2008 Le Piloris Pinot Noir, AC Touraine, Jacky and Pascal Preys

When first opened at around or slightly below room temperature, this 2008 Pinot Noir from Jacky and Pascal Preys had rather marked acidity with its vibrant red fruits. Chilled down several degrees to I guess around 12-13˚C it became thoroughly delicious with the acidity and fruit nicely in balance.
  
By rights I should have tested the temperature before and after but I'm afraid I did neither as I was more concerned with sorting out something to drink with dinner. 

Incidentally pure Pinot Noir will no longer be tolerated in Touraine's New World Order. Yet the Preys' home town of Meusnes in eastern part of Touraine is close to Reuilly (45K) with Pinot Noir approved for the reds under the AC rules.    

 

Sauvignon  Blanc@Jacky Preys

Empyting a picking machine@Jean-François Merieau

This week has seen most Touraine producers start picking with some, like Vincent Ricard, accelerating following the heavy rain Thursday night/ early Friday morning.

This afternoon we had a quick drive round to see a number of producers – just dropping in to see how the harvest was progressing.

Joël Delaunay on his picking machine (La Tesnière, Pouillé)

Jean-Christophe Mandard (Mareuil) measuring the potential alcohol in his Sauvignon Blanc juice

 

Jacky  Preys (Meusnes) watching Sauvignon Blanc grapes being unloaded

Sunday night's apero: 2007 Cuvée de Fié Gris VV Touraine Domaine Jacky Preys. Made from Sauvignon Rosé (also called Fie Gris and Sauvignon Gris) which is more gentle and less assertive than many a Sauvignon Blanc. Jacky has been in the forefront of the revivial of interest in this grape variety. The vines are planted in flinty soil.

Unfortunately I understand that the new AC Touraine regulations will not permit 100% Sauvignon Rose. Just another example of how daft the new rules are.   

Off to Les Caves de Pyrène tasting later today. Will be interesting as always and interesting to see how many producers will have been able to make it over.

 Jacky Preys: late September 2009

Excellent post here on Cory Cartwright's Saignée blog about the diversity of wine and the threats to this diversity by large scale, global branding. It has already been widely picked up most notably probably on Eric Asimov's The Pour. Towards the end of the post Cory expresses some cautious optimism that people are now looking for variety and he cites the work of producers like the Puzelat brothers, Les Foucault, Jacky Preys, François Cazin etc. There are other that can be added such as Pascal Potaire with Menu Pineau and Eric Chevalier following on from Jacky Preys with his Fie Gris.    

Intriguing wine from Jacky Preys. Apart from a very early tank sample of the 2009 Silex I don't remember tasting this cuvée from Jacky before – not really a surprise as my tastings of the Preys wines have been irregular over the years. The 2006 Silex was less mineral than I expected, more aromas and flavours of fennel – quite rich as befits the year. I should taste the 2007 and 2008, which I fancy will be more austere and mineral. Certainly an enjoyable glass of wine but not obviously Touraine Sauvignon.

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Alex Mathur, Montlouis
Sadly this promising domaine went bankrupt in May and has ceased production. This is confirmation of a rumour I heard some months ago. Prior to being Alex Mathur this domaine was called Levasseur.

2007 Pinot Noir Le Piloris

Jacky and Pascal Preys demonstrate with this delicious, light Pinot Noir that Loire Valley Pinot does not have to ape Burgundy to be good. In no sense is this a grand vin or one to lay down but it shows what can be done in a difficult year for reds if you treat the fruit that the vintage gives sensibly. With its red fruits, light structure and refreshing acidity this is best served cool and enjoyed with friends. It's a good match with salmon – I drank it with salmon fish cakes – and other meaty fish. I'd drink it in the next year or so.

2007 Cuvée Fie Gris, Vieille Vigne AC Touraine

This is Domaine Jackie Preys best known wine. Made from the Fié Gris or Sauvignon Rose/Sauvignon Gris Jacky happened to have a parcel of some of the last vines existing of this variety. The 2007 Fié Gris is attractively aromatic with marked grassy and citric scents, clean, mineral palate and with quite austere acidity in the finish, so typical of this vintage. I love the precision and austerity of the 2007s but do acknowledge that others find them challenging.

Unfortunately the appellation contrôlée system encourages uniformity rather than encouraging diversity and finding a place for old Loire varieties such as the Fié Gris and the Menu Pineau. Fortunately due to Jacky and a few other Fié Gris has survived. Paul Buisse has Sauvignon Rose planted above his premises in Montrichard. Whether the new owners, Pierre Chainier, will continue with this variety remains to be seen. Hopefully Pierre and his sons will see the wisdom of having a point of difference within the sea of Sauvignon. Eric Chevalier has an excellent VDP Fié Gris (see below) and the Henri Bourgeois Cuvée Jadis is made from Sauvignon Rose/Gris planted on Le Monst Damnés.

Bertrand Celce tells the story behind Jacky Preys' Fié Gris on his excellent Wine Terroirs site.

(Part of some samples Jacky gave me to try when I dropped in to see him during the harvest in late-September.)

Jacky and Pascal Preys
Domaine Jacky Preys
536 Rue Debussy, 41130 Meusnes
Tel: 02.54.71.00.34 Email: doaminepreys@wanadoo.fr
Web: www.domainepreys.com

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Eric Chevalier 2008 Fié Gris VDP
This was the most interesting wine I tasted at the Boutique Wineries tasted held at BMA House on 22nd September – the day before we left for the Loire. Will write notes on this wine and a few others when I return to London and am reunited with my tasting notes.

In the UK Eric's Fié Gris is available through SWIG, 188 Sutton Ct Rd
London, W4 3HR, United Kingdom Tel: 020-8995 7060

Eric Chevalier
Domaine de l'Aujardière, 44310 Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu
Tel: 06.27.43.81.91 email: eric@chevalierdomaine.com
Web: www.chevalierledomaine.com

24 September 2009

La Tesnière, Pouillé: pickers enjoying a game of boules during the lunchtime pause

Domaine Thierry Delaunay: Pineau d'Aunis: its bunches are found higher on the vine than most other varieties

Domaine Thierry Delaunay: harvesting Pineau d'Aunis

Joël Delaunay now in semi-retirement but still helping his son Thierry out

Another shot of the elegant Pascal Potaire

25 September 2009

On the way back from Quincy dropped into see Jacky Preys in Meunes. Jacky has 75ha – part in AC Touraine and part in Valançay. He is delighted with the harvest, although he still has about half yet to pick, especially his vineyards in Mareuil-sur-Cher. Small volume but of high quality. We tasted 2009s from a number of tanks and there was certainly impressive weight and flavour there including his well known Fie Gris (also called Sauvignon Gris or Sauvignon Rose).

Jacky Preys delighted with 2009

Jacky assessing his 2009 Vieilles Vignes Sauvignon Blanc from silex (flint)

Aynard and Isabelle with their 2005 Vanneau Huppé

I have finally finished the report on my March 2009 visit to the Clos du Porteau in Saint-Georges-sur-Cher. See here.

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Last evening came across a really excellent feature from Bertrand Celce (Wine Terroirs) on Jacky Preys and the saving of the Fié Gris (also known as Sauvignon Gris or Sauvignon Rose. Bertrand doesn't update his blog every day but his work is consistently a must read along with his fine photos.

1 March 2009

This evening I opened a bottle of Jacky Preys et Fils Touraine Côt 2005 Cuvée Princière. Quite rustic and dusty but does have some Loire Côt (Malbec) character, a thread of acidity running through it and is quite attractive. However, it does not have the same concentration as the Côts from, for example, the Clos Roche Blanche, Domaine Sauvete or Jean-François Merieau (Bois Vaudons). I suspect that the yields are higher. The rather old fashioned label tells its own story.

Jacky Preys and his son Pascal are based in Meusnes to the east of Saint-Aignan at the eastern limit of the Touraine appellation. Over the past 40 years, Jacky Preys has built up the domaine, which now has 75 hectares – mostly in Touraine but some in AC Valençay. Over the years I have tasted Jacky’s wines and found them well made with his Sauvignon Gris (Cuvée de Fie Gris) often being the most interesting. Sauvignon Gris or Sauvignon Rosé is now a rare variety of Sauvignon. There are a few parcels of it in Sancerre, although it is not officially entitled to the appellation.

Right at the end on the Tuesday of the Salon des Vins de Loire I quickly tasted some of the domaine’s wines. The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc Les Pillotières (not bottled) was aromatic, quite rich with a hint of residual sugar remaining. The 2008 Cuvée de Fié Gris (not in bottle) had attractive gooseberry and grassy notes. Then I tried two reds: the easy drinking, juicy 2006 Pinot Noir Cuvée Royale AC and the spicy Valençay 2007, which is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Gamay and 20% Côt.

I need to find time this year to go and visit the domaine.

Domaine Jacky Preys, 536 Rue Debussy, 41130 Meusnes
Tel: 02.54.71.00.34
Email: domainepreys@wanadoo,fr
Site: www.domainepreys.com