Benoît Fouassier and Michael Ott (right)@a Decanter event

I was very sorry to learn yesterday from Paul Fouassier of Domaine Fouassier (Sancerre) that Michael Ott, their long time UK agent, had died last weekend following a sudden illness. I invariably saw Michael at the Salon des Vins de Loire. He was always enthusistic about the wines and he had a quiet sense of humour.

This was a useful opportunity to taste a good number of Loire wines fairly quickly. I was rather unusually well organised for the tasting as I had downloaded the tasting catalogue in advance and printed off the lists from exhibitors showing Loire wines. Something worth doing as it saved a lot of time scrabbling through the 105 page catalogue on the day.

Highlights included the rich and opulent 2008 Quincy from Phillippe Portier and the soft and concentrated 2006 Concerto Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Vignoble de la Janoterie These two producers are looking for UK importers. I tried all the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc AC Touraine Ambassadors, the Interloire project involving Interloire). From these I'd pick out: quite concentrated Ante Vinum, Château de Quinçay (Meusnes in the Cher Valley and a producer of Touraine and Valençay),  the very zippy and fresh Domaine de Fontenay (Didier Corby), the 2009 Châteauvieux from Pierre Chainier, the Cristal Buisse (Paul Buisse – now part of Pierre Chainier) and Domaine Gibault (Les Martinières, Noyers-sur-Cher).

I tasted the full range on show from Domaine Fouassier (Sancerre) – represented on this occasion by Benoît and Paul Fouassier and the ever green, Michael Ott, The estate is in full conversion to biodynamic viticulture  and tasting these wines confirms my view that this a domaine on the move. Among the around dozen wines tasted I particularly liked the mouthfilling 2008 'sur la fort' white Sancerre from limestone slopes and the weighty and minerally 2008 Les Chasseignes (clay and limestone). Although they have been making Melodie de Gustave Fouassier since 1996, I hadn't come across it before. This Sancerre Blanc is a blend that is selected at the momenrt of pressing and then fermented for around 10 months in wood. Only 3000 bottles are made, which is probably why I haven't encountered it before. There is still a touch of wood on the 2006 but it has attractive rich and toasty fruit. 

It was good to taste some of Daniel Lambert Wines Ltd's selection of Loire wines including those from Domaine Villageau in the Coteaux du Giennois like the clean and weighty 2009 white (100% Sauvignon Blanc) and too reds that have a minimal percentage of Gamay – presumably to comply with the absurd AC regulations that ban 100% Pinot Noir and insist on a small percentage of Gamay. The 2008 Les LiCôtes has an attractive, ripe Pinot Noir character of some structure. Aged in wood it doesn't need its small drop of Gamay. Under the VDQS regulations Villageau could market a 100% Pinot Noir, if AC regulations were based on common sense they would be able to sell a 100% Pinot Noir as an AC Coteaux du Giennois.

Daniel had a couple of 2008 Sancerres from Balland-Chapuis – I preferred the more mineral La Vallion to the other Sancerre that rather dominated by asparagus notes.

To finish.. 

Benoit Fouassier sorting Pinot Noir: 28th September 2009

Hello Jim,

Les vendanges sont maintenant terminées chez nous depuis vendredi soir, où nous avons fini la vendange manuelle de la dernière parcelle de Pinot Noir.

Ce millésime devrait être fantastique chez nous, tant les moûts sont fruités et équilibrés. Les rendements sont minuscules, environ 21 hl/ha pour les blancs et 23 pour les rouges, avec des degrés allant de 13.5 à 14.5, mais de bonnes acidités (4.5 à 6). Nous devrions donc avoir des vins bien équilibrés et pleins de matière.

Les fermentations viennent de démarrer et nous pourrons déguster ensemble nos vins lors de ton prochain passage à Sancerre !

Amicalement,

Benoit

Benoit Fouassier
Domaine Fouassier
180 Avenue de Verdun
18300 Sancerre
contact@fouassier.fr
www.fouassier.fr
02.48.54.02.34

Domaine Fouassier: Boxes of Pinot Noir waiting to be sorted

From the heights above Chavignol looking across vineyards to Sancerre with virtually all the vines in the photo within the commune of Sancerre

Eric Asimov (New York Times and The Pour) is one of my favourite US wine columnists. In mid-April his weekly article ‘Sancerre: Say It With Feeling’ 15th April 2009 was devoted to Sancerre and centred around a tasting of 2007 white Sancerres. I was pleased to see the 2007 from Lucien Crochet come out as the top recommendation. I think Gilles Crochet is currently doing a terrific job in all three of the colours of Sancerre. The runners up were Jean-Paul Picard, Domaine Vacheron and Pascal Cotat.

However, my attention was also caught by this assertion: ‘This is Sancerre territory, centered around the villages of Bué and Chavignol (very little wine comes from the town of Sancerre itself).’ (enboldened by Jim)

In this instance Eric Asimov is incorrect – some of the appellation’s biggest names are based in or around the town of Sancerre. I suspect that Sancerre producers like Château de Sancerre, Domaine Fouassier, Alphonse Mellot, Joseph Mellot, Domaine Vacheron and La Cave de Sancerre (co-operative) would take issue with him and I could throw in Pascal Cotat and Vincent Grall for good measure. Indeed four of Eric’s recommended producers (Vacheron, Pascal Cotat, Château de Sancerre and Thomas Labaille) come from the commune of Sancerre.

Leaving aside the producers the commune of Sancerre does also have some significant vineyards, in particular to the west, south west and south of the town. Famous sites such as La Moussière, Les Grands Champs, Les Romains and La Belle Dame are all in Sancerre.

Vines to west of town of Sancerre in the area that includes Les Grands Champs, La Moussière and Le Paradis

The commune of Sancerre also includes the villages of Amigny and Chavignol, although I suspect the inhabitants of Chavignol would insist that Sancerre is actually an adjunct or suburb of Chavignol and that French bureaucracy has made a mistake here. However until that decision is reversed, La Côte des Monts Damnés, Le Cul de Beaujeu and La Grand Côte are in Sancerre.

7th March 2009

This is undoubtedly one of the new-style red Sancerres – an example of the rolling red revolution happening in Sancerre and elsewhere in the Central Vineyards. Empreinte is another of the wines that I picked out from the December 2008 tasting.

From a plot of 1.3 hectares with vines aged at least 45 years – hand-picked fruit with a yield of 26 hl/ha. Deep coloured red, concentrated black fruits – a powerful wine with some toasty wood notes that would be difficult to identify as a Sancerre red. If the Pascal Jolivet 2005 Exception was in the style of a Côte de Beaune, Empreinte is more Côte de Nuits with a nod towards Chile – perhaps Cono Sur’s 20 Barrels? Ideally needs more time and would surely age happily for at least five to eight years. Certainly impressive but I suspect that in vintages of Empreinte to come, Paul and Benoît Fouassier will be looking for a style that has greater finesse.