Arnaud and Yves Lambert@2009 Salon des Vins de Loire

I was very sorry to get the news this evening that Yves Lambert, Domaine de Saint-Just (Saumur and Saumur-Champigny) died of cancer yesterday.

Sadly I'm not entirely surprised as I was shocked to see Yves at this year's Salon des Vins de Loire – he was very thin, gaunt and clearly unwell. Yves explained that he had had cancer but that it was stable and he was improving.

I will remember Yves both as a fine producer of Saumur and Saumur-Champigny at Domaine de Saint-Just and as a generous and intelligent man with great warmth and energy. He was in at the beginning of a new adventure with vineayrds of Château de Brèze, which he and Arnaud, his son, took over running in 2009.

Les Obsèques se tiendront lundi 4 juillet à 15h00 à l'église de Saint Cyr en Bourg (49260).

My sincere condolences to Yves' family.

Château de Brèze

See here for a report on a visit to Yves and Arnaud in June 2009.

Château de Saumur overlooking the town

Venez déguster et fêter l'arrivée du vin nouveau avec la Commanderie du Taste-Saumur.* Au programme : dégustation, intronisations, repas gargantuesque, soirée dansante.

Téléchargez le coupon de réservation

Modalités d'accès : Coupon de réservation à envoyer à : M. André Brault - 16 rue G.Girard, appt 3 - 49400 Saumur

Lieu : Distré
France
Renseignements : Tél : 02 41 67 95 26

* La Commanderie's website badly needs updating as it still gives details of the 2008 Soirée!

PetNat la Folie Lucé

Next stop after Frédéric Mabileau was the Pot de Lapin in Saumur. We started with a glass of PetNat rosé. This time from a new producer – Loïc Terquem at La Folie Lucé, who has taken over Yves Drouineau's vines in Dampierre. 2009 was Terquem's first vintage. His PetNat is a little sweeter than some with attractive red fruits. Later on in the meal Olivier Thibault, owner of Le Pot, gave us Terquem's soft and fruity 2009 Saumur-Champigny to try. 

Having talked about Yves Drouineau and the quality of the wines that he made it seemed appropriate to choose a bottle of his 2000 La Seignère, Saumur-Champigny. Still quite youthful, although showing just a touch of brickiness, Yves 2000 is medium weight with attractive mellow fruit. Good for a few more years, this shows the quality of Yves as 2000 was not an easy vintage in the Loire.

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While on the subject of pétillants Jacky Blot told us that over the weekend he had decided to bring forward the first release of his Triple Zéro Rosé to this December. Bottled in January it will have had nearly 12 months sur latte by the time it is released. The rosé is a roughly equal blend of Grolleau and Gamay.