Philippe Germain taking a sample of Anjou Blanc@La Roulerie 

 
At the end of May Philippe Germain (Château de la Roulerie in Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné) sent me samples of four of his recent whites: all Chenin Blanc – two Anjou Blancs and two Coteaux du Layon.

2010 Chenin Blanc (Anjou Blanc) 

Philippe is well aware that in a number of markets Chenin Blanc has higher value than Anjou Blanc so isn't afraid to emphasise Chenin Blanc on his 'basic' dry white cuvée. The 2010 is attractively fresh and lemony with a hint of honey in the mid-palate finishing cleanly mineral.

2010 Les Terrasses

The 2010 Les Terrasses has more weight, depth and length than the straight Anjou. Well balanced with quite marked acidity this needs a year or so to show its best. 

2010 Coteaux du Layon
 

Philippe makes two Layons: this 'basic' cuvée and Les Aunis. Once again here is a demonstration that concentrated sweetness isn't everything in sweet wines. The 2010 basic Layon makes a most attractive aperitif with its fresh citric sweetness and clean finish. This is a Layon to drink with sauced dishes – a pheasant or chicken à la normande (apple and cream) for example or with blue cheese even rich patés but certainly not with desserts. The 2009 Les Aunis is considerably richer with peach and apricot fruit, some honey but is more cloying lacking the fresh acidity you find in a 2007 or a 2010. It would, however, be a reasonable bet with a fruit tart or a fresh summer fruit dessert.   

2009 Saumur Blanc, Domaine de Nerleux

Last night three of us had a quick bite to eat at the RSJ Restaurant before heading off to the National Theatre to see a gritty Glaswegian play called Men weeping buckets (Men should weep – ed). Naturally short of time we chose a half bottle of Régis and Babette Neau's 2009 Saumur Blanc from Domaine de Nerleux. 100% Chenin Blanc this is showing very well at the moment with rich peach and quince fruit but with enough acidity in the finish to carry it off.   

2009 Anjou Rouge (Cabernet Franc), Château de la Roulerie

We following this with a half of Anjou Rouge from Philippe Germain. Delicious at the moment with soft, quite opulent sooty fruit – very 2009.

Philippe chatting over the aperitif 

The always enthusiastic Philippe Germain was over in London this week and on Tuesday evening presented a short range of his wines at the RSJ. Philippe moved from Bordeaux in 2001 and initially worked with his father, Bernard, selling the range of Germain wines that included Château de Fesles that was subsequently sold to Grands Chais de France. 

In 2006 he acquired the lovely Château de la Roulerie in Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné in one of the best parts of the Layon.   

Wines were:

Aperitif:  

2007 Chenin Blanc, Anjou Blanc 
This 2007 is showing very well at the moment with lovely pure citric fruit, especially grapefruit – all the precision and purity that is typical of the 2007 vintage.

Whites:
2009 Chenin Blanc, Anjou Blanc

Naturally still youthful with the weight you would expect of 2009 with floral and grapefruit notes. Closed with a screwcap.

2008 Les Terrasses, Anjou Blanc 
Philippe's top dry white from vines on terraces created by Gaston Lenôtre in the early 1990s. Very clean with brilliant minerality.

Served with goats cheese and asparagus salad with crouton




Philippe is happy to admit that the schisteous terroir of La Roulerie is not ideally suited to making red wine. Indeed he would rather concentrate on the whites but his brother, Thierry of Domaine des Roches Neuves, urges him to continue to make red as well. In truth the Roulerie reds are pleasant and well made but they are ones to drink young, enjoy young and not to be taken particularly seriously.  

Philippe in full flight   

Reds:
2009 Cabernet Franc, Anjou Rouge 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, Anjou Rouge 

Philippe waited until around 20th October to pick when the fruit was fully ripe. Unusually this has 10% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in. Youthful black fruits with some structure  and still attractive freshness in the finish despite the wine having 13-13.5% alcohol. 

2008 Cabernet Franc, Anjou Rouge  

Soft attractive, easy drinking fruit.

Served with roast rib eye beef with new potatoes, summer vegetables and red wine sauce

 1990 Cuvée Louis

Sweet: 
1990 Cuvée Louis, Coteaux du Layon Chaume, Château de la Roulerie,
The definite star of the evening a lovely sweet wine made by Dominique Jadeau – the last vintage he made before he sold Roulerie to Lenôtre. Medium gold – the 1990s took on colour very early – with rich dried apricot and peachy fruit and the typical Loire acidity that stops these rich wines being cloying. Very long flavour too. Really a wine to enjoy by itself instead of a dessert or after the end of the meal.

Served with apple meringue pie with pecan ice cream

1 February 2009

The elegant front of La Roulerie

Following the Renaissance des Appellations tasting at Les Greniers Saint-Jean in Angers, Tom King (RSJ Wine Company) and I headed off to Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné in the Layon to see Philippe Germain at Château de la Roulerie. Although Philippe has been living at La Roulerie since 2001, and since 2004 has been making the wine with his older brother, Thierry (Domaine des Roches Neuves in Saumur), 2008 was the first year they had made wine at La Roulerie. Previously the wine had made at Château de Fesles in Bonnezeaux.

Philippe Germain drawing a sample of 2008 Anjou Blanc

Philippe’s father, Bernard Germain, bought Fesles in 1996 along with Château de la Guimonière and Château de la Roulerie from pastry chef Gaston Lenotre, who died at the beginning of 2009. Lenotre had bought them in a fit of enthusiasm in 1991 following the wonderful vintages of 1989 and 1990, which unfortunately were followed by the severely frosted 1991, very mediocre 1992, average 1993 and difficult 1994. I fancy Lenotre had little inkling of the risk involved in making great sweet wine in the Loire nor that, if you do succeed, it is decidedly difficult to sell.

At the height of his pomp Bernard had 300 hectares of vine – 200 in Bordeaux and 100 in Anjou. Unfortunately Bernard ran into financial problems and last year (23rd June) was obliged to sell Fesles to Grands Chais de France. There had already been a meeting of the family in 2006 when Philippe and Thierry apparently declined to take on Fesles. During the course of our visit I asked Philippe how his father was. His guarded reply suggested that relations between the two brothers and their father at present are unfortunately not good.

Some of the grounds and the vineyards

First and foremost Philippe is a salesman and this, allied with his natural enthusiasm at making his first vintage at Roulerie in the hastily renovated chai, produced a vintage performance which not even a very painful dental complaint could temper. Following Philippe around the cellar tasting from 400 litre barrels we were regaled with an almost continuous commentary that included frequent repetitions of “chers messieurs”, “très sincerement” and other similar phrases. Apparently wine has not been made here for nearly 20 years since Dominique Jadeau sold the property to Lenôtre.

Philippe in full flight!

Philippe: “In 2008 we made 40% of normal – 538 hls compared to 730 hls in 2007 and 850 hls in 2006. The summer was catastrophic. The grape skins were very thick and there was little juice. At La Roulerie we have 24 hectares, which are in 22 separate parcels.

The focus is on Philippe!

We only tasted 2008s including the mineral La Petite Roulerie from vines between 20 and 25 years old that overlook Saint-Aubin and the richer and fuller Les Terrasses, planted on grey schist. We tasted Les Terrasses from both barrel and from a 27 hl wooden conical vat that Philippe has on test. We also tasted the rich, black fruited 2008 Anjou Rouge, which will be bottled in March. “Normally we would make 180 hls of this wine,” said Philippe, “in 2008 we only made 94 hls. We were hit by frost on 23rd/24th April and then later by mildew.”

The conical wooden vat

As with other Layon producers the hopes of a good sweet vintage which developed during the fine October weather were cruelly dashed by continuous rain in November. The 1er Tri of the 27th/28th October has 55 gms of residual sugar and is a quite rich blend of honey and citric flavours. It should be an attractive easy drinking Layon to enjoy young.

The Layon was still bathed in brilliantly bright sunshine when we left Philippe to get ready to entertain a group of merchants, out for the Salon, to dinner.

Philippe Germain, Château de la Roulerie, 49190 Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné
Tel: 02.41.68.94.00
Email: loire@vgas.com
Web: www.vgas.com