Tours – 11 èmes Rencontres François Rabelais

 At the Hotel de Ville: mass of tributes to those who 

died in the attacks in Paris last Friday

I passed these moving tributes on my way from 
the hotel to the restaurant  

In Tours for the 11th Rencontres François Rabelais – arrived late yesterday afternoon and will return to London on Sunday. I'm here as one of those involved in a round table discussion on wine tourism. My theme will be that if you really want visitors you have to open over the weekend! 

My fellow panelists are Jean-Max Manceau (Domain de Noiré, Chinon), Pascal Pringarbe (Château la Morinière) and we will be kept in order by Jean-Claude Bonnaud (editor of Vin ligerien).   

Some of those involved in the Rencontres François Rabelais had dinner last night at Le Zinc (27 Place du Grand Marché, 37000 Tours), a restaurant in the old part of Tour. An excellent 2014 Chinon Les Galuches from Wilfred Rousse proved to be very popular. Wilfred is based in Savigny-en-Véron, close to the confluence of the Loire and the Vienne where the soils are light – sand and gravel. The Chinon has lovely soft texture and is a delight to drink now.  

 2014 Les Galuches, Chinon

Wilfred Rousse

2014 Touraine Sauvignon, Les Celliers du Prieuré 
(since 2014 part of Ackerman) 

Crisp and citric, typical Touraine Sauvignon 

with some weight from 2014 vintage 

#2014Vitiloire – some photos from Saturday 31st May

 The stands of Vitiloire start just in front of Tours station

 Christophe Baudry (Baudry-Dutour and Maire of Cravant) 

with their new sparkling rosé

Pierre Morgeau, Domaine La Tour Beaumont, Haut-Poitou

 Hervé Tijou, Château de Bellevue

Red and white Touraine from Clos de la Divinière, the birthplace of Rabelais

 Lunchtime scenes 

 Gare de Tours in the background

 Representative from the brewery in Cormery

Luc Poulain, Domaine des Echardières, Pouillé – 

AC Touraine and Touraine-Chenonceaux

Laurent Benoist, Domaine de Viel Orme, Saint Julien de Chedon

 Pierre Aguilas: 2011 Coteaux du Layon 1er Cru and 2010 Quarts de Chaume 

Cause for celebration: the first edition of Vitiloire 

where these two new appellations have not been under legal threat

Jean de Saint Venant
Château de Valmer, Vouvray 

 Serge Babary, the new Mayor of Tours

(above and below) 

Jean-Max Manceau, recently retired president 

of the Chinon appellation with Serge Barbary

Domaine de Noiré (Chinon): summer exhibition

Two of Dominique Speissert's works

We had a quick sneak preview of the summer exhibition at Domaine de Noiré (Chinon), owned by Jean-Max and Odile Manceau, featuring the work of Caroline Bartal and Dominique Speissert. We also tasted a range of the Noiré Chinons starting with the raspberry fruited 2012 Rosé, a saignée. 

Then onto the reds commencing with the soft, easy drinking 2012 Soif de tenderesse, which comes from four hectares of vines on flint at the top of the coteaux. Then it was onto the fine, red fruited 2010 Elégance with more concentration and more edge than the Soif. Elégance comes from five hectares planted on the gravel plain of the Vienne. Caractère was the last cuvée tried. This comes from the limestone coteaux. It has a long, gentle maceration and then spends a year in demi-muids. Jean-Max replaces 20% of the barrels every year. Until 2008 he used barriques (225l) but changed to demi-muids as the work marks the wine less and barriques here tend to promote harsh tannins. The 2010 has full, rich fruit with firm structure and tannins. It needs more time in bottle to soften and fully marry. 

We also tasted the 2004 caractère, which had a touch of green pepper on the nose, good texture but slightly drying tannins in the finish. However, a success in a difficult year.         

   

Two examples of Caroline Bartal very intricate work (above and below)

 Dominique Speissert – work featuring Rabelais

 Jean-Max Manceau concentrating on tasting

Excursions organised by Jean-Max for visitors 

to explore the terroir of Chinon and the River Vienne

Jean-Max Manceau@Chinon – summer exhibition – Bartal and Spiessert

Odile and Jean-Max Manceau@Domaine de Noiré have a summer exhibition of the work of Caroline Bartal and Dominique Spiessert. The exhibition opens on Saturday 15th June at 16.00 with the two artists present.

Exhibition Coco@Jean-Max Manceaux's Domaine de Noiré, Chinon

Exhibition of the paintings of Coco@Domaine de Noiré, Chinon from 15th June to 16th July. The Domaine de Noiré is just to the east of the town of Chinon on the road to Cravant-les-Coteaux.

Jean-Max Manceau@Vitiloire 2012

#Vitiloire12: more photos and comments

Emmanuel Charrier, Domaine de l'Epineau 

With temperatures around 30˚C Saturday afternoon@Vitiloire 2012 conditions were far from perfect for tasting, so I spent more time taking photos than I did tasting. I did, however, try Emmanuel Charrier's attractively fresh and citric 2010 Prémices, Domaine de l'Epineau from the Coteaux du Giennois. 

Charrier has five hectares in the Coteaux du Giennois and just one in Pouilly-Fumé. I also tried his 2010 Pouilly-Fumé, which was less of stand out than the Coteaux du Giennois.  

See also here.

Emmanuel Charrier, Domaine de l'Epineau 

Jean-François Mérieau, Domaine des Bois Vaudons, Touraine 

Jean-Max Manceau, Domaine de Noiré

Philippe Boucard: Lamé Delisle Boucard, Bourgueil 

Les 5 du Vin will be in Bourgueil this weekend for a programme of tastings and visits. Philippe warned me to get plenty of rest this week! Clearly he has in mind some long days and equally long nights!

Valérye Mordelet (Les Loges de la Folie): châpeau!

Jean-Daniel Kloeckle (Les Loges de la Folie) 

Chinon: interview with Jean-Max Manceau (Vitisphere)

Above: Chinon and gatehouse to the château; Jean-Max Manceau (below) 2009 Cabernet Franc grapes with Jean-Max holding a glass of freshly pressed juice Jean-Max Manceau, président du syndicat des vins (ODG) de l’AOC Chinon « Chinon est plutôt dans la catégorie des vins de niche » 'Chinon, AOC ligérienne petite par la taille, mais de longue réputation, est confrontée comme toutes les autres aux données contradictoires du monde d’aujourd’hui : changement du goût des consommateurs, mondialisation, concentration des négociants et développement du vin industriel, conscience environnementale…Jean-Max Manceau, vigneron (château de Noiré), président du syndicat des vins-ODG depuis 1999, mais également de la fédération des vignerons de Touraine, nous explique la stratégie de l’AOC dans ce contexte.' Lire la suite ici

Today in Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

Jérôme Billard (Domaine de la Noblaie, Chinon) takes testing Cabernet Franc to extremes!

Rather than adopt Jérôme's whole cluster tactic, Philippe Boucard (Lamé Delisle-Boucard) prefers the single berry approach

Just passed a most enjoyable day 'taking the temperature' in these three appellations now well started in picking the 2009s. The forecast last Sunday for this coming week was pretty depressing – a hitherto largely favourable forecast had completely turned around with the prediction of a week of frequently rain. When it started to rain around 7am on Monday I feared the worst. Fortunately once the rain stopped in eastern Touraine around 10.30-11am, there has been little rain apart from a downpour early evening last night. However, Chinon etc. has been much less rain this week and the grapes still largely look wonderfully good and healthy and, unlike last week, have become ripe, especially where they ripen early – on the sand and gravel soils. There are a few instances of rot but for the moment very isolated.

Jean-Max Manceau (Domaine de la Noire, Chinon) with his barely fermenting Chinon 2009 with some Cabernet Franc still to be picked. The 2009 Chinon will have much more colour in a few days time when it has spent ponger macaerating on its skins

Yannick Amirault (Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil)@his chai
"The fruit is now ripe – we need to get it in quickly."

Philippe Boucard with some of his ripe Cabernet Franc

Picker@Domaine de la Noblaie – this Cabernet Franc will be used for rosé

Domaine de la Noblaie: another bunch

Domaine de la Noblaie: CF grapes arriving at the press – destined for Chinon Rosé

Noblaie: unloading the grapes

Picker@Château de la Grille (Chinon)

Another picker@Château de la Grille (Chinon)

Cabernet Franc@Château de la Grille

Frédéric Mabileau: sorting before destemming machine

Frédéric Mabileau: another check after destemming

(More details and pictures to add.)

Jean-Max Manceau, Domaine de la Noire, 160 Rue de l'Olive, 3750 Chinon