2007 SuaVignon, Domaines des Maisons Brulées, Beatrice and Michel Augé

Renaissance

Excellent Sauvignon Blanc (VDT Français) from the biodynamic Domaine des Maisons Brulées in Pouillé with all the definition and precision you associate with 2007 with the the leaness and sharp acidity that some have.

 

Stéphane Bernardeau being interrogated by the Wine Detective

Fine Chenins again from Stephané and Richard at the Renaissance tasting.

Richard Leroy

Mark Angeli trying out his Tony Blair look – hasn't got the Blair wonky eye right yet

Another shot of Sébastien David modelling his ultra-chic range of decanters

Salon

Couple of fine Muscadets
Respecting a long tradition I started the Salon by tasting Pierre Luneau (Domaine Luneau-Papin, Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine) starting with the latest vintage – 2010, which is already showing well with a combination of weight of fruit plus minerality. A sso often the future Clos des Allées was a favourite.

Rather disappointingly the Luneaus' fridge was better regulated than usual so the wines were at the correct temperature for tasting, so no chance to enjoy their famous Muscadet glacé. 

   

Terre de Pierre, Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine, Domaine Luneau-Papin 

Not sure what vintage the above Terre de Pierre is – could be either the 2009 or the 2008 as I tasted both. Anyway this comes from the vineyard (Butte de la Roche) belonging to Pierre-Marie Luneau, which overlooks the Marais de Goulaine. The 2009 is richer with more concentration and some minerality in the finish. In contrast the 2008 is leaner, more precise but austere at present but it has good length and may well keep longer, although production was small due to the April frost so the number of bottles will be severely limited.

Label above must have been for the 2009...

Next stop after the Luneaus was Gadais Père et Fils (Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine) starting with their easy drinking 2010 Emotion, which is already in bottle. Of the five wines I tasted here the stand-out was the very fine 2009 Vieilles Vignes. Beautifully balanced it is delicious to drink now but will surely age well over the next five years or more. 

 

Sébastien David, Bourgueil with his best decanter
(See earlier post here)

More photos from the Renaissance tasting.

Catherine and Philippe Delesvaux (Anjou)

Pascale Bonnaventure, Château de Coulaine, Chinon

Richard Leroy (Anjou)

Jo Pithon

Eddy Oosterlinck, Domaine de Juchepie (Layon)

Patrick Baudouin, Anjou

Coulée de Serrant: grapes in late September

Some fine notes here on The Wine Lovers Forum on a recent trip to the Loire in mid-October by Oswaldo Costa. Includes visits to René Mosse, Richard Leroy, Jo Pithon and Coulée de Serrant – very sorry to hear that Nicolas Joly apparently suffered a slight stroke recently and trust that he will soon be fully recovered.*   

Read the notes here. My thanks to Albertan Bob for informing me about this post.

Nicolas Joly

* Very pleased to hear from Nicolas that it was nothing serious:

'pas de probleme Jim , c'etait juste une petite protestation de l'organisme devant les avions, aeroport, et hotels plein de giga hertz par le WIFI . 
 

Il y a des tissus et des vetements qui protegent  totalement de ces frequences qui ne conviennent pas du tout a l'homme ( Steiner l'avait deja prevu  au debut du 2O eme siecle ...comme la vache folle du reste) je vais m'equiper !!!

Merci de ton mail

Nicolas'

Richard Leroy in his Les Noëls de Montbenault vineyard

I had been hoping to be able to post a preliminary 2010 Loire vintage report from Charles Sydney, the Loire courtier based in Chinon.

However, his report has the following confidentiality notice attached:

'CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE

This communication is confidential and is intended for the use of the addressee designated above. If you are not the intended recipient you must not copy, distribute or disclose this to anyone other than the addressee.'

Having taken appropriate legal advice I have decided reluctantly that I cannot post the report, even though Charles appears to be fairly optimistic about 2010. However, when looking at vintage reports from producers I'm reminded that parents are invariably infatuated by their newly born offspring as  I understand are Premier League footballers by their latest mistress.

 ***   

Instead I'm delighted to provide a link to La Pipette aux quatre vins's Petit bilan des vendanges 2010, en Anjou et Layon, which features Eric Morgat in Savennières, Richard Leroy@Rablay-sur-Layon  and Cyril Le Moing, à Fline de Martigné-Briand.

30 January 2010

On the last Saturday of January five* of us, who had just arrived in France and Angers, that day headed off for our first meal at Chez Rémi on the Boulevard Foch (No 7 bis – tel: 02.41.24.95.44). I guess Chez Rémi has been open for a couple or three years and 'natural' wines feature on its small wine list. It is a small restaurant and has built up quite a reputation. The same owner has the bar à vins Le Cercle Rouge at 4 Rue des Deux Haies (02.41.87.49.66) just off the Place de Raillement.

Richard Leroy: 2007 Les Noëls de Montbenault, Anjou Blanc

We started with a bottle of Richard Leroy's 2007 Les Noëls de Montbenault. – the top cuvée from this boutique operation. Richard is based in Rablay-sur-Layon and makes very fine dry Chenin. We were initially rather nonplussed as the 2007 was surprisingly deep coloured and slightly oxidative on the nose, although fresh and clean with some of weight on the palate. The last of Richard's wines that I had drunk were the 2006 which were lighter in colour. However, it was very interesting to see that over the course of an hour or so – we ordered other wines as well – that the wine became lighter in colour and the slightly oxidative character was replaced by a precise minerality. The 2007 was a good match with my entrée – a rich and creamy green crab bisque.

2008 Le Buisson Pouilleux, Clos du Tué Boeuf

Our next bottle was the 2008 Le Buisson Pouilleux, Clos du Tué Boeuf from the Puzelat brothers – Jean-Marie and Thierry. Unfortunately exposure to the air had the opposite effect on this wine. It started with some hints of oxidation, which became more marked with exposure to the air. Sadly the wine increasingly fell apart. Interestingly the brut sample 2009 Le Buisson Pouilleux that we tasted next day at the Renaissance tasting was fresh and looks promising.

The sole red we had was the easy drinking and delicious 2008 Chinon from Château de Coulaine – the entry level demonstrating that combination of soft fruit and acidity makes such a satisfying and refreshing drink.

All in all the food, wine and ambiance of Chez Rémi was OK but I fancy we would have eaten better at either Le Relais or Le Petit Comptoir. Still it is another option when in Angers.

*The five: Sarah Ahmed (The wine detective), Chris Kissack (The wine doctor), Tom King and Nigel Wilkinson (RSJ Restaurant) and myself.

Renaissance tasting: early afternoon when less crowded

Off quite early this morning – crisp blue sky, sunny but cold – to the Renaissance tasting in the Greniers Saint-Jean in the western part of Angers on the other side of the River Maine. Walking across the bridge over the Maine the damage from the recent fire to part of the Château d'Angers was all too apparent. I stupidly thought I would take a photo on the way back as I was keen to get to the tasting as early as possible. Unfortunately I miscalculated as the sun was right in the way on my return, so no pic.

The Renaissance tasting is becoming increasingly popular and rapidly develops into a bun-fight – une guerre des brioches in French perhaps? Today was no exception: at 10am it was fine but by 10.45 it was impossible to get in to taste with some of the most popular producers.

I guess I spent about four hours there and managed to taste around 70% of the Loire wines in the tasting – the Renaissance event includes producers from all over France but obviously the Angers event attracts a sizeable Loire contingent.

I tasted too many wines in not ideal conditions to post detailed notes. Rather I'm going to pick out a selection that particularly grabbed my attention and list them. It should be remembered that quite a number of them are unfinished wines, which are likely to change considerably by the time they are bottled.

Some wines that stood out:

2007 Carabas, AC Touraine François Plouzeau
Blend of Chenin/Sauvignon

2007 Le Herdelean, Michel Augé, Domaine des Maisons Brulées
Blend of Gamay/Pinot Noir

2008 Le P'tit Blanc, Joël Menard
100% Chenin

2007 Clos de la Bergerie, Virginie Joly, la Roche aux Moines
La Coulée de Serrant 100% Chenin

2007 La Lune Mark Angeli
2007 Les Fourchardes Mark Angeli
100% Chenin 'Appellation Vin de Table'

2008 Charrette Charlotte Battais and Mickael Demonsais
2008 Argolide Marta Irico
Two interesting small new ventures based in Anjou producing their first wines in 2008. Charlotte and Mickael with just 0.5ha of Chenin and Marta with 2ha – 1.20 Chenin and 0.86 Gamay.

2007 Le Noëls de Monbenault, Anjou Blanc, Richard Leroy
100% Chenin

2007 Azay-le-Rideau, Luc-Jean Sylvos, Château de la Roche
100% Chenin – vibrant and mineral.

2008 Hermine d'Or (black label), Domaine de la Louvertrie, Joseph Landron
From vines between 20-70 years old on sandy soils over clay and gneiss. Also
Atmosphere à Landron
Very good sparkling made from 30% Pinot Noir and 70% Folle Blanche (Gros Plant)

2005 Cour Cheverney, Michel Gendrier Domaine des Huards
Austere but honeyed.

2007 Calligramme, Jasnières, Eric Nicolas, Domaine de Bellivière
Great balance and precision, good concentration

2006 Le Volagré, Montlouis Stéphane Cossais

2008 Minérale, Montlouis Frantz Saumon

2007 Argile, Vouvray, François Chidaine

2006 Kharakter, Jasnières, Christian Chaussard and Natalie Gaubicher, Le Briseau
Honey and minerals – tasting better than when I visited Christian at Le Briseau in early August 2008.

2007 La Nef des Fous, Montlouis, Valery Mordelet and Jean-Daniel Kloeckle, Domaine Les Loges de la Folie

2008 Les Quarts de Nuits, Montlouis Sec, Laurent Chatenay

2005 Les Quarts, Coteaux-du-Layon-Faye-d'Anjou
2004 La Passion, Coteaux-du-Layon-Faye-d'Anjou, Eddy Oosterlinck-Bracke, Domaine de Juchepie

2007 Les Picasses, Chinon, Etienne and Pascale Bonnaventure, Château de Coulaine
Impressive texture, weight and length for a 2007.

2007 Les Corbeaux d'Ardenay, Anjou Rouge, Patrick Baudouin
I was critical of Patrick's reds back in the mid to late 1990s – tannic and clumsy. This 2007, full of concentrated black fruits with a considerable structure, has taken two years to ferment but shows that I badly need to retaste Patrick's very considerably improved reds.
Also 2006 L'Effusion, Anjou Blanc.


2009 Top prize for oddities awarded to 2006 Les Ortinières, Jean-François Chene (Beaulieu-sur-Layon). Long time (18 months I think he said) in barrel without topping up gives this wine an awful, stale sherry nose – slightly better on the palate. Why go to the bother of making something so unattractive? The estate is called La Coulée d'Ambrosia, so Jean-François clearly has a well-developed sense of humour.

•••

List to be continued tomorrow (now complete) but just time to mention an excellent dinner this evening@Le Petit Comptoir, 40, Rue David d'Angers 49100 Angers 02.41.88.81.57. Four wonderful courses for 45€ – a special menu for the eve of the Salon des Vins. I think the normal menu is 30€. Great cooking and good value. Wines drunk: 2006 Les Clos des Rouliers, Anjou Blanc, Richard Leroy – initially quite fat but minerality developed in glass giving the wine a fine balance. Richard is definitely a star. Followed by the 2005 Saumur-Champigny, Bruno Dubois – for anyone who thinks that all Loire reds are light and fruit this concentrated little number from Bruno should make them think again.

This remarkably deep coloured wine is Mark Angeli's 1998 Les Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies, Anjou Blanc. The colour suggests that it is completely oxidised and probably undrinkable. Fortunately this is certainly not the case, although tasted blind I fancy I would guess a Palo Cortado or an Oloroso from Jerez rather than an 10 year old Anjou Blanc – certainly from the nose. This Anjou Blanc comes from Mark's no sulphur period. Wisely he now adds a little sulphur at the time of bottling. Whatever the 1998 is a fascinating and complex wine that will probably continue to age well, while getting darker and darker. Ending up the colour of a PX?

This wine, Alice Fiering's The Battle for Wine and Love, Sylvie Augereau's carnet de vigne Omnivore 1er Cuvée les 200 vins 100% raisin, which is a guide to 'natural wine' in France, and the forthcoming 2009 Renaissance des Appellations tasting in Angers all put the spotlight on 'natural wines'.

People, who know about Mark's often wonderful wines, will proably have no problem with this 1998 Les Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies. But what of someone who unsuspectingly orders this from a restaurant wine list? The chances must be that they will reject the wine as being out of condition.

How would the wine have tasted and developed with a small dose of sulphur at the time of bottling. Would it have had that almost painful austerity of a long aged dry Oloroso? It surely would have had a more golden colour and different aromas.

Which brings me to the Renaissance des Appellations tasting in Angers. I expect that the 2009 edition (1st February) will again provide some of the most fascinating but equally some of the worst wine that I will taste during 2009.

It seems to me that the current fashion or accent on 'natural' wines leads to a tendency to accept anything from a 'naturally made' wine. A little oxidation can give a wine additional interest but too much will make it undrinkable. Shouldn't the first criteria when assessing be – is this wine drinkable – is it enjoyable or will it be enjoyable in future with a bit more age? Not is this wine 'natural'. Instead too often the apostles and disciples of 'natural wine' applaud that it is 'natural' first and last.

I have no doubt that once again at the Renaissance tasting there will be wonderful wines from Loire producers like Richard Leroy (Anjou Blanc), Thierry Michon (Fiefs Vendeens), Eric Nicolas (Jasnières) and others. Equally there will be some horrors – unclean, impossibly oxidised wines where the producer, blinded the non-intervention, non-sulphur religion will have sacrified their fine grapes on the altar of neo-othodoxy and instead of making something delicious will proudly display crap wines that undermine the serious purpose of the Renaissance des Appellations.

Today everyone claims that wine is made in the vineyard. You can't make good wine without good grapes. Too true but not the end of the story as you can certainly stuff up your grapes royally in the winery as some Renaissance producers demosntrate too well and that was also apparent in the large tasting of reds from the Central Vineyards I did on the 19th December.

Didier Barrouillet

The fine wines of the Clos Roche Blanche will also be available at the Renaissance tasting – but not at the Salon des Vins de Loire this year. When we visited them on Tuesday Didier explained the various techniques including a lengthy cold stablisation he had used to lower the naturally high acidities of the 2008s. At the end of the tasting, once Didier had left to finish the row of vines he was pruning, Catherine spoke with admiration of the measures and care Didier had taken over the vinification of the 2008s – an on-going care as many of the ferments are not yet finished. Non-interventionalist winemaking? Probably not but surely an example of a fine and thoughtful winemaker using whatever techniques he can to modify what 2008 has thrown at him as naturally as he can.