Fishy tales @La Chope, Tours

We now seem to be establishing a tradition of going to La Chope in Tours in early October to tackle and enjoy their famous plateau fruits de mer 'Royal' for two people. In order not to break this fine tradition we went for lunch on Wednesday 4th October. As we were five we went for two plateaus plus and extra crab. 

Royal: 1 tourteau, 10 langoustines, crevettes grises, 14 crevettes roses, 6 huîtres, Fines de claires n° 4, 6 huîtres spéciales Gillardeau n° 5, 6 huîtres
Normandes n° 3, bigorneaux, bulots.

For our apéro we chose Rémi Cosson's delicious 2016 Noble Joué – a blend of three Pinots: Gris, Meunier and Noir. Then the plateau started to arrive:    

 

The first tier of the plateau arrives 

 Now the second.....

(above and below)

To accompany the plateau: 2013 VV Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie, 

Gadais Père et Fils  

Wickedly rich chocolate mousse to finish you off....

If you like seafood La Chope is definitely recommended.

Couple of Loires enjoyed recently: 2010 Muscadet + 2014 Touraine Gamay

2010 Vieilles Vignes, Les Grands Presbytres, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie

Nelly Marzelleau through Gadais Père et Fils

Fine fresh but weighty Muscadet demonstrating what a good vintage 2010 is, Good aging potential so absolutely no need to rush to drink this up. Avoid serving too cold, otherwise you miss its weight and complexity. 

 

 2014 Le Reinet, Touraine Gamay, Bruno Curassier

Wonderfully juicy, succulent black fruits showing what a delicious vintage 2014 can be. Bruno Curassier is probably right to recommend that you don't serve this warmer than 15˚. It can go a tad warmer but soon loses its attractive freshness that counterbalances the rich fruit and becomes cloying. Look forward to trying the 2015.   

2009 Les Perrières Monopole, Muscadet, Gadais Père et Fils

2009 Les Perrières Monopole, Gadannis Père et Fils

This is a Muscadet that spends an extended time on lees - 18 months. 50% fermented in 300 litre oak barrels and 50% in tank. Along the style of a cru communaux, the impressive 2009 Les Perrières Monopole is a weighty, quite full-bodied Muscadet but with plenty of clean acidity in the finish to give it a lift. Should not be served over-chilled and would be good with full-flavoured fish – sea bass, salmon, etc.   

(One of a selection of samples from the domaine.) 

Christophe Gadais' 2011 Muscadet and Didier Chaffardon's L'Incrédule 2009

 2011 Tradition, Domaine Les Grands Presbytères, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie

I recently received some samples from Christophe Gadais of Gadais Père et Fils in Saint Fiacre sur Maine. Christophe now has 47 hecatres in the Muscadet  Sèvre et Maine appellation. Before taking over the family domaine from his father Michel, Christophe was in charge of Laporte in Sancerre, part of Henri Bourgeois. I will be working my way through them over the next few days. Yesterday I looked at a couple of 2011s: Tradition, Domaine Les Grands Presbytères and the Domaine de la Tourmaline. 

2011 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Domaine de la Tourmaline 

Both wines are sur lie. The 2011 Tradition is light, crisp and fresh making a good apéritif or to accompany some oysters. In contrast the Tourmaline has more weigh, complexity and interest. It would, I think, work well with moules à crème or with crab.   

 

 

2009 L'Incrédule, Vin de France, Didier Chaffardon 

The last of a batch of samples from Les Caves de Pyrène, Didier Chaffardon's 2009 L'Incrédule was a very pleasant surprise. Chaffardon is based in Saint Jean de Mauvrets and has three hectares of vines – half Chenin Blanc and half Cabernet Franc. Initially his domaine had 10 hectares but he has reduced this to just three. I have tasted Chaffardon's Chenins on several occasions at the Renaissance tastings in Angers and have never been particularly impressed.

Happily his Cabernet Franc was an eye opener L'Incrédule 2009 has attractive rich, very ripe black fruits making it very easy to drink with rabbit slowly casseroled in a wine, mustard and cream sauce.   

Some more highlights from Renaissance and 2011 Salon des Vins

2007 SuaVignon, Domaines des Maisons Brulées, Beatrice and Michel Augé

Renaissance

Excellent Sauvignon Blanc (VDT Français) from the biodynamic Domaine des Maisons Brulées in Pouillé with all the definition and precision you associate with 2007 with the the leaness and sharp acidity that some have.

 

Stéphane Bernardeau being interrogated by the Wine Detective

Fine Chenins again from Stephané and Richard at the Renaissance tasting.

Richard Leroy

Mark Angeli trying out his Tony Blair look – hasn't got the Blair wonky eye right yet

Another shot of Sébastien David modelling his ultra-chic range of decanters

Salon

Couple of fine Muscadets
Respecting a long tradition I started the Salon by tasting Pierre Luneau (Domaine Luneau-Papin, Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine) starting with the latest vintage – 2010, which is already showing well with a combination of weight of fruit plus minerality. A sso often the future Clos des Allées was a favourite.

Rather disappointingly the Luneaus' fridge was better regulated than usual so the wines were at the correct temperature for tasting, so no chance to enjoy their famous Muscadet glacé. 

   

Terre de Pierre, Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine, Domaine Luneau-Papin 

Not sure what vintage the above Terre de Pierre is – could be either the 2009 or the 2008 as I tasted both. Anyway this comes from the vineyard (Butte de la Roche) belonging to Pierre-Marie Luneau, which overlooks the Marais de Goulaine. The 2009 is richer with more concentration and some minerality in the finish. In contrast the 2008 is leaner, more precise but austere at present but it has good length and may well keep longer, although production was small due to the April frost so the number of bottles will be severely limited.

Label above must have been for the 2009...

Next stop after the Luneaus was Gadais Père et Fils (Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine) starting with their easy drinking 2010 Emotion, which is already in bottle. Of the five wines I tasted here the stand-out was the very fine 2009 Vieilles Vignes. Beautifully balanced it is delicious to drink now but will surely age well over the next five years or more. 

 

You're for La Chope!

Really excellent lunch at La Chope, one of Tours' institutions, today. Three of us tucked into a sumptuous and marvelously fresh plâteau royale fruits de mer accompanied by an excellent bottle of lemony 2007 Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Vieilles Vignes (17€) from Gadais Père et Fils in Saint-Fiacre – perfect with the seafood and with enough weight to match even the crab. Of particular note are the plump and succulent oysters from Gillardeau, the 'grand cru' of these bivalves. La Chope is the only restaurant in Tours to have them.

Interior with street reflections

2007 Vieilles Vignes Muscadet de-Sèvre-et-Maine, Gadais Père et Fils

A plateau for three

La Chope was founded over 100 years ago (in 1902) and is famous for its fish as well as its interior full of mirrors. It is also now renowned for its wicked chocolate mousse. We opted for three portions and were stunned by their copious size. Two between three would have done easily.

There is a good list of Loire wines including Jacky Blot, Baudry-Dutour, Frères Foucault, Didier Dagueneau, Charles Joguet, Philippe Alliet, Pierre and Bertrand Dutheil, Couly-Dutheil, Jean-François Merieau.

La Chope is run by Samy and Zara Gicqueau, who used to run the Michelin starred Sandgate Hotel in Hythe from 1995 to around 2002. All in all La Chope is highly recommended!



La Chope
25 bis Avenue de Grammont,
37000 Tours
Tel: 02.47.20.15.15