Five Luneaus: Monique, Pierre-Marie, Marie Chartier-Luneau + one, and Pierre

Having spent two and a bit days in Anjou we had time to go west to the Pays Nantais to see how the vintage, which has now been over for the best part of a couple of weeks, turned out here – much more difficult than some of the other parts of the Loire that have been able to harvest much later.

We dropped into see the Luneau family only to discover that Monique and Pierre's son – Pierre-Marie – married Marie Chartier, responsible for marketing and communications at the domaine, in the summer and that they are expecting a baby in mid-January. Les bonnes nouvelles!

Pierre pouring the 2002 Excelsior, Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine – one of their cru d'exception

In their typical generous fashion a tasting of the 2011 led to a tasting of bottled wines accompanied by an impromptu picnic with Pierre pulling out various bottles including an L d'Or 1995. Once again providing proof that top quality Muscadet is a grand vin blanc usually at a remarkably reasonable price.

Report on the 2011 and the other wines to follow.

Bertrand Minchin: Menetou-Salon and Valençay

A delivery of Crémant


Antoine Sanzay

Pierre Luneau (Domaine Luneau-Papin) closing up on his Muscadets

2010 Melon in one of the Luneau-Papin's vineyards

Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin

Yesterday we got to Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin (Le Landreau) just after midday on another glorious September day. By mid-afternoon the temperature was up to 27.5˚. The Luneaus are in the middle of vintage and concentrating on the best parcels that they pick by hand, which they expect to finish on Thursday. Then the rest will be harvested by machine. The fruit isn’t quite as perfect as last year as there is a little bit of rot caused by a small amount of rain around 15^th August. In Le Landreau they only had 15mm but in nearby Clisson it was 30mm. Even so they are having to pick selectively to avoid any rot. However, overall here it is very dry with little rain falling from April.

Understandably Pierre and Monique, their son – Pierre-Marie – and Marie, their daughter are very happy with the quality of the fruit again this year. “The Ban des Vendanges for Muscadet was on the 8^th September but we started last Tuesday (14^th),” said Pierre. “Grapes from the young vines are coming in at 10.9˚-11˚ potential, while from older vines it’s between 11.1˚ and 11.7˚. Acidity levels are between 4.2 – 4.3 grams per litre, which means that they will end up around 4.”

Pierre-Marie added: “The yields are lower than we expected – 35 hl/ha in our cru vineyards compared to 45 hl/ha last year. When pressed the grapes don’t give a lot of juice and the skins are thick.

We tasted juice from various parcels. All were very clean and quite rich with some freshness in the finish.

Luneau-Papin: hand-picked Melon awaiting processing

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Guy analysing his 15% Melon

Guy Bossard

The next visit was to Guy (Le Landreau), who is just up the road. He was always very happy with how the vintage is going, although he is somewhat concerned that the juice from the end of the pressing is an extraordinary 15˚. Overall the potential alcohol levels are between 12.5˚ and 13˚ with the acidity between 4.5 and 4.7. ‘We started on the 8th,” said Guy. ‘In the morning we picked Pinot Noir for our sparkling and then Melon in the afternoon.” (Melon de Bourgogne is the only grape permitted for Muscadet.) "Not only is the quality of the grapes good but we are also getting a decent yield – 50 hl/ha." In 2007 and 2008 Guy had tiny yields due in the former year to mildew and then April frost the following year.

I tasted the juice of Guy's range of Muscadets and all were rich and clean. "We got two more days of harvest left," said Guy. He told me that he had had a phone call from Mark Angeli, the well producer and wag in Thouarcé in the Layon. When Mark heard the alcoholic degrees Guy was getting in his 2010 grapes, he remarked "Well for once you are going to have ripe grapes!"

Some of Guy's 2010 crop


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Joseph Landron picking 21.9.2010

Joseph Landron (La Haye Fouassière)
Like the Luneaus and Guy Bossard, Joseph is pleased with the 2010 vintage although there is some rot that has to be cut out. Some of this rot has dried out and become botrytised. 

"We started on 10th September," he explained. "Our degrees are not as high as Guy's – around 11.8% with the acidity around 4.8 grams per litre.  We are getting between 50 and 55 hl/ha and the juice is pure, elegant and fruity. Although we harvest our best parcels by hand and I prefer to harvest by hand with 45ha I have no option but to harvest some by machine. The harvest lasts about ten days. The problem with Muscadet is that we don't really get the price per bottle that justifies picking selectively. However, I still do it."

His parting words were on the UK market. "England is my worst market. It just hasn't been possible to find a good importer." I assured him that he wasn't alone and that there are many good producers who find the UK to be an impossible market to break into. Probably because we are so fixated on price.

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Grapes waiting to be processed@Chasseloir

Bernard Chereau – Chereau-Carré (Saint-Fiacre)
Our last visit in Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine was to see Bernard Chereau at Château Chasseloir. "We started picking last Thursday and continued on Friday when we picked our other domaines including Château l'Oiselinière," said Bernard. "We moved onto Chasseloir yesterday and we have about another week's picking to do. The quality is good with around 12% potential and between 4-4.5 gms/litre acidity. It has been dry – this hasn't been a problem for our old vines but the younger vines have suffered. We haven't needed to treat against mildew since the 10th July."

The juice here again was clean with considerable weight.

 

 

2008 Clos des Allées, Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, Domaine Luneau-Papin

Last night several of the judges@the Decanter World Wine Awards met up for an evening in Terroirs, a fashionable wine bar near Charing Cross. To start the evening with distinguished wine writers:Andrew Jefford (now returned from his year in Australia), John Livingston-Learmonth (King Rhône and betting-aficionado extraordinaire), Anthony Rose (wine correspondent for The Independent) and Giles Macdonogh (author of many books on wine and history).

Clos des Allées from old vines grown on miscaschist is frequently one of my favourite Luneau Muscadets and this concentrated yet fresh 2008 was no exception, particularly as the April frost severely reduced the yields. We followed this with an old favourite – the 2005 Vitage Vielh Jurançon sec from Jean-Bernard Larrieu's Clos Lapeyre,

Then a couple of reds: juicy, easy drinking 2009 Vin de Petanque de Libian from the Mas Libian in the Coteaux de l'Ardèche and a fine and characterful 2008 Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, Brouilly from Jean-Claude Lapalu.

Most of us shared a generous selection of charcuterie including salami, duck rillettes and a paté of pork and pistachio nuts. For main course I had a very good boudin noir with a couple of fried eggs, mousserons and baby broad beans.  

Some links to add.

Tasting at Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin on this Saturday, 28th November, from 10am - 7pm. As well as the Luneau-Papin Muscadets and Gros Plant, there will be Saumur-Champignys from Bruno Dubois (Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg) and Saumurs from Guillaume Keller. In addition there will be some food specialists: chocolate-makers Karen & Vincent Guerlais 'agitateur de papilles' (taste-bud exciter), la fromagerie Lecoq (Nantes) and breads from Franck Dépérier (La Petite Boulangerie).

Domaine Pierre Luneau-Papin
La Grange, 44430 Le Landreau. Tel: 02.40.06.45.27

2009 Muscadet juice@Domaine Luneau-Papin

After the very small 2008 vintage, due to frost on 7th April 2008, the producers of Muscadet are delighted to have a normal harvest of generally high quality due to the exceptional weather in August and September.

Bernard Chereau (Château de Chasseloir) tasting his 2009 Muscadet juice

Pierre Luneau unable to contain his delight with the 2009 vintage!

This year the vats are full, while last year they were far from full.

September 2008: Pierre Luneau looking to find some wine

2009 again.....

(More detailed comments to follow.)

Photo from Pierre, Monique and Pierre-Marie Luneau
(Domaine Luneau-Papin) taken during the 2008 harvest.
Pierre is the young man on the left of the photo

Poster from the 2004 edition

The start of the 2009 edition of the annual Salon des Vins de Loire is now only just over two months away. Held at the Parc des Expositions (Exhibition Centre) Angers this is France’s only annual regional Salon and is a unique opportunity to talk to producers from right the way along the Loire – from the Côtes de Forez to the Pays Nantais.

Two popular stands: Alphonse Mellot and behind the one that groups
some of the heavyweights: Deletang, Druet, Huet,
Luneau-Papin, Marionnet, Taluau-Foltzenlogel.

Open only to professionals, the Salon is both very well run and friendly. Unmissable!

ViniBeGood is another very popular stand

Jim’s Loire will shortly be offering odds from Mystic Marguerite, who lives in the heart of the Forêt de Loches, on how many British wine journalists and writers manage to make it to the Salon for the 2009th edition. Last year it was four.

More information from: www.salondesvinsdeloire.com

"What do you mean my wines are like sorbets? It's the fault of the fridge ......."
Pierre Luneau early on the opening day of the Salon when his wines
have been lowered close to freezing point by his over-enthusiastic fridge.

"Surely I must have some more 2008!" Pierre Luneau.

(24 September 2008)
To be posted: tasting with Pierre Luneau including a vertical of Excelsior, his Muscadet troisième niveau, from 2008 through to 2002. Also a brief visit to Guy Bossard as well as a view of Castel's new factory.........

Sign at Guy Bossard's office and tasting room.

A recent edition of La Revue du Vins de France has an article on Guy Bossard of Domaine de l’Ecu and Joseph Landron of Domaines Landron in La Haye Fouassière. The article’s theme or conceit is that it was Guy Bossard alone who made quality Muscadet during the late 1970s and 1980s. It was Guy, who bravely swam against the tidal wave of mediocre Muscadet. Now Joseph Landron is a worthy disciple/successor to Guy.

Without taking anything away from the work and wines of Guy and Joseph, this strikes me as a gross simplification. My first visit to the Pays Nantais was at the end of 1989. It was clear that there were producers other than Guy, who unfortunately wasn’t in my programme of visits, who were passionate and dedicated to making top quality Muscadet.

Louis Métaireau most comes to mind. I still remember after nearly 20 years the gleam in Louis’ eye and the relish in his voice as he described the tasting hurdles the Muscadets made by his vignerons d’art had to surmount to prove they were good enough to be part of the Métaireau range. And spending an evening with Jean-Ernest Sauvion, who was determined that this novice wine journalist properly understood sur lie, its importance and why it was a nonsense at that time to allow people to transport Muscadet sur lie in bulk and bottle it away from where it had been made. Fortunately the rules were subsequently tightened up and now sur lie has to be bottled sur place. Taste Pierre Luneau’s 1979, his 1982 or other vintages from the period – obviously quality Muscadets. There may have been more poor Muscadet then but there were also quality producers – fortunately Guy was not alone.

Coming shortly.....

Melon de Bourgogne 2008

Due to the severe frost in early April the volume of the 2008 vintage is well below normal. Overall the estimate is that the frost destroyed 50% of the crop. However, this varies from sector to sector. “We lost between 20%-70% of the crop depending on the parcel,” said Monique Luneau of Domaine Luneau-Papin, Le Landreau in the Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine. “Overall we will make 40% of normal,” added Pierre. Pierre says that Joseph Landron has only made 12 hl/ha. Across in the Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Jérome Choblet of Domaine des Herbauges says: “Before we started picking we had hoped for 25 hl/ha but now we have started we will be lucky to get 20 hl/ha. With around 130 ha – 105 of Melon – Herbauges is the largest producer in the Grandlieu appellation.

One of Pierre Luneau's pickers with grapes destined for Cuvée Excelsior

Fortunately the weather is good here: sunny but not very hot – the maximum temperature yesterday was just over 20˚C and the nights are decidedly fresh. Here and elsewhere in the Loire it seems a lot drier than during August – the grass is less green and the ground in the vineyards is dry and dusty.

“We started picking yesterday,” says Jérôme. “We checked the grapes on Monday a week ago (15 September) but they weren’t properly ripe ¬ only 9˚ alc but 8.2 acidity. Now we have 10.5˚-11˚ depending upon the parcel and 5.7 acidity. Waiting a week was very stressful as most of the producers around here were picking. 80% of all Muscadet has now been picked.” Assuming that their neighbours’ grapes were similarly barely ripe, it will be a good year for the bettravistes – sugar beet farmers of northern France. However, the high levels of acidity will be a problem.

Jérome Choblet with 2008 Muscadet juice

At Luneau-Papin they are finishing the hand picking – yesterday was the last day – and the rest of the grapes will be picked by machine. Pierre Luneau was very relaxed yesterday – his main concern appears to be trying to get his new mobile phone to work properly.

"Hello! Hello!" Pierre Luneau struggling with his mobile

Someone has to work: Pierre-Marie Luneau checks the harvest

Pierre Luneau admiring grapes destined for Excelsior

Monique Luneau: la vendangeuse en chef

One of the givens of the harvest is that machines will break down – usually at the most inconvenient time. While we talked to Jérôme, his father Luc was busy repairing the picking machine, so that it would be ready to go next morning.

Luc Choblet: "I think it goes this way..............."

"That's better – cracked it!"

(25 September 2008)

Unfortunately the sky is grey this morning and it’s raining – a complete contrast to yesterday.