A few bunches of Chasselas enjoying the evening sunshine 

Given the rather meagre prices certain Pauillacs achieve these days I suppose the INAO might be prepared to consider extending the range of grape varieties permitted in the appellation to help the producers in their hour of need. Possibly you might even see a new appellation – Pauillac-sur-Garonne – with 100% Chasselas permitted ...

Although I’m not all sure about Pouilly-Fumé being the ‘pearl of the Loire’ given its variable present day quality, this is an informative and interesting study of Pouilly-Fumé. I’m finding the chapter, written by Patrick Coulbois, on its history particularly interesting.

As in Sancerre there were some red grapes planted here before the arrival of phylloxera at the end of the 19th century, although unlike in Sancerre red varieties were never the majority. Instead it was Chasselas and Sauvignon Blanc that dominated. As Coulbois explains in the chaopthat Sauvignon Blanc had already established its reputation in Pouilly at the beginning of the 19th century. Pinot Noir was planted in Pouilly along with Gascon, L’Oeillade plus other red varieties including I assume Gamay. Claude Courtois in the Sologne has a vineyard of Gascon – click here for details and L’Oeillade is a synomym for Cinsault, although it would be surprising if this variety was planted so far north. Perhaps this was a different variety. Would like to hear from anyone who knows.

In 1793 un poinçon (223 litres – nearly the equivalent of today’s barrique) of Pouilly sold for 134 livres. This compared to 100 livres for Sancerre and 84 from wine from Cosne – now part of the Coteaux de Giennois. Red wine from Pouilly sold for 90 livres. In 1829 there were 1890 hectares in the region of Pouilly. After phylloxera and two World Wars this had fallen to just 430 hectares by 1970. There are now 1224 hectares planted.

Throughout its history Pouilly has experienced good and bad times – years of prosperity and years of misery as Coulbois recounts.

There are also useful chapters on the soils and geology of Pouilly. Unfortunately the chapter on the evolution of the vineyard in recent times is stronger on poetry than on substance. In the photo chapter on the vignerons of Pouilly appears to be missing some significant figures: Didier Dagueneau (no surprise here), Patrick Ladoucette and Jean-Louis Saget.

Pouilly-Fumé was published in 2007 by terre en vues 34€. It includes a number of very fine photos from a number of contributors.

The sales figures for the campaign 1st August 2007 to 31st July 2008 have just been released and they show that the overall volume of sales was almost identical to the campaign 2006/07. At 301,968 hl the 2007 harvest was up by 1.5% on 2006 – 297,371 hl. 301,886 hl were sold in 2007/08 against 302,690 hl in the previous year. This means that sales almost exactly matched the volume of the 2007 harvest. Breaking that down by appellation, shows that Sancerre at 165,810 hl was down 1% on the previous year, Pouilly-Fumé at 74,778 (down 4%), Châteaumeillant, which had a very small harvest was down by 2%, and Pouilly-sur-Loire down by 15%.

The drop in sales of Pouilly-sur-Loire reflects the continued decline in the production of Pouilly-sur-Loire, now easily the smallest appellation of the Central Vineyards. In 2004 there was 2367 hl made, 2005 (2193 hl), 2006 (1987 hl) and just 1918 hl in 2007 – a drop of 19% in four years. There are now only 33 ha of Chasselas in production.

In contrast sales of the rest of the appellations were all up; Menetou-Salon (6%), Quincy (15%), Reuilly (5%) and Coteaux du Giennois (11%).

48.5% of sales are outside France. The campaign saw increases in the UK (+3%), which is still easily the largest export market, and the US (1%). They also increased in Holland (11%), Norway (20%) and Ireland (20%). However, sales in Belgium and Germany dropped by 9% and 4% respectively and also Canada, which was down by 20%. The whites dominate the export market with 92.8% of the volume, 4.4% for the rosés and just 2.8% for the reds

It will be interesting to see how sales hold up in 2007/08, which promises to be one of the most difficult for many years. It may well be fortunate that the possible drop in demand coincides with the small 2008 harvest.

Source: BIVC

Sign on the bridge at Pouilly-sur-Loire

(12 August 2008: Pouilly-sur-Loire)
To get to Domaine Serge Dagueneau et Filles in Saint-Andelain we took the truss bridge (built in 1902) across the Loire into Pouilly-sur-Loire. The bridge marks the halfway point in the Loire’s long almost 1000 km journey from the Mont Gerbier de Jonc in lower part of the Massif Central and only a little over 100 km from the Mediterranean. On the eastern side of the bridge there is a small plaque that indicates that there are 496 km upstream to the source and 496 km to the Atlantic.

It is rare for women to be prominent in family wine businesses in the Loire. Yet it is often the women who keep the show on the road, frequently unheralded. Often they keep the books, receive visitors and organise the pickers without getting official recognition. Here at Serge Dagueneau the women – his wife and their two daughters – are centre stage and, in a patchy appellation, this is a domaine I’m happy to recommend.

Florence Dagueneau

Florence Dagueneau met us – she has been working here full-time since 1987. We started with the soft and lightly grapy 2007 Pouilly-sur-Loire made from a small half hectare plot of Chasselas handed down from her great grandmother. The vines were planted just after phylloxera. Once the main grape of Pouilly – albeit largely as a table grape – there are now only just over 30 ha left compared to 1205 ha of Sauvignon Blanc. Although Florence told us that both Thierry Redde (Michel Redde et Fils) and Sophie Guyollot (Landrat–Guyollot) have recently replanted some Chasselas – perhaps to ensure that part of Pouilly’s history does not die out. In addition to their small parcel of Chasselas, the Dagueneau family has 17 ha of Sauvignon Blanc for their Pouilly-Fumé plus an additional couple of hectares in the VDP Coteaux-Charitois, a little to the north east of the market town of La Charité. These are planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Beurrot – a local name for Pinot Gris.

Like some other parts of the Loire (Muscadet’s crop was reduced by some 50% by the frost of 7th April), Pouilly has not been treated kindly by the weather this year. On 24th June a violent hailstorm tore through parts of the appellation causing severe damage. Unfortunately the Dagueneaus were amongst those hit. Florence took us out into the vineyard by the winery to show us some of the damage.

Vine canes lacerated by hail

“About a quarter of Pouilly’s vineyards were damaged. We have lost some of the crop, although we have a few grapes left here. Many of the canes have been lacerated by the hail and this will make it difficult to prune this winter – finding suitable canes that are not damaged.”

Back to the tasting – starting with the straight grassy 2007 Pouilly-Fumé, which makes up 90% of their production. The 2006 is richer and more perfumed. In the terroir series, Clos des Chaudoux comes from vines close to the winery of Michel Redde et Fils on clay limestone marne kimmeridgean soils with their characteristics fossilised shellfish. There is an arc of marne kimmeridgean that starts in the Aube (Southern Champagne region) appears in Chablis and reappears here in Pouilly-sur-Loire, Sancerre and Menetou-Salon. It ends in Quincy and Reuilly but is submerged here under the alluvial soils brought down by the Cher from the Massif Central. (See James E, Wilson: Terroir, Mitchell-Beazley pages 244-256.) The 2006 Chaudoux has some attractive weight and minerality from yields of 40-45 hl/ha. However I preferred the concentrated and rich 2006 La Leontine from limestone soils. Vinified in barriques of three wines it has a light touch of wood, some yellow plum, butter and an attractive touch of bitterness at the end. We ended with the very ripe, apricotty Les Filles 2005 on flint and from grapes grown on flint and harvested two weeks after the rest.

Then a quick look at the Coteaux Charitois with the soft and spicy 2006 Pinot Beurrot being the most interesting, although the light coloured Pinot Noir was agreeable as was the sparkling made from a cocktail of the rest of the varieties that aren’t planted in sufficient quantity to vinify separately.

The Dagueneau vines in the Coteaux Charitois. (Pic: Florence Dagueneau)

We had time to grab a quick omelette and chips at the rather run down Bon Accueil on the northern end of the main drag through the centre of Pouilly before heading up to Saint Andelain for our 2pm appointment with Didier Dagueneau.

Serge Dagueneau et Filles, Les Berthiers, 58150 Saint Andelain. Tel: 03.86.39.11.18
www.s-dagueneau-filles.fr