A quartet from Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin

 2010 L d'Or, Muscadet Sèvre & Maine sur Lie

(above and below)

A quartet of wines from top Muscadet producer Pierre Luneau-Papin – 2010 L d'Or, 2013 Froggy Wine, 2013 Folle Blanche and Luneau Brut. 

L d'Or has been a flagship of the estate since it was first launched in 1976. It ages brilliantly and has, over the years, surprised many people who thought that Muscadet had to be drunk young – DYA (drink youngest available). This 2010 is still very young and fresh but with attractive weight. Although enjoyable to drink now it will gain complexity over the next decade or more.

  

 2013 Froggy Wine, Muscadet Sèvre & Maine sur lie 

(above and below)

  

The Froggy Wine Muscadet is intended to dispel some of the mystique that often surrounds wine and to appeal to a younger generation as well as the export market. It should not, however, be dismissed as a frivolous wine. This is a well made Muscadet to either drink now but will keep several years. It calls out to be closed under screwcap.  

 2013 Folle Blanche, Gros Plant du Pays Nantais sur lie

Gros Plant has suffered from a poor reputation – lean and acid. However, well made and from good grapes it can be delicious as this wonderfully vibrant 2013 is. Yes it has acidity but is is ripe as is the fruit. Bring on the oysters – a brilliant match!   

Luneau Brut

The Luneau sparkling is a blend of 40% Melon de Bourgogne, 30% Folle Blanche (Gros Plant), 20% Chardonnay and 10% Cabernet (vinified as a white). The grapes come from a parcel of 40 year-old vines. It spends five months on its lees before being bottled for its secondary fermentation. It spends 18 to 24 months minimum sur latte. 

I find this the least convincing wine from the Luneau stable. Although pleasant enough, it is too frothy and 'soapy' and not on the same level as the still wines – both Muscadet and the very good Folle Blanche.   

(Bottles were given by the domaine as samples.)

 

Armance B – a sparkler from Frédéric Brochet (Ampelidae, Haut-Poitou)

Armance B. from Frédéric Brochet

After a lengthy excursion into Italy for the 4th edition of the European Wine Bloggers' Conference, it is time to return to this blog's roots – so it is back to the Loire.

Armance B. is a sparkling wine, made by the méthode traditionnelle (ie bottles fermented). This is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Folle Blanche (Gros Plant in the Pays Nantais). It spends a minimum of 17 months on its lees. It sells for 7€ at the domaine and will be between 8€-12€ in a caviste. Armance has a soft, commercial style and would be a good option for a wedding or other celebration where the hosts want a decent sparkler that will please many without have to pay the price for Champagne. 

For my taste the dosage on Armance B is too high and I prefer a sparkling wine with less sweetness but I can see its commercial attraction.

 

2011 Tour de France: Stage 5: Carhaix to Cap Fréhel – sprint finish?

Oysters on the menu today

Today ought to be one for the sprinters. The race heads northwards from Carhaix to the coast and then runs along eastwards by to the sea to the finish in Cap Fréhel. The race passes through Yffniac, the birthplace of the great Bernard Hinault. Expect once again a long breakaway that will be caught with around 10-15 kilometres from the finish.

The finish could be tricky as there are several bends on the way to the line. Will this be Mark Cavendish's day or will Tyler Farrar win again or someone else? They will certainly want to go for this as the finish tomorrow at Liseux is uphill and won't suit pure sprinters.

Spectators should be enjoying the race with some oysters and a bottle of nicely chilled Muscadet or Gros Plant. 

Gros Plant to AOC

 Ancenis still awaiting promotion

 Mention on Facebook by Eva Robineau has tipped me off that Gros Plant has been promoted to AOC from VDQS status. Apparently the promotion will date from March 2012, presumably meaning that the 2011 vintage will be entitled to be AOC. Equally it may mean that Gros Plant will have to wait for the 2012 vintage. If anyone can clarify this I would be grateful. The new AOC will be for Gros Plant and Gros Plant sur lie.

Gros Plant was one of the last remaining VDQS to be promoted to AOC. At one time the Gros Plant syndicat has decided now to attempt to apply for promotion to AC status rather for the wines to become vin de pays. This led to a considerable outcry by producers like Gilbert Bossard and the syndicat must have been forced to think again.

As far as I know this now leaves the Coteaux d'Ancenis awaiting promotion and the Vin du Thouarsais, which I believe has decided it is too small to apply for promotion to an appellation. 

See here for Hervé Lalau on Gros Plant and Robert Parker. 

Haut-Poitou VDQS becomes an AC

On 16th November the INAO announced that the wine commission (actually Le Comité national des appellations d’origine relatives aux vins et aux boissons alcoolisées et des eaux-de-vie de l’INAO – should you need to know) had agreed to promote Haut-Poitou from VDQS to full appellation contrôlée status. They also agreed to the promotion of Côtes d'Auvergne. Both decisions need to be ratified by the French Minister for Agriculture. This is somewhat of a formality, although the process can take up to around six months.

By my reckoning this leaves three remaining VDQSs in the Loire – Fiefs Vendéens, Coteaux d'Ancenis and Gros Plant. My guess is that the first two are very likely to be promoted to AC status, whereas it is much less sure for Gros Plant, whose producers originally opted for vin de pays. The VDQSs are due to disappear next year.

'Wines of Haut Poitou granted AOC status

17 November 2010

The wines of Haut Poitou have been granted Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) status, after decades of effort by the regions vineyards to meet the stringent criteria required.

Haut Poitou is an area of some 800 hectares situated to the north of Poitiers, covering some 40 communes (38 in the Vienne and 2 in Deux Sevres), where winemaking can be traced back to Roman times.

After WWII, wines from the region were marketed under the name Neuville du Poitou by the cooperative of wine growers, and in 1970 the product achieved the Appellation d'Origine Vins Délimités de Qualité Supérieure status, in recognition of quality of wines from the region.  Since 1989 the wines have been marketed under the brand ‘Vin du Haut-Poitou.’

White wines from the area can be made with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Blanc grape varieties.   Red and Rosé wines can be made with Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Merlot Rouge, Cot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay de Chaudeney and Grolleau (according to the official Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) criteria).'

From the Guide2 Poitou Charentes.

VDQS Gros Plant opts for IGP status

2008 harvest in the Pays Nantais with Che

The VDQS Gros Plant Syndicat has opted to apply for IGP (Indication Géographique de Provenance) status. By the end of this year all those still remaining in the VDQS (Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure) category will have to opt for either AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) or IGP. From 2009 to the end of 2011 only those that have applied either for AC or VDP status will be able to continue to sell their wines as VDQS.

The Loire has many of the now limited number of VDQS remaining, so it is make your mind up time for Châteaumeillant, Coteaux d’Ancenis, Côtes d’Auvergne, Fiefs Vendéens, Haut-Poitou, Saint-Pourçain and Thouarsais.

The château at Ancenis. Coteaux d'Ancenis is one of the
remaining VDQSs, who now have to opt for AOP or IGP

The Gros Plant Syndicat decided that Gros Plant would be better off as a IGP than trying to become AOP (similar to the existing AOC but a European-wide designation) because this will allow them to blend Gros Plant with other varieties such as Colombard, Montils and Pinot Gris (Malvoisie in the Pays Nantais). Going for AOP status would have meant reducing yields and some of the existing Gros Plant vineyards would have been left outside the new zone.

The Syndicat's decision is not a surprise. The production of Gros Plant declined considerably and it was very likley that it would have struggled to get AOP status. It will, however, be a shame if all Gros Plant ends up being blended with other varieties as good examples remain a wonderful match with oysters.

In early June 2008 as part of the European Union reform of the wine industry the French government adopted AOP and IGP. AOP is almost identical to the AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controllée) while IGP is a more flexible version of VDP (Vins de Pays). Under IGP producers can use whatever varieties they wish and it is possible to use oak chips and add tannins and acidity.


From: E-Lettre Vitisphere No 324 21st Novembre 2008
Pays de Loire : Le VDQS Gros Plant choisit l’IGP
Le syndicat du VDQS Gros Plant du Pays Nantais s’est prononcé pour un passage en IGP (Indication Géographique de Provenance) dans le cadre de la future segmentation de l’OCM qui entrera en application en août 2009. La disparition annoncée des VDQS avait déjà conduit le syndicat à se prononcer il y a quelques années sur son passage en AOC. Aujourd’hui le syndicat revient sur cette position, estimant que le cadre de l’IGP proposé par l’Europe correspond mieux aux ambitions de l’appellation Gros Plant. «Cette catégorie de vin offre une souplesse qui cadre bien avec ce qu’est actuellement le Gros Plant. Le choix de l’AOP nous aurait conduit à des baisses de rendement et des restrictions de l’aire d’appellation qui ne nous semblent pas opportunes. Par ailleurs, nous envisageons d’élargir notre encépagement en autorisant les assemblages avec le Colombard, le Montils et le Pinot gris. Ce projet a plus de chance d’aboutir dans le cadre de l’IGP que de l’AOP », argumente Jean-Michel Morille, vice-président du syndicat.