2014 Loire vintage underway in Montlouis

2014 Montlouis Chenin Blanc

(above and below)

After having spend yesterday morning in the Cher Valley we returned to Epeigné-les-Bois before making a late sortie to Montlouis to get a flavour of what was happening there. We dropped in first to see Olivier Flamand at Flamand-Delétang at Saint-Martin-le-Beau. Olivier was well happy with 45-50 hl/ha for his Sauvignon Blanc. He had just started on his sparkling Montlouis.  

With the sun shining and forecast good at least until the weekend – unfortunately not so good from Monday at the moment with an unsettled forecast, the vignerons were smiling happy and fairly relaxed for a very stressful time of their year. We dropped in on the Domaine de la Taille aux Loups, François Chidaine and Frantz Saumon – all have started picking. Frantz has been picking for a fortnight or so, having started in Touraine Azay-le-Rideau.   

Fort Chidaine! – François' new winery looks now to be finished

Loading the press

@Frantz Saumon – the team offers encouragement!

Frantz in the pink!

Water for cleaning is a crucial part of making wine

Good to see: a renovated loge des vignes – part of the 

Loire's heritage to be preserved

Nothing to do with the 2014 vintage but an eye-catching 
old shop front in Saint-Martin-le-Beau

2013 La Dive Bouteille@Château de Brézé - named producers

 Antoine Foucault (Domaine du Collier)

Photos of Loire producers who presented their wines@the 2013 edition of La Dive Bouteille held in the cellars of Château de Brézé – taken on 3rd February 2013. 

 Caroline Boireau (Domaine du Collier)

above and below

 Antoine Sanzay

Bertrand Jousset (Domaine Jousset, Montlouis)

Frantz Saumon

(Montlouis et un saumon dans la Loire)

Gérald Marula – Beaumont-en-Véron and Lerné

above and below

Jean Maupertuis, Auvergne 

Matthieu Cosme, Vouvray

Pascal Potaire, Faverolles-sur-Cher

Romain Guiberteau, Saumur

above and below

Sébastien Brunet, Vouvray

Thierry Germain, Domaine de Roches Neuves

Monday 20th June: "Vi(e)ns à la Source: le salon des vins vivantes

Another off-tasting during the Vinexpo madness. Living wines from the Loire include those from Benoît Courault (Anjou), Frantz Saumon (Montlouis and elsewhere in Touraine), Jérôme Saurigny (Anjou), Joël Courtault (Touraine), La Grapperie (Coteaux du Loir), Olivier Lemasson (Cheverny and Touraine) and Jeremy Kuastana (Loire).

  Frantz Saumon

Joël Courtault

Olivier Lemasson

More 9th June visits (updated)

Céline Champalou

After the Puzelats we headed westwards along the Loire past Amboise to Husseau where we saw Frantz Saumon and tasted his current range of wines. Next on to Vouvray and Domaine Champalou where we saw Céline Champalou as her parents – Catherine and Didier – were away in Lyon for a tasting and lunch at Bocuse to mark the selection of their sparkling Vouvray for a prize.

Sign@Frantz Saumon

Two empty bottles@Frantz Saumon inc a magnum of Morgon from Marcel Lapierre

We then had time for a quick visit to the new premises of Château Gaudrelle in Rochecorbon and see Alexandre Monmousseau. Alexandre said he was stunned by how quickly this year's grapes were developing. "I have to keep pinching myself to make sure that I'm not dreaming!" He made an interesting observation on the possible effect of the flowering before the summer solstice. "Normally the flowering isn't finished until after the summer solstice when the length of the days are already starting to decline. This year the vines will have an additional 20-25 days during the period of maximum light. We don't know what effect this will have."

Alexandre opening a Vouvray and checking the cork

In the cellars of Gaudrelle

Then it was back to Montlouis to see Ludovic Chanson, whose wines I first tasted at this year's Salon des Vins de Loire. Having tasted his full range I remain impressed, especially with his Montlouis. Clearly yet another emerging star in Montlouis!

Ludovic Chanson

Bertrand Jousset cultivating his vines near Husseau

Les Caves de Pyrène: Real Wine 19th April 2010

Last PLace on Earth, Bramley Street London W11

Eric Narioo and his Les Caves team continue to bravely and fearlessly explore West London's 'badlands'. Last year it was Porchester Hall. For 2010 they moved a little further west down the tubeline to Latimer Road.

Eric Narioo, one of the wine trade's leading lights 

As usual Les Caves' invitation nailed their colours and beliefs to the mast – no room for ambiguity here! Real wines – natural wines and a lack of 'imaginary' bottles... Last week's demonstration of natural wines by Dynamic Vines was in this sector of London – perhaps it has a particular affinity with this style of wine. 

Althugh there were many enticing things to taste from across the world, I unfortunately only had time for those from the Loire and a few others. Incidentally a different type of reality – flight restrictions due to volcanic ash – had hit this "real wine" tasting preventing around 35 out of the 60 growers from making it to London. 

Tasting 'real or natural' wine is always interesting and an intellectual challenge. At what point along the drinkability continium do the faults or 'natural' characters outweigh its virtues and render it so bizarre or off the wall that it is no longer a pleasant drink? With one exception all were well on the right side of the drinkability continium.Little sign of jihadism in this selection of Loire producers!

The notion of a complete non-interventionist approach to wine-making is probably a caricature. Carried to its exteme you would wiat until the grapes fell from the vine. Good winemakers realise that you have to intervene – deciding when to pick, how long to macerate etc. I always think it is rather like cooking. Yes often using simple ingredients simply cooked is the best. But this doesn't mean you don't have to pay close attention to detail. Simply grilled fish is delcious if you get it right but there is a very narrow window when it is just right – a few seconds either way will give you either underdone or overdone fish. Often just less than a minute too much is enough to ruin that wonderful moist texture perfect fish has.

Good cooking tends to demand that you are at the stove not trying to do two things at the same time – off elsewhere catching up on emails or digging the garden leading all too often to burnt offerings. 

Thierry Germain: Domaine des Roches Neuves

I'm convinced that it is close attention to detail – lots of small things that makes a greater whole – is one thing that marks a real good producer. This is as true at this tasting of 'Real Wine' as it is elsewhere. Take Thierry Germain (Domaine des Roches Neuves) in Saumur. Since he arrived in 1991 Thierry has changed his wine styles considerably – always questioning. At one point he was making rich, full reds and whites with quite high alcohol. Now Thierry is looking for purity, minerality and precision. One could perhaps criticise him for moving from one extreme to another but to change the style involves intervention and it is evident that he pays close attention to detail.   

Some quick comments on wines tasted:

Domaine Pellé – Anne Pellé (Menetou-Salon)
Always very consistent. The 2008 whites showing good concentration and ripeness.

Domaine des Roches Neuves – Thierry Germain (Saumur and Saumur-Champigny)

2008 Isolite precise and quite austere. 2008 reds have sweet initial fruit but flirt with greeness in the finish.

Domaine Catherine and Pierre Breton – Pierre Breton (Bourgueil, Chinon and Vouvray)

The Vouvrays continue to be better than the reds.

Domaine de la Chevalerie (Bourgueil)

Good range of medium weight reds.

Domaine Jean Maupertuis (Côtes d'Auvergne)
Having seen this domaine mentioed favourably on a number of occasions wasn't convinced by the two Gamays from 2009.

Frantz Saumon 

Domaine Frantz Saumon (Montlouis plus négoce activity under Un Saumon dans La Loire)

This was the most exciting range of wines I tasted having lovely purity and vibrancy, particularly from the 2008s and the 2009s. Interestting to see Frantz starting a small negociant activity. I liked the Menu Pineau (sourced from Saint-Aignan) and the Romorantin (from Philippe Tessier in Cour-Cheverny).

Un Saumon dans La Loire: 2009 Romorantin

Domaine Sébastien Riffault – Sébastien Riffault (Sancerre)

I'll happily admit that I haven't got to grips with Sébastien's wines. I have only ever tasted them not drunk a glass with food. I find their oxidative nature masks both their grape variety and the terroir. They may well be drinkable but they are not Sancerre.

For Jamie Goode's take on this tasting click here to go to the Wine Anorak.

http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/natural-wine/natural-wines-what-are-they-exactly