Sarah Ahmed – The Wine Detective

This year, RSJ Restaurant celebrates its 30^th anniversary.  Opened in 1980 by Nigel Wilkinson, it has a great reputation for its Loire-focused wine list which features some 200 wines.   I’m heading there today for a celebratory press tasting and “growers’ lunch” featuring three of its leading Anjou vignerons: Vincent Ogereau (Domaine Ogereau), Claude Papin (Chateau Pierre-Bise) and Yves Guegniard (Domaine de la Bergerie).  Watch this space for a report on the wines.

I like the fact Wilkinson has used the word “growers” because, in the Loire, typically there’s no division of labour between the vineyard and the winery.  These guys own the domaine, work the vineyards and make the wine.  If you asked them what’s most important, they’d answer the vineyard, as it should be.  Inherent flavour, the product of grapes grown on their soils, as opposed to winemaking technique, takes centre stage. 

A couple of years ago, I visited leading Bourgueil producer Pierre-Jacques Druet who has any number of idiosyncratic winemaking techniques.  He uses the medieval guillage method for his rosé and, for reds, has designed his own conical-shaped 150l fermentation tanks with auto-pigeage for optimum extraction, to which he adds an element of flash heated juice (heated to 85 degrees farenheit!) to kick start the ferementation after a lengthy cold soak. 

You could be forgiven for thinking Druet is from a different school of thought from the Anjou crowd but you’d be wrong.  Taught by Emile Peynaud in Bordeaux he firmly believes in the importance of getting it right in the vineyard first by fastidious vineyard selection and vinification by parcel.  Druet makes no less than four different cuvees of Bourgueil red of which Vaumoreau is a the top of the pile – the 1990 and ’89, both tasted recently, remain etched on my memory. 

But the entry level unoaked Pierre-Jacques Druet Les Cent Boisselées  Bourgueil is no slouch either.  I reckon the 2003, currently on deal at Majestic (buy 2 save £2), will make delicious, mature autumnal drinking right now for £8.99 (the deal price).  I’ve not tasted this vintage, but you’ll find tasting notes on it, an explanation of the guillage method and a fine write up of a visit with Pierre-Jacques Druet on The Wine Doctor’s website here.