As Didier retires Damien Richou creates Terra Vita Vinum

Terra Vita Vinum @Millésime Bio 2020 

L-R: Luc Briand, Bénédicte Petit, Damien Richou

Three of the four partners 

When Didier Richou (Domaine Richou, Mozé-sur-Louet, Anjou) took relatively earlier retirement at the age of 62 his younger brother Damien decided that he need to bring in some new associates to help him run the domaine. This has been successfully done and now he has three new partners – Luc Briand, who was born in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay and is a director of Plus Value Conseil based in Nantes which advises on the running of wine domaines, Bénédicte Petit, a caviste (wine merchant), and Christophe Aubineau, who is a company auditor based in Nantes but who has a background in apple growing. The new project is called Terra Vita Vinum.

The new 'équipe' has already jazzed up the labels and launched a new cuvée – Rock & Schist. In this year they will qualify for the biodynamic Demeter status – completing their conversion to biodynamics.

I tasted with the new equipé (team) on the last morning of Bio Millésime 2020. Anjou Blanc Chauvigné, the entry level dry white Anjou, is now labelled Large Soif Blanc starting with the ripe and richly textured Large Soif Blanc 2019. Next 2018 Terre de 3, a new wine for me from three different parcels and first made in 2017. The 2018 is attractively vibrant, with good balance between the fruit and acidity with salinity in the finish. Next up the complex Les Rogeries (Anjou Blanc) and the vibrant and long 2018 Savennières – 30% vinified in barriques and 70% in stainless steel. I also had an early taste of the 2019 rock & schiste white from 38 year-old Chardonnay vines that is vinified and aged partly in Burgundy barrels and part in amphores.

For the reds I enjoyed the easy drinking, juicy 2018 Large Soif, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Gamay. Then to finish off there was the unfinished 2019 rock & schist rouge – bien élève, which is a blend of the two Cabernets – aged for one years in barrels and Italian amphores.

Clearly this is another interesting new development in Anjou. 

Mathieu Fleuriet and Paul Aublet-Cuvelier's joint project in the Côtes d'Auvergne

Mathieu Fleuriet and Paul Aublet-Cuvelier

Mathieu Fleuriet of Domaine Bernard Fleuriet, a very good Sancerre producer based in Menetou-Ratel, has a joint project with Paul Aublet-Cuvelier, another Sancerre vigneron, in the Côtes d'Auvergne. They intend to plant 13 hectares of vines on abandoned terraces in the southern part of Auvergne in the Allier Valley at Belmont, a lieu-dit, in the commune of Saint-Privat-du-Dragon, which is about 10-12 kilometres to the south of Brioude which entertained Le Tour de France in 2019. 

Paul is the instigator of this project as his grandparents had bought a house in nearby Chilhac many years ago. He still loves the area and is convinced of its potential – always dreaming of finding an abandoned site and replanting vines there.    

In November 2019 Mathieu and Paul cleared scrub and bushes etc. from the terraces, which are at 700 metres and face either due south or south east, that have been abandoned for more than 50 years. In March they will plant the first parcel of vines – four hectares in total using five different grape varieties: Syrah (1.6 ha) along with 0.6 ha each of Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chenin Blanc and Roussanne.  

This is an exciting project in an area where there was a considerable area of vines in the 19th century before the arrival of phylloxera and two World Wars. I look forward to following its progress. 

Report in the local paper on their project
 

Commune of Boudes in the Côte d'Auvergne 

with the steep fields some of them abandoned 

(Boudes is some way north of Belmont 

these are for illustrative purposes)

Commune of Saint-Privat-le-Dragon

Enclave within red line on map

Belmont - lieu-dit in south-western part of

 the commune of Saint-Privat-le-Dragon close to the Allier

 

Exciting new developments in the Upper loire

Two new projects in the Upper Loire:

Loire Volcanique

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Mathieu Fleuriet's joint project in the Côtes d'Auvergne

Mathieu Fleuriet and Paul Aublet-Cuvelier

Mathieu Fleuriet of Domaine Bernard Fleuriet, a very good Sancerre producer based in Menetou-Ratel, has a joint project with Paul Aublet-Cuvelier, another Sancerre vigneron, in the Côtes d'Auvergne. They intend to plant 13 hectares of vines on abandoned terraces in the southern part of Auvergne in the Allier Valley. 

(Full details will appear in a separate post.)  

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Boudes in the Côtes d'Auvergne

Côte Roannaise

I have been convinced for a number of years that there are exciting producers and wines in the Upper Loire, so I am delighted to see the creation of Loire Volcanique to give more power to promote their wines.

Naissance d'un Collectif

Loire Volcanique

36  VIGNERONS 4  A.O.C. 1  Collectif Soudés autour de valeurs communes, 36 vigneronnes et vignerons oeuvrant sur les terroirs  de SAINT-POURÇAIN, CÔTE ROANNAISE, CÔTES D'AUVERGNE et CÔTES du FOREZ  ont décidé de s’unir pour porter plus haut et plus loin leurs voix. Le 14 novembre 2019, Loire Volcanique est née. (Association Loi 1901) Soudés autour de valeurs communes, 36 vigneronnes et vignerons oeuvrant sur les terroirs  de SAINT-POURÇAIN, CÔTE ROANNAISE, CÔTES D'AUVERGNE et CÔTES du FOREZ  ont décidé de s’unir pour porter plus haut et plus loin leurs voix. Le 14 novembre 2019, Loire Volcanique est née. (Association Loi 1901) ICI COMMENCE LA LOIRE Le premier vignoble ligérien ? C’est chez eux que ce fleuve si intimement lié à la vigne prend sa source.  C’est chez eux que ce fleuve si intimement lié à la vigne prend sa source. Leur histoire épouse les méandres de la Loire, leurs vins aussi.  C’est elle qu’ils veulent mettre en avant, en parlant davantage de leurs terroirs, et de ce lien si fort qu'ils entretiennent avec le fleuve des rois. SUR LES CONTREFORTS DU MASSIF CENTRAL De la fraîcheur SVP  À l’heure du réchauffement climatique, ces vignes situées sur les contreforts Est du Massif Central sont un atout de taille. Des nuits fraîches, des expositions exceptionnelles, une biodiversité préservée… Bordés de bois et de forêts, à quelques encablures de Lyon et au Sud de Sancerre, ces vignobles aux sols volcaniques (granites + basalte) n'ont jamais connu d'agriculture extensive ou de monoculture, et ont en commun d'être en altitude, bénéficiant ainsi d’un véritable climat continental. UNE HISTOIRE UNIQUE DES VIGNERONS DYNAMIQUES Vin des papes et des rois, région viticole parmi les premières productrices de France il y a un siècle, ce coin de France a subit de plein fouet l’industrialisation et le développement du chemin de fer et des voies rapides. Tombée dans l'oubli pendant des décennies, absente de certaines cartes viticoles (!), la région renaît peu à peu de ses cendres... Aujourd'hui, forts de leur histoire, fiers de leurs cépages autochtones (Gamay St-Romain, Gamay d'Auvergne, Tressalier) et conscients de cette identité originale qui forge leurs vins, ces 36 vigneronnes et vignerons ont à coeur de défendre ces terroirs et d'en montrer le haut potentiel. QUI SONT-ILS ? Producers:    AUVERGNE / Yvan Bernard, Domaine Charmensat, Benoît Montel, Gilles Persilier, Domaine Catherine & Roland Royet, Domaine Sauvat, Domaine des Trouillères FOREZ / Agamy - Cave des vignerons Foreziens, Le Clos de Chozieux, Domaine de Fontvial, Stéphanie Guillot, Les Vins de la Madone, Domaine du Poyet, Cave Verdier Logel, Vin et Pic ROANNAIS / Domaine des Ardaillons, Alain Baillon, Domaine de la Bénisson Dieu, Le Vignoble des Blondins, Thierry Bonneton, Maison JB Clair, Le Clos St Jean, Domaine Désormière, Vincent Giraudon, Domaine des Palais, Domaine de la Paroisse, Domaine des Pothiers, Le Retour aux Sources, Domaine de la Rochette, Domaine Sérol, Domaine Vial St POURÇAIN / Domaine des Bérioles, Domaine Gardien, Domaine Grosbot Barbara, Domaine de la Sourde, Les Terres d'Ocre   Côtes de Forez vines above Boën-sur-Lignon Saint-Pourçain: vines and landscape •••