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.

Glorious harvest weather in Cher Valley

The Cher at Thesée

The weather over the past two days has been sensational. Cool overnight, sun and blue skies during the day with just the odd fluffy cloudy from time to time. The forecast is less promising for later this week. It is so dry at the moment that a little rain would be good.

Happy pickers: Catherine Roussel waving

Clos Roche Blanche
Busy picking Gamay at La Tesnière by hand with a group of experienced pickers, who include some over 70 years old as well as Laurent, a former restaurateur from Brooklyn, New York. “The Gamay is coming in a 12˚ potential,” said Didier Barouillet, co-owner and winemaker. “Overall the level of acidity is a degree higher than last year. The Cabernet is at 13.2% potential alcohol but the acidity is still too high at 7.5. There is a lot of tartaric acid this year because temperatures during the growing period have been lower than the average for the last 30 years. The Côt is at 12.3% with a similar level of acidity. We’ll pick those next week – possibly the Cabernet before the Côt, which is most unusual – normally we always pick the Côt first.”

Small bunch of ripe Gamay

Hope to see Jean-François Merieau, Domaine des Bois Vaudons later this week.

Picking machine in the vineyards of Pouillé.

More news of the 2008 harvest

Harvesting Sauvignon Blanc

Christophe Daviau: Domaine de Bablut, Anjou

Went round the vineyards with Christophe on Thursday. They were harvesting the Sauvignon Blanc for the vin de pays de la Loire. Despite the poor summer the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon are looking promising, especially with this current spell of generally fine weather. “It will be another 10-14 days before we can start harvesting them,” said Christophe. “At the moment they have about 10˚ potential alcohol and the acidity levels are high.” Next Monday they will have the Grolleau Noir, a local variety, to make Topette, Christophe’s easy drinking, screwcapped red, which is sold in the French market.

Catherine Roussel and Didier Barouillet, Clos Roche Blanche, Touraine
Picking started on Monday 22nd. When I saw them yesterday they had finished the Sauvignon Blanc – unfortunately a tiny harvest this year. Friday morning they started on the Gamay. “The Gamay is really good – very healthy and almost no rot,” said Catherine. When Didier sorted through the grapes he only found five bunches that were rotten.” On Monday morning they will be again be picking Gamay – I hope to get some shots of them harvesting.

Frédéric Mabileau, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil and Saumur Blanc
Fréderic and Thomas are both very optimistic. “For the Chenin at Le Puy Notre Dame we’ll do the first picking on 6th and 7th October and then the second through the vines 10-14 days later. We’ll start picking the Cabernet Franc on Wednesday 8th October."

Jean-Marie Bourgeois, Henri Bourgeois, Sancerre
“The weather is great at the moment. We will be starting in earnest on Wednesday/Thursday of next week.”

Look out for further updates soon.

Pierre, Monique and Pierre-Marie Luneau, Domaine Luneau-Papin

Pierre admires bunches of 2008 Melon de Bourgogne
destined for Excelsior

(23 and 24 September 2008)

I visited Pierre and Monique Luneau, our good friends and suppliers of Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine, on Tuesday and Wednesday. They are in the middle of harvesting – initially concentrating on the top wines that are picked by hand. I just caught this part of the harvest in time as they finished late Tuesday. When I arrived they were picking a vineyard in the nearby commune of Chapelle-Heulin. These grapes will go into Excelsior, the Luneaus’ special cuvée that spends around 36 months sur lie. Of course there was a celebration party last night for the pickers, who I gather downed a considerable quantity of Muscadet.

The rest of the harvest will be machine picked, except for a small parcel of vines in the commune of Le Loroux-Bottereau. This special vineyard is on one of the highest hills in the region. It overlooks the Marais de Goulaine, the marshland that floods during the winter, as well as the Château de Goulaine and the city of Nantes in the distance. The soil is volcanic and is called serpentine – as it was originally molten lava. These vines were bought in March by Pierre-Marie, Pierre and Monique’s son, who has been working with them since 2005.

View from the new acquired vineyard over the Marais de Goulaine and to Nantes

The Luneaus started picking on Thursday 18th September. Pierre expects the harvest to continue for another week to 10 days. Fortunately the weather forecast is pretty favourable apart from rain today. Yesterday was magnificent – sunny, blue skies and around 21˚-22˚ C.

Although the quality seems good – 10.5%-11% potential alcohol and 5.7˚ acidity, the amount of wine is well down due to the frost of 7th April. “Depending on the parcel of vines the frost destroyed between 20% and 70% of our crop,” said Monique. “Normally we would make around 55 hl/ha – 60 hl/ha,” added Pierre. “Before we started harvesting we had hoped to make 25 hl/ha but, in fact, we are going to make around 20 hl/ha.” Having visited several other Muscadet producers 20 hl/ha appears to be the average with some producers even worse hit making only 12 hl/ha.

"Where's my wine?": Pierre can't believe
that the 2008 vintage is so small

With Pierre today I tasted the must from various parcels including the Clos des Allées, Les Pierres Blanches and Excelsior. They seem very promising, although I can’t claim to have much experience of tasting Muscadet grape juice and assessing what the final wine will taste like. Then I tasted 2007, 2006 and 2005 Excelsior, which are on their lees in tank. The 2005 will be bottled in November. Following this I tasted a number of 2007s in bottle and two further vintages of Excelsior – the rich 2003 and the fine 2002. Pierre’s first vintage of Excelsior was in 2001.