Yannick Amirault and Jean-Pierre Chevallier 13th April

These are the wines that will be at the tasting and dinner on Tuesday 13th April:

Pre-dinner tasting 

Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve)

2005 Les Cormiers, Saumur Blanc
2008 Saumur Champigny 
2005 Le Grand Clos, Saumur-Champigny   
1999 Le Grand Clos, Saumur-Champigny   

Yannick Amirault (to be confirmed)

2007 Grand Clos, Bourgueil

2007 Coudraye, Bourgueil

2006 Malgagnes, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

2006 La Mine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil 

Dinner                                                                                    
2008 Saumur Blanc
2007 Saumur Champigny                                                    
2006 Vieilles Vignes Saumur Champigny                                

2007 La Mine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil  

2006 Les Quartiers, Bourgueil  

Dinner menu
Pan roasted scallops with wild mushroom risotto

Roast rib-eye of beef, spring vegetables, Jersey royals, red wine jus

Pudding - George to decide on Monday!
 

Jean-Pierre and Yannick are two of the Loire's best producers. This promises to be a great evening.  I saw Jean-Pierre yesterday and he is certainly looking forward to the tasting and dinner. There are still a few places available, please contact Tom King or Nigel Wilkinson on 020-7928 4554.  

News flash: Yannick Amirault and Jean-Pierre Chevallier @ RSJ Tuesday 13th April

  

Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve)

We are delighted that two of our favourite Loire producers – Yannick Amirault (Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil) and Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Saumur-Champigny and Saumur) – will be presenting their wines at the RSJ on Tuesday 13th April. Both Yannick and Jean-Pierre are meticulous producers and this is shown by the consistent quality of their wines year in year out.

 

Yannick Amirault drawing a barrel sample from his cave in the Bourgueil hillside

We have yet to decide upon all the details of the format of the evening but we may well opt for a walk around tasting followed by dinner with a few wines selected by Yannick and Jean-Pierre to go with the meal. Cost of the event is £45.

To reserve you place please contact Tom King on 020-7928 4554 or tom.king@rsj.uk.com

Harvest reports: Château de Villeneuve, Domaine Ogereau and Domaine de Bablut

9th October 2009

The church at Souzay-Champigny and Château de Villeneuve

Florence Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve, Saumur-Champigny

"We are well advanced now and I expect that we will finish on Tuesday. We started on Wednesday 30th September with the white – the Chenin was magnificent – and the Cabernet Franc on Friday 1st October. The Ban des Vendanges was for Monday 5th October but as our degrees were already high we were able to start early. Both the Cabernet and Chenin are between 13%-13.5%.

As the weather forecast was uncertain at the beginning of this week we decided there was no point in waiting, so we harvested quickly with a big group of 35 pickers. Normally we do two tris (selective pickings) with the Chenin but the grapes were so good that we picked everything in one go. Had we done a tri then the degrees in the second picking would have gone too high."

•

Vincent Ogereau, Domaine Ogereau, Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay

Vincent and Catherine Ogereau

I was delighted to learn that Vincent has now made a full recovery from his operation in May.

Vincent: "Our Chenin is really good – golden yellow. Last week we did a tri for the Layon and the grapes came in a 20% potential. The juice has very pure fruit flavours. This week I have been worried by the tropical conditions we have had – warm and humid – bringing the danger of rot developing in the Cabernet Franc. We picked for the Anjou Rouge yesterday – 12.8% potential and 4.4g acidity. it should be quite soft. Then we'll start the Cabernet Franc for the Anjou Villages on Monday. I'm out every midday in the vines tasting the grapes and the ripeness is now starting to change very quickly with the acidity dropping. We need to get on picking now – it is too risky to wait.

We've picked some Cabernet Sauvignon to make rosé, which should be superb, but I'm not sure whether the Cabernet Sauvignon will get ripe enough, so that we can make red with it. At the moment the tannins are not ripe. The very dry weather we have had since the beginning of June has slowed down the ripeness. We have a small yield for the Cabernet this year."

•

Christophe Daviau

Christophe Daviau, Domaine de Bablut, Brissac-Quincé
"I think my Cabernet Sauvignon may well be riper than my Cabernet Franc. We've picked for the Anjou Rouge, which will have short time macerating on the skins so that it is soft and easy to drink. The Cabernet Franc on the limestone (AV Petra Alba) could potentially be very good, so I'm going to leave that for a while. For the Chenin we've finished the sec for Petit Prince and Ordovicien. The juice is 'super-beau' and very aromatic. We've also done a tri for the Coteaux de l'Aubance, which was at 19%-20% potential.

I'm a little bit disappointed by the yield but that's due to the dry weather, although the small amount of rain we've had in September and October has plumped the grapes up a bit. "

Report on Saumur tasting: 19th January 2009

The Château de Saumur from the centre of the town

The RSJ’s 2009 events programme started last night with a successful tasting and dinner partnered with nine wines from Saumur.

Régis Neau, Domaine de Nerleux Crémant de Loire

Guests were welcomed with a glass of Régis Neau’s Domaine de Nerleux Crémant de Loire (£9.75 a bottle retail). This creamy and lemony sparkler is an RSJ favourite: we get through about 150 cases a year both in the restaurant and in private sales. Made from 70% Chenin Blanc and 30% Chardonnay, the Crémant de Loire appellation was introduced in 1975 and modelled on the same strict conditions that govern Champagne. Indeed in some respects the conditions for Crémant are stricter, especially in terms of amount of grapes that can be produced.

We then tasted three Saumur Blancs – all made from 100% Chenin Blanc:

2007 Régis Neau, Domaine de Nerleux £7.50
2007 Insolite Thierry Germain, Domaine des Roches Neuves £12.95
2005 Antoine Foucault Domaine du Collier £15.95

Partnered with panfried scallops, cod branade and beurre blanc.

The two 2007s were typical of the vintage with very clean, precise flavours and quite austere; something that makes them attractive to lovers of Loire wines but which others may find too lean. The lemony Régis Neau is probably best as an aperitif. Insolite showed the mineral character that Thierry Germain is now wants, which is a very different style from the much richer style of Insolite that he was making during the 1990s and in the early part of this decade.

2007 Insolite, Thierry Germain, Domaine des Roches Neuves

As the son of Charly and Françoise Foucault, Antoine comes from a famous family. The wines (Saumur and Saumur-Champigny) of Charly and his brother, Nadi, are now much sought after on both sides of the Atlantic. Antoine set up on his own in 1999 with 5.5 hectares of vines on the hill of Bréze, which includes a plot called La Charpentie where the vines are around 100 years old. His wine-making cellar is in a large limestone cave under his parents’ home in Chacé.

Antoine’s 2005 divided opinion – for some it was the best white, others were not impressed citing an earthy flavour. This and Insolite were both a bit cold when they were served and showed better as they warmed up a little. Among the doubters some felt that it showed better with the first course rather than on its own. It is also a white that could benefit from being given time in a decanter or carafe. Equally you should be able to keep this for at least five years and probably longer.

2005 Antoine Foucault's Domaine du Collier

Next we tasted two Saumur-Champignys as an interlude between the first and main course:

2006 Jean-Pierre Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve £9.95
2005 Philippe Vatan, Château de Hureau £10.95

Both wines were true to their respective vintages. With Jean-Pierre’s 2006 showing some of that refreshing edginess that is often typical of Loire reds. Although 2006 is a good vintage, its potential was undermined by wet weather at the end of the harvest that forced producers to pick in great haste to beat widespread outbreaks of rot. It is Jean-Pierre’s policy to only make his top reds in vintages when he is fully satisfied that the quality is good enough. In difficult or average vintages, such as 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2007 he doesn’t make the Vieilles Vignes or Grand Clos and instead everything goes into the ‘domaine’ wine, making them both remarkably good wines for the vintage and great value.

2005 Château de Hureau

2005 was a very good vintage and the Vatan domaine wine is wonderfully seductive with plenty of black fruits and is drinking very well now.

They were followed by three Saumur-Champignys served with the main course:

2005 Clos des Châtains Régis Neau, Domaine de Nerleux £11.95
2005 Vieilles Vignes Jean-Pierre Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve £12.50
2002 Marginale, Thierry Germain, Domaine des Roches Neuves £17.95

Roast guinea fowl breast and confit leg with braised shallots, grapes, new potatoes.

All three showed well with Thierry Germain’s 2002 Marginale the current star showing what a lovely vintage 2002 – not a heavyweight but beautifully and seamlessly balanced. Unfortunately the one of the bottles had a cork problem that became more evident as the wine warmed up and opened up.

2005 Vieilles Vignes Château de Villeneuve

Jean-Pierre Chevallier’s Vieilles Vignes is all delicious, silky fruit at the moment. With more bottle age it is likely to develop more complexity. Régis Neau’s Clos des Châtains comes from a parcel of old vines on the western side of the hillside of Saint-Cyr overlooking the Thouet Valley. Less silky and more edgy than the Villeneuve, this is always very consistent and good value.

2005 Les Châtains Régis Neau, Domaine de Nerleux

Dessert: Apricot tart, rum and raisin parfait, strawberry, kiwi and passion fruit salsa

Sunrise over the Loire@Saumur

Saumur tasting this evening

Antoine Foucault: one of Saumur's young stars

With two changes the wines to be tasted this evening are as listed on Saturday's posting. The three whites will be:

2007 Régis Neau, Domaine de Nerleux
2004 Antoine Foucault Domaine du Collier
2007 Insolite Thierry Germain, Domaine des Roches Neuves

Followed by five Saumur-Champignys:

2006 Jean-Pierre Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve
2005 Philippe Vatan, Château de Hureau
2005 Clos des Chatains Régis Neau, Domaine de Nerleux
2005 Vieilles Vignes Jean-Pierre Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve
2002 Marginale, Thierry Germain, Domaine des Roches Neuves

Partnered with:

Fresh scallops with a cod branade

Duo of roast guinea fowl with a confit guinea fowl leg

George's pudding surprise

Saumur tasting Monday: 4 places left

Four places left for the Saumur tasting and dinner on Monday (19th January) starting at 7.30. £45 per person.

Saumur consistently produces some of the best reds and whites of the Loire and we will be showcasing some of the best.

Although the list of wines has yet to be finalised, this is what we will be tasting with some minor tweaks still possible.

We will kick off with a welcoming glass of Régis Neau's Crémant de Loire, the RSJ's best selling sparkling wine.

Then we'll have three Saumur Blancs – three from these four:

2007 Régis Neau, Domaine de Nerleux
2004 Antoine Foucault Domaine du Collier
2007 Insolite Thierry Germain, Domaine des Roche Neuves
Les Cormiers, Jean-Pierre Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve

Followed by five Saumur-Champignys:

2006 Jean-Pierre Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve
2005 Philippe Vatan, Château de Hureau
2005 Clos des Châtains Régis Neau, Domaine de Nerleux
2005 Vieilles Vignes Jean-Pierre Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve
2002 Marginale, Thierry Germain, Domaine des Roche Neuves

Menu:

Fresh scallops with a cod branade

Duo of roast guinea fowl with a confit guinea fowl leg

George's pudding surprise


To book your place please contact Nigel or Tom on 020-7928 4554.

‘Cellar Raid’: tasting and dinner

(17th November 2008)

The opportunity to delve into the RSJ’s wine archives attracted a lively and knowledgeable crowd on Monday evening, who filled the upstairs dining area. Some 44 sat down to a tasting of ten wines and three courses.

The evening’s dominant topic – bottle variation – soon emerged with those on the eastern side of the restaurant faring best, while those closer to the setting suffered a few disappointing bottles, in particular the 2001 Les Rouillières Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil from Frédéric Mabileau and the 1989 Cuvée Reservé Bourgueil from Pierre-Jacques Druet. To rub salt into their wounds the east end enjoyed very good bottles of both the Druet and the Mabileau.

The cork is the most obvious variable between the bottles. However, the variations which tend to increase as the wine ages may well be compounded by storage conditions. I suspect, although I have no proof, that a tasting of three bottles of Pierre-Jacques Druet’s 1989 cuvée reservé in his troglodyte cave at Bougueil might well have shown less variation. Furthermore one of the 1989s was corked. If the milk or orange juice industries had a similar failure rate they would have long been out of business, although it is unusual to attempt to keep milk for nearly 20 years!

With the exception of the aperitif and the last three reds, the wines were served in pairs.

Tasting & Dinner: 17th November 2008

Aperitif:

1] 2006 Saumur Blanc, Domaine de Nerleux, Régis Neau £7.20
100% Chenin Blanc, this is long been one of the RSJ's best selling whites. Attractively citric and floral but with some weight from the 2006 vintage. 2007 likely to be more racy.

Then:
(Unfortunately none available to purchase.)



2] 1996 Savennières Roche-aux-Moines, Madame Laroche
The Roche-aux-Moines is a particularly well-sited 19 ha sub-appellation within Savennières with a number of owners. This estate, with just over eight hectares of Chenin, is now run by Monique and her daughter, Tessa. We have tasted these wines over a number of years and continue to find them erratic and only rarely do they match the potential of the vineyards.

The 1996 showed considerable oxidation along with considerable power and character. This is a wine that will be liked by those who are happy with a measure of oxidation and rejected by those who do not. Questionable how far the oxidation is a Savennières’ characteristic and how far down to winemaking.


3] 2002 Chinon Blanc Cuvée Confidentiel Christophe Baudry

Out of 2300 hectares of Chinon in production only 40 ha are planted with Chenin Blanc. Christophe Baudry used to make small amounts of this barrel fermented white as well as a straight cuvée fermented in stainless steel. Since joining Jean-Martin Dutour to form Baudry-Dutour, this cuvée is no longer made.

2002 is a very well balanced vintage and this shows in this wine with its attractive blend of crispness and weight along with good vibrant length. Of the two wines the majority preferred this.

Langoustine, Mullet & Sea bass tartlet with a ginger butter sauce
(served with wines 3 and 4)

1997 Cuvée Alain Chabert Alain Rohart Vouvray

4] 1997 Vouvray, Cuvée Alain Chabert Alain Rohart
Nigel and Jim went to see Alain Rohart in Vouvray some 8 to 10 years ago. He has 5 ha of vines in Vouvray and Rochecorbon – mainly Chenin but a little Gamay, Grolleau and Pinot Noir bottled as AC Touraine.

1997 was a very fine vintage with a good summer and a warm autumn giving rich wines. The cuvée Alain Chabert is Rohart’s entry level Vouvray sec. The 1997 showed very well, although it was just a touch rustic and lacked the precision of flavour found in those of Huet or Foreau. Some said that this was ‘classic Vouvray’, while one person found it smelled of the ‘barnyard’.

1997 Les Cormiers Saumur Blanc, Château de Villeneuve

5] 1997 Saumur Blanc, Les Cormiers Jean-Pierre Chevallier

Jean-Pierre undoubtedly ranks as one our top Loire producers both in reds and dry whites. His work both the cellar and, particularly, in the vineyard is meticulous.

Les Cormiers comes from old Chenin vines and is J-P’s top white, which is fermented and aged in 500 litre barrels for 11 months. The 1997 had attractive richness, some honey balanced with minerality. For Nigel and Jim this was the wine of the evening. However, the majority preferred the Vouvray.

The whites showed that decanting isn’t just for red wines – good whites will also benefit. Les Cormiers wasn’t decanted and was served too cold, so needed time to open out in the glass.

6] 2001 St Nicolas de Bourgueil ‘Les Rouillères’ Frédéric Mabileau
2001 was an average Loire vintage with a quite difficult and wet September with the weather improving around mid-October. Last night this was the first example of flagrant bottle variation. About half the room thought this was well over-the-hill and that it should have been drunk a couple of years ago, while one section were delighted with their bottle with Trevor waxing lyrically declaring it to be the best wine of the evening.

Frédéric is now one of the top producers in Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and we hope he will be over to do a tasting for us in the first half of 2009.

Michel Robineau: Anjou Villages 1995

7] 1995 Anjou Villages Michel Robineau

Nigel and Jim went to see Michel at his very small winery in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay a couple of times some eight or nine years ago. Then form memory Michel had just four or five hectares now that is up to ten.

1995 was the first good vintage after 1990 and ended a run of four difficult vintages that began with the frost of April 1991. The reds, however, have quite firm tannins particularly from Anjou and highish acidity. They have aged well with having the charm of the 1996s. This was typical of 1995 and really needs food.

Beef Wellington, buttered French beans & young carrots
red wine jus
(served with wines 8, 9 and 10.)



8] 1989 Bourgueil Cuvée Reservé Pierre-Jacques Druet
Although hailing from Chissay in Loir-et-Cher, oenologue Pierre-Jacques has established himself as one of the leading producers in western Touraine. As already mentioned earlier this was badly afflicted by bottle variation. The good one showing the perfume, richness and charm that makes 1989 such a geat vintage.

1996 Chinon Beaumont Pierre Breton

9] 1996 Chinon Beaumont Pierre Breton
Several Bourgueil producers also have vines in the Chinon appellation often in Beaumont probably as it is the closest to Bourgueil – Druet is another. Pierre’s Chinon had good weight, though with slightly drying tannins and it went well with the beef.


10] 2002 Saumur Champigny, Les Loups Noirs Domaine de Nerleux
Nerleux means black wolf in old French, so hence the name Loups Noir from a parcel of particularly well-exposed old vines overlooking the valley of the Thouet. Aged in barrel, this cuvee has the potential to age for at least 10-15 years. The Loup Noirs 2002, while not as rich as 2003 or 2005, showed well last night showing a touch of gaminess, some rich fruit, good balance and length. It was the preferred wine of the trio, although the outcome would have been decidedly interesting if there had been two good bottles of Druet.

Chocolate Cherry Torte with Kirsch

The waiting and kitchen staff were given a rousing round of applause at the end of the evening. We are hoping to soon publish our first events of 2009 on this blog and the website. (Now up – posted 18th November.)

Any comments from anyone at the tasting are most welcome.

Harvest news from Saumur

(3 October 2008)

Looking towards the church of Souzay-Champigny
and Château de Villeneuve (right)

Jean-Pierre Chevallier

Jean Pierre Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve
Caught up with Jean-Pierre in his Les Cormiers vineyard (Chenin Blanc), close to the famous Clos des Murs. He and his pickers were busy doing a selective picking – choosing those bunches affected by noble rot and therefore too rich and powerful in alcohol to go straight into Les Cormiers, his grand vin blanc. They started yesterday afternoon and Jean-Pierre was very surprised that the juice that came out of the press was 18.4% potential. “I can’t make dry wine with that!” he said. “I’ll ferment it separately and may be I’ll make some Coteaux de Saumur again this year – not what I had intended to do.” Château de Villeneuve has made Coteaux de Saumur only twice before – in 1921 and 2003. JP is well satisfied with the quality of the fruit both Chenin and Cabernet.

What they are picking: botrytis affected grapes

What's being left to pick next week:
perfect bunches for a great dry white

“I got a special derogation from the INAO to start picking my Cabernet today as one parcel was already at 13.7% on Monday and the rest is between 12.8%-13.2% but with an acidity of 6.7. I’ll start picking the Cabernet next week.”

Thierry Germain (Domaine des Roches Neuves)
We saw Thierry on Thursday afternoon. He was hoping to start on Friday (3rd) if the weather holds. His Chenin is between 12.5%-13% potential and between 6.5 and 7.5 acidity. “The acidity levels are dropping,” said Thierry. He intends to start on his Cabernet Franc next Wednesday. “They were at 12.2% potential last Friday with the acidity at 5.5.”

Cabernet Franc in one of Thierry's vineyards (2.10.2008)

“With the high acidity levels and their thick skins the 2008 reds will be complicated to vinify well,” he says. “It will be very important not to extract a lot of tannin. With the white I will do a less severe débourbage (juice settling) than usual.”

We went with Thierry on a quick drive to look at his vines. This took in a visit to his small parcel (15 ares – 0.15 ha) francs pieds vines (ungrafted vines) planted using the old system of échalas (cultivation around a pole). Thierry’s 15 ares are planted with Cabernet Franc to the equivalent density of 10,000 vines per hectare – the average density in the region is 5500 per hectare. He is very excited as he will get the first crop off them this year as they were planted in 2004/05. “I love their purity of flavour – their freshness,” says Thierry. “The flavour is totally different to grapes from grafted vines.” This fruit will be vinified separately in 400 litre open topped barrels. Thierry hopes to get a few vintages from them before the vines are destroyed by phylloxera. The soil is sandy clay over limestone, so with luck it may take a little while for the phylloxera to get at them. “I’ve long had a dream to cultivate vines using this old system (échalas) that you’ll find in parts of Burgundy.” It can also be found in the Mosel.

Thierry in his ungrafted vineyard of Cabernet Franc

Thierry also confirmed that there will be no Marginale 2007 as the vintage wasn't good enough. Instead it will be blended into the other cuvées. Jean-Pierre Chevallier has come to a similar decision for his 2007 reds – there will be no Grand Clos or Vieilles Vignes 2007. As in 2004 and 1998 all will go into the straight Saumur-Champigny, which will be bottled in early 2009. On previous experience this should mean that the Villeneuve 2007 will be extremely good for the year and remarable value.

Antoine Foucault: getting ready for the vintage
We dropped in on Antoine at Chacé who, assisted by his cousin, was busy making final preparations for the start of the harvest of his Chenin Blanc expected early next week depending on the acidity levels. When last checked his young Chenin vines were at 12.2% and the Centenaires at 13.5% with acidity levels around 7. Antoine said that the Foucault brothers, Antoine’s father Charly and Nadi, will probably start in the middle of next week – again dependent on what happens to the acidity.

Antoine with his 2006 Domaine du Collier Saumur Blanc

We quickly tasted the Domaine du Collier 2006 Saumur Blanc, which has just been bottled – absolutely delicious (see below) as well as the 2005 La Charpentrie Saumur Blanc from 100 year old vines. This is richer reflecting both the vintage and the age of the vines but still with fine minerality.



Antoine Foucault’s stock control problem
So delicious is Antoine’s 2006 Domaine Saumur Blanc that his father, Charly, can’t keep his hands off this recently bottled wine, which has some floral aromas, a hint of butter and toast but overall a wonderful mineral purity and great length of flavour. Although the disappearing stock may be hitting Antoine’s bottom line, it’s also a huge compliment as Charly and his brother, Nadi’s, wines are the benchmark for the region.

Antoine's dog gets ready for the vintage – snoozing in the little trailer that will take the debris that's left over after being through the press

We currently have both the 2004 Saumur Blanc Domaine du Collier and the 2004 Saumur Blanc La Charpentrie from Antoine Foucault on the restaurant list.

Régis Neau, Domaine de Nerleux

Our last visit on Friday (3rd) was to see Régis. From having been a glorious morning the sky was now covered and threatening rain. There’s good news for RSJ customers, who enjoy Régis’ ever-popular Crémant de Loire.

Régis in his vines destined for Coteaux de Saumur: early November 2007

“I’ve finished picking grapes for the Crémant,” said Régis “We started on the Chardonnay on 19th September, the Chenin on 22nd and the Cabernet on 23rd/24th. We finished on 29th/30th with another parcel of Chenin. We now have 7 hectares, which we use for sparkling wine. As everywhere the yields are down this year. Normally we have 70 hl/ha – this year it’s 57 hl/ha overall. The Cabernet at 50 hl/ha and the Chenin at 65 hl/ha. We are now waiting for the Chenin and cabernet for the still wines. For the Cabernet the acidity in the best parcels is now down below 6. At Monsoreau I have some Cabernet that is between 11.2 and 12.2 with acidities between 5.2 and 6.5. The Chenin is a 12% with 7.5 acidity. It’s been very dry – we need a little rain now but not too much!”

Will be reporting from Sancerre, Pouilly etc. early next week.