Archive for August 2010
posted by sooyup on Alphonse Mellot, Chardonnay, Coteaux Charitois
On Sunday we had a small gathering of friends to mark late August. Among the bottles we put on the table were a couple of the 2005 Chardonnay, vin de pays des Coteaux Charitois, from Alphonse Mellot. We left people to help themselves. I was surprised that several friends remarked that they were taken aback that this was a Chardonnay. Used to big, oaky, blowsy Chardonnays from Australia, Chile etc. they didn't recognise this much fresher style as coming from the same grape variety, which they normally don't like.
Of course it isn't really a surprise that this Chardonnay is very different from rich versions from hotter climes as Chasnay is only 100km from Chablis.
posted by sooyup on Chroniques Vineuses, Hervé Lalau, wine expert
There is a great, little video clip on Hervé Lalau's Chroniques Vineuses site today featuring a 'wine expert' in a restaurant. Although the dialogue is in German or possibly Walloon (?), it is still very funny even if you don't understand a word. It was brought to Hervé's attention by the indefatigable Luc Charlier. If the video doesn't play first time, click again.
posted by sooyup on Cabernet Franc, Château du Petit Thouars
We started the tasting with the 2009 Rosé. This is a clear indicator that wine making here comes before commerce. It was obvious that Sébastien would have liked to be able to have some 2009 Rosé to sell over the summer. However, the 2009 is not yet ready. It has been fermented in 400 litre barrels. "2009 took a long time to complete its alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. They have only just finished," said Michel. Sébastien looked somewhat crestfallen when Michel announced that the 2009 Rosé would not be ready to bottle until the end of the year. "It has to take its time," said Yves. "This is the first time that we have vinified our rosé in barrel.
Certainly although yet to be bottled this 2009 Thouars Rosé is far from your typical young rosé. It has more weight and structure than is customary with a floral and red fruits character. I fancy that if you tasted this blindfolded you might well have difficulty identifying it as a rosé. Will be interesting to taste when it is finally in bottle.
We then tasted some 2009s reds including the Reserve from barrel which looks promising with dense fruit, good balance but slightly drying tannins but it still has some months in barrel left. We also tasted a potential special cuvée from 2009 – a blend of old vines and press wines.
Next we headed out into the vineyard to the Clos just above the château and to see the new plantings of Chenin Blanc. The vineyards are grassed over in the centre of the row with weeds between the vines controlled by weedkiller.
The new plantings of Chenin Blanc are selection massale planted on calcaire ("pretty hard" – Michel) along with some silieuse.
Post on going
Part One is here.
posted by sooyup on Domaine Champ Pierrette, Menetou-Salon
posted by sooyup on Château Figeac, Thierry Manoncourt
See interview here with Thierry Manoncourt by Serena Sutcliffe MW in Decanter.
Also article by Jancis Robinson MW on Manoncourt's 60 vintages.
Post on my visit to Figeac earlier this month.
posted by sooyup on Epeigné-les-Bois, Jours de Fête, Théâtre de Rue
Bob, transports en tout genre est une spectacle sans parole alliant théatre et magie, oscillant entre drôlerie, poésie et humour noir. Une création tout public.'
Epeigne-les-Bois:18th September@15.30
La Croix-en-Touraine: 19th September 15.30
The rest of the acts will be performing at the Place de l'Eglise, Bléré during the afternoon and early evening of the 18th and 19th.
posted by sooyup on Cabernet Franc, Château du Petit Thouars, Chenin Blanc, Michel Pinard, Sébastien de Petit Thouars
The family has owned the château since 1636 when Aubert du Petit Thouars bought the château on the advice of Cardinal Richelieu. Doubtless the patronage of Richelieu helped to ensure that the price was reasonable – certainly Yves had no hesitation in agreeing yesterday that it was "une bonne affaire". The Petit Thouars continue to be mainly based in Paris but make frequent visits to the château. "I come down every week," Yves told me, "although sometimes I just come down for the day".
Marguerite du Petit Thouars was a well known wine and food journalist writing for Le Figaro and Cuisine et Vins de France as well as being the editor-in-chief for L'Amateur de Bordeaux.
Their son, Sébastien, and his Canadian girlfriend, D'Arcy Flueck who is a travel writer based in Paris, soon joined us.We headed up to the vines nearby but unfortunately the rain was quicker and we were caught in a downpour and had to run for the cellar. Here we met the ebullient and energetic Michel Pinard, who has made the château's wine since 2007. Michel made the wine at Charles Joguet (Chinon) for 21 years, having started his career at Château de Targe (Saumur-Champigny) with Edouard Pisani-Ferry. He met Joguet in 1983 and left the estate in 2005. Michel also makes the wines of Edouard de la Palme's nearby Le Château de la Trochoire in Couziers.
Immediately we were launched into the controversy over the daft proposals to reform AC Touraine. Proposals that if approved will hit Château du Petit Thouars hard as their historic grape varieties – Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc – will no longer be entitled to the Touraine appellation. "All of our vines are on argile-calcaire, which is the best terroir of Chinon," insisted Michel. "There is a long history of wine production here. There are nine producers here on the 'Rive Gauche' (left bank of the Vienne) spread across seven communes."
We quickly agree that the AC Touraine reform proposals make no sense particularly in this part of the appellation where is no tradition of growing Sauvignon and Côt. Instead Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc are the traditional varieties here as they are in the neighbouring appellations of Chinon and Saumur-Champigny.
"We applied to the INAO to have a new appellation – Touraine Côtes de Seuilly – but this was turned down," continued Michel. The INAO does, however, look likely to approve Touraine-Chenonceaux and Touraine-Oisly further east in the Cher Valley. Although it may be ironic that the INAO turned down the request for a Côtes de Seuilly I'm not convinced that this would have been a good solution as it would be not easy trying to explain and promote yet another small French appellation.
"We are in discussion with Chinon over being included within their appellation," said Michel. It will be interesting to see how the Chinonais react to this proposal as it would certainly solve the rather embarrassing problem that the ill considered reforms to Appellation Touraine has thrown up: it would no longer be necessary to expel the western Touraine producers from the appellation.
End of part 1
posted by sooyup on AC Touraine, Château du Petit Thouars
posted by sooyup on 2010 Loire vintage
It is increasingly clear that the 2010 vintage is likely to be quite variable within the Loire. In some parts such as Anjou as well as Châteaumeillant, it has been very dry, so dry that there are reports that the vintage in Châteaumeillant will not start before early October and possibly not before mid-October because the ripening of the grapes has been slowed by the drought. Of course if it rains soon that may change. In June Châteaumeillant became the last of the Central Vineyards to be promoted to AC status.
Post ongoing.
posted by sooyup on Gérard Fiou, Pinot Noir, Sancerre Rouge
This was one of the wines I tasted at the Bureau du Centre in early June.
Domaine Gérard Fiou
18300 Saint-Satur
posted by sooyup on grape varieties, Huon Hooke
Varietals are the spice of life
In Australia's vineyards, 72 per cent of vines grow shiraz, cabernet, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc grapes. That leaves 28 per cent for the other 100 or so varieties we grow.
posted by sooyup on AC Touraine, AC Touraine Fou, Pineau d'Aunis
Worth remembering that Pineau d'Aunis is also called Chenin Noir, a reminder of the variety's Loire origins. Fortunately those producers who believe in inherent quality of their Pineau d'Aunis rosé will continue to make it and sell it as a vin de pays or vin de table. The producer will continue to be the crucial name on the label not the appellation.
posted by sooyup on Chanceaux-près-Loches, La Forêt des Livres
Details here.
posted by sooyup on 2009 Sancerre, François Crochet, Sauvignon Blanc
18300 Bué
Fax 02 48 54 25 10
posted by sooyup on Pavillon Blanc de Château Margaux, Pointe de Grave, Royan, Sauvignon Blanc
Yesterday passed by the vineyard planted with the Sauvignon Blanc grapes that go into Pavillon Blanc de Château Margaux. The vineyard has very fine black-grey sandy soil and is to the west of Margaux on a flat area prone to frost. The 2010 crop is still some way off being ready. Whether it will be as good as François Crochet's 2009 Sancerre (see forthcoming post) is a fair question, although it will certainly be more expensive.
Today headed up from the Médoc to Touraine crossing the Gironde on the ferry from the Pointe de Grave to Royan.
posted by sooyup on Pauillac
posted by sooyup on Cos d'Estournel, Gironde, Lafite, Lafite-Rothschild, Meyney, Montrose, Pauillac, Phelan-Ségur, Saint-Estèphe