Château de Villeveuve (Saumur) – magnificent new cellars

 Front of the new Château de Villeneuve winery 

Recently we dropped in on Florence and Jean-Pierre Chevallier at Château de Villeneuve in Souzay-Champigny. Jean-Pierre had time to show us quickly round their new winery, which uses the amazing cellars/caves that run under the château. The caves are extensive and remarkably dry. 

In 1969 they were sold to the Pays Nantais négociant Santejeau, which is now part of Castel Frères. Later they were used by the Saumur sparkling wine house, Veuve Amiot. Then 15 years ago Jean-Pierre bought them back and has now renovated them. Previously his wine-making facilities were above Château de Hureau a little under two kilometres further west towards Saumur. 

Jean-Pierre is currently renting his old winemaking facility at Hureau to Patrice Rétif, who used to be one of the partners in Domaine des Champs Fleuris in Turquant. Patrice with his wife Catherine now has his own domaine – Domaine des Damoiselles.

The entrance to the winery is on the 

main road from Chinon to Saumur.  

Looking down on the winery 

with the caves under the château

Fermentation tanks

(above and below)

 CRM and Jean-Pierre inspect some foudres

 New barrels 

 A couple of eggs

 

The extensive cellars

(above and below)

Root growing down through fissures in the rock

Me and my shadow

Cave privée

Sorting the just picked 2017 Cabernet Franc 

for Saumur-Champigny 

(above and below)

Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve)@ RSJ 15th April

Jean-Pierre Chevallier during the harvest

Wine Tasting with dinner – three courses. Starts 7.15pm

Monday 15th April: Jean-Pierre Chevallier, Château deVilleneuve £49.95

We are delighted that Jean-Pierre Chevallier is coming over in April and has agreed to do a tasting here. It is several years since his last visit here and it is always a pleasure to welcome one of the world’s truly great wine makers to RSJ.Jean-Pierre returned to the beautiful family property of Château de Villeneuve in Souzay Champigny near Saumur in the 1980’s after a stint teaching oenology at the University of Bordeaux .

He quickly realised that to make great wine, not only is good work in the winery essential but it is important to do extensive work in the vineyard as well. To that end, he has been a pioneer in such things as ‘green harvesting’, bunch and leaf thinning in the summer  as well as being a strong advocate of respecting the environment  by not using herbicides and pesticides.

Greatly respected by his peers, he is much sought after by them and gives freely of his advice.

He will be showing a range of his red and white wines as well as some older vintages including:

1995 Vieilles Vignes, Saumur Champigny

1999 Le Grand Clos, Saumur-Champigny

  

For reservations please contact: tom.king@rsj.uk.com

Tel: 020-7928 4554

RSJ Restaurant
33 Coin Street
London SE1 9NR

Château de Villeneuve@Souzay-Champigny  

13th April: Yannick Amirault and Jean-Pierre Chevallier

 

Jean-Pierre Chevallier and Yannick Amirault

We had a wonderful evening with Yannick Amirault (Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil) and Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve – Saumur and Saumur-Champigny) presenting their wines.  

Wines tasted (before dinner)

Jean-Pierre Chevallier (Château de Villeneuve)
2001 Les Cormiers, Saumur Blanc
2007 Saumur Champigny 
2005 Le Grand Clos, Saumur-Champigny
1999 Le Grand Clos, Saumur-Champigny  

Yannick Amirault
2008 Coudraye, Bourgueil
2007Le Grand Clos, Bourgueil
2003 La Petite Cave, Bourgueil
2002 La Petite Cave, Bourgueil

Dinner                                                                                    
2008 Saumur Blanc, Château de Villeneuve

2007 La Mine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourguei, Yannick Amirault
2000 Saumur-Champigny, Château de Villeneuve
2006 Vieilles Vignes Saumur Champigny, Château de Villeneuve
2006 Les Quartiers, Bourgueil, Yannick Amirault

 Yannick Amirault

Dinner menu
Pan roasted scallops with wild mushroom risotto

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

Dessert: strawberry buttermilk pudding

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. "

Nigel's wines of the moment (1)

This is the first of new series. I will be recommending wines that I’m particularly enjoying drinking at the moment. It might be the wine that hits the spot when I have a moment to relax. Equally some new discovery that we have just added to the list.

Hence my ‘wines of the moment’! I will be updating my choice fairly regularly, although it won’t be every week. Instead it will probably every two or three weeks. Tom King has promised to badger me. Equally you could always post a comment of this blog to remind me.

Here then are my first 'wines of the moment':

White


2006 Saumur Blanc Château de Villeneuve Jean-Pierre Chevallier (£19.50*)

Jean-Pierre’s ‘basic’ white is made from 100% Chenin Blanc, part is vinified in stainless steel and some in 400 litre barrels. I love the balance of ripe fruit and acidity. It has both concentration and freshness, which can be difficult to achieve – too often you have the concentration but lose the freshness.


I’m also enjoying Pierre Luneau’s Muscadets. He is really doing some good things and they are great value. We have a range Pierre’s Muscdets – all sur lie and from the Sèvre-et-Maine – starting from 2006 Domaine Pierre de la Grange (£16.25) up to the 1990 L’Or de Pierre Luneau (£29.95). Yes, that’s not a typo it really is 1990 as Pierre’s wines age incredibly well.

Red


2006 Chinon Tradition Philippe Alliet (£22.95)

This is really quite big I thought as I poured myself a large glass of this last weekend. Going back to it a day later the acidity was starting to show through and it was fresher. This has developed a slightly gamy nose and is drinking really nicely at the moment. Nobody is making better Chinon than Philippe. Can be enjoyed now but should easily keep up to 10 years.

* Restaurant list prices.

Retail prices:
2006 Saumur Blanc Château de Villeneuve Jean-Pierre Chevallier £9.50

2006 Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine, Domaine Pierre de la Grange £6.95

1990 L’Or 1990 de Pierre Luneau Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine £12.95

2006 Chinon Tradition Philippe Alliet £10.15

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.