Champault's La Pérpetuelle 1995-2006 star of RSJ Eastern Delights tasting

La Pérpetuelle 1995-2006 Claude & Laurent

On Monday there was a tasting and dinner at the RSJ Restaurant. Called Eastern Delights we showed eight wines from the Central Vineyards – five white and three reds – with the aperitif coming from Touraine.

The undoubted star of the tasting was the very rare and unusual La Pérpetuelle from Claude and Laurent Champault (Roger Champault et Fils). This is a red 'Sancerre' (100% Pinot Noir) made on the solera system. The Champaults use a 600 litre barrel which they first filled with the 1995 vintage (from 50 year old vines) – the year they started. Each year they draw off 200 litres and then top it with the current vintage.

The 1995-2006 La Pérpetuelle has a lovely spicy, cedar wood nose with richly rounded, long lasting fruit on the palate. Could be mistaken for a good Burgundy although it has the Loire's characteristic thread of acidity. This was a rare treat for as far as I know the Champaults don't sell this cuvée. Instead they keep some for their own consumption and give the rest away to friends and clients. It would be interesting to taste the 1995-2007 to see how much difference the addition of 200 litres of the lighter 2007 vintage made. Our 1995-2006 may have been particularly good because of the relatively high percentage of the fine 2005 vintage and the 200 litres of the reasonably successful 2006.

La Pérpetuelle's back label

The wines tasted were:


Aperitif:

2009 Esprit du Clos, Touraine Sauvignon, Vincent Roussely

Whites:

2010 Menetou-Salon, Champault

2010 Reuilly Les Lignis, Les Desmoiselles Tatin

2010 Quincy Domaine des Ballandors, Jean Tatin

2010 Pouilly-Fumé, Sebastien Treuillet

1999 Château de Tracy, Pouilly-Fumé

Reds:

2009 Reuilly 'La Commanderie', Les Desmoiselles Tatin

2010 Sancerre Rouge, Les Pierris, Roger Champault et fils

La Pérpetuelle Claude & Laurent Champault

Transformed by chilling: 2008 Le Piloris Pinot Noir, Jacky and Pascal Preys

2008 Le Piloris Pinot Noir, AC Touraine, Jacky and Pascal Preys

When first opened at around or slightly below room temperature, this 2008 Pinot Noir from Jacky and Pascal Preys had rather marked acidity with its vibrant red fruits. Chilled down several degrees to I guess around 12-13˚C it became thoroughly delicious with the acidity and fruit nicely in balance.
  
By rights I should have tested the temperature before and after but I'm afraid I did neither as I was more concerned with sorting out something to drink with dinner. 

Incidentally pure Pinot Noir will no longer be tolerated in Touraine's New World Order. Yet the Preys' home town of Meusnes in eastern part of Touraine is close to Reuilly (45K) with Pinot Noir approved for the reds under the AC rules.    

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.          

Touraine Noble Joué: pre-harvest Sunday afternoon visit

La Fête des vendanges in Esvres on 11th September

Yesterday we had a quick trip over to the vineyards of Touraine Noble Joué in the commune of Esvres-sur-Indre. Picking can start here from today. Overall the grapes looked in good condition, although in places there was some rot, which had mainly dried out so probably not serious as long as the weather remains dry.

There are just 28 hectares of vines for Noble Joué, mainly in the commune of Esvres. It is always a rosé and made from a blend of three Pinots – Gris, Meunier and Noir.

Pinot Gris

 Pinot Noir (?)

Pinot Meunier (?)

 Map of the appellation

 Detail of the Noble Joué vineyards

The growers

Street sign