Pierre-Bise wins Decanter Sweet Wine Trophy

Château Pierre-Bise

We are delighted that Claude and Joëlle Papin's lovely 2007 Quarts de Chaume, Château Pierre-Bise has won the Sweet Loire over £10 Trophy at the 2009 Decanter World Wine Awards. This wine is a beautiful example of a 2007 sweet Loire at its best. It has rich apricot and citric fruit, great precision and purity so typical of 2007 and clean length. Delicious now it has an astonishing ageing potential.

Joëlle, Claude and their sons take extraordinary care in the vineyards. Claude is a real specialist on geology and terroir and is one of the region's great thinkers about many aspects of Loire wines.

Claude Papin

Although Nigel was a judge on the Loire panel and Jim is the regional chair for the Decanter World Wine Awards, all the wines are tasted blind and we have no idea what wines have been entered, so it was brilliant news when we got an advance copy of the Loire results on Monday.

The trophy is thoroughly deserved as the Papins make a lovely range of sweet wines from different parcels in the Layon, which are still very reasonably priced. The dry whites – Anjou Blanc and Saviennières – and the reds – remarkable Anjou Gamay and fine Anjou-Villages should also be tried. The RSJ has long listed the wines of Château Pierre-Bise and we visit the Papins at least once a year. Also Claude and Joëlle have presented their wines twice here in the upstairs restaurant.

Across the Layon: October 2005

Now in only its sixth year the Decanter World Wine Awards has become the world's biggest wine competition with 10,285 wines entered this year. The wines are tasted by small panels made up of experts from the region whose wines they are judging.

Claude and Joëlle Papin Château Pierre-Bise 49750 Beaulieu-sur-Layon

Tel: 02.41.78.31.44 Email: chateaupb@hotmail.com

More to Loire Sauvignon Blanc than Sancerre?

Monday 11th May tasting and dinner

List of wines we will be showing and menu:

Apero
2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Domaine de Bablut

Then three Sauvignons to be announced on the day

With first course
Goats cheese, asparagus and red onion tartlet
2008 Clos Roussely, AC Touraine
2008 Clos Roches Blanches, AC Touraine
2007 Domaine des Ballandors, Quincy


With main course
Roast organic salmon, samphire, pink fir potato, roast courgettes, beurre rouge
2007 Oneiros, Domaine Sauvète, Touraine
2008 Les Trois Chênes, Vincent Ricard


Dessert:
Iced ginger parfait, poached pear, chocolate sauce, almonds

There are still a few places available for Monday – more details here.

To book your place, please contact Tom King or Nigel Wilkinson on 020-7928 4554 or tom.king@rsj.uk.com

Monday 11th May Sauvignon Blanc – a few places remaining

More to Loire Sauvignon Blanc than Sancerre?

There are still a few places available for our Loire Sauvignon Blanc tasting and dinner (£45) on Monday 11th May. Come along and see whether you really do have to pay Sancerre prices or are there some real bargains in places like Touraine away from the big names? We'll kick off with the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from Domaine de Bablut as an aperitif.

Christophe Daviau, Domaine de Bablut

Then we'll taste a number of wines including 2007 Quincy from Domaine des Ballandors, various 2008 and 2007 Touraine Sauvignons from the Cher Valley including Clos Roussely, Domaine Sauvète, Clos Roche Blanche and Vincent Ricard. The three course menu will posted shortly.

Domaine Sauvète (Monthou-sur-Cher)

Vincent Ricard (left) in his new tasting room

Vincent Roussely (Clos Roussely, Saint-Georges-sur-Cher) tasting his Cabernet/Côt

(Devotees will be aware that the RSJ is famous for its last minute changes, so it is possible that there will be slight tweaks to the wines between now and the night.)

To book your place, please contact Tom King or Nigel Wilkinson on 020-7928 4554 or tom.king@rsj.uk.com

2009 Loire vintage (1st May)

It is, of course, ludicrously early to attempt to make any judgment on the possible quality of the 2009 Loire vintage. However, it is possible to say that things looking better at this stage than they did last year. Today sees the start of May and, so far, no part of the Loire has been hit by a devastating frost – unlike the Pay Nantais and other regions last year. This may be tempting fate as frost can strike in May but generally the risk decreases rapidly in May. Over the past 20 years the devastating frosts have always been in April. Furthermore the forecast on Meteo France for the next week showing night-time temperatures well above freezing.

On the other hand the very cold spell of weather right at the beginning of the year with temperatures as low as -13/14˚C was good news for the vines as a cold snap helps to kill off vine pests and illnesses. Since then it has been pretty dry, especially through February, March and April.

So a long way to go but, so far, a reasonable start.

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Report here on Loire wines at Les Caves de Pyrene tasting