A more positive view of Vouvray

2015 Chenin Blanc flowering in Vouvray

My post last week covered what appears, on an investigation, a very dubious attempt to prevent Jacky Blot and François Chidaine from vinifying their Vouvray in Montlouis by changing the Vouvray décret. A change that Michel Bettane has characterised as an 'abuse of power'. Furthermore this part of the 2009 Vouvray décret may well not survive an appeal by Blot/Chidaine to the Conseil d'Etat.

But enough of that for the moment. Instead yesterday I passed a fascinating and very rewarding day visiting five Vouvray producers – all doing interesting things. Some of them like Sébastien Brunet, Damien Pinon, Matthieu Cosme have now been established for some time other like Michel Autran and Jacquelin Rouvre are more recent arrivals. I am indebted to Vincent and Tania Carême for suggesting and organising my visits. Vouvray has need of people of Vincent Carême ready to promote lesser known producers making quality wines as the reputation of Vouvray has been eclipsed very considerably recently by the its southern neighbour – Montlouis.

My hosts on Monday:

Ex-doctor Michel Autran, who changed his life in 2006 and made his first vintage in 2011 and is now making brilliantly precise wines.     

Rugby player Mathieu Cosme who took over the family vines in 2005 and since 2011 working with his brother Florent. Mathieu is not a new discovery as I have tasted his wines before before but this was the first time I have visited his vineyards and seen his carefully work amongst his vines. 

59 year-old Jacquelin Rouvre but young in spirit gave up running his Paris restaurant after 17 years of hard work to take up his parent's three hectares of vines in 2008. Jacquelin made his first vintage in 2010. if you want a bargain buy his lovely 2010 Brut for just 6.50€ a bottle. Absurdly cheap for the quality.

It was good to meet Damien Pinon again. Damien and Ingrid Pinon featured in Jim's Loire back in June 2011 http://jimsloire.blogspot.fr/2011/06/monday-13th-june-les-jeunes-vignerons.html2011 and to again be impressed by their wines. 

Many years ago I tasted the wines of Domaine d'Orfeuilles in London, when the estate was run by Bernard Herivault, so it was good to meet his son Arnaud and taste his fine range of wines. By the end of next year all of the 22-hectare estate will be organic with Arnaud starting to move to biodynamic viticulture.

Sébastien Brunet took over the family domaine when his father died young in 2006. The vineyards are farmed organically and look particularly healthy yesterday. Like the other Vouvray producers I visited Sébastien wines had real precision. I particularly liked the 2013 and 2014 La Pente de la Folie made from old vines (55 years old) from a south-facing parcel of 70 ares.In 2007 Sébastien was able to buy an extraordinary cellar with 10 kilometres of galleries that used to be used to grow mushrooms.   

Vincent Carême, who kindly organised my day, and whose 2013 Cuvée Ancestrale and 2012 Le Clos Vouvray Sec were stand outs.

Most of these producers are organic – all eschew weedkillers. Sadly the use of weedkillers is far too prevalent in AC Vouvray with many vineyards completely blitzed. Instead of promoting foolish rules to bar top-quality Vouvray producers from vinfiying in the neighbouring commune of Montlouis-sur-Loire, the Syndicat of Vouvray Producers would be much better occupied persuading their members to move to a more sustainable viticulture and to promote biodiversity. If Vouvray wants to improve its flagging reputation, here are some fine examples to follow!

   

La Dive Bouteille 2013 – a new discovery in Vouvray: Mathieu Cosme

Château de Brézé: La Dive tasting in cellars underneath the château

Matthieu Cosme: Vouvray

At La Dive Bouteille tasting at Château de Brézé on the Sunday (3rd) before the start of the Salon des Vins de Loire I was impressed with the Vouvrays from Mathieu Cosme (Domaine de Beaumont) – a new discovery for me. He has 13 ha and started in 2005. I liked the purity of his wines. 

This is a brief post as I'm heading off to Umbria today for the Wine Lovers anniversary, where we will doubtless elect a new Wine Lovers pope!

Monday 13th June: Les 'Jeunes' Vignerons de Vouvray

Frédéric Bourillon

Before heading back to the UK Nigel and I dropped into the Foire aux Vins organised by Les Jeunes Vignerons de Vouvray. As the association was founded towards the end of the last century and some of the founders are still members the name has a somewhat optimistic ring to it. There are, however, some genuinely young vignerons in the association like Sébastien Brunet, Mathieu Cosme and Laurent Kraft.

Ingrid and Michel Pinon (Michel & Damien Pinon – Domaine de la Poultière)

It was good to taste the excellent wines of Michel & Damien Pinon again, which confirmed the favourable impression I had when I tasted them at the 2010 Salon des Vins de Loire. I thought these were the best wines on show here. Inevitably with 19 vignerons from one appellation presenting their wines there are always likely to be considerable variations in quality and there certainly were here.

I tasted four of the Pinon wines and particularly enjoyed three of them starting with the lemon and clean 2010 Tuffa (5.50€), a sec with 5 grams of residual and good length. It comes from vines planted on caillottes (limestone). Then 2009 Authentique, a sec tendre – 12g of sugar remaining and a clean mineral finish. We finished with the 2007 demi-sec Initiale (7.30€), which fermented for a year, with its attractive combination of rich aromas including a a touch of honey along with the typical 2007 austere finish. I preferred this to the 2010 Emotion demi-sec (5.50€).

Third generation vignerons, the Pinons have 25 hectares in Vernou-sur-Brenne. 50% of their production is sparkling and 50% still wine with nothing sold off to the négoce.

Michel Pinon

I discovered two new producers to me at this foire: Laurent Kraft (Domaine des Lauriers in Vouvray) and Mathieu Cosme (Domaine de Beaumont in Noizay).  

Laurent Kraft

Laurent Kraft's family has been involved in wine for seven generations and they now have 19 hectares of vines. 40% of the production is sparkling with the rest as still wine.  Laurent started his winemaking career back in November 1992. His 2009 sparkling Vouvray is clean and quite delicate. I liked his delicate 2010 demi-sec that has a good balance between the fruit and its fresh, mineral finish – 27g sugar and 13.7% alc. Laurent's 2008 Cuvée des Sens is decidedly a garage wine with a production of only two barrels coming from 110 year old vines adjacent to the Clos du Bourg. We finished with the 2009 Privilège, a rich and honey and butterscotch moelleux with 132g of sugar. From two tris – first botrytis while the second passerillage.

Mathieu Cosme 
 

Mathieu (Domaine de Beaumont) started his Vouvray career in 2005. He is based in Noizay and has 15 hectares of vines. Before he started he did a stage at Domaine Huet. He doesn't use herbicides, picking is by hand and he uses natural yeasts. We started with his clean, slightly yeasty and mineral Cuvée C, a méthode ancestrale. I also liked the 2009 Les Perrets from vines on limestone with 22g of sugar and the mouthfilling texture of the 2008 Les Champs Rouget with 12g of sugar remaining.

Catherine Dhoye Deruet

From the other vignerons present I noted the steely 2009 Domaine sec from Catherine Dhoye Deruet (Domaine de la Fontainerie, Vouvray) and her richer but mineral 2009 Coteau la Fontainerie that spends a year in new wood. The wood is still quite present – it has good potential and just needs time.

Sébastien Brunet 

I was less knocked out by Sébastien Brunet's wines on this occasion than previously – a question of the day or La Cave de Belle Dame perhaps? However, the well balanced 2010 La Folie demi-sec and 2010 Moelleux La Folie 1er tri ticked the boxes.

Although a much larger appellation Vouvray has recently been left in the shade by its southern neighbour Montlouis with its influx of dynamic new producers. However, this tasting revealed that , in additiona to the big names, there are a number of interesting producers here – some new to the appellation, while others appear to be revitalising family estates – even though Vouvray is dominated by sparkling wine production much of it sold through supermarkets at very competitive prices.