Touraine East and West – report on tasting

2009 Les Pichiaux, Touraine Sauvignon, Noëlla Morantin 

Monday’s tasting and dinner presented a ‘natural wine’ challenge in the shape of Noëlla Morantin’s 2009 Touraine Sauvignon ‘Les Pichaux’ (£12.95)

Overall the theme was Touraine East and West, although the balance of wines was rather more east (6) to west (3).

2010 Le Clos, Touraine Sauvignon, Domaine du Clos Roussely

The aperitif was Vincent Roussley’s 2010 ‘le Clos’ Sauvignon Blanc (£8.75). This is a modern Touraine Sauvignon with attractive grapefruit and other citric flavours, some palate weight and the quite marked acidity in the finish, which is characteristic of the 2010 vintage. Vincent’s wines continue to be consistently good and offer very fair value.  

Noëlla’s 2009 Sauvignon caused the assembled tasters to lose their bearings with little or none of the stereotypical characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc. Instead ‘Les Pichaux’ has some oxidative and leesy characters from its long fermentation and maturation.  For me Noëlla’s wines fall well within the acceptable side of my continuum of drinkability. However, the vast majority present weren’t convinced.

I kept some of Les Pichaux for a good hour and it certainly changed in the glass with the oxidative character lessening. Instead developing an aroma of bread pudding. I fancy that this may well need to be decanted. Clearly some experimentation is required.

2010 3 Coteaux Chinon Blanc, Baudry-Dutour

Then we moved onto a trio of Chenins. The 2010 screcwapped 3 Coteaux Chinon Blanc (£11.95) from Baudry-Dutour is light and lemony with an austere finish – probably good with shellfish. 

2010 Les Dix Arpents, Domaine de la Taille aux Loups

Jacky and Joëlle Blot’s long and minerally 2010 Les Dix Arpents Montlouis, Domaine de la Taille aux Loups was many people’s favourite white. Although this is the Blots entry level Montlouis it still underlined the quality of the wines they are making.  

2009 Vouvray Champalou

The 2009 Vouvray Sec from Domaine Champalou (£11.95) was the richest of the whites tasted showing the fuller character of the 2009 vintage and also doubtless having a little more residual sugar than the other whites. It attracted some followers, although Le Dix Arpents was judged to be the complex wine. 

 

2009 Racines, Bourgueil, Frédéric Mabileau

Frédéric Mabileau’s 2009 Racines Bourgueil (£13.75) comes from a one hectare plot on clay and gravel at Chouzé-sur-Loire, a commune by the Loire and to the south of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Frédéric’s grandfather planted the vines here over 45 years ago. It has attractive spicy, youthful fruit with some opulence. Best drunk I think over the next three or four years rather than for long aging, where Frédéric’s L’Eclipse Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil from the limestone coteaux is a much better bet if looking for a wine to lay down. 

2008 KO, Thierry Puzelat

Thierry Puzelat’s 2008 KO Vin de table Français (£13.75) proved to be popular with its sous bois and farmyard character. I suspect that a number of Australian winemakers, looking for squeaky clean wines would dismiss this as technically faulty. However, it think it works and is drinking well now. The wines sold under the Thierry Puzelat name are négociant wines made from grapes bought from producers who have a similar approach to organic viticulture as Thierry. The Domaine du Tué-Bouef is the family estate in Les Montils, where Thierry and his elder brother, Jean-Marie, work together.  

1997 Cuvée Prestige, Domaine du Bourg, Jean-Paul Mabileau

The 1997 Cuvée Prestige, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil from Domaine du Bourg, Jean-Paul Mabileau, Frédéric’s father had aged well with its sweet evolved fruit – an elegant, complex and delicate wine. Often when tasting Jean-Paul’s wines when they were young, particularly when tasted alongside Frédéric’s they seemed rather thin and weak. But they had a deceptive power with the ability to take on more weight with a few years in bottle and to age well. This 1997 is showing well now and, although I don’t think it will get better, it will still last a few more years.

2008 Anthologie du Clos, Vincent Roussely

We finished with the 2008 Anthologie du Clos from Vincent Roussely (£9.95), which is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Côt. Like several 2008s it is quite edgy at the moment needing more time for the acidity and tannins to soften down. It also needs food and showed well with the tasty game casserole served as main course.     

  

   

Stéphane Cossais dies at 42

Stéphane Cossais in August 2008

Very sad news – we learnt last evening that Stéphane Cossais, the excellent Montlouis producer, died of a heart attack on Saturday. He was only 42. We had only just started listing his wines this year and were very impressed by their quality. With only a small production Stéphane concentrated on making dry whites of brilliant purity and precision.



Further details on Jim's Loire here.

News from the Loire: threat of mildew and difficult flowering

Cabernet Franc flowering in Chinon: 2nd June 2009
Vines flower discreetly unlike cherries etc. Note little white stamens.

Unfortunately after a generally good month of May, apart from Menetou-Salon which got hit by hail twice, the weather has rather gone downhill since the end of the first week of June. Last Monday (8th June) it rained very heavily for much of the day – 70-80 mm falling. One small road we drove along near Montlouis had two torrents pouring down either side of the road.

The weather remained unsettled on Tuesday and Wednesday but cleared up on Thursday. By Sunday it had become very humid and today it is showery and still humid. Unfortunately this unsettled weather has come at a bad moment – the vines are flowering and this is always a critical moment in the vigerons calendar. Hot, sunny weather during the flowering means that the whole process happens quickly over just a few days and there is a good fruit set. Cold, wet, windy weather means that the flowering is drawn out and the fruit set can be poor. Because the flowering is extended it also means that there will be a considerably variation of maturity making harvesting more complicated.

When I was in Chinon on 2nd June some of the Cabernet Franc was just starting to flower. At the same time Gamay and Chardonnay was flowering in eastern Touraine. Yesterday some of the Chenin Blanc in Montlouis was starting to flower.

Furthermore this wet and then humid weather has provoked attacks of mildew with the vignerons busy out spraying to protect their vines. However, there are reports that some vineyards have suffered severe attacks of mildew, although I have yet to see them.

Chenin flowering in Montlouis: Sunday 14th June

The forecast for the rest of the week is better, so hopefully the flowering will be nearly over by the end of the week and conditions will be less favorable for mildew. Fortunately the 2009 harvest is potentially big, so that if the flowering isn't completely successful it won't matter too much. Indeed it could be a blessing saving producers from cutting off excess bunches.

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Report on the June 8th tasting hopefully coming shortly .................

Montlouis: new name on the list and other recent additions

Stéphane Cossais
(Click on name above for more details from Jim’s Loire)

Not José Mourinho but Stéphane Cossais

We think Montlouis is currently one of the Loire’s most exciting appellations. Much of the excitement comes from a series of outsiders who have set up here. We are delighted to have the stunning 2005 Le Volagre from Stephane Cossais (wonderful purity – almost Burgundian in flavour, balance and weight) on the restaurant wine list for £35.95. Nigel will be ordering shortly some Montlouis from Stéphane’s mate Frantz Saumon.

Didier Dagueneau: September 2007

Other new arrivals include 2004 Buisson Renard Pouilly Fumé (£45.99) from the late Didier Dagueneau and from François Cotat in Sancerre 2004 Les Mont Damnés and 2004 Le Cul de Beaujeu both at £35.95.