Monday 30th January: Bourgueil and Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil: wines for the tasting

2011 harvest@La Butte (Jacky Blot) grapes arriving at the sorting table 

Wines to be tasted on Monday evening:

Aperitif:

Crémant de Loire, Domaine de Nerleux

Then to taste:

2010 Chenin des Rouilleres, Frédéric Mabileau, Anjou

2010  'Les Rouilleres', St Nicolas de Bourgueil, Frédéric Mabileau

2008  'La Coudraye', Bourgueil, Yannick Amirault

Starter [to be advised] with:

2009 'La Mine, St Nicolas de Bourgueil , Yannick Amirault

2010 'La Pied de la Butte', Bourgueil, Jacky Blot

Then to taste:

2009 Eclipse, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Frédéric Mabileau

1989  'Les Perrieres', Bourgueil,  Pierre Breton

Main Course with:

2008 'Le Grand Clos', Bourgueil, Yannick Amirault

 

October 2011: Frédéric Mabileau in his winery with a very young 2011 wine 

20 years of Chinon: 8th March 2011

1990 Clos de l'Echo

 

Last night we held a dinner and tasting of Chinons stretching from 2009 back to 1990. 

Aperitif

2009 Sauvignon Blanc Domaine de Bablut, Vin de Pays 

Tighter, more mineral and refreshing but less opulent and exotic than it was last year.  

2009 Domaine de la Perrière, Baudry-Dutour
This is Baudry-Dutour's easy drinking cuvée from gravel vineyards close to the Vienne. Attractive red fruits with refreshing acidity.   

 

2009 Chinon Beaumont, Catherine and Pierre Breton

From vineyards on the undulating clay and limestone slopes around Beaumont-en-Vèron. This had considerably more weight than the Perrière – partly due to the different terroir but also from doubtless lower yields. With black fruits and spice, soft tannin, the Beaumont is drinking well now but can be kept for a good five years. I have been critical of some of the Breton wines but this 2009 was showing well.   

These two wines were served with a balontine of foie gras & confit of duck with fruit chutney.

Then onto two vintages of Baudry-Dutour's Vieilles Vignes
2006 Vieilles Vignes Domaine de la Perrière, Baudry-Dutour

2002 Vieilles Vignes Domaine de la Perrière, Christophe and Jean Baudry

These, which come from gravel vineyards, showed the importance of vintage in the Loire. The 2006 being fuller and richer with plum and liquorice flavours reflecting the good summer of 2006, which was potentially a very good vintage until the rain and the onset of rot at vintage time meant that the grapes had to be hurriedly gathered in. However, there are some very good 2006s, if not quite at the level of 2005. 

2002 was one of those Loire years when September and October saved the vintage after a poor summer. Sunshine and an easterly wind allowed the grapes to ripe and the drying conditions concentrated the grape juice. Less concentrated than 2006 and more in the red fruit spectrum with more present acidity. Like many 2002s it has lovely balance.

Both cuvées are aged in barrique. The 2002 was made before the creation of Baudry-Dutour in 2003.

1999 Coteau de Noire

Next up two wines from Philippe and Claude Alliet. Philippe is a cousin of Christophe Baudry and he set up his domaine in 1985 and is widely acknowledged as one of the top Chinon producers.

1995 Vieilles Vignes

1999 Coteau de Noire, Philippe Alliet

1995 Vieilles Vignes, Philippe Alliet 

The Alliets acquired the Coteau de Noire in the early 1990s. On the steep limestone coteau a little to the east of the town of Chinon, the 1999 comes from vines of less than 10 years old and is all the more impressive for this. Elegant concentration, structure and length, this is another example of how well the rather unregarded 1999 vintage is now showing. 

Without food the 1995 Vieilles Vignes (from vines on gravel) shows some of the angularity that has been typical of this vintage with present tannins and acidity. With food the sweet, evolved fruit comes through.  

1990 Clos de L'Echo, Couly-Dutheil (in magnum)

When this was first opened we were rather concerned that this might be past it, initially light and quite bricky in colour this developed in glass with attractive and charming sweet fruit with a touch of rather grainy tannins. Given that the storage conditions for these two magnums of Clos de l'Echo had not been the best, they were showing pretty well. Doubtless any examples of the 1990 stored at Couly-Dutheil's cellars in Chinon would be more youthful. 

Served with braised veal, mashed potatoes, carrots, spinach, red wine jus.

B-D's Chinon Blanc is closed with a screwcap

2009 Chinon Blanc Baudry-Dutour

We created some controversey at the end of the evening by deciding to serve this with the cheese – a Brie de Meaux. Tasted blind few people I fancy would pick this out as Chenin Blanc – many would opt for Sauvignon Blanc with its zippy, grassy, citric fruit although in the finish it does have that characteristic touch of bitterness typical of many Chenins.


Along with a number of the assembled company I thought it went well with the cheese bringing out the wine's fruit, while others thought that it didn't work at all and were rather aghast at the idea of serving white wine with cheese.

'Real' wine: 8th June 2009

Philippe in full flight

Philippe Lubac of Les Caves de Pyrene leding a very successful tasting. All the wines showed well including some that we had thought would be challenging, Sebastien Riffault's Sancerre in particular. Highligthts included Catherine Breton's sparkling Vouvray as an aperitif and the Saumur Blanc from Antoine Foucault.

Antoine Foucault

The Grolleau (Non Vintage 'Le Cousin' Grolleau Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Cousin-Leduc, Olivier Cousin) was really showy - lots of concentration and really interesting. Akmenine Sancerre showed completely differently and didn't have the ozxidised style when we tasted it at Caves de Pyrene tasting in late April.

Philippe and some of the members of the wine club

Monday 8th June - ‘ Real Wine’ - Philippe Lubac £45.00

Philippe Lubac

We now have a list of the wines for Philippe's 'Real wine' tasting and dinner. All of the wines will either be from biodynamic or organic producers. Philippe is the the sales manager/wine buyer from Les Caves de Pyrene, one of the UK's most adventurous and exciting wine importers.

Aperitif:
Sparkling Vouvray Brut, Pierre and Catherine Breton

The Bretons are best known for their Bourgueils and Chinons but are now making Vouvray from grapes grown for them under contract.

Pierre Breton

Whites:

Pierre Luneau: September 2008

2007 Muscadet-de-Sèvre-et-Maine, Clos des Allées, Pierre Luneau
Pierre is widely admired as one of Muscadet's top producers.

Pierre can't believe that there is so little 2008 Muscadet – very badly hit by an early April frost

2007 Vouvray, Catherine and Pierre Breton
Jim was very impressed with this at the recent Les Caves de P tasting

Antoine Foucault

2006 Saumur Blanc, Domaine du Collier, Antoine Foucault

Antoine is the son of Charly – one of the famous Foucault brothers – and is making some stunning whites.

Sebastien Riffault

2007 'Akmenine', Sancerre, Domaine Sebastien Riffault
Sebastien Riffault is a young producer with a growing reputation in Sury-en-Vaux. His Sancerres could, however, be described as 'challenging'.

Reds:

N.V Gamay d'Auvergne N.V. Jean Maupertuis

Almost certainly the first time a wine from the Auvergne has featured in an RSJ tasting. Jean Maupertuis is at Saint-Georges-sur-Allier, just south east of Clemont-Ferrand.

N.V. 'Le Cousin' Grolleau Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Cousin-Leduc, Olivier Cousin
Olivier Cousin's domaine is in Martigné-Briand, Anjou.

Thierry Puzelat

2007 Touraine KO 'In Cot we Trust' Thierry Puzelat
Thierry is a dynamic producer in Les Montils, close to Blois making Touraine, Cheverny as well as vins de pays and vins de table.

Thierry Germain in his vines: early October 2008

2008 Saumur Champigny Domaine de Roches Neuves, Thierry Germain
Thierry Germain's 'entry level' cuvée.

The order of tasting is still under discussion and the dinner menu will also be posted shortly.

There are still a few places available. To book your place, please contact Tom King or Nigel Wilkinson on 020-7928 4554 or tom.king@rsj.uk.com