Printemps Bio au Domaine Les Loges de la Folie à Montlouis sur Loire

Jean-Daniel Kloeckle of Les loges

Les Loges de la Folie ouvrent leurs portes le samedi 11 juin à partir de 18h00. Ca sera alors l’occasion de découvrir en famille la viticulture biologique mais aussi le travail soigné de leur jolie jument de trait dans les vignes du domaine ! Afin de se détendre et d’égailler vos papilles le domaine clôturera la fin de journée par un apéro BIO bien entendu !

De ferme en ferme: Indre-et-Loire: Sunday 24th and Monday 25th April

Bertrand Jousset

This weekend (24th/25th) throughout France a number of farms, which practice sustainable agriculture, will be opening their doors to visitors through the programme de ferme en ferme. In Indre-et-Loire there are several vignerons involved. In Montlouis – Lise and Bertrand Jousset and Valérye Mordelet and Jean-Daniel Kloeckle (Domaine les Loges de la Folie); Bourgueil – Laurent Herlin (Chouzé-sur-Loire), Pierre Caslot (Domaine de la Chevalerie) and in Chinon – Jean-Christophe Pelletier (Domaine des Béguineries), 52 Rue de l'Ancien Port. 

Jean-Daniel Kloeckle

Domaine Les Loges de la Folie

Jean-Daniel Kloeckle

While in Husseau on Saturday we also dropped in to the Domaine Les Loges de la Folie run by Valérye Mordelet and Jean-Daniel Kloeckle, who had a portes ouvertes over the weekend. 

I visited the domaine with Sarah Ahmed in August 2008 – see report on Jim's Loire here – and, apart from tasting some of their wines at the Renaissance event on the eve of the 2010 Salon des Vins de Loire, I hadn't tried the wines again. Apart from the Rosé Pétillant Naturel, a full range (mainly Montlouis) was available. 

My two favourite wines were the Perles Rares (21€), a sparkling Montlouis, and Velvet, a vin de table. The base wine for Perles Rares spends 18 months fermenting and aging in barriques followed by 18 months sur latte. This long maturation gives the wine a rich, honeyed character that is balanced with a long finish. Velvet (8.50€) is a juicy, easy drinking red – full of red fruits – made from a blend of 80% Gamay, 10% Côt and 10% Pineau d'Aunis. Very much a wine to enjoy with friends rather than to analyse. Although not mentioned on the label, Velvet is currently from the 2009 vintage.

Although the other wines are well made, the lack real zip and the excitement necessary to take them into the top rank of Montlouis. Still the domaine is only just over five years old and it is good that harvest is all by hand and that they are certified organic.       

Part of the cellar