The aim of the tasting was to cover the different regions of the Loire and show Chenin in all its guises – sparkling and still, bone dry to lusciously sweet and in its first flush of youth, as well as with significant bottle age. The tasting also highlighted the differences between traditional and modern expressions of the grape.
Save for the Coteaux du Layon sweetie, the more delicate Touraine wines, with their hint of residual sugar, attracted the most votes – they showed extremely well. The relatively austere, tensile structure of the Anjou wines proved more challenging. Less positively, a couple of the Anjou wines showed the risks (bacterial spoilage) of working as naturally as possible, as these producers do – very disappointing when Joly and Pithon are capable of producing some of the most characterful, stunning wines in Anjou.
Touraine/Saumur
Domaine de la Tailles aux Loups Montlouis Brut Tradition – apple nose with grapefruit pith. The palate shows a good mousse, this is lemony and floral with pear skin, pithy notes on the fresh finish. Typically for a Chenin sparkler, it has a vinous quality – Chenin Blanc’s character most definitely comes through – £10.95 Haynes Hanson Clarke
Domaine de la Bellivière – Eric Nicolas, Jasnières Les Rosiers 2002 - I raved about this wine in my April Update and it thoroughly lived up to expectation and M. Nicolas’ burgeoning reputation – a simply beautifully balanced, intense yet delicate wine, with tremendous fruit purity and a mineral core. Its refreshing, taut acidity is balanced by ripe fruit and 6g/l residual sugar. All precision and persistence, it was the favourite dry white of the evening. Interestingly, I met M. et Mme Nicolas shortly after the tasting and tasted their Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir whites from 2001 and 2002 (see below). Vintage conditions were very different in 2001 so the wines show a more botrytic character (wet wool) – personally I prefer the fruit purity of the 02s. Contact ruth@r-w.co.uk at Richards Walford for further details or Patrick Bossy at Amphora Wines who does mail order to anywhere – orders@amphora-wines.co.uk 01664 565013.
Domaine Champalou, Vouvray Le Clos du Portail 2001 – an atypical Vouvray this sees 100% new oak, but wears it well. The secret lies in the concentration of fruit produced from this walled vineyard (Le Clos du Portail) and vinified with lots of t.l.c. A characterful, developed nose – the right side of funky and feral – leads onto a finely wrought, minerally palate with quince and pithy grapefruit. The oak is now well integrated and reveals itself in the power and breadth of the palate rather than flavour. Nonetheless, it has well balanced acidity which provides a long and persistent finish – contact Les Caves de Pyrene – 01483 538820.
Domaine des Roche Neuves Saumur Blanc L’Insolite 2003 – made from 70+ year old vines, this promising young wine shows immense concentration and character. The ripeness of the vintage comes across with honeycomb notes on the nose as well as pear, aniseed and a minerally undertone. Following through on the broad palate, pear and aniseed mingle with grapefruit and oaky smoke and vanilla bean notes. The finish shows well-balanced acidity and freshness. I’d cellar this for a few years and decant it before serving -I wager it will unravel its full beauty and complexity with maturity – superb. Contact Les Caves de Pyrene – 01483 538820.
Domaine Huet, Vouvray Le Haut Lieu 1989 (2éme trie, moelleux) – the winemakers’ winemaker Noel Pinguet rarely disappoints. Its developed nose shows wet wool, calisson (almond), honeyed quince, clove and mint toffo (remember those!!!). The palate is lively yet supple, showing baked apples with clove and cassis bark and poire William. Subtley sweet, its clean finish lends perfect balance – terrific value at £14.95 The Wine Society.
Anjou
Domaine Jo Pithon, Anjou Les Bergères 2001 – this single vineyard wine has impressed me with its character, depth and power, but it disappointed on the night, showing signs of Brettanomyces, a wild yeast strain which can taint wine. In white wines it is disastrous because it spoils their delicacy of flavour with its smell and taste of bandages. In reds it produces leathery through to farmyard/sweaty horse notes and, in small amounts, can add complexity.
Domaine Eric Morgat, Savennières L’Enclos 2001 – a modern Savennières, Eric uses some new oak, partial malolactic fermentation and botrytised grapes/residual sugar to broaden the palate, resulting in a more approachable style than the traditional bone dry wine of this small appellation. It shows honey and camomile on the nose, which follow through on the palate, together with hints of ginger and cassia bark on its broad, textured palate. £11.95 The Wine Society.
Clos de la Coulée de Serrant Savennières Clos de la Bergerie La Roches aux Moines 2002 – this sub-appellation of Savennières (effectively a 1er Cru) shows immense power – typical of both the vineyard (La Roches aux Moines) which is very steep and has very hard schistous soil and M. Joly’s biodynamic wines. An expressive, ripe nose of pear/dried pear leads onto a bracingly powerful, complex palate with tangy Coxes Orange Pippens, tart yellow plums, pear William and cassia bark; lively, serrated acidity provides great persistence of flavour – very long - c. £20 ex the winery – www.coulee-de-serrant.com.
Clos de la Coulée de Serrant Savennières Coulée de Serrant 1996 – Joly alone has holdings in what is effectively a “Grand Cru” vineyard. It’s hard to believe that Joly can produce a wine which is even more powerful than Clos de la Bergerie La Roches aux Moines, but this walled, sheltered yet exposed vineyard, with almost vertical slopes and aged vines produces a rea powerhouse of a wine. Regrettably, Brettanomyces detracted from the wine on the night, but its breadth and depth of palate was evident – this is a wine with great presence. To give an idea of how it shows when on form, here is my tasting note for the 96 from the vertical tasting I reviewed in The World of Fine Wine Magazine last year: “more classic, focused style than the 1997 vintage, although it also weighs in at 14%abv. An expressive, complex nose shows herbal tea, honey, quince, cloves and cassia bark. Dry and powerful with mineral and spice to the fore on the palate, it has impressive structure and a long finish.”
Domaine Ogereau, Coteaux du Layon-St Lambert Clos des Bonnes Blanches 1999 – attractive nose of butterscotch, baked apple and honey, all of which seduce on the silky palate (the favourite wine of the evening); underlying acidity gives a controlled, clean finish which tempts you back to the glass for more and makes it a perfect companion for créme bruleé, tarte tatin, foie gras and blue cheeses. Contact Les Caves de Pyrene – 01483 538820.
Sarah Ahmed
The Wine Detective
April 2005
