Christophe Baudry: Baudry-Dutour and Maire of Cravant-les-Coteaux

Following our morning in Saumur we headed to AC Chinon and to Panzoult for a tasting at the Baudry-Dutour winery. Given that they are now the largest invididual producer in Chinon with some 120 hectares, the standard at Baudry-Dutour is impressively high across their range. 

From the easy drinking red cuvées Domaine de la Perrière has more interest and concentration in 2010 than the leaner Domaine de la Roncée. It was the other way round in 2009. Christophe Baudry explained that due to a spring frost Perrières' yield was some 36-38 hl/ha compared to 45-47 hl/ha for Roncée. Both of these 2010s are in bottle. The mid-weight 2009 Perrières Vieilles Vignes has a smoky character, an attractively soft texture and can be enjoyed now, while Clos des Maronniers is more closed and needs a little time. 

The 2009 Château de la Grille was next up. This is the first Baudry-Dutour vintage from this previously underwhelming and expensive property. The 2009 is certainly an improvement on previous vintages with a good concentration of red and black fruits. Although the tannins are better handled there is a still a bite of tannin in the finish. However, there will be time for this to soften as it won't be on the market until the end of 2012. The fine 2008 Château Saint-Louans was the last red. Now on sale it has a good  balance of structure and fruit.

Jean-Martin Dutour: Président of Interloire   

Following the tasting we paid a quick visit with Jean-Martin to Château de la Grille, which is on the outskirts of Chinon just to the north of the main road that by-passes the town. They have recently pulled down part of the old chai and are putting up a new visitor centre. The château is now empty and will need extensive renovation.

Postscript:
The plan is to keep the existing special bulbous and heavy La Grille bottle. I think this is probably a mistake as I don't think Château de la Grille has a very good reputation (see comments). Better to start afresh with a new bottle and design to show that there really has been regime change at La Grille.  

Area where the chai was demolished

 

Visitor centre

The President on the phone

Visit to Jérôme Billard (Domaine de la Noblaie) will be an additional post.

Jean-Martin Dutour

While tasting at Baudry-Dutour I asked Jean-Martin Dutour whether there had been any communication with the producers of Bourgueil since his recent election to president of InterLoire. Bourgueil has recently left Interloire to go their own way. There hasn't been any contact and I rather gather that the feeling is that Bourgueil is being left to discover how feasible, in particular the level of what additional costs there are, it is to promote themselves without the aid of a body like InterLoire, covering the region from Nantes to eastern Touraine.

We discussed in some detail the tricky question du jour – who has precedence: Jean Martin Dutour as president of InterLoire or his business partner Christophe Baudry, maire of Cravant-les-Coteaux since March 2008. Initially Jean-Martin thought it was Christophe as he was chosen by the electors (some 300-400) of Cravant. However, Sylvine Teston, the export director, pointed out that Jean-Martin had been elected by some 1400 producers. Clearly further reflection is required before a ruling can be made on this tricky question of etiquette. In the meantime I will have to decide who to greet first when I see them at the Salon des Vins de Loire.

Baudy-Dutour's screwcapped Chinon Blanc

We also discussed the advantages of using screwcaps on both aromatic whites, typified by Sauvignon Blanc, and less aromatic but often delicate whites such as Muscadet or Chenin Blanc. Baudry-Dutour screwcap their stainless steel fermented Chinon Blanc for export markets but use a cork for France because French sommeliers continue to oppose screwcaps. Jean-Martin is convinced that screwcaps are the best closure for this type of white. It appears that the sommeliers oppose screwcaps because it does away with the ceremony involved in wielding a corkscrew when opening a bottle and that once this is done away with their role will appear redundant.

Of course any sommelier who thinks that their only role is to remove the cork from a bottle is a complete waste of space. The real and most useful role of a sommelier isto offer advice to their customers to help them choose a wine that they will enjoy, that will match/complement the food they are having and is at a price they can afford.

Jean-Martin says that once they explain to their private customers the benefits of screwcapping wines, they have no problem buying wines closed with screwcaps. If this is the way a large number of Loire producers think, then it is long time for them to stand up and have the balls make a statement just as the Riesling producers of Clare did in 2000 and the New Zealanders did the following year. Get together, bottle your wines under screwcap, explain to the media why you are doing this and I fancy the sommeliers' opposition will melt away. But it has to be a concerted effort.

Something for the new president of InterLoire to add to his agenda?

PS: See also a post by my fellow Cinq du Vin, Hervé Lalau here. 

After the truffle market it was off to Panzoult and Baudry-Dutour to taste 2010s with Jean-Martin Dutour and Sylvine Teston, their export-director. Pity it was such a miserable wet day as the drive would have been very interesting through attractive countryside and passing by Luzé, the site of the Abbaye Royale de Bois-Aubry. Clearly we will have to return on a better day and when we don't have a tight schedule.

Sylvine Teston and Christophe Baudry

At Baudry-Dutour we started by tasting some of their range of 2010s from tank. Mid-weight Domaine de la Roncée has soft, blackberry fruit and will be bottled early – a wine to enjoy the young fruit rather than analyse. Naturally Roncée's Clos des Marronniers has more concentration and depth. The 2010 Château de Saint Louans, just to the west of the town of Chinon, is very concentrated and looks promising, although it will not be released until 2012 after an élévage in barrel. I didn't taste the 2010 Les Perrières and the Château de la Grille as these wines are made at the respective properties.

Jean-Martin thinks that at the top end the 2010 reds may well be better than the 2009s because yields were down by 20% in 2010 – 40 hl/ha compared to 50 hl/ha the previous year.

I also tasted the opulent and powerful 2010 Chinon Blanc from Saint-Louans in new barriques. Although 15.7% alcohol and completely dry, the wine is well balanced. Will be interesting to taste the finished wine. The well balanced 2009 Saint-Louans (15€), which is now in bottle, has a touch of spicy wood with rich fruit. Bottled on 10th December this really needs another six months to a year for the barrel spice and the wine to harmonise.

We then tasted some 2009s bottled reds starting with the easy drinking Domaine de la Perrières (5.50€) with its juicy, red fruit flavours. The delicious 2009 Domaine de la Roncée (6-7€) has some more concentration, structure and is attractively round. We tried it last night with a turkey and ham pie (the season of left-overs!), which worked well, and then the remmants with a little foie gras – surprisingly good – and some paté en croute. Certainly as they are showing at the moment the additional euro or so for the Roncée is well worth it.