Winery shop@Antoine Simoneau

'Dégusterz nos vins dans une ambiance champêtre, pique-nique dans les vignes, marché paysan, découverte du vignoble en calèche.'

Le dimanche le 17 avril 9h-19h.

Cave Antoine Simoneau

20 Rue des Vendanges, 41400 Saint Georges sur Cher

Tel: 02.54.71.36.14

Email: domrablais@wanadoo.fr

 Shop@Antoine Simoneau

Open day@Antoine Simoneau, Le Domaine de la Rablais, 20 Rue des Vendanges, 41400 Saint-Georges-sur-Cher, tel: 02.54.71.36.14, www.antoinesimoneau.com 

 

Evelyne de Mascarel, Château de Minière

Having rather foolishly left my notes behind in London when I headed north to Inverness on Wednesday, this report will inevitably be somewhat sketchy and lacking in detail. If I get time next week I will add another post.

Jean-Hubert Lebreton (Domaine des Rochelles) was showing a number of red Anjou – mainly Anjou Villages but also the very attractive, juicy early drinking 2009 L’Ardoise.

Amongst other reds I went through the 2008 range from Château de Minière (Bourgueil) once again showing the consistency of this property.

Carine Simoneau (Antoine Simoneau) told me that they have started to till 10 hectares of their vineyards. This is good news as previously they have relied on weed killers. It will be interesting to see if they progressively abandon the use of weed killers. Previously the domaine’s strongest suit has been their Sauvignon Blanc but Karine told me that they are now working on improving their reds. Certainly the 2008 Cabernet was the best Simoneau red I have tasted so far with more concentration and riper tannins than in the past. They are not happy with their first Pinot Noir, which they made last year. Karine thinks it may be that the yield was a little too high.

I also tasted a number of promising 2009 Muscadets from Henri Poiron, Manoir de la Mottrie run by Sébastien Duvallet and Alain Gripon, Bernard Chereau (Chereau-Carré) and Jerémie Huchet.

 

2002 Chinon Blanc, Christophe Baudry

Time for a round up of recent bottles starting with this very attractive 2002 Chinon Blanc from Christophe Baudry, which must have been made prior to the tie up with Domaine de la Roncée and the founding of Baudry-Dutour. Nicely evolved with honey and tufa (the aromas of a dry, clean limestone cellar), this has the typical balance of the 2002 vintage. Enjoyed it as an apéro over several nights and if anything it got better and fuller with time. 

2007 Les Millerands, Côte Roannaise, Domaine Robert Sérol

Two reds from Domaine Robert Sérol that I visited last August. The 2008 Cuvée Troigros (name of the famous 3-star Michelin restaurant in nearby Roanne) is a typical easy drinking Gamay, which can be drunk on its own or with a light lunch. Rather mistakenly I tried with a magret de canard and as I should have realised it was too light for the duck. Les Millerands, even though it was a 2007, would have been better as it has more structure but we had opened that a couple of nights previously with cold chicken – a good match.

2008 Cuvée Troigros, Domaine Robert Sérol

 

2008 Touraine Sauvignon, Antoine Simoneau

Antoine Simoneau is a family estate in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher. This 2008 has a few grams of residual sugar that rounds the wine out making attractive and easy to drink with ripe grassy and goseberry scents.The domaines whites tend to be more successful than the reds. Unfortuntaely there is a reliance on the use of weedkillers, which in some vineyards with a slight slope causes some erosion. It would be good to see a reduction in their use.    

 

2003 Anjou Villages, Domaine de Bablut, Christophe Daviau 

Domaine de Bablut in Brissac-Quincé is biodynamic and this rich and powerful 2003 is very typical of this heatwave vintage. Lot of concentrated black fruits giving the impression of coming from somewhere well to the south of the Loire. Still very much on good form and looks to be good for a number more years.

Two recent wines that I have enjoyed: a 2008 Touraine Sauvignon from Antoine Simoneau in Saint Georges-sur-Cher and the 1999 Vieilles Vignes Saumur-Champigny from Château de Villeneuve.

2008 Sauvignon Blanc Touraine, Domaine de la Rablais

The Simoneau family has made big efforts to sell a considerable part of their production at the cellar door with a well stocked shop, open days and special weekends. This 2008 shows good ripeness – no cats' pee or vegetal flavours in sight – rather gooseberry, grapefuit and a touch of yellow plum, soft mouthfeel and some refreshing acidity. I still need to write up a visit I made there back last June. Sauvignon Blanc is their most successful variety and overall whites are better than the reds. It would be good to see them move away from the use of weedkillers but with 60 hectares it is easy to suggest such a move; much harder to put into practice.

Having decided on Tuesday evening that we deserved a mid-week treat, it was then a matter of choosing what this should be. In the end it was easy – a 2000 Grand Cru Saint-Emilion was easily discarded in favour of the 1999 Saumur-Champigny Vieilles Vignes from Jean-Pierre Chevallier's Château de Villeneuve. This is drinking really well now – around its best probably as I don't think it will get better but equally it is not about to fall off a cliff. It has lovely Cabernet Franc fragrance as well as a touch of animal, soft rich fruit and still a structure of rounded tannins to hold everything together.