RSJ Summer Sauvignon Special

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 Sauvignon Blanc and a few raindrops

 

Mixed case offer: £120.00 per case

We have put together a mixed case featuring 4 different styles of Loire Sauvignon from 4 of our favourite growers – all ideal for drinking this Summer and beyond!

3 bottles 2012 Touraine ‘Le Clos’  Domaine Roussely, Vincent Roussely

Vincent is a dynamic young vigneron based at Angé in Touraine. He did part of his training in the New World and came back to take over family vineyards and works organically. This wine has a lovely freshness and ripe rounded fruit. His wines have been hugely popular since we started importing from him 3 years ago.

3 bottles 2012 Sauvignon, Domaine de Bablut, Christophe Daviau

Christophe was one of the first vignerons in the Loire to work organically and he has since started working biodynamically. Christophe also had a spell working in Australia in the 1990’s. This Sauvignon has a lovely refined elegance.

3 bottles 2012  Sancerre ‘Les Pierris’, Roger Champault et Fils

Roger’s sons, Laurent & Claude, have taken over the running of this family property at Champtin in Sancerre and have scaled new heights with this delicious wine full of ripe fruit and a lovely balance.

3 bottles 2012 Pouilly Fumé, Domaine Treuillet, Sebastien Treuillet

Sebastien has only a few hectares of vines but is rapidly establishing himself as a real star in this famous appellation and this wine has picked up numerous awards and commendations at wine fairs and tastings this year.This wine has a lovely clearcut minerality and is beautifully balanced.

To order please contact: 
tom.king@rsj.uk.com 

RSJ Restaurant, 33 Coin Street , London , SE1 9NR
Tel: 020 7928 4554

RSJ Wine Offer: April 2012

Jérôme Billard@Domaine de la Noblaie: June 2011

RSJ's exciting new Chinon listing – one of Chinon's leading young producers

Jérôme takes quality control very seriously! 

We have put together a selection of wines ideal for current drinking this Spring  [Please feel free to mix cases]

We include for the first time two wines from Chinon made by a very exciting young grower, Jerome Billard, Domaine de la Noblaie in Ligré, on the south bank of the Vienne.

                                                                    List                             Offer

                                                                    Price                          Price

WHITE

2010 Touraine Sauvignon, Clos Roussely        £8.70                     £7.95

Lovely fragrant fruity Sauvignon from Vincent Roussely,an outstanding young vigneron, whose wines have been received with great acclaim since we introduced them a couple of years ago.

2010 Muscadet ‘Sur Lie’ Clos des Allées           £9.70                      £8.95

Pierre Luneau has made a beautifully balanced fruity and mineral flavoured wine from this special vineyard of old vines. At recent tastings, people have been ‘blown away’ by the quality of Pierre ’s wines, completely laying to rest

their preconceived notions about Muscadet!

2009 Anjou Blanc ‘ Petit Princé’                      £10.65                      £11.25

Superb dry, honeyed and beautifully balanced Chenin.Organically produced by Christophe Daviau at the Domaine de Bablut. It has a wonderful concentration and complexity.

2010 Quincy , Domaine des Ballandors           £12.20                      £11.25

Award winning Sauvignon from Jean Tatin. This beautifully balanced wine continues to go from strength to strength.

2010 Sancerre ‘Les Pierris’                         £12.50                         £11.55

This classic Sancerre from the Champault brothers has a lovely blackcurrant nose, elegance and wonderful balance.

SPARKLING!

Crémant de Loire, Domaine de Nerleux        £11.30                         £10.40

Regis Neau’s ever popular, delicious dry sparkler is made from 70% Chenin Blanc & 30% Chardonnay and makes a wonderful aperitif!

Crémant de Loire Rosé, Domaine de Nerleux £11.30                      £10.40  Lovely pink sparkler from Régis Neau

RED

2010 Touraine Gamay, Clos Roussely            £8.70                           £7.95

Vincent Roussely’s organically made Gamay has lovely fruit with a good concentration and balance.

2010 Chinon Domaine de la Noblaie                £9.75                          £8.95

Jerome Billard’s lovely Chinon is packed with ripe fruit. It has a glorious nose of violets and has a lovely elegance and balance.

2010 Saumur Champigny, Domaine de Nerleux  £9.75                   £8.95

The Neau’s ever popular fruity Champigny is stylish and has a lovely elegance.

2010 St Nicolas de Bourgueil  ‘Les Rouillères   £11.20            £10.35

Frédéric Mabileau’s delicious St Nicolas has had a great following for a number of years. Ripe, beautifully balanced and with a lovely concentration, this wine is made organically.

2010 Sancerre Rouge ‘Les Pierris’                        £12.95               £11.95

Made from 100% Pinot Noir, this is an elegant attractive and stylish wine from the Champault brothers.

ROSÉ

2011 Chinon Rosé, Domaine de la Noblaie           £9.25               £8.55

Delicious dry rose from exciting new discovery,Jérome Billard. It is packed with ripe fruit and has a lovely concentration.

RSJ  33 Coin Street London SE1 9NR   

Tel: 020 7928 4554    E-mail: tom.king@rsj.uk.com

2011 Loire vintage: news from our producers: les Champaults (Sancerre)

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Claude and Laurent Champault with their 2011 Sancerre

Roger Champault et fils: Claude and Laurent Champault

Claude: "We were surprised by how well the vintage turned out because before the start we were worried by rot. We picked the reds first – those of the hillsides (clay and limestone) were healthy, while on the caillottes (pure limestone) there was more rot. The Pinot is around 11.5% potential alcohol with just under 5 acidity, while the Sauvignon is between 12.5-13.5%. Yields – 50 hl/ha for the Pinot and 65 hl/ha for the Sauvignon."

Sancerre tasting: 2nd March 2009

Last night nearly 30 people attended another successful Monday night tasting and dinner. It was good to see many regulars present but also some people here for the first time.

Aperitif:



2007 Sauvignon Domaine de Bablut, VDP Val de Loire [that very well known Sancerre!]
From Anjou but a vin de pays and from Christophe Daviau. Some weight but overall a very typical of the 2007 vintage – clean and precise.

White:

The first two Sancerres were served by themselves without food.

2007 Les Pierris

2007 Les Pierris, Roger Champault et fils

The Champaults are based in the same hamlet of Champtin between Bué and Crézancy and this comes from vineyards planted on clay-limestone. This was many people's favourite wine of the evening, combining the purity of the 2007 vintage with attractive weight.

2007 La Vigne Blanche, Henri Bourgeois
Comes from vines planted on chaillottes – white limestone with very little or, in places, no soil. Decidedly austere and lightly mineral.

Served with first course: an assiette of fish with herb risotto and pepper coulis


2007 Le MD, Henri Bourgeois

From Les Monts Damnés (damned slopes), the steep, south facing slopes above Chavignol, this is one of the Bourgeois' best Sancerres, which ages well. Characteristically minerally and with more weight and length than Les Vignes Blanches.

2004 Les Culs de Beaujeu, François Cotat

Les Culs de Beaujeu is another steep vineyard above Chavignol but on the other side of the valley from Les Monts Damnés. On the evening the Cotat was a bit of a puzzle. Often the Cotat wines are quite rich, while this, admittedly from 2004, was quite austere and seemed to tighten up over time, although going back to it right at the end it had opened up more. A wine to carafe and give an hour or so to open up?

Red:

The reds: 1996 Vacheron, 2006 Côte de Champtin, 2007 Les Pierris

2007 Les Pierris, Roger Champault et fils
Light and charming wine with the accent on the fruit, which worked surprisingly well with the lamb. One to enjoy when young.

2006 Côte de Champtin, Roger Champault et fils

Another steeply sloped vineyard, this 2006 unsurprisingly had more weight and concentration but is currently less expressive than the 2007. Needs another couple of years in bottle.

1996 Domaine Vacheron in magnum

The Vacherons have long been one of Sancerre's top producers. This had wonderfully, seductive Pinot Noir aromas – autumnal undergrowth, mushrooms (French use the term – sous bois) and just shows what a decade or more in bottle can give.

All three reds were served with: roast saddle of lamb, fondant potatoes, Savoy cabbage, carrots and a red wine jus


Lemon & mixed berry roulade


The next wine tasting event features our favourite Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil producer – Frédéric Mabileau. Hurry – still a few spaces available.

While on the subject of Sauvignon Blanc, the list of the 2009 Loire Sauvignon Blanc Ambassadors from the new Loire Sauvignon Blanc project are now on Jim's Loire.

Sancerre tasting and dinner: 2nd March

Sancerre: autumn 2007

Here is the list of wines we will be tasting on Monday night along with the menu:

Aperitif:

2007 Sauvignon Domaine de Bablut [that very well known Sancerre!]

White:

2007 Les Pierris, Roger Champault et fils

2007 La Vigne Blanche, Henri Bourgeois

2007 Le MD, Henri Bourgeois
From Les Monts Damnés, the steep slopes above Chavignol

2004 Les Culs de Beaujeu, François Cotat
Les Culs de Beaujeu is another steep vineyard above Chavignol

An assiette of fish with herb risotto and pepper coulis

Red:

2007 Les Pierris, Roger Champault et fils

2006 Côte de Champtin, Roger Champault et fils
Another steeply sloped vineyard

1996 Domaine Vacheron in magnum

Roast saddle of lamb
Fondant Potatoes, Savoy cabbage, carrots
Red wine jus


Lemon & mixed berry roulade

Sancerre from the vineyards of Pouilly

Sancerre 2008: Roger Champault et fils

Receiving grapes at the Champaults' winery in Champin.

Note the conveyor on the right of the tractor.

8th October 2008

Late morning we dropped in on the Champaults in the hamlet of Champtin, which is just a couple of kilometres west of Bué. We saw Claude Champault and his father, Roger. Laurent, the other brother, was out in the vineyards.

“We started last Thursday,” said Roger, “and there are about three days harvesting left.” While we talked Claude and a couple of workers were trying to fix the belt of the conveyor that takes the grapes into the press. Machines breaking down at vintage time are always a problem. So much of the equipment, like presses and conveyors, needed during the vintage is only used for a maximum of two or three weeks in the year. Only after their long lay-off to be used almost continuously, so breakdowns are inevitable.

Using conveyors means that the fruit is treated much more gently than pumping it in through a pipe. It is very noticeable how much more care now take over the handling of grapes.

Claude had time to let me taste some of the 2008 juice, which was very clean – just as it has been with all the producers visited in Sancerre and Pouilly. “We picked the Pinot Noir in Menetou-Salon yesterday,” said Claude. “We harvest about two hectares a day and I expect that we will finish on Friday. Yields are averaging 60 hl/ha.”

As we left Claude pointed out their shiny new Italian Defranceschi pneumatic press. Just a few more days work before it gets a long rest before the 2009 vintage!

View towards hamlet of Champtin and its vineyards