Tasting event of the year: 2010 Concours de Touraine primeur@Epeigné-les-Bois

The Primeur candidates and some of the eniment tasters

Forget the huge wine competitions such as International Wine & Spirit Competition, Concours Mondiale, Decanter World Wine Awards or the International Wine Competition and their serried ranks of distinguished judges and myriad samples to taste, the concours for the cognoscenti was held in Epeigné-les-Bois. 

I'm delighted to have this report on the 2010 Touraine Primeur Concours from one of the eniment tasters – Mark Robertson:

Hi Jim,
The crack team of ten tasters assembled for the annual Primeur degustation last night.

Eight bottles were tasted plus one “double” for control purposes. Overall the panel found the 2010’s to be of significantly higher quality than the 2009’s. This may have been something to do with the choice of wines also.

The panel’s decisions are as follows:
First: Domaine de Chanteloup – Amboise

Second (Joint): Dansault – Ville-aux-Dames & Lycee Viticole – Amboise. 

The Dansault was the sole organic wine tasted – with zero sulphite addition

Fourth : Monmousseau – Montrichard (Gold medal winner)*

Fifth: Domaine Janvier – Thésée (Bronze medal winner)
Sixth: Jacky Marteau – Pouillé

Seventh : Henry Marionnet – Soings-en-Sologne. This was not technically a Touraine Primeur but was labelled as a “Tirage Primeur”, it split the panel with some giving it high scores – but the majority didn’t like it.
Eighth: Cave de Pere Auguste – Civray-en-Touraine. A bit surprising as this was last year’s winner.

A couple of photos attached – bottles in order (front and back). It will be noted that the amount of each wine consumed corresponded with its placing.

The tasting was accompanied by a delicious and filling Tartiflette followed by caramelised apple tart.

Cheers,
Mark Robertson

 

* Monmousseau has been bought recently by the Ackerman group.