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!