planted in 2017. 

An overall increase of 2451 hectares in production – a 77% increase – are the headline figures. However, the dramatic revival of appellations like Quincy and Reuilly that in the 1970s and for much of the 1980s are perhaps the interesting. The revival of Reuilly owes much to the late Claude Lafond, who had the vision to persuade the few producers to work together and to establish a common wine-making facility above the small town of Reuilly. It was similar in neighbouring Quincy where a common winery was built at the village of Brinay. These wineries are different from a cave co-operative. Here the producers make with guidance, keep and sell their own wine themselves. The facilities are shared but not the wine.     

Equally the expansion of Menetou-Salon up by nearly 200% from 196 hectares in 1990 to 576 ha last year is impressive. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé have seen the largest increase in terms of hectares – 1032 ha and 580ha respectively. 

Pouilly-sur-Loire – 100% Chasselas – is the only appellation in decline: slipping from 56 hectares planted in 1990 to just 27 last year. Doubtless those lost hectares of Chasselas have been replanted with Sauvignon Blanc – Pouilly-Fumé is so much easier to sell.  

The changes in the Central Loire are in marked contrast with the contraction in the area planted with Melon de Bourgogne for Muscadet in the Pays Nantais. In 1990 all the Muscadet appellations covered 11,280 hectares – this doesn't include Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu which was promoted to appellation status in 1994. At its highest point Muscadet reached some 13300 hectares. By 2016 this area had dropped to a total of 8200 ha. Of these Muscadet Sèvre et Maine accounted for 6300 ha, Côtes de Grandlieu – 230 ha, Coteaux de la Loire – 150 ha.

Even with this sharp contraction Muscadet (820 ha) is still substantially larger than the whole of the Central Vineyard combined – 5750 hectares.      

      

Coteaux du Giennois celebrates 20 years of appellation status

Appellation Coteaux du Giennois is celebrating its first 20 years this year. In 1998 it was promoted from VDQS to full appellation contrôlée status. The VDQS category was created in 1949 and was intended as an in-between status between vin de pays and full appellation. Giennois became a VDQS in 1954. VDQS came to end on 31st December 2011. Most VDQSs were promoted to full appellation status. In the Loire this was eventually the case: all the previous VDQSs were promoted to full appellation status.  

Coteaux du Giennois produces wine in all three colours – Sauvignon Blanc for the whites and Gamay and Pinot Noir for the reds and rosés. Prior to promotion to AC status it was possible to make 100% Pinot Noir and from my tastings these were the most successful reds. Unfortunately the INAO insisted that all the Loire VDQSs, who had Gamay and Pinot Noir, had to agree not to make 100% Pinot Noir. Instead if a producer used Pinot Noir it had to be blended with Gamay. This demand has always appeared to be political rather then following any tradition. In contrast 100% Gamay is permitted. 

Currently there are 194 hectares producing Coteaux du Giennois, this is slightly down on on 2016 when there were 204 hectares. Annual production averages at 7721 hectolitres from 37 producers. In 2016 83% of Giennois' sales were in France with just 17% exported. 

The majority of the reds are easy drinking with most to be drunk in their first few years. The best are those with a very high proportion of Pinot Noir..... The whites are attractively fresh and lemony. Unfortunately the appellation has been considerably hit by frost in both 2016 and 2017.

Loire Central Vineyards: the latest figures on area planted

The latest figures show that the area planted in the Central Vineyards continues to increase gradually, except for Châteaumeillant and Coteaux du Giennois which have seen a small decrease.

Central Loire (2017)
Sancerre: 2 990 ha
Pouilly-Fumé: 1325 ha
Pouilly-sur-Loire: 27 ha
Menetou-Salon: 576 ha
Quincy: 303 ha
Reuilly: 259 ha
Coteaux du Giennois: 194 ha
Châteaumeillant: 77 ha




Central Loire (2016)

Sancerre
Sauvignon blanc: 2354 ha

Pinot noir : 600 ha

Total: 2954 ha

Pouilly-Fumé

Sauvignon blanc: 1307 ha

 

Menetou-Salon
Sauvignon Blanc : 376 ha

Pinot Noir: 185 ha

Total: 561 ha

QuincySauvignon blanc : 296 ha

 

Reuilly

Sauvignon blanc : 127 ha

Pinot noir : 75 ha

Pinot gris : 50 ha

Total: 252 ha

Pouilly-sur-Loire
Chasselas : 27 ha

Coteaux du Giennois: 196 ha 

Châteaumeillant: 82 ha 

2014 L'insolite, Coteaux du Giennois, Domaine de Villargeau

Not only are the Cabernet based reds from 2014 vintage delicious but so too are the Central Vineyard reds with Pinot Noir often to the fore.

However, the 2014 L'insolite, Coteaux du Giennois from Domaine de Villargeau shows that 100% Gamay here can be a success as this has very attractive, juicy blacks fruits. Certainly enjoyable now, this red is still youthful and should show well for the next three to five years.  

It has to said that L'insolite is very much better than their website, which is over-complicated.     

Domaine Philippe Raimbault, Sancerre @Daniel Lambert tasting

Daniel Lambert of the eponymous Daniel Lambert Wines is clearly not a man to rush into things. The wine company was founded in 1992 but it was only on Tuesday – 25 years later – that Dan held his first trade tasting using the recently opened Novotel near Paddington Station. 

Among the wines I tasted were three Sancerres from Domaine Philippe Raimbault of Maimbray in the commune of Sury-en-Vaux. The wines were presented by Lynne Raimbault. 

The estate has 16 hectares of vines: 10 in Sancerre, four in Pouilly-Fumé in the commune of St-Martin-sur-Nohant to the east of the PF appellation. This commune also includes Château de Favray and vines belonging to Emmanuel Charrier. They also have two hectares in the Coteaux du Giennois at St Père near Cosne-sur-Loire.

First up – the 2015 Les Godons, Sancerre from vines in Maimbray, the commune that also includes Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy, the Roblins and Pascal Joulin with Domaine Michel Vattan. The 2015 has the ripe fruit and concentration that is typical of this vintage with a lightly grassy character. 

Next the 2012 Les Chasseignes from vines in the commune of Sancerre to the left of the main road to Bourges. This oak fermented cuvée –30% new barrels – is only made in selected vintages – not in either 2015 or 2016. The 2012 is drinking well now with attractive texture and showing some evolved character with the oak well intregrated. 

I also tasted their 2015 Sancerre Rosé. There is a Sancerre Rouge from the Les Godons vineyard but this wasn't shown. On the whole the UK hasn't got its head around red Sancerre, despite the progress that has been made over the past two decades.

Unfortunately due to the severe April frost the domaine has not made any Pouilly-Fumé or Coteaux du Giennois in 2016.                    

Sampling Joseph Mellot wines from the Loire Central Vineyards

2013 Pouilly-Fumé, Domaine des Mariniers  

I was recently sent six samples from producer and négociant Joseph Mellot in Sancerre. Five of the six were closed with a screwcap, while the most expensive – the 2010 La Chatelaine, Sancerre – has a cork. This strikes me as the wrong way round. Why continue to use fallible cork on expensive bottles of wine where wine faults hit your pocket harder than they do with cheap wine? 

2013 Menetou-Salon, Les Thureaux, Joseph Mellot

My favourite of the six  

Tasting the Joseph Mellot samples confirms that these wines have improved considerably of late. All have been well-made and good examples of their appellations.  Leaving aside the older and wood fermented 2010 La Châtelaine, the most successful was the quite weighty 2013 Menetou-Salon Les Thureaux   – floral, ripe gooseberry, soft texture with nicely balanced acidity. The 2013 Sancerre La Chatellenie from vines on flinty soils was similar in style but with a little less weight, while the 2012 Coteaux du Giennois La Gaupière was vibrantly citric. In contrast the 2013 Pouilly-Fumé Domaine des Mariniers was correct without being exciting – perhaps with a little more time in bottle? Equally the Destinéa 2013 Sauvignon Blanc IGP was rather bland and two-dimensional but with marked acidity in the finish.

 2010 La Grande Châtelaine, Sancerre, Joseph Mellot 

The most expensive wine tasted but closed with a cork

Finally the prestige cuvée 2010 La Grande Châtelaine from clay limestone soils and fermented in wood using locally sourced oak from Allogny, a commune just to the north of Bourges. This was certainly the most complex of the wines with attractive weight and texture and a nicely judged touch of oak.

2012 La Gaupière, Coteaux du Giennois, Joseph Mellot

 2013 La Chatellenie, Sancerre, Joseph Mellot

 2013 Destinéa, Sauvignon Blanc, IGP Val de Loire, Joseph Mellot

Central and Upper Loire shine@Un Brin Folk (Angers) on 2nd February

Brin Folk carte des vins with a 

strong showing of natural wines 

Spent an enjoyable evening at Un Brin Folk in Angers at a soirée organised for the press on the eve of the Salon des Vins de Loire. Wines from lesser known appellations in the Central and Upper Loire featured strongly – at least they did at our end of the room. Yet more evidence that there are now some very good things being made in areas of the Loire. Unfortunately well-spread out involving plenty of travelling!

Here are a selection of of the wines we tried: 

 

2012 Les Beaux Jours, Coteaux de Giennois, Emile Balland 

An excllent white to start the evening!

2012 Terre de Caillotte – Clément et Florian Berthier   

 2012 Terre de Silex: Clément et Florian Berthier    

 

 100% Pinot Noir – very good Coteaux de Giennois Rouge (Vignobles Jean-Marie Berthier)

Evidence that AC insistence on Gamay/Pinot Noir belnd is dog's breakfast

2012 Châteaumeillant Rosé, Domaine Lecomte

The domaine has 7 ha in Quicy and 3 in Châteaumeillant  

Enjoyed a series of good 2012s from Domaine Robert Sérol 

(Côte Roannaise) – 2013s are potentially excllent too 

 2012 Trésaille

 Jean Teissèdre (Domaine des Bérioles)

New rising star of Saint-Pourçain

 2012 Auvenat

+ fine Pinot Noir from Jean Teissèdre

Some Loires@ABS Portfolio tasting

Clément Berthier with his 2012 L'Inédit, Coteaux du Giennois

Last Tuesday I was at the ABS Portfolio tasting. I had hoped to spend a good length of time tasting not just the Loire wines on the list but their German wines as well. Unfortunately the previous day's delay to the sentencing in the Nouveau World Wines/Finbow Wines trial changed that, so I only had time to taste the Loires.

The arrival of Richard Kelley MW at ABS has extended their Loire range and they were showing wines from 12 producers running from the Caves Saint Verny in the Côtes d'Auvergne to Louis Métaireau in Muscadet Sèvre et Maine.

I tasted some very good wines but two wines in particular caught my attention: 2012 L'Inédit, Coteaux du Giennois from Vignobles Jean Marie Berthier. The family has 19 hectares of vines – 8.5 in Sancerre and 10.5 in the Coteaux du Giennois. The attractive 2012 L'Inédit is 100% Pinot Noir from clay limestone and exhibits true Pinot character, which demonstrates all too clearly that the AC rules for Giennois are insane since they attempt to discourage reds made from 100% Pinot. Fortunately the laws apparently refer to plantings and not what you put in the bottle. The 2012 L'Inédit confirms that the best reds from here are pure Pinot Noir rather than a mongrel blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay. This was evident when Coteaux du Giennois was a VDQS.        

2011 Basalte, Côtes d'Auvergne, Caves Saint-Verny

The 2011 Basalte shows what can be done with Gamay if the yields are low. For the Basalte they are only 25 hl/ha from 60-year-old vines. The 2011 has a lovely concentration of black fruits with a rich, mouth filling texture.   

Coteaux du Giennois: Balade Gourmande Sunday 2nd September

  
A walk in the vineyards 

Press release on: Balade Gourmande en Centre Loire 

Quatrième édition : Découverte de l’AOC Coteaux du Giennois

Dimanche 2 septembre 2012, les randonneurs pourront découvrir l’appellation Coteaux du Giennois à travers une randonnée thématique de 9 km. Entre vignes et champs, de nombreuses pauses gourmandes permettront aux participants de déguster les produits de la région : Crottins de Chavignol, Craquants du Val de Loire, fois gras et rillettes, miel.

Des historiens, conteurs et professionnels du vin livreront leurs histoires. Les marcheurs pourront accompagner leurs pique-niques avec des vins des Coteaux du Giennois et profiter de ce moment pour acheter quelques produits régionaux.

Cette randonnée sera « panneautée » à l’année, des informations spécifiques au vignoble des Coteaux du Giennois apporteront des renseignements complémentaires sur les paysages traversés, les cépages, les sols, le climat et le savoir-faire.

Penser à prévoir son pique-nique !

Pour le départ, rendez-vous à 9H00,

Place de l’église à Saint Pere 

A SAINT PERE

La participation est de 5 € (gratuit pour les -12 ans).

Le bulletin d’inscription est téléchargeable sur www.vins-centre-loire.com ou disponible auprès du BIVC.

Bulletin accompagné du chèque en règlement

à envoyer par courrier :

Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins du Centre

9, route de Chavignol – 18300 SANCERRE

Plus d’infos sur www.vins-centre-loire.com

Sébastien Treuillet, Pouilly-Fumé

Sébastien Treuillet in one of his parcels of vines in AC Pouilly-Fumé

Sébastien Treuillet is the first in his farming family to be a vigneron. Previously they have all been cereal producers. Indeed Sébastien still looks after 140 hectares of cereals in addition to his 12 hectares of vines. The majority of his vines are in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation but he also has 3.5 ha in the Coteaux du Giennois and 2 hectares of vin de pays. 

"I started to get into vines and wine when I was around 15 as I had a friend in Sancerre whose family were vignerons and I would go and stay there," Sébastien explains. "After working in Sancerre for Pierre Dézat (Verdigny) and then the Champaults (Champtin) I started up on my own in 1991."  

He has a number of different parcels on different soils – argile-kimmeridgean, sandy soils as well as some caillottes – limestone dominated, with very little soil. On the argile-kimmeridgean soils Sébastien is unusual in using the Courson-Royat pruning system, which he finds keeps the yields down, whereas on his more sandy soils he has the Guyot system, which is classic in this area (see photo above). 

Vines pruned using the Courson-Royat system 

Recently Sébastien has been able to plant vines at Villiers where a considerable area of potential vineyard has become available in the north east of the appellation not far from the well established Château Favray. He is one of a number of vignerons, including Alexandre Bain, who are now planting there. Much of this new vineyard is bare limestone – cailottes. 

 Bare limestone soil@Villiers 

Sébastien Treuillet by his new plantings and the almost lunar landscape  

Eight day old vine amongst the rocks 

Back at Sébastian's winery in Fontenille we tasted the recently bottled 2011 Pouilly-Fumé. "I haven't needed to chaptalise since 2004," says Sébastien with some pride. "This 2011 reached 13% natural alcohol on an average of 60 hl/ha." This grassy 2011 has attractive weight and richness – very much in the style of 2011 – but with some freshness in the finish. We then moved on to the 2010, which is again characteristic of this vintage, much more austere and leaner with a long, precise and clean finish. Once again I think 2011 will be an easy vintage to sell because it is more flattering, while Loire fanatics are likely to prefer the austerity of 2010.   

Sébastien Treuillet

Fontenille

58150 Tracy-sur-Loire

Tel: 03.86.26.17.06

Email: domainetreuillet@orange.fr 

  

   

  

Three more from a Majestic weekend

2004 Les Varennes du Grand Cru, Chinon, Charles Joguet

Three more from the Loire selection from Majestic Wine that we enjoyed over the first weekend of December.. See first post here.   

It is relatively easy to make good wine in favourable vintages much more tricky to make good wine in difficult vintages. For many producers 2004 in the Loire was a vintage of quantity rather than quality, especially in reds, so a success in 2004 is a mark of a good producer. Certainly this 2004 Les Varennes du Grand Clos, Chinon, Charles Joguet (£14.99 but currently unavailable), which comes from a vineyard on the southern side of the Vienne to the east of the Joguet headquarters and winery in Sazilly and just to the east of the better known Clos de la Dioterie, showed impressively well. Still youthful with considerable concentration of red and black fruits, it doesn't have the opulence of 2005 or 2009 but it does have a slightly austere structure and acidity that makes it a good food wine. This bottle is an example of the improvement shown in the Joguet wines following the return of François-Xavier Barc to the domaine in 2003.

   

2010 Coteaux du Giennois, Domaine de Villargeau

This crisp and citric white – 2010 Coteau du Giennois, Domaine de Villargeau (£9.99 or £8.99 per bottle when you buy two)– made an excellent aperitif. White Giennois is always made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc and has the typical freshness of the 2010 vintage. This comes from a family domaine in the commune of Pougny, just over 10 km to the east of Cosne-sur-Loire.  

2009 Clos du Château, Valençay, Claude Lafond 

Claude Lafond is a leading grower in Reuilly but he also looks after vines in Valençay with a three hectare parcel facing the château of Talleyrand. Sauvignon Blanc makes up the majority of the blend of the 2009 Clos du Château (£8.99 or £7.99 when buying two bottles but currently out of stock) with some Chardonnay to round it out. This is quite a bit softer than the Villargeau – partly due to the presence of the Chardonnay but also because the 2009 is a riper more opulent vintage.

Claude Lafond checking fruit in Reuilly during the 2009 vintage 

Claude Lafond's new winery@Reuilly built for the 2011 vintage

    

Sébastien Treuillet: 2010 Pouilly-Fumé

 

This Pouilly-Fumé is from a small producer from near Tracy-sur-Loire, who I believe has just three hectares of vines – some in the PF appellation as well as some in the nearby Coteaux-du-Giennois.  

This 2010 is best not drunk too chilled otherwise its weight and length will be hidden. It has a complex and aromatic nose – some gooseberry, grapefruit and other ripe citric notes – allied with weight and length. Certainly a well-made Pouilly-Fumé.

I plan to be in Sancerre/Pouilly towards the end of August, so may well get the opportunity to visit Sébastien Treuillet. Although the address is Tracy-sur-Loire, Fonteille is someway from this very attractive little hamlet beside the Loire as it is actually to the east of the autoroute A77.

Address: 12 Route de Boisfleury, Fontenille, 58150 Tracy-sur-Loire. 

Tel: 03.86.26.17.06 

This sample was provided by the RSJ Restaurant, where I'm a consultant. The RSJ have recently started to list this wine.  

 

 

 

2010 Sauvignon Blancs, Central Vineyards@The Sampler, South Ken, London

Picking in Sancerre (Chez Vincent Grall) September 2009

On Thursday 30th March there was the opportunity to taste 56 Sauvignon Blancs (all 2010s) from the Central vineyards with examples from Coteaux du Giennois, Reuilly, Quincy, Menetou-Salon, Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre. The wines weren't selected, rather it was down to the producers to decide whether they wanted to enter their wines into this tasting. The tasting was held at The Sampler in London's South Kensington.

Overall these 2010s emphasised the difference between this year and 2009 with the 10s leaner, considerably less rich and opulent. This is a more classic Loire vintage with lower alcohol levels but higher acidity. Many of these wines had only recently been bottled so were quite tight and I expect they will take on some more weight over the next few months.

Coteaux du Giennois

 

Of the five Giennois on show, this crisp and lemony wine from Domaine de Montbenoît (Sainte-Gemme) was my preferred wine with Rivotte from Domaine Poupat et Fils (Rivotte) as the runner-up.

 

**

Quincy

 

The soft, quite spicy and weighty Domaine Trotereau (Quincy) was my preferred wine from 10  Quincys shown followed by Les Vignes d'Adèle, Domaine Adèle Rouzé (Quincy) and Domaine Vincent Siret-Courtaud (Lunery). Vincent Siret-Courtaudis promising young vigneron, whose wine I first tasted at this year's Salon des Vins de Loire. Vincent also has vines in Châteaumeillant and is not the only vigneron in Quincy to have holdings in both appellations. He is joined by Nicolas Lecomte (Domaine Lecomte) and Domaine Roux.

Menetou-Salon
Although there were only six wines presented from this appellation it had my highest hit rate of the six ACs in this tasting. Two stood out – the grassy and goosebery Domaine Chavet (Menetou-Salon) and the weighty and well balanced Domaine de Châtenoy (Menetou-Salon) followed by Cave Gilbon (Soulangis) and Domaine Pellé (Morogues).

Followed by:

 

Pouilly-Fumé
Out of the ten examples from Pouilly-Fumé, one stood out – the floral and long flavoured Harmonie from Domaine Chatelain (Saint-Andelain) with the Domaine Cédrick Bardin as runner-up.

Sancerre 
Since this is easily the largest appellation it was hardly a surprise that Sancerre supplied 21 wines. My preferred wines were: Les Chasseignes, Domaine Claude Riffault ((Sury-en-Vaux); Vin d'Homme, Dionysia (Auguste Natter in Montigny); Les Classiques, Domaine Henry Natter (Montigny); Domaine Yves et Pierre Martin (Chavignol); Origine, Domaine Matthias et Emile Roblin (Mainbray); and L'Authentique, Domaine Thomas-Labaille (Chavignol).   

 

Close behind were Domaine Daniel Crochet (Bué) and Tradition from Domaine Bernard Fleuriet et Fils (Menetou-Ratel).

 

Reuilly
None of the three Reuillys shown really stood out. The quite lean and minerally La Raie from Domaine Lafond being the best.