1990 Clos de l'Echo

 

Last night at the RSJ Restaurant there was a dinner and tasting of Chinons stretching from 2009 back to 1990.

Aperitif

2009 Sauvignon Blanc Domaine de Bablut, Vin de Pays 

Tighter, more mineral and refreshing but less opulent and exotic than it was last year.  

2009 Domaine de la Perrière, Baudry-Dutour
This is Baudry-Dutour's easy drinking cuvée from gravel vineyards close to the Vienne. Attractive red fruits with refreshing acidity.   

 

2009 Chinon Beaumont, Catherine and Pierre Breton

From vineyards on the undulating clay and limestone slopes around Beaumont-en-Vèron. This had considerably more weight than the Perrière – partly due to the different terroir but also from doubtless lower yields. With black fruits and spice, soft tannin, the Beaumont is drinking well now but can be kept for a good five years. I have been critical of some of the Breton wines but this 2009 was showing well.   

These two wines were served with a balontine of foie gras & confit of duck with fruit chutney.

Then onto two vintages of Baudry-Dutour's Vieilles Vignes
2006 Vieilles Vignes Domaine de la Perrière, Baudry-Dutour

2002 Vieilles Vignes Domaine de la Perrière, Christophe and Jean Baudry

These, which come from gravel vineyards, showed the importance of vintage in the Loire. The 2006 being fuller and richer with plum and liquorice flavours reflecting the good summer of 2006, which was potentially a very good vintage until the rain and the onset of rot at vintage time meant that the grapes had to be hurriedly gathered in. However, there are some very good 2006s, if not quite at the level of 2005. 

2002 was one of those Loire years when September and October saved the vintage after a poor summer. Sunshine and an easterly wind allowed the grapes to ripe and the drying conditions concentrated the grape juice. Less concentrated than 2006 and more in the red fruit spectrum with more present acidity. Like many 2002s it has lovely balance.

Both cuvées are aged in barrique. The 2002 was made before the creation of Baudry-Dutour in 2003.

1999 Coteau de Noire

Next up two wines from Philippe and Claude Alliet. Philippe is a cousin of Christophe Baudry and he set up his domaine in 1985 and is widely acknowledged as one of the top Chinon producers.

1995 Vieilles Vignes

1999 Coteau de Noire, Philippe Alliet

1995 Vieilles Vignes, Philippe Alliet 

The Alliets acquired the Coteau de Noire in the early 1990s. On the steep limestone coteau a little to the east of the town of Chinon, the 1999 comes from vines of less than 10 years old and is all the more impressive for this. Elegant concentration, structure and length, this is another example of how well the rather unregarded 1999 vintage is now showing.

Without food the 1995 Vieilles Vignes (from vines on gravel) shows some of the angularity that has been typical of this vintage with present tannins and acidity. With food the sweet, evolved fruit comes through.  

1990 Clos de L'Echo, Couly-Dutheil (in magnum)

When this was first opened we were rather concerned that this might be past it, initially light and quite bricky in colour this developed in glass with attractive and charming sweet fruit with a touch of rather grainy tannins. Given that the storage conditions for these two magnums of Clos de l'Echo had not been the best, they were showing pretty well. Doubtless any examples of the 1990 stored at Couly-Dutheil's cellars in Chinon would be more youthful. 

Served with braised veal, mashed potatoes, carrots, spinach, red wine jus.

B-D's Chinon Blanc is closed with a screwcap

2009 Chinon Blanc Baudry-Dutour

We created some controversey at the end of the evening by deciding to serve this with the cheese – a Brie de Meaux. Tasted blind few people I fancy would pick this out as Chenin Blanc – many would opt for Sauvignon Blanc with its zippy, grassy, citric fruit although in the finish it does have that characteristic touch of bitterness typical of many Chenins.

Along with a number of the assembled company I thought it went well with the cheese bringing out the wine's fruit, while others thought that it didn't work at all and were rather aghast at the idea of serving white wine with cheese.

 

Main street in the pretty little village of Crissay-sur-Manse

 'Le chinon vaut le détour pour les sommeliers coréens

C'était une première. Cinq grands sommeliers coréens ont dégusté les crus de Joguet, Baudry-Dutour et Alliet à Crissay-sur-Manse. Une belle découverte.'

Report in today's La Nouvelle République. Read the rest here.

 

 

2007 Coteau de Noire, Philippe Alliet

A very enjoyable lunch last week with Jean-Ernest and Liliane Sauvion at their lovely Western Touraine retreat, we drank a quarto of Chinons – one from 2007 and three from the 2005 vintage. A very enjoyable bottle of Château de Targe, Saumur Mousseux (70% de Chenin Blanc, 30% de Cabernet Franc) as an apéritif to prepare our palates.   

We tried them blind. First up was the dense, powerful and well structured 2005 Vieilles Vignes from Philippe Brocourt in Rivière on the south side of the Vienne. I guessed that this was either 2005 or 2006 and said that I like the concentration but that it needed more time. Brocourt is not a producer I know and we were impressed, especially as it costs around 7 or 8€.

 Saumur Mousseux, Château de Targe

The second Chinon was both lighter in colour, less structured, softer and more ready to drink. I guessed wrongly that it was older. I should have thought that it might be a 2007, which indeed it was – the Coteau de Noire of Philippe and Claude Alliet. Although it was well made its price tag of some 20€ made it less good value than the preceding Brocourt. Admittedly, however, we are not comparing the same vintage and the cost of production is at least the same, if not more, in a difficult year like 2007. Furthermore Philippe Alliet has a deservedly high reputation built up over a number of years, so can fairly charge a relatively high price for his Chinon. 

The third Chinon – 2005 L'Angelot, Domaine de Beauséjour from Gérard and David Chauveau in Panzoult – was our least admired wine of the four. Less concentrated than the Brocourt with more acidity and some dryish tannin, it was also the most rustic of the Chinons. 

We finished with a very recognisable flange bottle – could only be a Couly-Dutheil. I guessed 2003 Clos de l'Echo because of the rich, concentrated, soft but slightly cooked fruit with some granular tannins in the finish. In fact it was the 2005 Clos de l'Olive.