Claude Papin auditions for the remake of Lawrence of Arabia (Chaume)

I'm not sure whether yesterday afternoon temperatures of over 31C broke any records but certainly a number of producers said that this is the hottest late September they remember. Here are some scenes from yesterday.

Typical mix of ripeness in a bunch of Chenin (Chaume)

Vincent Ogereau (Domaine Ogereau) with 2011 Rosé de Loire (Grolleau/Gamay)

Treading Cabernet in vat at Mark Angeli 

 Martial and Mark Angeli

Some producers cool down their vats - Mark cools his pickers

Mark Angeli finds inspiration...

Santé!: Les six mousqueteries with Nigel Wilkinson and Tom King (RSJ Restaurant, London)
(LR: from empty place – Catherine Ogereau, Nigel Wilkinson, Vincent Ogereau, Tom King, Claude Papin, Yves Guegniard, Joëlle Papin)
 

Mid-afternoon yesterday we headed out to the Domaine de la Bergerie (Champ-sur-Layon) to taste the wines of the six Mousqueteries who had come to London to for the last of the tastings to mark ther 30th anniversary of the RSJ restaurant. We started with Domaine Ogereau (Catherine and Vincent Ogereau), followed by Domaine de la Bergerie (Marie-Annick and Yves Guegniard) and then finishing with Château Pierre-Bise (Joëlle and Claude Papin). 

  

Scallops and a jerusalem artichoke sauce

After the tasting we had an excellent dinner with some lovely older vintages from the six at La Table de la Bergerie, run by David Guitton the son-in-law of Marie-Annick and Yves.

Wonderfully tender venison with vegetables and a rich wine sauce

We finished with a small selection of cheese, which included a very good Cantal, and then a varition on crèpes suzette.

Vincent and Catherine Ogereau

On Sunday night I spoke to a generally pleased and certainly astonished Vincent (Domaine Ogereau) Astonished by the rapidity and completeness of the development of botrytis. "The grapes for the sweet wines are superb this year. We have nearly finished – we will be picking Les Bonnes Blanches at the beginning of the coming week. Due to the dry summer and then the rain at the end of September the botrytis is very regular, I have been amazed we hardly have to do a tri (selectively pick). We can pick 80%-90% of the hrapes nd they are all between 20%-21% potential. In the Bonnes Blanches it's between 22%-23% potential. All the juice is pure – there aren't any faux goûts (bad flavours). Even our 'generic' domaine cuvée is 19% potential*."

"The Cabernets are now done – we finished this week. We had to pick them quickly as there was a threat of rot. They came in at between 13%-14% and 4gm acidity.The parcel used for our Cabernet d'Anjou was at 13.5%!"

My impression is that 2010 has certainly been a more difficult year than 2009, although there should be some fine resulting wines. One of those vintages that are called 'l'année du vigneron'. In general those who looked after their vineyards properly and kept yields down and the bunches well aerated look to have been rewarded. In more heavily cropped vines there may well have been more rot and the grapes probably less ripe. Doubtless there are cases where unripe grapes had to be picked otherwise they would have rotted. Buyers may well have to select carefully this year. 

(My apologies in the delay in getting this posted.)

*

I may have been premature in welcoming the Angeli family into the 21st century as I haven't had a reply to my email on Tuesday to Martial Angeli. They are probably busy with the harvest. I have sent the message again – perhaps I was too rude about Mark! Looks as though he might be on Facebook. Will keep you posted on emails and the Angelis!

Cheers with a glass of Régis Neau's Crémant de Loire

RSJ's 30^th Anniversary Dinner
Monday 11^th October 2010

RSJ's upstairs restaurant was packed last night for this celebratory dinner. The kitchen marshalled by veteran chef, Ian Stabler, were on top form. Also all the wines showed well with some particular stars.

Ian Stabler keeping a customary low profile but certainly producing the goods

Aperitif:

Crémant de Loire, Domaine de Nerleux, Régis Neau
Régis is one of the producers we have worked with for many years. His softly delicious Crémant is 70% Chenin and 30% Chardonnay and spends two years on its lees.


White:

1993 Montlouis Sec, Dominique Moyer
This was the big surprise of the night. Still very youthful, clean floral, buttery flavours with long, precise finish. Developed well in the glass. Was a fine match with the crab. 

1998 Saumur Blanc, ‘Les Cormiers’ Jean-Pierre Chevallier
From one of our favourite Loire producers, this was more golden than the 1993 Montlouis and richer, fine but not the best match with the crab. 

2004 Pouilly Fume ‘Pur Sang’ [Magnum] Didier Dagueneau
A sad reminder of how good a producer the late Didier Dagueneau was, this had lovely clean, precision and minerally length. A very good match with the crab.

Interesting that all three whites come from what are often termed difficult vintages. This is a reminder that the best dry white Loires often come from the cooler summers.

           

Tian of Cornish crab

watercress, crostini

Red:

1999 Chinon, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine de la Perrière, Christophe Baudry
Another star of the evening – soft and wonderfully delicate red fruits, 1999 was initially an unheralded vintage that is now showing very well. A really classic Chinon that showed really well with the duck.

1989 Anjou Villages, Vincent Ogereau
In contrast to 1999, this was a very hot year – a glorious summer and autumn to celebrate the bicentennary of the French Revolution. This had richer fruit – leather, spice and fig. 

Sancerre ‘La Perpétuelle’, Claude & Laurent Champault
This was a fascinating treat and probably the first time that La Perpétuelle has been drunk in the UK. This is made by the solera system, better known for its use in sherry. Claude and Laurent have just one 600 litre barrel of this wine, which they started in 1995 – filling it with 1995 red Sancerre (Pinot Noir). In 1996 they took a third out and bottled it, topping the barrel up with 1996 Sancerre red. Unlike in sherry they keep the barrel topped up to prevent oxidation. Just 280 bottles of this wine are produced a year. Our thanks to Claude and Laurent for their generous gift.

Gressingham duck breast & confit leg,

Hisby cabbage, carrots, boulangere potatoes

Red wine jus

Sweet wine:

9] 2005 Coteaux de l’Aubance ‘Grandpierre’, Domaine de Bablut, Christophe Daviau            

Christophe is another producer we have worked with for many years. This sweet wine is richly citric,  with some luscious concentration and the mineral character that marks the single-vineyard, Grandpierre. Although it held its own reasonably well with the dessert, this is still probably best drunk on its own.            

Apple & hazelnut torte

30 years in The Good Food Guide

RSJ Restaurant, 33 Coin Street, London SE1 9NR. Tel: 020-7928 4554.

Chenin Blanc in Claude Papin's parcel

On Tuesday our last visit in Anjou was to the Clos le Grand Beaupreau, the Savennières vineyard shared by Vincent Ogereau, Yves Guegniard and Claude Papin. We were there to see Yves and his team make a first tri (selective picking) there. After the decidedly miserable weather on the Monday afternoon (light rain) Tuesday was gloriously sunny, although not as hot as the previous week had been.   

Yves with some of his pickers

Grapes in Vincent Ogereau's parcel

RSJ Restaurant – September 2009

The RSJ Restaurant in Waterloo celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Over the years it has established a reputation as having one of the most comprehensive Loire wine lists in the world with around 250 references. Nigel Wilkinson's passion for Loire wines was born during a series of now legendary visits to the Loire from the early 1980s. I have been involved as a consultant since around 1990 – mainly presenting the wines during the tasting dinners.

To mark the 30th anniversary there will be a series of wine producer dinners. Dates were finalised during this week's Salon des Vins de Loire.

Christophe Daviau

We kick off on:

Tuesday 9th March: Christophe Daviau, Domaine de Bablut

£45 for four course dinner and wines – see details here.

Frédéric emptying his hod of Chenin Blanc: Le Puy-Notre-Dame: 3rd October 2009

Tuesday 11th May: Frédéric Mabileau and Vincent Roussely (Domaine du Clos Roussely)

Frédéric has rapidly established himself as one of the stars of western Touraine. He now makes Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Bourgueil, Anjou Rouge et Blanc as well as Saumur Blanc. Vincent Roussely is one of the young vignerons, who are making the Cher Valley an exciting region.
Pricing details to follow.

Vincent Roussely

••

Claude and Joëlle Papin with their 2009 Decanter World Wine Award Trophy

Monday 6th September: Anjou special: Claude and Joëlle Papin (Château Pierre-Bise), Vincent and Catherine Ogereau (Domaine Ogereau), Yves and Marie-Annick Guegniard (Domaine de la Bergerie)

Vincent and Catherine Ogereau

Yves Guegniard and his daughter Anne

You have doubtless heard of the Three Tenors. Well now we have the three Layon producers. All excellent producers in their own they work closely together and each have a share of the Clos le Grand-Beaupréau in Savennières.

Pricing details to follow.

Provisional bookings are now being taken as we expect these events to be very popular.
Please contact Tom King on 020-7928 4554 or tom.king@rsj.uk.com

9th October 2009

The church at Souzay-Champigny and Château de Villeneuve

Florence Chevallier, Château de Villeneuve, Saumur-Champigny

"We are well advanced now and I expect that we will finish on Tuesday. We started on Wednesday 30th September with the white – the Chenin was magnificent – and the Cabernet Franc on Friday 1st October. The Ban des Vendanges was for Monday 5th October but as our degrees were already high we were able to start early. Both the Cabernet and Chenin are between 13%-13.5%.

As the weather forecast was uncertain at the beginning of this week we decided there was no point in waiting, so we harvested quickly with a big group of 35 pickers. Normally we do two tris (selective pickings) with the Chenin but the grapes were so good that we picked everything in one go. Had we done a tri then the degrees in the second picking would have gone too high."

•

Vincent Ogereau, Domaine Ogereau, Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay

Vincent and Catherine Ogereau

I was delighted to learn that Vincent has now made a full recovery from his operation in May.

Vincent: "Our Chenin is really good – golden yellow. Last week we did a tri for the Layon and the grapes came in a 20% potential. The juice has very pure fruit flavours. This week I have been worried by the tropical conditions we have had – warm and humid – bringing the danger of rot developing in the Cabernet Franc. We picked for the Anjou Rouge yesterday – 12.8% potential and 4.4g acidity. it should be quite soft. Then we'll start the Cabernet Franc for the Anjou Villages on Monday. I'm out every midday in the vines tasting the grapes and the ripeness is now starting to change very quickly with the acidity dropping. We need to get on picking now – it is too risky to wait.

We've picked some Cabernet Sauvignon to make rosé, which should be superb, but I'm not sure whether the Cabernet Sauvignon will get ripe enough, so that we can make red with it. At the moment the tannins are not ripe. The very dry weather we have had since the beginning of June has slowed down the ripeness. We have a small yield for the Cabernet this year."

•

Christophe Daviau, Domaine de Bablut, Brissac-Quincé
"I think my Cabernet Sauvignon may well be riper than my Cabernet Franc. We've picked for the Anjou Rouge, which will have short time macerating on the skins so that it is soft and easy to drink. The Cabernet Franc on the limestone (AV Petra Alba) could potentially be very good, so I'm going to leave that for a while. For the Chenin we've finished the sec for Petit Prince and Ordovicien. The juice is 'super-beau' and very aromatic. We've also done a tri for the Coteaux de l'Aubance, which was at 19%-20% potential.

I'm a little bit disappointed by the yield but that's due to the dry weather, although the small amount of rain we've had in September and October has plumped the grapes up a bit. "

As is so often the case there have been considerable variations in the Loire weather depending upon the sector – meaning that some vignerons are happy, particularly in Anjou and the Pays Nantais, while others especially in the Cher are cursing what a year with 13 moons has thrown at them.

As a friend said yesterday – "Distances are SO big in the Loire!" Therefore, although it is tempting to generalise, it is dangerous.

Here is quick but not comprehensive round up:

Cher Valley

Conditions have been difficult in eastern Touraine with alternating fine weather and rain, so unfortunately a promising year for mildew. Furthermore there have been heavy but localized hail storms – one on the evening of 16th July and one last week on Friday 24th. The storm of the 16th produced some spectacular hailstones – the size of golf balls. See here.

There was some damage in Pouillé but probably more in Angé and then on the north side of the Cher between Monthou and Thesée. I understand that Jean-François Merieau (Vignobles des Bois Vaudons, Saint-Julien-de-Chédon) was amongst those hit. It was mainly his Gamay with some blocks suffering 80% damage with the overall damage estimated at around 20%. Fortunately the Sauvignon Blanc wasn't affected.

Thierry Delaunay

Thierry Delaunay (Domaine Joël Delaunay) reports:

Effectivement, il a grélé sur la commune de Pouillé le jeudi 16 juillet vers 20h 20h30. Il y avait beaucoup de vent aussi. Chez nous à la Tesnière, il est tombé quelques gros grélons gros comme des oeufs de pigeons ( j'en ai compté un dizaine, c'était à la fin de l'orage ). Donc pas de dégâts mais je me suis douté que l'on était en limite de l'orage de grêle et donc qu'il y avait surement des dégâts quelque part. J'ai pris ma voiture après manger vers 10h le soir pour aller voir mes parcelles les plus éloignées et ouf, rien quelques gros grélons aussi d'après des voisins qui discutaient dehors.

Mais apparement, le gros de la grêle n'était plus très loin. Effectivement un peu plus loin sur la commune de Pouillé vers Angé les dégâts étaient spectaculaires dans certaines parcelles de mes collégues. Comme en hiver!! L'orage de grêle était donc de Saint-Julien de Chédon jusqu'à Pouillé "Ouest" en passant par Angé. Il a traversé le Cher et a frappé entre Monthou et Thésée.

Vendredi dernier, il y a eu un nouvel orage avec une petite grêle très courte mais virulente. Nous avons eu des impactes sur certaines parcelles mais rien à voir avec l'orage du 16.

Voilà, vivement les vendanges ! Sans oublier un peu de vacances d'ici 15 jours !!

Didier Barrouillet

Didier Barrouillet (Clos Roche Blanche)

Mildew and black rot have been a problem this year with mildew on the grapes. Fortunately we didn't suffer much damage from the storm on 16th but we were more affected by last week's hail. Like 2007 and 2008 it has been a tough tiring year – due to the 13 moons?

Vincent Roussely

Vincent Roussely, Clos Roussely
(Vincent reports that his vines in Angé suffered 40% damage from the hail, while those in Saint-Georges weren't affected. He hopes that 2009 will see the end of the trio of three difficult years.)

'Les vignes situées sur la commune d'Angé ont malheureusement été touché à 40%. Celles de St Georges non rien, le millésime 2009, je l'espère terminera une trilogie assez difficile. En effet, la pression mildiou est, depuis le début de cette campagne, assez forte. Il faut rester également vigilant en regard de l'oidium puisque les nuits sont fraiches même en ce mois de juillet. '

Anjou
The news from Anjou – at least from Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay and Brissac-Quincé – is very different as here there has been virtually no rain since early June.

Christophe Daviau

Christophe Daviau, Domaine de Bablut
The vines are looking superb and the grapes are very homogeneous – all about the same size. It is very dry here – a little rain would be good just 10-15 mm. This would help the grapes to ripen because if it stays dry like this there is a danger that the vines will shut down and the grapes will stop ripening. I expect the véraison (when the grapes begin to change colour) to start in about 15 days. Most of the grass has gone all yellow – as though we had used weedkiller. Not the case of course as Christophe is bio-dynamic.

It is still too early to tell but the harvest for the early ripening varieties will probably start around 15th September – a little bit earlier than last year.

Vincent and Catherine Ogereau

Vincent Ogereau, Domaine Ogereau
The vines are beautiful – our team of workers finished working on them yesterday before the summer holidays – deleafing and thinning out. We don't have any bunches touching each other – all are spaced out. The vines are very healthy as we have had no rain since early June – 40mm fell that month and much of this on Monday 8th June. There have been storms but they have all been to the north of Angers. It was important to thin out the Chenin crop as some of our parcels had too big a crop – not surprising as last year was a small vintage. The harvest will probably start around mid-September but we will have to see.

While we chatted Vincent revealed that he had had a brain tumour removed in May and is now recovering. Fortunately it wasn't malignant and Vincent is now making a good recovery and hopes to be fit for the harvest.

Luc Choblet (Jérôme's father)

Pays Nantais
Jérôme Choblet, Domaine des Herbauges
Another happy vigneron reporting that although mildew has been a problem this year it is under control, although everyone has had to work very hard in the vineyards. Recently there has been a little oidium in the Chardonnay but again this is under control. They are continuing to expect a normal sized harvest and to start picking around 10th-15th September depending on the weather.

Vincent Ogereau

Not only do Vincent and Catherine Ogereau (Domaine Ogereau in Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay) make an impeccable range of wines, they are also along with their children – Emmanuel and Cécile – a musical family. I will be reporting on our visit today to Domaine Ogereau soon but in the meantime here are too slightly soft focused photos of Vincent and Emmanuel, who hopes to soon do a stage (work experience) at a winery in Oregon.

Emmanuel Ogereau

Name plate outside Château Pierre-Bise

Just got back to the Hotel du Mail after a busy day – four excellent visits starting with Claude Papin, then Vincent Ogereau, followed by Domaine des Rochelles – Jean-Yves, Jean-Hubert and Anita Lebreton – and Christophe Daviau to finish. Now off to Le Relais for dinner with Sarah Ahmed (the wine detective), Chris Kissack (the wine doctor), Neil Irvine (HG Wines) and Tom King (RSJ Restaurant).

The four visits provided not only the opportunity to see how the 2008s and some of the 2007s are developing but also raised anumber of very interesting issues including a detailed explanation from Claude Papin about the harmful effects of working the soil, several mentions of the use of osmosis machines in Anjou during the 2008 harvest to convert grapes picked at around 14˚ natural into sweet wines, and the possibility of the Coteaux de l'Aubance banning chaptalisation. Clearly all themes to return to in more detail but if the Coteaux de l'Aubance do have the courage to ban the chaptalisation in the making of sweet wine – then bravo you will have put a stop to an aberration! Hopefully the Coteaux du Layon would rapidly follow your example.

Claude Papin: "Le travail du sol is an aberration"

Similarly the use of osmosis machines, if indeed they have been used and Jim's Loire would be delighted to hear from any Anjou producer who has used them, surely undermines the hard work that a good number of Anjou producers have put into the remarkable renaissance of quality sweet wine in Anjou since 1985.

I caught up briefly with Vincent and Catherine on the phone this morning for a progress report on 2008.

Vincent: Overall the vintage isn’t too bad. We have been very surprised by how little there is – lack of juice in the grapes and small berries. However, the quality across the board – Rosé de Loire, Cabernet d’Anjou, Anjou Blanc Sec and the reds – is good. We finished the Cabernet Franc last Saturday. As it was completely ready we picked all of it in a day with a big team of 20-25, including university friends of Emmanuel (Catherine and Vincent’s son). The Franc had 13% potential and the acidity had come down to 4.8 gms – 10 days ago the it had been up at 7.5-8 gms. But the yield is only 20 hl/ha!

“On Thursday we finished the Cabernet Sauvignon in the Côte de la Houssaye – potential 13.7%. As far as the sweet wines are concerned we have hardly started – just two small passages through the vines with the grapes around 18% potential. The Chenin is now about ready to pick but it’s damp this morning and unfortunately rain is forecast for Monday and Tuesday. The pity is that if we had fine weather there is only about a week’s picking left.”

Vincent and Catherine with 2007 Coteaux du Layon
at the start of its fermentation (early Nov 2007)