We had a very good visit to the Nau Frères' Portes Ouvertes on Friday tasting wines from 2010 back to 1996. Nau Frères are based in Ingrandes-en-Touraine and the current set-up was established in 1989 when the families combined their vineyards under Patrice and Bertrand Nau along with their brother-in-law, Abel Osorio. 

We started with easy drinking 2010 Rosé with its light red fruits and made from one third immediately pressed juice and two thirds saignée. Then onto the ripe and very drinkable 2010 Les Varennes with its sweet black fruits – a real cuvée printemps.  

 

Table decoration in the cellar

A picnic in the vineyard just above the chai

The autoroute A85 and its viaduct passes close by

More to add

Jacques Puisais and the 1996 Bourgueil@Livre et du Vin

As Bourgueil has now broken away from Interloire they need to find new ways of promoting their appellation and their wines. At the beginning of April they appointed Guillaume Lapaque as the director of Vins de Bourgueil. They also negotiated an association with last weekend's Livre et Vin but unfortunately the deal was brokered too late to have a significant presence there on the day. Philippe Bouchard says the Bourgueil producers will be there in greater force next year. 

They did at lunch, however, provide the fine 1996 Domaine de la Noiraie with its attractive mature fruit showing well now and likely to last a while longer but unlikely to improve further. Jacques Puisais was pressed into action to provide a commentary on this Bourgueil, made in the same year as the first edition of Livre et Vin. Unfortunately it was a far from easy task to capture the attention of more than 200 people busy chatting and enjoying the oysters, asparagus etc.  

Abel Osorio of Nau Frères

Many of the Bourgueil producers have organised a rota of open days, so that for much of the year there is at least one estate opening its cellar over a weekend. This coming weekend there is  a wide choice. Open days at: (Friday 6th May – Monday 9th May Nau Frères at 52 Rue de Touraine, Ingrandes de Touraine. Also in Ingrandes Domaine Régis Mureau at 16 Rue d'Anjou is open Friday through to Sunday and Domaine des Ouches (Thomas and Denis Gambier) on Saturday and Sunday.

In Bourgueil itself Domaine des Geslets are also open Friday-Sunday. Then in Benais Domaine les Pins (Pitault Landry et Fils) on Friday and Saturday, while in Restigné Domaine de la Closerie (Jean-François Mabileau) will be open on Saturday.

Telephone Vins de Bourgueil (02.47.97.92.20) for details of open days on other weekends or download the booklet here. 

Abel Osorio, Nau Frères

Firstly my apologies I had intended to get this post written yesterday but got delayed partly by having to get my weekly post for Les 5 du Vin written (see here) but also following the tumultuous events across North Africa and the Middle East, especially Libya of course. I've done my fair share of deriding silly tweets but in the current situation you can see the power and effectiveness of tweets for spreading news quickly. See the Guardian's page of tweets from around North Africa and the Middle East.

Although I have never yet managed to visit them (I must spend more time in the Loire!) I think Nau Frères are among the best of Bourgueil's producers and always enjoy tasting with Abel Osorio during the Salon. He shares the stand with Philippe Pichard of Chinon and François Pinon, a top Vouvray producer whose wines I didn't have time to taste this year – again I need to visit!

With Abel I started with their attractive easy drinking 2010 Bourgueil Rosé with its wild red fruit flavours and a touch of bitterness in the finish. One third comes from immediately pressed fruit and two thirds is saignée (juice run off from a red vat). 2010 Les Varennes was the first red – juicy, black fruits – a cuvée printemps, which will be bottled in March. It comes from vines planted on sand and gravel with a little clay. 2010 Les Blottières, which is from vines on gravel and limestone, is more structured with greater length of flavour than the Varennes with black fruits and floral tones, violets in particular. It will be bottled later on this year.

I asked Abel about the difference between 2010 and 2009. "2009 is bigger – more massive and imposing," he replied, "with the tannins more present. In 2010 the fruit is more suave with smoother tannins. The fruit was riper in 2010 with lots of black fruit flavours. Due to less good flowering conditions in 2010 the yields are a little bit lower than in 2009. With us we had average yields of 44 hl/ha in 2010, while 2009 they were 48/49 hl/ha. I think 2005 and 2009 are comparable. 2010 is like 2006 but with more elegance."

2008 Vieilles Vignes, Bourgueil, Nau Frères

We moved on to the 2009s. First Les Blottières with its tannins well incorporated with the fruit and a quite mineral finish. The 2009 Vielles Vignes from the clay limestone coteaux has yet to be bottled but it certainly has potential with its concentration of ripe fruit and tannins but you will need to wait a good five years to enjoy it at its best. We finished on a real high – the 2008 Vieilles Vignes. Less concentrated than the 2009, this has lovely sweet, elegant fruit and is all about finesse rather than power. Best to wait three to five years.