Some dates for your diary: Roannaise, Touraine and Chinon

Friday 11th April Restaurant Jacques Coeur@Renaison: paintings of Chris Clavier and the launch of Vincent Giraudon's sparkling wine from 18h.

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Portes Ouvertes Château de Petit Thouars

Samedi 19 Avril à partir de 14H

Dimanche 20 Avril et Lundi 21 Avril 2013 de 10h à 19H

37500 Saint Germain sur Vienne, La Chausée 

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Chinon and the Vienne

26 avril 2014 : les vignerons de Chinon sont dans la ville!
Réservez dès à présent votre samedi 26 avril 2014 pour venir découvrir ou redécouvrir les charmes de la ville d'ART et d'HISTOIRE de Chinon et les saveurs de l'AOC Chinon!!! Cette année le programme d'animation met la famille à l'honneur!

Retrouver nous pour une dégustation en plein coeur de Chinon de 10 h à 18 h 30 pour la 7ème année consécutive.
 

Et en soirée, retrouvez-nous au Restaurant At'able - rue Rabelais à Chinon pour un repas commenté. Réservation au 02 47 98 40 88

Côte Roannaise: second day

 The slope of Montplaisir

Again a quick report as my day finished late – getting back around 11.30 pm after seven visits and I'm off again this morning with a remaining half day in the Roannaise and then down to the Côtes de Forez for the afternoon.

 Jean-François Pras

 Eric Villeneuve: Domaine du Pavilon

A half bottle@the Domaine du Pavilion

 Ambierle

Sheep in the vineyards of Château 'Mouton-Palais'!

 Stéphane Sérol in Les Blondins (above and below)

Les Blondins

The Côte Roannaise is also the southern limit 

for the Charolais appellation 

 A 'fast vat'@Domaine Sérol

 The Oudan Vineyard (above and below)

 Domaine de la Paroisse: very old vines planted in 1878

 Jean-Claude Chaucesse: Domaine de la Paroisse

in his old vines (1878)

Eric Désormière

Vines: Domaine Désormière 

 Jean-Marie and Philippe Vial pruning (above and below)

 

 Boutheran

Vincent Giraudon's vines in Villemontais

 Vincent Giraudon

More detailed reports to follow.

Côte Roannaise: first evening (17.3.14)

Vincent Giraudon: éponyme 2012 Aligoté, VDP d'Urfe

Spent an interesting and agreeable first evening in the Côte Roannaise with Yann Palais (Domaine des Palais) and Joël Lapalue (Le Clos de Jean) having a simple dinner at the Restaurant Le Central in Renaison. Yann and Joël are both organic producers with Joël being the first to go organic in the appellation starting in 1996. Yann started in 2009. There are now around 10 organic producers out of a total of 30 in the Côte Roannaise. Yann is up in the north of the appellation, while Joël is down in the south some 30 kilometres away – the two extremes of the AC.

Yann keeps sheep in his vineyards for six months from the end of the vintage to the end of March, so threatening to completely eclipse the chicken vineyard of Ingrandes de Touraine!

We started with a bottle of 2012 Aligoté éponyme VDP d'Urfe from Vincent Giraudon, the youngest producer in the Côte. He is the only producer so far using Aligoté. This was attractive with perhaps a little more weight than you find with some Aligotés. It was a good apéro and worked with the salad of foie de volailles. 

AC Côte Roannaise is limited to reds and rosés made from Gamay but there are an increasing number of IGP (L’indication géographique protégée) whites from a number of varieties including Chardonnay, Viognier, Roussane, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. 

For the main course – steak – we took the spicy and very drinkable 2012 éponyme Côte Roannaise also from Vincent Giraudon.

For the next three nights I'm staying at the chambres d'hôtes of the Domaine du Fontenay in Villemontais.

Today starts with a tasting and then I will be visiting the producers whose wines I pick out.