2000 Brézé, Saumur Blanc, Clos Rougeard
Not only do you eat well at La Promenade but you always drink well too as they have an excellent wine list. The Loire has a pride of place but there are also good things from Burgundy, the Rhône and Languedoc-Roussillon.
The wines on the Frères Foucault have a significant place on the list and it wasn't difficult to decide to go for one of their whites from Brézé for our apero and first couple of courses. Xavier Fortin, their fine sommelier, recommended with any hesitation the 2000. I sure he was right as this complex wine was showing very well with honey, butter and vanilla notes and some minerality in the finish. Top white Saumur can provide white Burgundy with fierce competition.
2003 Les Arboises, Brézé, Domaine Guiberteau
Xavier Fortin, La Promenade's sommelier, had mentioned when we arrived that there would be a group of producers from the Loire and elsewhere in for lunch. Among those he mentioned was Romain Guiberteau. On several occasions I have tasted the Guiberteau wines at the Salon des Vins de Loire but never yet got round to visiting them nor drinking one of their wines. When I saw this 2003 on the list I decided this was the moment. It proved to be fortunate as this was the last bottle on the list and it turned out to be a lovely opulent 2003 – rich and softly textured black fruits.
Who said that the 2003s would rapidly fall apart?!
