Citroen tractor avant

The father of Vincent Roussely (Clos Roussely, AC Touraine) has amassed a remarkable collection of vintage lorries and cars. He acquired many of them during the 60s and 70s for very little cost at a time when the local farmers were happy for him to take them off their hands. Some were exchanged for a few bottles of wine. As part of Vincent's work on the Clos Roussely in Angé some of them will be exhibited.

Nicolas van

 

Vincent on the phone in the temporary boutique in the centre of Angé

"I'm le chef du chantier," explains Vincent Roussel, "which means I'm responsible for all the decisions and I have to admit this gives me some sleepless nights!"

This year Vincent moved his winemaking operation back to Angé, his home village and where his great grandfather started the family domaine at the end of the 19th century. After having made wine in Bordeaux, Australia and California, Vincent returned to the Cher Valley in 2000. and set up in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher His father was not interested in vines and wine production and the family's wine-making facilities in Angé were rented out to Vinival, now part of Les Grands Chais de France. Incidentally this is where Eric Chevalier, who now makes excellent wine in Muscadet Côtes de Grand Lieu, was based when he worked for Vinival.

In 2009 the arrangement with Grands Chais de France came to an end and Vincent was able to move back to the family's historic premises in Angé. Then in April he was able to complete the purchase of the eight hectare vineyard in Angé from the other members of the Roussely family. The vineyard is planted with Sauvignon Blanc and is on the premières côtes du Cher. Part of it is above the cellars so grapes can be emptied straight down a chute into either the press or a vat.

Vertical chute down from the vineyard into the cellar

Now from his office in their temporary shop on the Place de l'Eglise, Vincent is planning and supervising the transformation of the facilities on the nearby Rue du Château. Some of the buildings on the left hand side of the road have been demolished. In their place will be a visitors' car park with the rest of the ground given over to trees and plants down as far as the small stream that runs past the property and into the Cher. A longère tourangelle (one-storey house) is being transformed into a place to receive and entertain groups, who will doubtless include some from the vine sharing company, mes vignes. There will also be a tasting room and sales office. Once the work has been completed, Clos Roussely will move out of the temporary boutique, which used to be the village épicerie (grocery store). Angé's mayor has offered the store to Vincent during the renovations and paid for the repairs, as it was in a very poor state.

There will also be a museum of old lorries and cars as Vincent's father has been an avid collector of these for some 35 years.

The winemaking facilities are underground with a constant temperature of around 11˚C. Until the 2010 vintage the last vintage made here was in 1978 as Vincent's grandfather died in 1980. The cellars, which include some vats carved out of the tuffeau (the local limestone), will soon be made more hygenic and easier to clean by fitting a stainless steel interior.

Limestone vat

Vehicles from Vincent's father's collection (below)

Vincent Roussely and the 2006 Anthologie du Clos

Although I have drunk some of the wines before, today was the first time I have visited Clos Roussely. There I met Vincent Roussely, who took over the domaine in 2000. Vincent has 22ha of vines. 14 here in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher, which he bought from a couple from Champagne when he set up in 2000. The property was previously called Domaine de la Chauverie. Vincent has another 8ha at the small village of Angé just a few kilometres further east down the Cher Valley. Angé is where the Roussely's have their roots. Mention of the family in the local archives goes back to 1650 and Vincent's grandfather and great-grandfather looked after the family vines here. His great grandfather was the first to train his vines rather than letting them grow as bush vines.

Vincent did his training at Bordeaux and Reims and then spent time working at L’Avenir in South Africa, BRL Hardy in Australia and Moët & Chandon in California. Vincent’s father was a négociant in Angé but he sold his business in 1996. The deal included renting the cellars to the purchaser. This is why Vincent had to find new premises in which to vinify when he returned in 2000. The cellars in Angé has just become free again, so the buildings of the Clos Roussely are now up for sale as Vincent intends in future to vinify at Angé in future. Starting in 2009 if he is able to sell building at Saint-Georges.

Cement vats dating from 1905

The eight hectares at Angé are on the premier côte, which is principally limestone, and are planted with Sauvignon Blanc. The vineyards are in their second year of conversion to organic status and will be receive their certification next year. Vincent’s aim is for the vines at Saint-Georges-sur-Cher to be organic but he explains that this will be more difficult than at Angé because the soils here – argile-silex – are heavier with a higher proportion of clay. However, the vineyard is here is grassed over and weeds under the vines are kept under control by cultivation.

Vincent: “The soils here are well suited to red varieties. We have Côt, Cabernet, Gamay and Pineau d’Aunis. Some of the Pineau d’Aunis is over 100 years old – planted in 1905 the same year as the first concrete vats in the chai were built. The yields from the old Pineau vines are low – between 12/20hl per ha. However, 90% of the original vines still survive.”

We tasted his current range of wines and I was impressed with the attractively citric and gooseberry Le Clos Touraine Sauvignon 2007 (5.20€ retail from the domaine), the delicately floral and peppery 2007 Temps Danse – the rosé made from the old Pineau d’Aunis vines, and the delicate and fine Crémant de Loire – a blend of 80% Chenin Blanc and 20% Chardonnay. The base wine is from 2004 and spent nearly four years sur latte, which explains its finesse. Once again I was impressed by the Anthologie du Clos 2006, which I have already drunk on a couple of occasions. A blend of 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Côt, this rich and attractively texture wine should age well over the next four or five years.

The domaine's emblem

Vincent has commissioned an interesting and attractive design, which includes a dragon representing Saint-George, the fleur de lys of France, a broken spear in a V – victory shape and vine leaves. Unfortunately on a number of his labels this is combined with a picture of the vineyard and cellars in Angé (see photo of Anthologie du Clos 2006 below) making the label rather cluttered and not taking full advantage of the quite striking design.

2006 Anthologie du Clos

Vincent is certainly another promising young producer in the Cher Valley and is certainly one to follow.

Vincent Roussely, Domaine du Clos Roussely, La Chauverie, 41400 Saint–Georges-sur-Cher.
Tel: 02.54.32.86.46
Email: clos_roussely@yahoo.fr
Web: www.clos-roussely.fr

(8th August 2008)

Dinner at the Auberge du Château du Montpoupon (02.47.94.25.53). Montpoupon is a hunting property on the road from Monbtrichard to Loches. Parts of the present château date from the Middle Ages but the spot has been inhabited since the time of Charlemagne. The Auberge has been through a number of hands. The last proprietor was Belgian with a Russian wife. It changed hands earlier on this year and reopened at the beginning of July. The present owners used to run a restaurant in Arcachon and the wife comes from nearby Epeigné-les-Bois and Luzillé.

There are menus at €19 and €26 with a lunchtime one (three courses for €15). The restaurant is closed on Monday. We had an enjoyable meal (the gambas in garlic sauce being the stand-out dish), although the €26 menu is quite pricey for what you get and it is not difficult to get better value elsewhere. We tried several wines from the 25 ha Le Clos Roussely in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher. We started with the easy drinking Temps Danse 2007, a Pineau d’Aunis Rosé, before moving onto Canaille 2007, a well-made 100% Gamay and not dilute as Touraine Gamay can be, and finished with the 2006 Anthologie du Clos. This is a fairly full-bodied, ripe blend of Cabernet Franc and Côt, which can be drunk now but will improve over the next three to five years. Le Clos is now run by Vincent Roussely, who took over in 2000 after working in a number of places including Australia, California and South Africa.

Postscript: A return visit on 30th August 2008 was less successful. The main course of confit de canard had an unnecessary sauce, a mound of roasted vegetables shoveled onto the plate and a curious potato mould. It did, however, confirm the pleasing quality of the 2006 Anthologie du Clos. Although the young staff were attentive, the owner couldn’t be bothered to come over to say hello – easily and quickly done as there were only ten people in the restaurant on this Saturday night. Doubt if we will be rushing back.