Central Loire Vineyards: expansion and renaissance

Producer's sign in Quincy 

Shared picking machine @Reuilly 2009

La Loire @Pouilly-sur-Loire 

The last 27 years has seen very considerably changes in the Central Loire Vineyards. With one sole exception it has been a tale of success and expansion. It is fascinating to compare the area planted in each of the Central Loire appellation in 1990 with the area planted in 2017. 

An overall increase of 2451 hectares in production – a 77% increase – are the headline figures. However, the dramatic revival of appellations like Quincy and Reuilly that in the 1970s and for much of the 1980s are perhaps the interesting. The revival of Reuilly owes much to the late Claude Lafond, who had the vision to persuade the few producers to work together and to establish a common wine-making facility above the small town of Reuilly. It was similar in neighbouring Quincy where a common winery was built at the village of Brinay. These wineries are different from a cave co-operative. Here the producers make with guidance, keep and sell their own wine themselves. The facilities are shared but not the wine.     

Equally the expansion of Menetou-Salon up by nearly 200% from 196 hectares in 1990 to 576 ha last year is impressive. Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé have seen the largest increase in terms of hectares – 1032 ha and 580ha respectively. 

Pouilly-sur-Loire – 100% Chasselas – is the only appellation in decline: slipping from 56 hectares planted in 1990 to just 27 last year. Doubtless those lost hectares of Chasselas have been replanted with Sauvignon Blanc – Pouilly-Fumé is so much easier to sell.  

The changes in the Central Loire are in marked contrast with the contraction in the area planted with Melon de Bourgogne for Muscadet in the Pays Nantais. In 1990 all the Muscadet appellations covered 11,280 hectares – this doesn't include Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu which was promoted to appellation status in 1994. At its highest point Muscadet reached some 13300 hectares. By 2016 this area had dropped to a total of 8200 ha. Of these Muscadet Sèvre et Maine accounted for 6300 ha, Côtes de Grandlieu – 230 ha, Coteaux de la Loire – 150 ha.

Even with this sharp contraction Muscadet (820 ha) is still substantially larger than the whole of the Central Vineyard combined – 5750 hectares.      

      

Loire Central Vineyards: the latest figures on area planted

The latest figures show that the area planted in the Central Vineyards continues to increase gradually, except for Châteaumeillant and Coteaux du Giennois which have seen a small decrease.

Central Loire (2017)
Sancerre: 2 990 ha
Pouilly-Fumé: 1325 ha
Pouilly-sur-Loire: 27 ha
Menetou-Salon: 576 ha
Quincy: 303 ha
Reuilly: 259 ha
Coteaux du Giennois: 194 ha
Châteaumeillant: 77 ha




Central Loire (2016)

Sancerre
Sauvignon blanc: 2354 ha

Pinot noir : 600 ha

Total: 2954 ha

Pouilly-Fumé

Sauvignon blanc: 1307 ha

 

Menetou-Salon
Sauvignon Blanc : 376 ha

Pinot Noir: 185 ha

Total: 561 ha

QuincySauvignon blanc : 296 ha

 

Reuilly

Sauvignon blanc : 127 ha

Pinot noir : 75 ha

Pinot gris : 50 ha

Total: 252 ha

Pouilly-sur-Loire
Chasselas : 27 ha

Coteaux du Giennois: 196 ha 

Châteaumeillant: 82 ha 

Bon Laboureur@Chenonceaux – another fine lunch

2014 Négrette, Le Rocher des Violettes, Xavier Weisskopf

We enjoyed another excellent lunch today at Le Bon Laboureur in Chenonceaux – again taking the 32€ menu – three course but lots of extras – making it really excellent value. To drink we had as an apéro Xavier Weisskopf's lovely 2014 Montlouis Négrette, which comes from a parcel of vines that are at least 80 years old. Négrette here is the parcel of vines not the grape variety that is found in Fronton as well as the Fiefs Vendéens. The 2014 is wonderfully clean with a touch of roundness to it. 

With the first course we opted for the stylish 2015 Menetou-Salon from Isabelle and Pierre Clément – nicely ripe, crisp citric Sauvignon Blanc. For the mains we stayed in the Central Vineyards taking the 2014 Sancerre Rouge from Domaine Vacheron, which worked well with both the fish and the lamb: delicate enough for the sea bream while having sufficient body for the lamb.       

Fricassé of cèpes 

 

Salad of white beans and rillons

Vegetable tart

2015 Menetou-Salon, Isabelle et Pierre Clément, Châtenoy

72-hour slow cooked lamb 

Sea bream

2014 Sancerre, Domaine Vacheron 

Pre-dessert mandarins on a chocolate biscuit

 

Chocolate mousse

2017 Loire – good news for a change in Menetou-Salon

 The view eastwards from Menetou-Salon

 towards Parassy and Morogues 

Following the Loire vintage is always fascinating. No two years are the same – each one has their different challenges. Overall, from what we have seen in the Pays Nantais, Touraine, Menetou-Salon and Sancerre, there should be some very good wine made this year. All the juices I have tasted this year to date have been round with variable degrees of potential alcohol. Generally rich, ripe fruit – often around 13% with the acidity between 5 and 5.4, so well balanced. 

On our way over from Touraine we first dropped in on Philippe Gilbert, just on the eastern edge of the small town of Menetou-Salon. In contrast to last year when he made virtually nothing, 2017 has given him a good harvest. Philippe started slowly on 11th September on his Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes are coming in around 12.0 to 12.8˚ with acidities around 4.7. 

After last year's  shockingly small vintage in in Menetou-Salon it is good to see that producers like Philippe Gilbert have been blessed with a generous harvest. Last Tuesday (12th September) they harvested as much, if not more, of what they picked last year in total.

Philippe is bringing in 50 hl/ha for his Pinot Noir for rosé, while his whites are fine at around 55/60 hl/ha. 2017 is a generous harvest. This often happens after a severe frost, which gives the vines a rest, so the following year they tend to produce big harvest. This happened in in 1992 following the severe frost of 1991. 

After a week of harvesting they have about another ten days left. The contrast between Philippe's demeanour of last year and this is very marked. He is now a 'happy boy'!  

Wednesday will be 'Les Vendanges pour les Copains'. Under this laudable initiative Philippe and his team will be picking for friends like Fred Niger in Muscadet, who have been very severely affected by the April frosts. It provides them with some wine that hopefully will keep them afloat in these difficult times.     

  

Domaine Henri Pellé

The news here was also very positive: they started on Thursday 7th September – a day before the actual Ban des Vendanges. Again 2017 is a generous harvest with 60 hl/ha for their Sauvignon Blanc, while they are getting 50 hl/ha at 13% potential for the Pinot Noir. We tasted some of the juices for the Sauvignon Blanc, which were impressive – good fruit, very clean and well balanced with attractive freshness in the finish.  

Most of the picking so far has been in their vineyards in the commune of Menetou-Salon. Only now are they picking in Morogues, which is a little higher in altitude, so ripens a little later. 

In the Pellé vines Les Blanchais:

We visited Les Blanchais near Morogues where there was a big team of more than 50 pickers.    

 One of the Pellé pickers

 One of the pickers

Drowning in vines......?

 Capped picker

 Carrying a hod up and down 

the slope is tough work

Trailer @the bottom of the slope

Les Blanchais is a steeply sloping vineyard  

Off on an adventure: Day 3 – Anne and Pierre-Henry Pellé

 Anne Pellé and her son – Pierre-Henry

Menetou-Salon and Sancerre

As I suspect there will be limited time to post on Jim's Loire while we are away– there are posts prepared in advance that will feature pics of Loire producers and may be from elsewhere plus some recently enjoyed bottles.  

Off on an adventure – Day 1. Bertrand Minchin

Bertrand Minchin: Menetou-Salon and Valençay

By the time you read this CRM and I will be on our way to Hong Kong. The first stage of a trip that will take us into mainland China after a few days in Hong Kong. After time in China we will catch the train from Beijing to Forest Hill, London SE23 – Trans-Manchurian, Trans-Siberian, Moscow-Paris, Eurostar to Saint Pancras, Metropolitan Line to Whitechapel and Overground to Forest Hill. 

As I suspect there will be limited time to post on Jim's Loire – there are posts prepared in advance that will feature pics of Loire producers and may be from elsewhere plus some recently enjoyed bottles.  

Loire 2016: to have and have not

If there is any Loire appellation that could stand a difficult and virtually non-existent vintage, it is Sancerre. Instead, if there is any substantial Ligerian appellation that has come through this 'very complicated year' relatively unscathed it is Sancerre. Indeed there appear to be a good number of Sancerre producers who have enjoyed a normal to bumper crop in 2016. 

 "It's almost scandalous!" admits Philippe Prieur of Domaine Paul Prieur in Verdigny.   

Sancerre – the haves:
Paul and Benoît Fouassier (Sancerre)
We started on Monday 3rd October and finished on the 14th. Our Sauvignon Blanc was hit by frost, coulure and then the drought with a significant amount of these grapes burnt by the heat of July and August. We haven't fully calculated the yields yet but it is between 30hl-40hl per ha for Sauvignon Blanc with the fruit between 12-13 potential alcohol with acidity varying from 4.5- 4.8. The acidity levels are higher than 2015 but lower than 2014.

The Pinot Noir fared better both at flowering and from the heat of the summer, so yields of 42 hl/ha and 13.5% potential alc."

Henry Natter (Montigny)
Unlike many other Sancerre producers, Henry Natter was in the middle of picking but well satisfied with the quantity and quality of the 2016 vintage. Often one of the last in the appellation to picky Natter still had another five days of harvest to do. 

Vincent and Adélaïde Grall (Sancerre)
The Gralls were decidedly happy with 2016. Vincent: "We finished last Wednesday (12th October) having started on the 3rd October. Our Sauvignon is between 11.5-12.5. Following the rain towards the end of September the grapes have plenty of juice, so we have made 65 hl/ha.

Alphonse Mellot jnr (Sancerre)
"The Sancerre reds are exceptional, while the whites are good. In terms of yields the reds are at 28 hl/ha (Mellot always has low yields for their Pinot Noir), while the Sauvignon Blanc is between 50-55 hl/ha."

However the picture is very different for the Mellot vines in the Côtes de la Charité, which was badly hit by the April frosts. "Here it is 6hl/ha for the Chardonnay and just 4 hl/ha for the Pinot Noir."  

Matthieu and Jean-Yves Delaporte, Domaine Vincent Delaporte (Chavignol)
I caught up with Matthieu and his father Jean-Yves early on Monday evening when they were finshing sorting over their last cases of Pinot Noir. Both were well pleased with the 2016 – 60hl/ha for the whites and 50 hl/ha for the reds.
 

Pierre Martin (Chavignol) 
"It's a good vintage. We started on Wednesday 5th October and finished yesterday (17th October). The rain in mid to end of September was crucial after the long dry spell in July, August and early September. Our Sauvignon Blanc is between 12-13% potential alc and 4-4.3 acidity, while the Pinot Noir is at 13% potential. Yields are between 55-60 hl/ha.

  

Gérard Boulay (Chavignol)
Gérard was also happy  with 2016. "We started on Monday 3rd October and finished on Sunday 16th. Our white Sancerre is between 12%-13.5%, while the Pinot is at 13.5%. There is a lot of tartaric acid this year – the recent fresh nights have been good for maintaining acidity. Yields are between 45/50 hl/ha. The Cul de Beaujeu is particularly good."

Domaine Paul Prieur (Verdigny)
Luc Prieur: "We started on Monday 3rd October and finished on Friday 14th." Luc is very happy with the quality of 2016. "Our Sauvignon came in at between 12%-12.5% potential and 4.7 to 5 acidity with a yield between 55-60 hl/ha, while the Pinot is at 13.6%-14% and 50 hl/ha. Some of our Pinot suffered from mildew and sunburn during the heat of July and August. 

François Crochet (Bué)
François and Karine Crochet are also very happy with their 2016. François: "We started on Friday 30th September having got special permission to start early. Yields for the Sauvignon are between 45-50 hl with a potential around 12% and 5 gms acidity. We had to pick our Pinot twice as grapes facing south got burnt by the sun. We picked these first to make rosé. These grapes came in at 13.3%. The rest we picked a little later for our Sancerre Rouge and were up to 14% potential. The Pinot yield is around 35-40 hl/ha."

François likens 2016 to the 2014s, while a number of other Sancerre producers put 2016 between 2014 and 2015 in style, so having some of the richness of 2015 but more acidity than 15 and less than 14. Certainly the juices that I tasted appeared promising – clean, mouth-filling with a freshness in the finish.

The have nots

Above Les Loges, Pouilly-Fumé 

Pouilly-Fumé:

Jonathan Pabiot (Les Loges, Pouilly-sur-Loire)
"Overall we lost 65% of the crop including all of our Chasselas. We started on Monday 3rd October and finished on 13th. The communes of Saint Martin, Saint-Laurent and to the south of Pouilly-sur-Loire – the southern part of the appellation – was particularly badly hit by the frost. In some of our parcels where we normally harvest 50 hl/ha we only managed 5 hl/ha, while in the commune of Tracy we picked 35hl/ha. Fortunately our best parcels escaped the frost."

Michel Redde et Fils (Pouilly-sur-Loire)
Sébastien Redde: "It has been a very complicated year. Of our 42 hectares, 10ha have recorded a total loss – no more than 2 ha/ha, 5 hectares were hit between 20%-50% by the frost here we averaged 15 hl/ha.  After the April frosts the mildew ravaged two hectares with a 90% loss. Overall we have made 30 hl/ha but the quality is good.

Masson-Blondelet (Pouilly-sur-Loire)
Pierre-François Masson: "Some of our Pouilly-Fumé parcels were badly hit. In those in the commune of St Martin we only picked 7.5 hl/ha and the same for those in Pouilly. However, our vines in Saint-Andelain were not hit by the frost. We are happy with what we picked in Sancerre – 45 hl/ha, while for the Pinot it was down – 25 hl/ha compared to around 40 hl/ha in a normal year. Unfortunately we will have to restrict allocations."   

Menetou-Salon
Domaine Philippe Gilbert
Menetou-Salon is among the worst hit by the April frost of the Loire appellations and Philippe Gilbert is no exception. "In a normal vintage we make 500hl of both red and white, so 1000 hls. This year we have 17 hls of rosé, between 60-70 hls of red and between 60 - 68 hls of white." This adds up to around 150-160 hls in 2016. – 15% of a normal year." The fact that the quality in 2016 is high must, of course, be particularly galling.

Philippe will not be going to Millésime Bio in January 2017. "There is no point in me going just to explain that I have no wine to sell!" he says.

•••

Today we cross La Manche and return to to Madame May's lunatic asylum – no further comment required!

  

Central Loire Vineyards – 2016 dates for your diary

 

 

From the vineyards of Pouilly-Fumé looking towards Sancerre

Menetou Salon: Caves Ouvertes 1st and 2nd August 2015

Bottle statue @entrance to Menetou-Salon

Caves Ouvertes 1er et 2 août Menetou-Salon ouvre ses caves

Le premier week-end d’août les juilletistes et aoûtiens se croisent mais à Menetou-Salon ce sont dans les caves que se rencontrent tout les amateurs de bons vins.

Les vigneronnes et vignerons de 22 domaines du vignoble de Jacques Coeur ouvrent leurs portes et accueillent les visiteurs en toute convivialité pour leur faire découvrir le dernier millésime et partager avec eux quelques uns de leurs secrets de fabrication.

Dès le vendredi, dans le cadre de l’été des entreprises, la viticulture sera mise à l’honneur avec le concours de techniciens et de vignerons, le tout au milieu des vignes de l’appellation (réservation obligatoire au 02 48 48 00 23 ou sur le site www.berryprovince.com).

Le samedi et le dimanche ce sont 22 domaines qui accueillent les visiteurs pour leur faire découvrir leur métier et le fruit de leur passion.

Moment privilégié d’échange chaleureux dans la fraîcheur des caves.

Le samedi à 10H00, la tonnellerie Gauthier sera également ouverte à la visite (20, rue de la Gare à Menetou-Salon) pour comprendre comment l’on fabrique des fûts spécialement adaptés aux vins du Centre-Loire.

Enfin, 10 restaurants de l’appellation attendent les visiteurs pour de belles pauses gourmandes…autour des vins de Menetou-Salon.

Domaine Robert Sérol: portes ouvertes weekend of 13th-14th December

 2014 L'Equipe Domaine Robert Sérol

Leading Roannaise producer Domaine Sérol (Renaison in Côte Roannaise) has their Portes Ouvertes on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th with Paul Henry Pellé (Domaine Henry Pellé – Menetou-Salon and Sancerre) as special guest on Sunday morning. 

Sampling Joseph Mellot wines from the Loire Central Vineyards

2013 Pouilly-Fumé, Domaine des Mariniers  

I was recently sent six samples from producer and négociant Joseph Mellot in Sancerre. Five of the six were closed with a screwcap, while the most expensive – the 2010 La Chatelaine, Sancerre – has a cork. This strikes me as the wrong way round. Why continue to use fallible cork on expensive bottles of wine where wine faults hit your pocket harder than they do with cheap wine? 

2013 Menetou-Salon, Les Thureaux, Joseph Mellot

My favourite of the six  

Tasting the Joseph Mellot samples confirms that these wines have improved considerably of late. All have been well-made and good examples of their appellations.  Leaving aside the older and wood fermented 2010 La Châtelaine, the most successful was the quite weighty 2013 Menetou-Salon Les Thureaux   – floral, ripe gooseberry, soft texture with nicely balanced acidity. The 2013 Sancerre La Chatellenie from vines on flinty soils was similar in style but with a little less weight, while the 2012 Coteaux du Giennois La Gaupière was vibrantly citric. In contrast the 2013 Pouilly-Fumé Domaine des Mariniers was correct without being exciting – perhaps with a little more time in bottle? Equally the Destinéa 2013 Sauvignon Blanc IGP was rather bland and two-dimensional but with marked acidity in the finish.

 2010 La Grande Châtelaine, Sancerre, Joseph Mellot 

The most expensive wine tasted but closed with a cork

Finally the prestige cuvée 2010 La Grande Châtelaine from clay limestone soils and fermented in wood using locally sourced oak from Allogny, a commune just to the north of Bourges. This was certainly the most complex of the wines with attractive weight and texture and a nicely judged touch of oak.

2012 La Gaupière, Coteaux du Giennois, Joseph Mellot

 2013 La Chatellenie, Sancerre, Joseph Mellot

 2013 Destinéa, Sauvignon Blanc, IGP Val de Loire, Joseph Mellot

Restaurant La Ferme, Angers – pas comme autrefois?

The new incarnarnation of La Ferme

The Restaurant La Ferme close to the Cathedral of Anjou has long been a fixture of eating out in Angers. I think I first ate there in either 1989 or 1990 with the then young Pascal Cailleau who had just recently taken over the running of the Domaine de Sauveroy in the southern outskirts of Saint Lambert du Lattay. La Ferme was an outpost of traditional French family cooking – copious portions of traditional recipes. 

Four years ago it changed hands and right at the end of January was the first time since the hand over that I had got round to trying the new version. The style has certainly changed. Although some of the old dishes – coq au vin rouge d'Anjou have been retained – the treatment is more modern – plus raffinées.

I opted for three courses and chose the 2011 Croix de la Mission Anjou Villages Brissac from Domaine des Rochelles (the Lebreton family). This is their 90% Cabernet Sauvignon cuvées, which has long worked as the Cabernet Sauvignon is planted in very warm soil so the grapes ripen properly. Even better La Ferme offers this in 50cl bottles and as I'm a decided fan of la Modération I chose this size as I was dining alone. Ideally the powerful and opulent 2011 needs more time but I coped!     

Boudin blanc de Homard

For my first course I chose the Boudin blanc de Homard aux petits légumes et son émulsion coraillée. Fairly tasty but not outstanding. This was followed by the rognons de veaux, which were excellent cooked to just pink.

Rognons de veau

The wonderfully chocolately profiterole: 

La « fameuse » Bouse de Vache (Grande profiterole)

Purely for the sake of research I decided to opt for 'La « fameuse » Bouse de Vache (Grande profiterole), which really did live up to its billing with a wonderful, rich dark chocolate sauce.

I was very well looked after by a keen young waiter, who came from Beaulieu-sur-Layon and was in awe of the wines from Claude Papin (Château Pierre-Bise).

I would certainly go back to La Ferme, although it is sad that the number of restaurants offering that old style cuisine famiale is probably inevitably declining. La Ferme has gone as has La Bonne Ambiance in Saint Georges sur Cher. The wonderful Cheu l'Zib in Menetou-Salon continues and we must cherish it while it does.