Am very pleased to have received the following information from Florent Baumard relating to previous posts on cryoextraction and yields in the Quarts de Chaume :

'We just finished our harvest today, under sunshine.

I just had no time to reply yet to your mail.

These green grapes were not going to produce Quarts de Chaume of course. Although, the fantastic arrière saison we had, brought amazing botrytis all over the vineyard this year. I had never seen such conditions, and the wines (even from so so grapes should be very fine...)

Of course, only the adequate grapes are used for Quarts de Chaume, the others end up in non aoc wine, or remain in the vineyard. But with chenin blanc, the color of the grape is not sufficient to judge it's quality, but we will talk about it when you next come. 

And selection in all senses makes Quarts de Chaume.

I am now grown up enough to know what to do with my grapes, and to decide of the way to cultivate. If you had contacted me then, I would have explained the reasons and situation.' 

Naturally when I next visit Domaine des Baumard I will be posting a full account of our discussions. 

Florent Baumard@the 2006 Salon des Vins de Loire with his screwcapped Clos du Papillon, Savennières

It's now well over three years since Florent Baumard became the first top quality Loire producer to opt to bottle his wines in screwcap. While the move to screwcaps in the Loire continues to be fairly slow, less slow amongst the négociants, agreed, but slow with many individual producers, it has now made surprising progress in Portugal – the heartland of the world's cork industry. This morning I was surprised to see a half bottle of Mateus Rosé sealed with a screwcap. Admittedly full sized bottles on sale were still closed with a cork but presumably these will move in time to screwcap too.

If Sogrape now feel comfortable to use screwcaps on Mateus in Portugal, when will producers in Sancerre, Pouilly and, especially, Muscadet follow suit? After all it is now nearly 10 years since the Clare Valley Riesling producers set off the screwcap revolution in 2000.

Florent Baumard with his screwcapped Clos de Papillon, Savennières: Salon des Vins de Loire 2006

Sunday's posting on the tyranny of French sommeliers has provoked considerable comment – the closure debate is far from over! So I thought it was timely to post a news item I wrote for decanter.com back in February 2006 that covered Florent Baumard's brave move to opt for screwcaps.

Top Loire wines go into screwcap: (9th February 2006)

'One of the best estates in the Loire has sent shock waves through the wine establishment by moving its entire production to screwcap.

Domaine des Baumard in Anjou, recently selected by Robert Parker as one of only three Loire producers to qualify for inclusion in his book The World's Greatest Wine Estates, is the first top quality Loire producer to opt for screwcaps.

At this week's Salon des Vins de Loire, Florent Baumard unveiled his Clos du Papillon Savennières 2003 and Quarts de Chaume 2004 in stelvin.

Until now only a few of the larger Loire producers like Vinival/LaCheteau, part of Les Grands Chais de France, and Allliance Loire have chosen screwcaps and only for their cheaper ranges.

Baumard is using the new high quality Stelvin. This closure has only recently become available and is designed to look more like a traditional closure than screwcap. 'From next year all of my production will go into screwcap,' Florent Baumard told decanter.com.

Reaction to Baumard's move was mixed. Many producers like Eric Morgat (Château du Breuil), Stephan Branchereau (Domaine des Forges) and Michel Villedey (Langlois-Chateau) were interested by the move, and described the new closure as 'classy'.

Others, like Henry Marionnet, were aghast at the idea of two of the Loire's most renowned wines going under screwcap.
(from decanter.com)