2011 Loire vintage: Chinon and Bourgueil (20th September)

Generous bunch of Cabernet Franc in a Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil vineyard on the gravel

Despite some rain in September the Cabernet Franc looks for the moment to be resisting rot in Chinon, Bourgueil and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Picking is at different stages in the three appellations. The vineyards on the gravel and sandy flats of Saint-Nicolas have now been largely picked often by machine. Despite reports of rot in these vineyards the grapes that remained looked healthy and there appeared by be very little rot about. Bourgueil is now underway – some started at the end of last week while others waited until Monday. In Chinon some have started on the reds, while others like Baudry-Dutour and Couly-Dutheil are picking for rosé this week and will start on the reds at the beginning of next week. Others, like Nicolas Grosbois and Bertrand Couly, are picking the reds now. 

For the white Chinon, Baudry-Dutour have picked their domaine white but waiting to pick for their barrel fermented Chinon Blanc. Couly-Dutheil are picking their most fragile parcels of Chenin.  

 Chenin Blanc@Couly-Dutheil (above and below)

 Reasonably nobly rotten

 Less noble 

Trailer of Chenin

2011 Loire vintage: start of the vendange in Chinon – Nicolas Grosbois

Vendanges 2011: c'est parti pour Nicolas Grosbois (Panzoult, AC Chinon) – above and below

The first visit we made in Chinon was to Nicolas Grosbois on the western edge of Panzoult. Nicolas has started early – last Saturday. Grapes were coming in at 12.5-12.8% potential with an acidity of 4.2 and a ph of 3.3. 

Nicolas: "We started last Saturday. 2011 is not an easy year as the flowering was extended over a long time, so there is variable ripeness – some mauve berries amongst the black grapes. Because of the rain we have 15% more juice than last year. I think the resulting wines will be relatively light – easy drinking, vin des copains", although there may be a few more structured cuvées from the terres blanches vineyards."

Tasting the 2011 juice suggested that the resulting wines are likely to be light.

  

Bunch of 2011 Cabernet Franc@Domaine Grosbois: well aerated bunch

Group of the Grosbois' pickers

2011 Loire vintage: Côt or Cabernet Franc@Saint Georges + thermo

Côt or Cabernet Franc?

I'm hoping that someone is going to help me out here. Yesterday passing through the vines of Saint-Georges-sur-Cher it was clear that a big majority of the grapes have now been picked. There was a block that still had some unpicked black grapes, so I stopped to take some photos. These are with Côt or Cabernet Franc. Initially I thought they were Côt (Malbec) from the colour of the leaves but then I noticed that some leaves were indented indicating that they might be Cabernet. Now looking again at the photos I'm inclined to go back to my first guess – that these are Côt. Your thoughts please.

The leaves

Then on to the Clos du Porteau in La Vallée Pitrou (part of Saint-Georges-sur-Cher) where I caught up with Aynard de Clermont Tonnerre and Henri Chapon. Aynard has again been busy this year during the harvest with his thermo-vinification system helped in 2011 by Henri as they rush around the Loire vineyards heating up their customers' must with the thermo machine.

Aynard: "We have been very busy, especially as there is quite a lot of rot about, mainly in weed killered vineyards, and one of the advantages of thermo-vinification is that it removes the taste of rot. There is much less rot in grassed over vineyards."

Aynard's 2011 Sauvignon (made by Isabelle, la vigneronne du Clos du Porteau) tasted promising. We tried vats from a number of different parcels. The fruit was picked around 12%-12.5% alc and has some weight and good clean flavours. They are increasing relying on the natural yeasts.

1934 René Couly – presque prêt à boire!

1934 Domaine René Couly, Couly-Dutheil Chinon

The labels are recent as the wine was almost certainly stored in a limestone cellar without a label

It was a great privilege to be at yesterday's vertical of Chinons covering vintages from 1934 through to 2005 held at at the Château du Rivau and many thanks to those Chinon producers who provided some of their precious old bottles to taste. Definitely the most extraordinary wine was the 1934 Domaine René Couly. Although not the best wine I tasted in this vertical, it was remarkable for its longevity – this was no faded ghost at the feast of Chinons! Wisely the tasting started from the oldest to the youngest so this 1934 was our first wine.

The 1934 still vibrant and a good colour

What was immediately striking was how vibrant and relatively youthful the colour of the 1934 was. I'm sure that if served blind no-one would guess that this is a 77 year-old wine. Of course a little bricky but not brown. The aromas were spicy, fungal – mushroomy in an attractive sense with touches of sous bois, sweet evolved fruit on the palate finishing with quite marked acidity. Ready to drink now, this 1934 could be kept longer, unlike some of the later vintages (subject of another post/s.)

Pierre Couly (Pierre and Bertrand Couly) gave us flowering and vintage dates for all the wines. The 1934 vintage started on 6th October, which, although it would be considered late today, was around the normal time to start in those days. It certainly wasn't a late vintage.

This bison, from the trophy room at the Château du Rivau where we had dinner on the Thursday and who expressed some clear reservations about the possible condition of the 1934, was happily proved to be mistaken.

The Wine Gang – today Croatia tomorrow the world – and three wines from Croatia

The Wine Gang (Tom Cannavan, Jane Parkinson, Joanna Simon, Anthony Rose and David Williams) contemplate corporate world domination at the Wines of Croatia tasting (8th September). 

Founded in 2008 with Gang's undoubted tasting expertise and experience has never been matched by sartorial flair. There was some hope while Olly Smith was a member but he left at the end of last year along with fellow founder member Tim Atkin MW. Tim and Olly + his shirts have now ganged up with Oz Clarke becoming The Three Wine Men. All rather reminiscent of the super-groups of the 70s – Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Blind Faith, Crosby, Stills and Nash et al! 

The Blue Shirts (aka The Wine Gang) have fairs in London (29th October) and Edinburgh (12th November).

2007 Cabernet Franc, Franc Arman

I wasn't able to spend a lot of time at the Wines of Croatia tasting last week but did find some interesting wines, despite the organisation of the event being somewhat of a challenge. Many of the reds that I tasted were surprisingly leafy given that Croatia is in southern Europe. As I have never been to Croatia my impression of the geography is unfortunately rather hazy. In contrast this 2007 Cabernet Franc from Franc Arman was quite floral and attractively softly textured with good length, although with slightly green tannins in the finish.

2007 Milva and 2007 Antica, Roxanich (served in magnum)

These were the last two wines I managed to taste. Both white wines are in an oxidised style, which works adding complexity to the wine. Milva is made from Chardonnay, which spends three or four days on its skins before being pressed off. Antica has much longer on the skins – a remarkable 87 days. Made from Malvazija Istriana, Antica is like a complex dry Sherry.  

See also Robert McIntosh's take on this tasting.

  

2011 Loire vintage news inc Château de Villeneuve (Saumur/Saumur Champigny)

Picking Cabernet Franc@Château de Villeneuve

Update from Cathy Shore (Le Tasting Room) on Villeneuve's vintage plans: start the Chenin this Tuesday and the Cabernet Franc on 19th. Further details see here.

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Also from Saumur the use of micro-barriques (also called wood chips) is to be allowed during the alcoholic fermentation for AC Saumur Rouge. See here. The idea is that the use of micro-barriques masks the astringency of Cabernet Franc. There is, of course, another way of avoiding astringency – pick the fruit when it is ripe. Apparently their use is also permitted in AC Bourgueil.

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2009 vintage – treading the grapes

News from Epeigné-les-Bois 'Grand Cru' – Clos Chossay (Mark Robertson reports):

'Squeaky bum time in the vignoble, Sauvignon harvested Sunday (3rd September) at 13%, after torrential rain on Saturday night (Bourgueil had widespread flooding).

Côt is close, but Cabernet has 3 weeks to go. Hope the grass soaks up the rain....'

Domaine de Bablut (Anjou) picking started yesterday

Christophe Daviau (Domaine de Bablut, Brissac-Quincé)

Christophe (5.9.11): "We started picking our Chardonnay for the Crémant today. Later this week we'll pick the Sauvignon and the Grolleau. The Grolleau is around 11% potential alc. and part will be used for the Rosé de Loire and part for Topette (Christophe's fresh, easy drinking red closed with a screwcap). The Sauvignon is at around 12.4% potential alcohol with 5.2-5.4 acidity. Then early next week we'll pick the Chenin and Cabernet Franc for the Crémant.  

"It has been a really bizarre year with a lot of rain during the early part of the winter until January and then very dry after that until July. Hot and summery in April, May and the early part of June. Cold and unsettled in July and August with the occasional heat spike, especially around 18th-22nd August.

"There's no panic to pick – it is only early September. We'll pick the early varieties and then wait for the Chenin, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon for the still wines. The Chenin and the Cabernet Sauvignon are looking good, while the Cabernet Franc (on limestone for Petra Alba) is more complicated. The flowering was very drawn out and the last Franc berries only changed colour at the end of August. I will wait until the Franc is really ripe – end of September beginning of October. Planted on limestone Franc resists rain weather as the limestone acts as a sponge and the grapes don't take up the rainwater." 

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Christophe's Coteaux de l'Aubance was recently selected by Biocoop – see video here. 

 

A trio of recent reds – a Côt, a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Franc

2006 Côt (Clos Roche Blanche), 2008 Reuilly Pinot Noir (Denis Jamain) and 2005 Reserve (Château du Petit Thouars) 

Some notes on three recently drunk reds – made from the three different varieties. Let's start first with the 2008 Reuilly, which is 100% Pinot Noir and is made by always reliable Denis Jamain (Domaine de Reuilly). Described very succinctly as 'delicious' by CRM, this easy drinking, vibrantly red fruited Pinot that worked very well with veal kidneys finished in a cream and mushroom sauce. This is Denis straight Reuilly red cuvée designed to be drunk fairly young with an accent on the fruit. He has two other cuvées – Les Chênes and La Comtesse – that benefit from longer aging and are more complex wines. 

Denis' fine Pinots are another reminder that the Loire's Central Vineyards can and does produce Pinot Noirs that are well worth discovering if you are not already into this secret.

Next up the 2005 Reserve Cabernet Franc from Château du Petit Thouars offering remarkable value at 6€ from the château. It has the concentration, richness and power expected from a 2005. I decided to try this 2005 to see how it is developing. I concluded that it ideally needs another couple of years or so to show its best, so a bit a patience is needed. In the meantime drink the deliciously soft, black fruited 2009 Sélection (5€) from Thouars.

Then the 2006 Côt from the Clos Roche Blanche. I can't remember trying their 2006 Côt recently. It certainly has richness – spicy black fruits – but it is less precise and lacks a little of the zip in the finish that these Roche Blanche Côts normally have. It is still an attractive drink but I fancy it reflects the difficult conditions of the 2006 vintage when galloping rot forced vignerons to pick as rapidly as possible. I would certainly make sure it is served cool to preserve freshness.          

2011 Loire vintage: some harvest pictures from the Cher Valley

 Picking machine harvesting Sauvignon Blanc@François Cartier's vineyards in Pouillé

Last Tuesday around Pouillé and Thesée the 2011 harvest was really getting underway with a number of picking machines out as well as teams of pickers. Despite the rain at the end of last week, the fruit was looking really good with considerably less signs of rot than had been apparent in Sancerre and Pouilly the day before. Unfortunately the forecast is not very favourable for the coming week with some rain forecast on most days. Hopefully the weather will turn out to be better than currently forecast.

Sauvignon Blanc@Domaine Joël Delaunay

Picking machine@Domaine Joël Delaunay

Starting to unload Sauvignon Blanc@Domaine Joël Delaunay

Grapes beginning to flow

Full flow

Cabernet Franc?

Côt (?) from one of the very productive clones from 1970s-80s

Pouillé: well spaced out Sauvignon Blanc

Cabernet Franc Day: 'A grape is for life, not just for Christmas!'

Cabernet Franc in Saumur-Champigny 2009

Much as I like the notion of highlighting the brilliance and charms of Cabernet Franc yesterday (1st September), I do feel that the conception is flawed: Cabernet Franc, like pet dogs, should not be for just one day. Here@Jim's Loire many days in the year are enriched by Cabernet Franc.

1989 Vieilles Vignes Chinon Domaine de la Perrière (Jean & Christophe Baudry)

About 10 days ago we drank a bottle of the 1989 VV Chinon from Jean and Christophe Baudry's Domaine de la Perrière (Cravant-le-Coteaux). Pure Cabernet Franc, it had wonderful perfume that just filled the large glasses we were using and had a brilliant harmony and freshness. This was certainly one of the best bottles of Loire Cabernet Franc from the famed 1989 vintage that I have ever drunk. This bottle may be at its peak – certainly it was full of life and gave the impression that it would have lasted considerably more years if we hadn't pulled the cork and had great pleasure in sharing it with friends.

I doubt this VV cost more than the equivalent of £4 or £5 when we bought it. Certainly demonstrating how age-worthy well-made Chinon can be, especially bearing in mind that this wine comes from vines planted on the gravel, not normally considered to be as well suited to ageing as those cuvées from the limestone coteaux.

This week I have received an invitation to go to a special tasting of 60 years of Chinon from 1945-2005. It will be held in mid-September and I'm delighted that I will be able to go. Should be fascinating!

Christophe Baudry