28th September: Quarts de Chaume

My post today on Les 5 du Vin is about Quarts de Chaume becoming a Grand Cru.

http://www.les5duvin.com/article-quarts-de-chaume-grand-cru-85738739.html

Passerillage well advanced here 

Bunch in the Quarts de Chaume today 

The INAO today accepted unanimously that the Quarts de Chaume should be a Grand Cru and Chaume a Premier Cru Coteaux du Layon. The décret has yet to be signed by the relevant French government minister. It can take some time before the Minister finds the appropriate pen but this is normally a formality. Quarts de Chaume is the first Loire appellation to be made Grand Cru.  

On the two previous occasions when a distinction for Chaume has been agreed; there has been a successful legal challenge from Domaine des Baumards. It is not yet known whether this will also attract a legal challenge. 

It looks like 2011 will be a magnificent year in Chaume and Quarts de Chaume. Some of the grapes are now extraordinarily rich - a mix of passerilage and noble rot - reports of 26% potential already. Such are the levels of potential alcohol that some vignerons are instructing their pickers not to be too selective in their picking and to include golden grapes that might normally be left to mature and be picked at the next tri, so as to reduce the wine`s potential sweetness and to give greater freshness.     

Am very pleased to have received the following information from Florent Baumard relating to previous posts on cryoextraction and yields in the Quarts de Chaume :

'We just finished our harvest today, under sunshine.

I just had no time to reply yet to your mail.

These green grapes were not going to produce Quarts de Chaume of course. Although, the fantastic arrière saison we had, brought amazing botrytis all over the vineyard this year. I had never seen such conditions, and the wines (even from so so grapes should be very fine...)

Of course, only the adequate grapes are used for Quarts de Chaume, the others end up in non aoc wine, or remain in the vineyard. But with chenin blanc, the color of the grape is not sufficient to judge it's quality, but we will talk about it when you next come. 

And selection in all senses makes Quarts de Chaume.

I am now grown up enough to know what to do with my grapes, and to decide of the way to cultivate. If you had contacted me then, I would have explained the reasons and situation.' 

Naturally when I next visit Domaine des Baumard I will be posting a full account of our discussions.