#2015Loire: Pouilly Fumé – looking good here too

Some of the Sauvignon not yet picked on 25.9.15

Healthy grapes 

Apologies for this belated report on my brief visit to Pouilly-sur-Loire on Friday 24th September to catch on progress with the 2015 vintage there. By this Friday many had finished picking including Jonathan Pabiot, who had finished on Wednesday, and Masson-Blondelet, while Michel Redde will be finishing the next day.  

Jean-Michel Masson (Masson-Blondelet)

Jean-Michel with nascent 2015 Pouilly Fumé

Pierre Masson with nascent 2015 Pouilly Fumé

Loire Wines@Waitrose (part 2)

2009 Le Petit Salvard, Cheverny, Domaine du Salvard  

Further notes from yesterday's Waitrose press tasting.

Le Petit Salvard (£7.99) is mainly Sauvignon Blanc with a small amount of Chardonnay as required by the AC Cheverny regulations. This gives the wine an attractively citric attack with a touch of softness provided by the Chardonnay along with some of the richness you would expect from the 2009 vintage.

2008 Vignes de Ratier, Menetou-Salon, Morogues, Domaine Pellé

More evidence here that Domaine Pellé is on good form with this 2008 Vignes de Ratier (£11.99)  a single vineyard planted on marne kimméridgienne. With yellow plum aromas this has good weight and concentration allied with the vibrancy associated with the 2008 vintage. I'd buy this in preference to the two Sancerres on show: Waitrose 2009 Sancerre La Franchotte from Joseph Mellot (£11.99) and the 2008 from Domaine Naudet (£12.49) in Sury-en-Vaux. 

2007 Le Haut Lieu sec, Vouvray, Domaine Huet

Le Haut Lieu is the heavier of the three Huet vineyards as it has more clay, deeper soil and is just beyond the première côte. The 2007 sec (£18.49) has just a hint of honey on the nose with the precision and clean flavours typical of 2007, although it is rather in a closed up phase at present. Needs to be cellared a while to show its best.  

2009 Les Andides, Saumur

Youthful and quite exuberantly floral, this crisp, lemony 2009 Saumur Blanc (100% Chenin Blanc – £6.99) from Alliance Loire would make a good apéro as well as matching shellfish. Over the next year or so likely to take on a little more weight.

 2009 Chenin Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Château de la Roulerie

2008 Saumur Champigny, Domaine de la Croix de Chaintres, Filliatreau

More to add shortly....

Further 2008 harvest reports and photos

Benoît Roumet, director of the Bureau du Centre, told me this morning that the harvest at Sancerre and Pouilly is virtually finished and that the weather had continued to be favourable. They had a little rain but this may have benefitted those who picked later as it reduced the acidity and gave the grapes a little more juice.

I have now added further reports to 'A fine day in Pouilly and Sancerre' (7th October 2008). This postings is now finally complete.

These new additions are André Vatan, Pascal Reverdy, Stéphane Riffault, Gérard Cherrier (Château de Sancerre), Quentin David (Château Favray), Masson Blondelet and François Crochet.