Côt or Cabernet Franc?

I'm hoping that someone is going to help me out here. Yesterday passing through the vines of Saint-Georges-sur-Cher it was clear that a big majority of the grapes have now been picked. There was a block that still had some unpicked black grapes, so I stopped to take some photos. These are with Côt or Cabernet Franc. Initially I thought they were Côt (Malbec) from the colour of the leaves but then I noticed that some leaves were indented indicating that they might be Cabernet. Now looking again at the photos I'm inclined to go back to my first guess – that these are Côt. Your thoughts please.

The leaves

Then on to the Clos du Porteau in La Vallée Pitrou (part of Saint-Georges-sur-Cher) where I caught up with Aynard de Clermont Tonnerre and Henri Chapon. Aynard has again been busy this year during the harvest with his thermo-vinification system helped in 2011 by Henri as they rush around the Loire vineyards heating up their customers' must with the thermo machine.

Aynard: "We have been very busy, especially as there is quite a lot of rot about, mainly in weed killered vineyards, and one of the advantages of thermo-vinification is that it removes the taste of rot. There is much less rot in grassed over vineyards."

Aynard's 2011 Sauvignon (made by Isabelle, la vigneronne du Clos du Porteau) tasted promising. We tried vats from a number of different parcels. The fruit was picked around 12%-12.5% alc and has some weight and good clean flavours. They are increasing relying on the natural yeasts.

Picking Cabernet Franc@Château de Villeneuve

Update from Cathy Shore (Le Tasting Room) on Villeneuve's vintage plans: start the Chenin this Tuesday and the Cabernet Franc on 19th. Further details see here.

**

Also from Saumur the use of micro-barriques (also called wood chips) is to be allowed during the alcoholic fermentation for AC Saumur Rouge. See here. The idea is that the use of micro-barriques masks the astringency of Cabernet Franc. There is, of course, another way of avoiding astringency – pick the fruit when it is ripe. Apparently their use is also permitted in AC Bourgueil.

**

2009 vintage – treading the grapes

News from Epeigné-les-Bois 'Grand Cru' – Clos Chossay (Mark Robertson reports):

'Squeaky bum time in the vignoble, Sauvignon harvested Sunday (3rd September) at 13%, after torrential rain on Saturday night (Bourgueil had widespread flooding).

Côt is close, but Cabernet has 3 weeks to go. Hope the grass soaks up the rain....'

2006 Côt (Clos Roche Blanche), 2008 Reuilly Pinot Noir (Denis Jamain) and 2005 Reserve (Château du Petit Thouars) 

Some notes on three recently drunk reds – made from the three different varieties. Let's start first with the 2008 Reuilly, which is 100% Pinot Noir and is made by always reliable Denis Jamain (Domaine de Reuilly). Described very succinctly as 'delicious' by CRM, this easy drinking, vibrantly red fruited Pinot that worked very well with veal kidneys finished in a cream and mushroom sauce. This is Denis straight Reuilly red cuvée designed to be drunk fairly young with an accent on the fruit. He has two other cuvées – Les Chênes and La Comtesse – that benefit from longer aging and are more complex wines. 

Denis' fine Pinots are another reminder that the Loire's Central Vineyards can and does produce Pinot Noirs that are well worth discovering if you are not already into this secret.

Next up the 2005 Reserve Cabernet Franc from Château du Petit Thouars offering remarkable value at 6€ from the château. It has the concentration, richness and power expected from a 2005. I decided to try this 2005 to see how it is developing. I concluded that it ideally needs another couple of years or so to show its best, so a bit a patience is needed. In the meantime drink the deliciously soft, black fruited 2009 Sélection (5€) from Thouars.

Then the 2006 Côt from the Clos Roche Blanche. I can't remember trying their 2006 Côt recently. It certainly has richness – spicy black fruits – but it is less precise and lacks a little of the zip in the finish that these Roche Blanche Côts normally have. It is still an attractive drink but I fancy it reflects the difficult conditions of the 2006 vintage when galloping rot forced vignerons to pick as rapidly as possible. I would certainly make sure it is served cool to preserve freshness.          

 Picking machine harvesting Sauvignon Blanc@François Cartier's vineyards in Pouillé

Last Tuesday around Pouillé and Thesée the 2011 harvest was really getting underway with a number of picking machines out as well as teams of pickers. Despite the rain at the end of last week, the fruit was looking really good with considerably less signs of rot than had been apparent in Sancerre and Pouilly the day before. Unfortunately the forecast is not very favourable for the coming week with some rain forecast on most days. Hopefully the weather will turn out to be better than currently forecast.

Sauvignon Blanc@Domaine Joël Delaunay

Picking machine@Domaine Joël Delaunay

Starting to unload Sauvignon Blanc@Domaine Joël Delaunay

Grapes beginning to flow

Full flow

Cabernet Franc?

Côt (?) from one of the very productive clones from 1970s-80s

Pouillé: well spaced out Sauvignon Blanc

Claude Aupetitgendre with his Montlouis methode traditionnelle

Claude Aupetitgendre is a vigneron in Civray de Touraine (AC Touraine) in the hamlet of Thoré just off the road from Tours to Vierzon (D976). Thoré is actually closer to Bléré than it is to the centre of Civray. He has 8.5 hectares here and has long grassed over his vineyards and aims for low yields.

In 2007 he entered into partnership Jacques Gozard to produce Montlouis from two hectares of vines near to Château de la Bourdaisière. They put together an association of 58 wine lovers – many from Paris but also some from further afield, Norway for instance.

The wines of Domaine de Montory are vinified in Lussault where this Saturday (7th May) they are holding an open day at 11 Vallée Saint-Martin from 10h-18h. 

 Claude with his sparkling Montlouis, Touraine Cuvée les Lys (Cabernet, Côt and Gamay)

Cuvée les Lys

Sauvignon Blanc

Late yesterday afternoon I had a quick look at the grapes in Epeigné-les-Bois bijou vineyard – Clos Chossay – the village's sole 'grand cru'. They have very recently taken on Bruno Curassier (Domaine de la Grange, Bléré) as their viticultural and vinif adviser. This year's crop is looking promising, although some of the lower vines were hit by late frost in May. The Sauvignon Blanc harvest is likely to be still a good week away.

 

Cabernet  Franc

Côt netted against the birds

 

Busy tasting

Today we held a big tasting of the wines of the Clos Roche Blanche arranged in several verticals with the oldest wine from 1987. A total of 42 wines were shown. Although impressive verticals are relatively common in parts of the wine world, today's tasting was a fairly unique event for a Touraine producer in the Cher Valley.

It is a testament to quality of the Clos Roche Blanche wines that although a few of the older wines were drying out there was hardly a complete dud. Even the 1987 Côt from a very difficult year was still there as a pale phantom. Otherwise perhaps the 1995 Gamay was closest to being off its perch – disappointing as the 1996 Gamay is still there are giving pleasure.

The wines 

Arpent (Chenin Blanc, Arbois etc.): 2000, 1999, 1998

Sauvignon: 2001 2000, 1996 1995

Sauvignon n°2 : 2007 2006 2004, 2002

Gamay: 2005, 1999, 1996, 1995, 1990 (Première Vendange, Henry Marionnet)

Côt: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1997, 1996 1995, 1994, 1987

Closerie (blend of Cabernet, Côt and Gamay) : 2006, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1993

Cabernet: 1996, 1989 (Domaine Michaud)

Further details to follow.

Some of the bottles

1989 Cabernet, Touraine, Thierry Michaud

Although I was pretty confident that this 1989 would show well I was pleased by how well it showed with still quite young colour and good, medium weight evolved fruit and fair length. I used to visit Domaine Michaud in Noyers-sur-Cher quite frequently but have got out of the habit – not because the wines weren't good. I should go back again. I have no idea what I paid for it – probably the equivalent of £3-£4. proof again that the Loire offers very good value and that you don't have to pay the high prices demanded by Bordeaux to have a Cabernet that will age well.

 

2001 Côt

This Côt was a pleasant surprise from La Gourmandière– the Cave Cooperative of Francueil. In my time I have had some poor wines from this cooperative. However, this Côt, although not a heavyweight, had aged well with attractive mature fruit and that touch of rusticity that tends to be Côt's hallmark.  

2008 Gamay Vieilles Vignes, Touraine, Vignoble du Haut Bagneux (Jean-Christophe Mandard)

On Thursday evening I thought it would be appropriate to open a bottle of Jean-Christophe Mandard's old vine Gamay to mark the return of electric power to the more isolated parts of the commune of Mareuil-sur-Cher. This Gamay from 65 year old vines has the concentration you would expect from old vines, so a Gamay needing food. The spicy black fruit worked well with lamb steaks, slightly less well with a magret de canard.

Jean-Christophe Mandard

I've tasted Jean-Christophe's wines (Vignoble du Haut Bagneux) on several occasion – his UK importers are Richards Walford and also the wines are listed by La Lionnière, Mareuil's ferme auberge, so I took the opportunity of tasting the reds during the Salon des Vins de Loire. (Given the range of Loire wines it is difficult to keep switching colours. I was on reds at the time and didn't have an opportunity to go back and taste the whites).

The Vignoble du Haut Bagneux has 21 hectares of vines with 10 different grape varieties planted including a parcel of 100 year-old Gamay de jus noir – a teinturier. (The vast majority of wine grapes have white flesh and includes all the top quality varieties. In the past teinturier varieties were used to give wines colour. Alicante Bouchet and Dornfelder are probably the best known today.) I must check with Jean-Christophe exactly which Gamay this is as there are apparently three different Gamay teinturiers – le Gamay de Bouze, le Gamay de Chaudenay and le Gamay Fréaux.

I started with the soft, easy drinking 2009 Gamay de Touraine that will be bottled this month made by carbonic maceration it had a hint of banana that can be typical of this fermentation process, especially if a particulr yeast has been used. Then the 2009 Cabernet – 60% Franc and 40% Sauvignon – with concentration, structure and quite marked blackcurrant notes. It will be bottled in April, whereas the soft and ripe Tradition – 50% Côt and 50% Cabernet Franc – will bottled in September.

Another domaine I need to visit. It will be interesting to taste the 2009 reds once they are in bottle.

From Mark Robertson

A brief update from a warm and sunny east Touraine. The weather has improved considerably from last week. No rain since Friday and the daytime temperatures have crept up to the low to mid 20's. Nights are cool with a minimum around 10˚C. La chaine Meteo is forecasting an uninterrupted dry spell through to 3rd October so all bodes well (for the moment).

Caged Côt@Clos Chossay (photos MR)

Did the vendange at Domaine de la Grande Foucardière (Lionel Truet) on Saturday. As Lionel has given up his rented vines he now has just 3.5ha, which are all picked manually over two weekends. On Saturday and Sunday a group of friends and family picked the Gamay and Grolleau, whilst the parent's association (APE) picked the Sauvignon. (This latter is becoming a very common arrangement. Locally the Francueil, Epeigné and Luzille APE's do the vendanges in exchange for a donation of money and/or wine). Chez Lionel the Gamay and Grolleau were plentiful and generally in a healthy state, although I did notice some very isolated rot in the Gamay. The Grolleau will go into a Rosé and the Gamay into Touraine Primeur. Lionel does not put Gamay in his Francois Premier blend. A copious lunch and dinner are the pickers' rewards. Couldn't help noticing that there are considerably more people at the lunch and dinner than in the vines!

Well spaced bunches of Cabernet Franc@Clos Chossay

Took a little trip into the vines of Montlouis and Vouvray on Sunday afternoon. Attached picture taken from the vines on the slopes behind Vigneau-Chevreau in Chancay. Picking doesn't seem to have fully started in either appellation although we did notice a small amount of activity on the Sunday afternoon.

Vines@Vigneau-Chevreau, AC Vouvray

At Chossay the Cot grapes are particularly prized by the local bird population. As I'm determined to make a pure Cot this year the grapes are now protected with netting. Meantime both the Cabernet Franc and Cot are ripening nicely. Cot is at around 11%, Cabernet 10.5%. Ist week of October for the Cot, 2nd week for the Cabernet if all stays the same weather-wise.

••

Jérôme Choblet, Domaine de Herbauges (Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu):
Super bien mais vraiment busy, mon maître de chai est à la maternité avec sa femme, j'ai vraiment trop de boulot en ce moment.
(Given the strides that have been made with birth control over the last few decades it does seem strange that a maître de chai's wife is permitted to give birth in the middle of the vintage!)

Aynard and Isabelle with their 2005 Vanneau Huppé

I have finally finished the report on my March 2009 visit to the Clos du Porteau in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher. See here.

••

Last evening came across a really excellent feature from Bertrand Celce (Wine Terroirs) on Jacky Preys and the saving of the Fié Gris (also known as Sauvignon Gris or Sauvignon Rose. Bertrand doesn't update his blog every day but his work is consistently a must read along with his fine photos.

Philippe, le patron of Le Detour in Civray-en-Touraine, kindly gave me this Côt from their neighbour, Claude Aupetitgendre. When we had lunch at Le Detour on 19th June we had enjoyed a bottle of Claude’s Cuvée Les Lys 2005, which is a blend of Cabernet, Côt and Gamay.

This 2008 Côt is still very young with an intense purple hue and has some concentration of fruit. However, I don’t find this fully convincing as I think there is a hint of reduction on the nose and the acidity is quite marked. I know high acidity is common in 2008 but I wonder whether these grapes could have been picked just a little later and given a better result. I also wonder whether a few months more élévage (maturing) would have rounded out the wine more. But as Claude Aupetitgendre notes on his back label this is a wine that needs to age, so it would be interesting to try again in a year or so.

The back label gives the sensible advice that this should be served at 16˚C – I'll bet that if served in a restaurant in the summer the chances are that it will be served too warm. Also the advise is that it can be kept for seven years.

Claude Aupetitgendre
12 Rue des Fougères, 37150 Civray-en-Touraine
Tel: 02.47.23.92.50
Email: vin-aupetitgendre@wanadoo.fr

Chenonceau and the Cher

Aynard de Clermont Tonnerre comments on his Clos du Porteau blog that progress is being made with the proposed sub-appellations of Touraine Chenonceaux and Touraine Oisly. As these two projects have been rumbling around for about 20 years, it will be good news (with some qualifications) if they finally come to fruition.

The AC Touraine Oisly would be for Sauvignon Blanc from the communes of Oisly et Thesée, while Chenonceaux would apparently include Bléré in the west down the Cher to Noyers-sur-Cher in the east. Chenonceaux would be for Sauvignon Blanc and a blended red, which is where I have my doubts. The best reds from the Cher are not necessarily blends – well made Côt is probably the best red of the Cher Valley and eastern Touraine. If the AC Chenonceaux is actually to mean anything and not just a political fudge then Côt should be permitted as a single varietal and, quite possibly, Cabernet. Naturally made to strict rules covering yields etc.

This is not to say that there aren't a few good blends here – often a mix of Cabernet and Côt is the most successful. But there are also too many poor red blends often involving Gamay as the sometimes wretched examples of Touraine-Amboise François Ier bear witness. Apparently when AC Touraine-Amboise was established it was decided not to include Côt. This now quite often means that the best reds from Amboise producers are designated AC Touraine and not Touraine-Amboise.

•••

Attention escroquerie
New scam warning

From the Vignerons Indépendants Centre Val de Loire
Certains d’entre vous ont été contactés par un certain Jeffrey McDonald, selon les termes du message ci-dessous. La société Raeburn Fine Wines existe bien mais elle ne connait pas ce monsieur et vous incite à ne pas lui répondre.

(Attention le numéro de téléphone est, comme d'habitude, pour une portable. Jim)

Several producers in the Loire have received a message from Jeffrey McDonald, who claims to work for Raeburn Fine Wines in Edinburgh. Raeburn is a long established high quality and interesting wine merchant but McDonald certainly does not work for them. The message is very similar to many previously sent by Eric Thorman etc. The sole telephone number given is a mobile.

Best to delete his email (below) immediately.

De : Mc Donald Janie [mailto:raeburnfinewines@scotlandmail.com]
Envoyé : vendredi 5 juin 2009 13:35
À : undisclosed-recipients:
Objet : Vente de vos vins au Royaume Unis

From : Mc Donald Jeffrey
Head Office and Sales
21/23 Comely Bank Road
Edinburgh
EH4 1DS, Scotland, UK
Phone : +44751085783
E-mail : raeburnfinewines@scotlandmailcom

Monsieur ,

Ayant dégusté vos vins ici à Edinburgh, je me suis permis de rentrer en contact avec vous pour vous pour vous faire savoir que je suis intéressés par la distribution de vos millésimes en Irlande et en Angleterre.
je souhaiterais collaborer avec vous.
je voudrais savoir vos disponibilités et vos tarifs à l'export.
Je voudrais que vous me confirmiez vos conditions de travail (paiement à 30 ou 60 jours fin de mois - assuré COFACE, temps de préparation d'une commande) pour vous transmettre une commande à exporter pour la vente sur les deux territoires Irlandais et Anglais.
je vous fais savoir que je ne vend pas en grande surface mais seulement à des clients particuliers (bars, restaurants, casinos, night club, ...).
Dans l'attente de votre réponse, veuillez accepter nos salutations distinguées.

•

Avis:
Encore un fumiste qui se fait passer pour un acheteur....il tourne. Si vous avez reçu un mail de ce genre d'escrocs , il y a un inspecteur de police à Londres , Paul Cheadley qui suit les dossiers de ces escrocs et qui demande à tous de l'aider en lui transmettant les mails qu'on reçoit des escrocs..

Si nous ne faisons pas ce geste civique ils continueront à trouver des pigeons...

Paul.Cheadle@met.police.uk

Ce Paul est en plus très sympas et remercie tout le monde de notre coopération.

•••

The report on the visit to Charles Joguet (2nd June 2009) is now complete. Now working on the visit to Jérome Billard 'heading for the top' of Domaine de la Noblaie.

2006 L'expression de Cécile – l'essence des Terres Blanches, Henry Natter: one of the stars of the evening

Friday night eight of us gathered for a relaxed evening. A couple of bottles of Jacky Blot’s Triple Zero kicked off the evening in traditional style – perhaps it should be renamed here as 'tipple zero'.

Then with the salad of local goats’ cheese (Epeigné-les-Bois), lardons and mushrooms, Henry Natter’s 2006 L’expression de Cécile, Sancerre (en magnum) was showing to perfection. It had the richness that has become typical of 2006 Sauvignons with an attractive opulent aromas recalling the mousseron nose that good Chablis can develop after four or five years and lovely ripe grapefruit on the palate – all in all a splendid bottle. With this course we also tried a completely new wine from Daniel Merlet, which was blended this week using 2008 Sauvignon Blanc sourced at Pascal Gibault in Noyers-sur-Cher. Daniel Merlet is closely related to Steve Daniel, who used to be Oddbins’ buyer in their glory days and is now a key part of Novum Wines, and Thierry Merlet, who used to be a partner of David Levin and still has a share in the Levin winery at Montrichard.

Unfortunately Thierry has been involved in a lengthy legal wrangle with Levin, which has included a ban on bottling and selling the Levin 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. I understand this has now been lifted. However, I assume that it will be difficult for Levin to sell the 2007 now as buyers will be looking for the 2008 vintage. Although Touraine Sauvignon will certainly keep for at least two or three years, this is a wine that people generally buy the latest vintage.

Anyway back to the Daniel Merlet 2008 Sauvignon Blanc with good ripe fruit and a nod towards New Zealand. Very much a try out by Steve and Thierry to see how it goes.

Moving on to the main course – pork pot-roasted with onions, potatoes and new turnips – we had a small horizontal tasting of Côt. First up a pair of 1999s – Privilège from Domaine Sauvète and the Côt from Clos Roche Blanc. We were divided on our preference with some preferring the softer, more accessible Privilege, which I thought was 100% Côt but checking the Sauvète site it appears that it has 20% Cabernet Franc. I need to check whether the 1999 version was pure Côt or not. Others, including me, preferred the Clos Roche Blanche, which is still remarkably tannic even at nearly 10 years old, as it has spice and character.

1986 Côt, Domaine de Mechière, AC Touraine

We followed this with an old Côt – 1986 from Domaine de Mechinière in Mareuil-sur-Cher from Christian Maudit. Sadly Christian died some years ago when I guess he was in his early 50s from a brain tumour. The domaine is now owned by Valérie and Jacques Forgues. Before opening the bottle I wasn’t sure how well the 1986 would have kept. Although probably in a slow decline Christian’s light coloured 1986 still had sweet fruit and attractive delicacy. It was a fascinating demonstration that Côt has a serious claim to being the best grape variety in Touraine's Cher Valley and that it can age well.

The last of the Côt/Malbecs was a 1990 Cahors Domaine des Savarines with rich, sweet fruit and quite different in style to the Loire Côts – less edgy and without the same level of acidity. “300 kilometres further south,” said one.

With the cheese we had the 2002 Les Cormiers Château de Villeneuve that I found surprisingly oxidative. “Someone who doesn’t use sulphur?” was one remark. This is not the case for Jean-Pierre Chevallier, although he certainly doesn’t use an excess, he is not one of the no sulphur school. Not sure whether this is a stage the wine is going through or whether it was this particular bottle or whether decanting the wine would curiously have helped.

2002 Clos des Bonnes Blanches, Coteaux du Layon Saint Lambert du Lattay, Domaine Ogereau

Onto the tarte aux vigeronnes and we started with one of the stars of the evening: 2002 Clos des Bonnes Blanches Coteaux du Layon Saint Lambert du Lattay (50cl), Domaine Ogereau. 2002 is a lovely, beautifully balanced vintage. This was close to perfection: honeyed, apricot fruit not at all cloying because of the acidity balance, precise, clean and long lasting. The Clos des Bonnes Blanches is Vincent and Catherine Ogereau’s top sweet wine, which is only released in good vintages when they are satisfied with the quality.

1990 Quarts de Chaume, Château Bellerive

So good was the 2002 Bonnes Blanches that it overshadowed the 2004 Quarts de Chaume from Château Pierre-Bise. Although Claude Papin’s Quarts de Chaume was considerably richer, the 2004 did not have the same precison and finesse as the 2002. We finished with the 1990 Quarts de Chaume from Château de Bellerive when it was owned by Jacques Lalanne. Unfortunately the first bottle was corked and some had a doubt about the second bottle, although I thought it was OK and not corked but still like the other Quarts de Chaume overshadowed by the 2002.

2005 Côt Franc de Pied, Henry Marionnet, Domaine de la Charmoise, Soings-en-Sologne

This deep coloured and concentrated 2005 Côt or Malbec from ungrafted vines planted in 2000 is very much a wine made in Touraine but with a distinct echo of Mendoza – Argentina's largest and most important wine growing region. Lots of black fruits – cherry, blackberry and mulberry here – but lacking a little acidity that would have helped to carry off this concentrated fruit. Perhaps if I had kept it longer Touraine's customary acidity would have come through.



Henry Marionnet now has a significant holding of ungrafted vines – on original root stock and therefore open to being attacked and devoured by phylloxera. There are other patches in the Loire, or were because eventually phylloxera appears and does its deadly work. Over the past two or three years parcels owned by Mark Angeli (his Vignes Vignes Françaises in Anjou) and at Domaine Charles Joguet (Les Varennes du Grand Clos Francs Pieds, Chinon) have had to be grubbed up. So far, Marionnet has been spared ..............

1 March 2009

This evening I opened a bottle of Jacky Preys et Fils Touraine Côt 2005 Cuvée Princière. Quite rustic and dusty but does have some Loire Côt (Malbec) character, a thread of acidity running through it and is quite attractive. However, it does not have the same concentration as the Côts from, for example, the Clos Roche Blanche, Domaine Sauvete or Jean-François Merieau (Bois Vaudons). I suspect that the yields are higher. The rather old fashioned label tells its own story.

Jacky Preys and his son Pascal are based in Meusnes to the east of Saint-Aignan at the eastern limit of the Touraine appellation. Over the past 40 years, Jacky Preys has built up the domaine, which now has 75 hectares – mostly in Touraine but some in AC Valençay. Over the years I have tasted Jacky’s wines and found them well made with his Sauvignon Gris (Cuvée de Fie Gris) often being the most interesting. Sauvignon Gris or Sauvignon Rosé is now a rare variety of Sauvignon. There are a few parcels of it in Sancerre, although it is not officially entitled to the appellation.

Right at the end on the Tuesday of the Salon des Vins de Loire I quickly tasted some of the domaine’s wines. The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Les Pillotières (not bottled) was aromatic, quite rich with a hint of residual sugar remaining. The 2008 Cuvée de Fié Gris (not in bottle) had attractive gooseberry and grassy notes. Then I tried two reds: the easy drinking, juicy 2006 Pinot Noir Cuvée Royale AC and the spicy Valençay 2007, which is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Gamay and 20% Côt.

I need to find time this year to go and visit the domaine.

Domaine Jacky Preys, 536 Rue Debussy, 41130 Meusnes
Tel: 02.54.71.00.34
Email: domainepreys@wanadoo,fr
Site: www.domainepreys.com

Cabernet Franc@Château de Villeneuve October 2005

New research shows that Cabernet Franc is not only one of the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon, it is also a parent of both Merlot and Carmenère. A group of French scientists working on grape DNA, in collaboration with Professor Carole Meredith, who was at UC Davis until she retired, have revealed that Merlot is a natural off-spring of Cabernet Franc and a previously unknown red grape named Magdeleine Noire des Charentes. Cabernet Franc teamed up with Sauvignon Blanc to produce Cabernet Sauvignon.

Further research by the group shows that Carmenère was parented by Cabernet Franc and a variety called Gros Cabernet, while the parents of the Loire’s Côt (known elsewhere as Malbec or Auxerrois, especially in Cahors) are Magdeleine Noire des Charentes again and Prunelard. The Black Magdeline was also a parent of the unknown grape Mourtès this time pairing up with another forgotten variety called Penouille.

Côt@Domaine Joël Delaunay September 2008

The research was published in the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research on 22nd December 2008. The parental link between Carmenère and Merlot suggests a logic to the Chileans confusing Carmenère with Merlot.

Clearly fidelity and monogamy are not the norm in the grape world.


Here is the abstract for the article:

Authors:
J.-M. Boursiquot , T. Lacombe, V. Laucou, S. Julliard, F-X. Perrin, N. Lanier, D. Legrand , C. Meredith and P. This

Background and aims: Based on parentage analysis of a large nuclear simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker database of grapevine genotypes, we propose the pedigree of several cultivars from southwestern France including Merlot, one of the world's major black winegrapes.

Methods and results: The putative mother of Merlot, deduced from inheritance at 55 nuclear and three chloroplast microsatellite loci, is a non-referenced and previously unknown cultivar, first sampled some years ago in northern Brittany where vines were cultivated at the end of the Middle Ages, and then identified in four places in Charentes. Considering both the name used by the growers of this grape and the literature, we have named it Magdeleine Noire des Charentes. The putative father of Merlot is Cabernet Franc, already involved in the parentage of Cabernet-Sauvignon. Further analysis of genetic relationships leads us to propose the kinship group of Merlot composed, among others, of Carmenère (Gros Cabernet × Cabernet Franc), Merlot Blanc (Merlot × Folle Blanche), Cot (Magdeleine Noire des Charentes × Prunelard) and Mourtès (Magdeleine Noire des Charentes × Penouille).

Conclusions: These results shed new light on the origin of Merlot and on the relationships among several cultivars from south western France.

Significance of the study: Our discovery of the key genetic role of a previously unknown cultivar in the origins of some significant cultivars reinforces the importance of deep exploration, before it is too late, to discover original genotypes which have not yet been collected or referenced.

(30th December 2008)

2008 vendange: Catherine and other pickers

To the Clos Roche Blanche (AC Touraine) yesterday afternoon to taste the 2008s with Catherine Roussel and Didier Barouillet. As usual the welcoming committee – the dogs Margot and Pif – were already out as we arrived. Sécotine, the very friendly striped cat, and Pélagie, the wild black one, were also in attendance – Pélagie only briefly. Before tasting we chatted with Catherine and Didier, who was getting a consignment ready to go to the States. Around 50% of the Clos Roche Blanche’s production now goes to the States. Although with the current economic crisis, sales are dropping fast everywhere.

We talked about retirement – Catherine and Didier are cutting back from 18ha to 9ha, also about Joe Dressner and his amazing Captain Tumour Man blog. Apparently Joe is hoping to get over for the Salon des Vins de Loire at the beginning of February as his course of treatment will have finished by then. We also talked about the recent 4th edition of the Fête du Coin, featuring 20 vignerons, held this year at Chitenay over the weekend of 6th/7th December. Depsite la crise this edition attracted 700 visitors who bought a total of 6000 bottles.

We started the tasting of the 2008s with several Sauvignons at various stages of development with several still fermenting. The 2008 whites have high alcohols, which has made Didier’s winemaking job difficult along with the need to lower the high acidities of 2008. The still high levels of acidity at the end of September meant that alcohol levels were high by the time the grapes were ripe. One of the Sauvignon vats is at 14.5˚.

Didier tasting 2008 Pif and doubtless wondering
what proportion of the 2008 vintage this glass represents.

Didier: “Sugar levels on white grapes always go up more quickly than they do in red varieties.”

Of the four vats I tried I liked the first one best. It had finished its alcoholic fermentation but hadn’t been through malo. 13.8% alc and 5.5 acidity, it had very attractive grapefruit flavours – very precise. Didier explained the various methods he had used this year to reduce the high acidities. These included maceration carboniquee, 15 days of cold stablisation and allowing a ‘voile’ to develop on the surface of the Sauvignon, as they do in the Jura. I thought this might be the same as the flor that occurs in Jerez but apparently it is different.

Next up a lemony and quite weighty Chardonnay followed by a slightly fuller coloured than usual Pineau d’Aunis rosé, which still has some 10 gms of residual sugar.

Next onto the Gamay, which at 22 hl/ha, was the most generous yielding variety in the very small harvest of 2008. The 2008 Gamay has lovely spicy, black fruits and will be delicious. The second and last red was the rich, concentrated, deep coloured and spicy Pif – 50% Cabernet and 50% Côt. Sadly due to the penurious vintage there will be no Pineau d’Aunis Rouge, no pure Côt or Cabernet.

Before leaving Catherine lent me her signed copy of Alice Feiring’s The Battle for Wine and Love or How I saved the World from Pakerization, which I am now enjoying reading. Catherine also kindly gave me a bottle of Pascal Potaire’s Piège à filles pétillant naturel. (Both will doubtless be subjects for future postings on the blog.)

(16th December 2008)

Quick early evening visit to see Bruno Curassier at Domaine de la Grange in Bléré to taste his 2008s. Fortunately we managed to squeeze a time between Bruno’s English lesson and him getting ready to drive to Paris very early the next day to deliver wine.

Bruno’s history illustrates the problems now facing some of the local co-operatives. Until 2003 he was a full member of the S.C.A Cellier du Beaujardin in Bléré. That year he started to vinify and to gradually pull out of Beaujardin. In 2003 he made 50 hls. This doubled the following year and in 2006 Bruno made 350 hls and started to equip himself properly. “I said goodbye to the coop in 2006.” He pulled out 8 hectares of vines and kept 14.



The coops are facing losing some of their younger members, who like Bruno want to set up on their own, and their older members, who are ready to retire and accept the subsidy for pulling up their vines.

As yet Bruno doesn’t export, though he is looking to develop markets outside France. Most of Bruno’s sales are to individuals including tourists passing through the Cher Valley during the season. So far sales are going well.

Bruno: “All my 2007 Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé are sold out and I just have a little red left. However, I need to spread the risk and develop other markets. It is dangerous to have all your eggs in the same basket.” For the first time he will have a stand at the Salon des Vins de Loire at the beginning of February.

Unlike many Loire vignerons Bruno had his normal yield in 2008 – averaging 55 hl/ha.

Bruno: “Apart from picking some Chardonnay to make sparkling wine, the main harvest really started on 10th October and we finished on 25th. The last grapes to be picked were the Chenin, which came in at 15.5 and is currently slowly fermenting in barrel.

We started with the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Les Buissonets, which was bottled last Friday. This is the only 2008 from Domaine de la Grange that is finished and is just a small bottling, so he has something to sell over Christmas. It was also the first finished 2008 that I have tasted. Initially quite ripe and rich, it is tight in the finished – hardly surprising as it was only bottled three days ago. Les Buissonets has 14˚ of alcohol, 4.5 gms acidity and 5 gms of residual sugar to round it out.

The rest of the wines were ‘brut de cuve’. Naturally they may well change considerably before they are bottled, so my comments should be read in that light. These are wines in progress. Next up a very pretty Touraine Rosé made from 100% Grolleau, which will be bottled in January. It should make a very attractive drink if we have a good spring and summer.

Then a soft and reasonably concentrated Gamay. Followed by a deep coloured Cabernet Franc, which is yet to go through its malolactic. So, too, the Côt (Malbec) that was just starting its malo. Both wines have good structure and are encouraging approachable despite lacking the softening effect of the malo.

Bruno and his 2008 Chenin Blanc

The last red was another Cabernet Franc that was picked on 21st October and spent 45 days on the marc (skins and pips etc.). This is a lot more tannic than the other Cabernet Franc. I fancy it will need a far while to soften. We finished with a taste of the fermenting Chenin – still at the appley Bernache stage.

Bruno Curassier, Domaine de la Grange, Rue de la Grange, 37150 Bléré. Tel: 02.47.57.68.18; (mob) 06.60.04.99.19; curassier@wanadoo.fr