Cathy's Loire Wine Tours

Why take a wine tour in the Loire in 2012

2012-02-12T15:33:00.000+01:00

The pretty village of Le Thoureil yesterday - a 10 minute walk from our home

What can you expect from the Loire? First and foremost - the river itself. The last 'wild river' in France, the Loire is 629 miles long (over 1000km). Wide and shallow, it was the main means of transport in days gone by with all manner of boats carrying everything from textiles, charcoal, stone, sand and of course wine dominating the water before the railway came to the region in 1849. The levy on the North side keeps it under control during the winter months (something that was introduced by Henry II in the 12th Century). Although it still floods from time to time, the river could reach a width of 7km before this time. If you come in from Paris on the train, don't expect to see vineyards as you reach Angers. There are no vines planted between Angers and Saumur on the North of the river as the land is far too rich. Instead you'll see flowers, maize, pears, apples and quinoa.

The river at Le Thoureil early morning in April 2011

The river at Le Thoureil February 2012 - a very different scene

All over the region you'll find beautiful architecture. Homes are built from local tuffeau limestone which was quarried over the centuries and also used to build the great chateaux of the region leaving thousands of kilometres of tunnels today used for the storage of sparkling wine (the Loire is France's second biggest producer of sparkling wine after Champagne). In Angers the working slate mine provides the roof tiles that are so characteristic of the region.

Each tile is individually hand cut and attached with copper nails on this historic building

What about the vineyards? Well, you can expect to find small estates that are often family run, unpretentious, unglamourous but real and welcoming. Don't look for wineries with restaurants attached - with one or two rare exceptions they don't exist here in the Loire. What you will find is a shared passion for wine, a welcoming smile and a relaxed attitude. They don't call it la douceur Angevine for nothing - this expression sums up life in the Loire valley. Big marketing budgets and fancy tasting rooms are unusual here but you can expect to be guided by the owner, the owners son, daughter or even grandma.

Mathieu Vallée - owner of Chateau Yvonne in Saumur in Champigny. He makes just 3 superb wines

Eddy Oosterlinck-Bracke makes what he calls 'noble sweet wines' in the Coteaux du Layon

Sometimes you'll find something a little special for a different reason. A beautiful chateau, great wine and a friendly owner who is happy to show you around and give you a glimpse into their life.

Beautiful Chateau du Petit Thouars close to Chinon - a historic place that is also a home and makes great wines

Chateau de Pimpéan - an ongoing restoration project, a stunning 15th century chapel, a lovely wine and a gregarious owner Maryse Tugendhat who loves to show visitors around

Last year we welcomed people from America, Russia, England, Holland, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Sweden and France. Some came for a relaxing day out - a change of pace from Paris, some were passing on their way down South. Some had an in-depth knowledge of wine and others were complete beginners but they all shared the same passion and interest for a region that is the most diverse wine-making region in France.

Tasting a range of wines from the Loire valley with visitors from the US, Australia & UK

So, if you're contemplating a visit to France this year, why should you come and spend a day with us? Wine is something that can be enjoyed by everyone. No need to be an expert to take pleasure in spending a day here in the Loire valley. So many subjects are touched by the business of wine - geology, geography, biology, chemistry, history, gastronomy. Sharing a glass of wine is the result of all of these things and we are lucky enough to be able to share them with you.

Enjoying an aperitif in the garden before lunch

What can you expect during a one day wine tour with us? We pride ourselves on providing a unique and personal wine experience and by the end of the day you'll have tasted a wide range of wines from a number of different appellations in the Loire valley. You'll have a good understanding of French wine labelling, the different grape varieties planted in the region and the differences between them. You'll have enjoyed a home cooked 3 course lunch in our delightful barrel maturation cellar and have had the chance to retaste all the wines you have tasted during the morning with food. You'll have the chance to enjoy one high quality wine visit during the afternoon. Best of all you'll have met other like minded people from other parts of the world who are here for the very same reason - to have a lovely day out in the beautiful Loire countryside, taste some great wines, discover some local dishes and meet some great people.

Enjoying a relaxing lunch in the cellar with guests from Chicago

And why us rather than other people? Well - only our clients can tell you that. I can tell you that we won't rush you - your time with us will be relaxed and leisurely. We don't drive you around lots of different wineries in one day (in fact we often have difficulty persuading our clients to leave the lunch table in order to meet our rendezvous in the afternoon!). le tasting room is our home and we take great pleasure in welcoming you here as our guests. Don't be mislead though - at the end of the day you'll have tasted a range of wines from no less than 7 different producers and have the opportunity to buy them from us at cellar door prices so whether you'd like to take a bottle or two back to enjoy during your stay in France or are looking to source wines for a party, event or wedding, we can help.

We've 25 years wine trade experience between us, speak good French and work closely with a large number of top quality producers in the region.

So, if you're like us and appreciate fine wine, great food and good company, we'd love to welcome you here; just a stone's throw from the river Loire.

The TGV offers an excellent service from Paris. What's more; we'll collect you and deliver you back to the station inAngers for your return journey to the capital.

Whether you're a complete beginner or a dedicated oenophile; we have something to offer. Don't take our word for it - see what our previous clients have to say about us on Tripadvisor and here are a couple of recent testimonials taken from our website.

'I had the most fantastic time with you, Nigel, and other guests, and on our day out and about having lunch and visiting wineries on our own! It was simply the most perfect experience—the wine, the food, and the company. Your home was true perfection- and I enjoyed listening to your experiences in the wine industry of the Loire Valley, and how you are trying to market and promote various vineyards in the region. I would recommend this experience to anyone who enjoys learning about wine, eating great food (Cathy is a great cook!) and meeting new people!' Amy Chicago Dec 2011

Thank you for giving us the very day we were looking for, the lunch was so very fresh and tasty and what a magnificent setting. As for the wines of the Loire I now have a much greater understanding and received an education in the history and wine styles of the region. Thank you for tailoring the day to suit those requests.

Your knowledge of 20 years in the wine industry clearly shows through during the day and the insight you have with the winemakers gave us a true feel of the Loire wines and the beautiful region.

The whole day was fabulous, Kate, Miles and I really had a great time and came away much better informed about the region and its wines.' Jonathan - Australia 2011

www.letastingroom.com

Salons des Vins de Loire 2012

2012-02-09T11:19:00.001+01:00

A few pictures taken at this year's Salon des Vins de Loire.

Lionel Gosseaume of Domaine de Pierre. We have been working with Lionel over the past year and regularly show his wines at our tastings. This year I had the pleasure of helping him man the Domaine de Pierre stand during the Salon. His Climat No 2 was Jim Budd's favourite wine of the Salon - a 50/50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Meslier St François (a very rare grape variety that has all but disappeared in the Loire). Fresh and crisp, the Sauvignon character is evident and the Meslier St François adds an exotic note - Poire William, orange flower water on the nose, pineapple and mango on the palate.

When time allowed I managed to nip out and try a few wines. Pictured here are Sebastian du Petit Thouars and Michel Pinard of Château du Petit Thouars. Sebastian looks after the commercial side of the vineyard and Michel is the winemaker. I was keen to try their Cuvée l'Amiral - a work in progress but one that is fascinating. A 100% press wine from 2009 (this is very unusual as most producers will only use a small percentage of press wine in a blend to add structure and body), it's a big chunky Cabernet Franc at the moment but I could detect a glimmer of something really interesting. It has a lovely smokey black fruit concentration on the nose and although the tannins are still big, they are not aggressive. Can't wait to try it again in a another 6 months or so.

Elodie Peyrussie took us through the range at Domaine de la Noblaie. A new wine for 2012 is a sparkling rosé called Mon Ange made from 100% Cabernet Franc. It has lovely summer red fruits on the nose and is fresh and subtle on the palate. She explained that they use the first 2 or 3 vines from each row at the bottom of the slope to provide the base wine because these are the ones that produce juice with high acidity which is perfect for sparkling wine. Aged for 24 months sur lattes it's a lovely addition to their range.

Fabulous contemporary labels and whacky wines from Jean-François Mérieau. I particularly liked the Sauvignon Tu le boa. Allowed to oxidise naturally over a period of 5 years (sometimes referred to as a Vin de Voile), the resulting wine is sherry like and has aromas of beeswax, honey, nuts and dried fruits. It would be delicious served at the end of a dinner with some aged Comté.

Great to catch up with Mathieu Vallée of Chateau Yvonne in Parnay (near Saumur). His wines are produced in a much more classic style. With just a few hectares of Chenin Blanc he makes a fantastic Saumur Blanc. The 2010 has a beautiful rich colour and is rich, citric and delicious on the palate. If I had my eyes shut I might even confuse it for a really good Burgundy. His reds are equally good, full of concentration, spicy fruit and with great length - classy wines.

More tasting notes to follow.

Sweet Caroline 2004 - Les Griottes, Anjou

2012-02-05T11:19:00.004+01:00

Something new over the weekend. We shared a bottle of this extraordinary wine with friends who live just a few minutes away from this estate in the Layon. The Domaine des Griottes is one of the leaders in the natural wine movement and to be honest I'm not really bowled over by the idea of natural winemaking, the results being extremely variable even from bottle to bottle.

Our friends were kind enough not to make us taste it 'aveugle' because I fully admit that I would have seriously embarrassed myself. I thought it resembled a Pineau des Charentes or a fortified wine of some kind. Nothing of the sort - this is a Chenin Blanc made from super mature grapes, fermented very slowly over a long period of time and then aged in wood for 5 years in the style of a vin jaune. The vines are 100 years old and the wine takes its name from the horse that is used in the vineyard, Caroline.

I absolutely love it. It's exotic, full of quince and with some black tea and ginger notes. It also has an aroma that reminds me of Cognac - hard to believe that it's only 13% alcohol and no hint of fortification. We drank it as an apero but I think it would be fabulous with foie gras and pain d'epices too.

For more information, loads of pictures and a much more in depth write up see Wine Terroirs Blog post.

Tarte aux Pralines Roses

2012-02-02T14:58:00.000+01:00

Feeling inspired by the recent Masterchef series in the UK with Michel Roux junior we had a go at his tarte aux pralines roses avec poires caramelisées yesterday. I made the sweet pastry base and blind baked that while my son got set with the filling. Temperature is of the essence here so it's essential to have a thermometer. You need 250g of pink praline almonds and 250ml of cream (or creme fraiche). You beat the pralines into submission with a rolling pin in a plastic bag (leaving small pieces not pulvarising them to a powder). Then you mix with the cream, bring to the boil and when the temperature reaches 104° you whip the pan off the heat and pour the mixture (which by now is a vivid pink colour) into the pastry case which you refrigerate until set (several hours or over night).

Winter at last!

2012-02-02T13:34:00.000+01:00

Finally it seems that Winter has arrived in the Loire valley. We had a little snow a couple of days ago and temperatures dropped to minus 8 this morning. These shots were taken first thing while I was walking the dog just by our house. We are lucky enough to be situated just beside the GR3 - one of France's mapped walks. Good news for the vines - a good cold snap kills off viruses and diseases.

A Winter Walk around Blaison Gohier

2012-01-29T10:58:00.001+01:00

A few photos taken while walking around the pretty village of Blaison Gohier last weekend. On a clear day you can easily see Angers in the distance.

A few Favourite Moments from 2011

2012-01-09T12:33:00.015+01:00

A few favourite photos from 2011 that bring back happy memories.

Clos Cristal in the Saumur Champigny appellation is one of two unique vineyards planted by Antoine Cristal at the end of the 19th Century. He had a vision of producing high quality wine that stood up to the likes of fine Burgundy and thought this required more heat than the average Loire vineyard could produce. He came up with the idea of constructing a series of walls that were 60cm thick, planted vines on the north side of the wall, made holes through the walls and then trained the vines through the holes so that the foliage came out and was trained up against the south side of the walls. This labour intensive and expensive project was never copied by other producers in the region but the 2 original vineyards are still in operation and produce great wines that reflect the extra heat summation coming from the retained and reflected heat from the walls.

In July we were lucky enough to welcome the entire choir of Girton College Cambridge here in the cellar for a morning's introduction to the wines of the Loire valley. The choir was here as part of a busy tour taking in performances in Saumur, Angers and Nantes before a busy schedule in Paris. They treated us to a few bars at the end of the tasting, proof that wine and music are really made for each other.

Rablay-sur-Layon is home to many local potters who hold an annual marché des potiers each year. This rather chubby bear attracted my attention amongst all the wonderful hand-made arts and crafts.

The Loire was so low - hard to imagine how little water. At times we worried that we might not be able to take our regular boat trips with Alain Gillot, local toue sablière owner and wildlife expert. Forced to zig zag across the water to keep afloat and sometimes having to push ourselves off the sandbanks, our trips were always memorable and the river always majestic and beautiful. The lovely architecture of our local village Le Thoureil always takes on a different perspective when seen from the water.

500 Euros per square metre - that's what it cost to lay the hand-cut ardoise (slate) tiles used to replace the roof on the petite chapelle at Chateau de Pimpéan last summer. Expensive yes, but the craftsmenship involved is extraordinary and the end result beautiful. Wonderful to think that the slate used to secure the life of the wall paintings inside the chapel were quarried and fashioned from the working mine in Angers only 20 minutes away.

One of many happy days spent with clients from around the world. We always spend the morning tasting and discussing a range of wines from all over the Loire valley and this was a particularly good day when the chemistry was just right and we came away friends.

Crémant is big in the Loire (the number 2 producer of traditional method sparkling wines outside of Champagne). I particularly like this shot that I took while visiting Langlois Chateau in St Hilaire St Florent just outside Saumur. It shows the yeasty sediment in a bottle of Crémant rosé sitting patiently in the neck of the bottle. The next stage will be to keep the bottle in this position, dip it in a freezing solution, pop it back the right way round, remove the crown cap and watch the frozen pellet shoot out the top. Then it will be topped up, corked, muzzled and 'dressed' ready for the market. A truly great product.

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in the Croix de Mission vineyard owned by the Lebretons of Domaine des Rochelles. What an extraordinary year it was - budburst nearly a month early, no rain for months, no hint of summer sun, torrential rain and then - a late burst of glorious heat that ripened these grapes to perfection. Not a hint of disease in sight. Growers in Anjou were celebrating - perfectly healthy grapes, great sugar levels and ripe tannins. Although a difficult year for some, watch out for some lovely reds in 2011 with great fruit and lovely concentration.

Pierre-Jacques Druet in Benais (Bourgueil) always give us a fantastic welcome when we have the time to visit him and we love his very elegant reds from the Cabernet Franc grape. I called him to see if we could pop in with clients during harvest 2011 and he invited us to spend the morning with him and enjoy a working lunch afterwards. What luck! The machine harvester was parked on the courtyard so our first treat was to climb up and take a good look while he explained how it worked. Then we were back in the winery sticking our noses in all the tanks while he explained the different stages of fermentation (maceration, pre-fermentation, mid-fermentation, fermentation finished, pressing off the skins) and also we saw him put his rosé juice into old barrels before they were whisked off to his troglodyte cellars a couple of kilometers away. Then - off the cellars ourselves to see how his unusual rosé is made by an ancient method called guillage. Old wooden barrels filled to the brim with slowly fermenting juice each one pushing out a froth of almost fluorescent pink bubbles. This rosé takes nearly 6 months to finish its journey from juice to wine.

Around 700km of cycle tracks around the Loire valley make it both a beautiful and safe place to get on your bike and enjoy the beauty of the region. This year for the first time we welcomed a group of cyclists from Loirelifecycling.com for a tasting and lunch in our cellar. After a 45k cycle ride through the countryside and along the river during the morning they swept down the drive ready for a glass of Crémant (and a large glass of water) before enjoying a relaxing wine tasting lunch. Terrines, patés, salads, cheeses and dessert were a welcome sight after the morning's exertion and to end the day on a perfect note, Jon Lethbridge who organises the tours came to load the bikes into the trailer and them into the car enabling everyone to relax and enjoy lunch without the thought of a return journey afterwards!

We always enjoy visiting Chateau de Pimpéan as it combines wine tasting with wonderful history and architecture. This photo was taken late in the season and I love the dramatic sky and the low sunshine that illuminates the pavilion.

The leaves have started to fall and yet the weather remains gentle and mild. Still warm enough to take a walk in late October without a coat, I took this while enjoying an afternoon stroll around the vineyards of the Coteaux de l'Aubance.

Mid December and the sun is still shining. We called in with friends to buy one or two bottles of Eddy Oosterlinck-Bracke's fabulous noble sweet wines from the Chenin Blanc grape. Eddy works along bio-dynamic lines and if ever anyone will convince you - it's him. Don't expect tales of dancing around the vines under the light of the full moon but real explanations as to why this approach is best for the vines. And this makes a fitting end to the year as his approach is one that I certainly agree with. It makes sense to give vines the chance to defend themselves naturally against predators and diseases instead of turning to chemicals and sprays. Maintaining a good soil structure full of living micro-organisms can only be good for the vine, good for grapes - and good for us.

Happy New Year 2012!

A New Year's Feast

2012-01-01T17:37:00.016+01:00

Enjoyed a lovely meal with friends to see in 2012 last night - a great opportunity to indulge a little and open a few interesting bottles.

We started with a spicy duck rillettes, smoked magret and foie gras served with fresh fig bread and pain d'epices. I'm not normally a big fan of pain d'epices but this was superb - dense and aromatic. It was superb with the Quarts de Chaume 2006, the ginger notes in the wine marrying perfectly and providing a great contrast to the rich smooth foie gras and spicy rillettes.

An amazing colour - rich, amber, honey, spices and ginger all combined with a beautiful lean streak of acidity. Just delicious - thanks to Ali and Jos for such a treat.

We followed with some scallops simply pan-fried with garlic, parsley and butter. I just love scallops - we don't eat them very often but they were wonderful. Sweet and tender with a hint of crispness on the outside. We drank a Clos du Papillon Saviennières 2006 from Baumard with them. Savennières comes in many different guises depending upon how it's been vinified, aged etc but Baumard's are clean as a whistle with a lovely precise minerality and not a barrique in sight. I'm a fan of the slightly oxidative style as well but do wonder why more producers don't make wines in this fresh, clean style which is more accessible to the average winedrinker.

Main course was a long slow cooked shoulder of pork cooked with sage, lemon, white wine and milk. A few simply roast potatoes and some carrots Vichy finished the dish. Simple flavours but tasty.

We drank two reds - firstly a 1998 Grand Mont Bourgueil from Pierre-Jacques Druet. I thought it was corked but was overruled by everyone else. Sometimes it's difficult when wines are showing tertiary aromas that come with age but I still think I was right! Pierre-Jacques' wines are normally full of elegance and fruit and for me this was ruined by a slightly stale cardboardy aroma. Just goes to show that we all have different levels of perception when it comes to cork taint. I've always been particularly sensitive to it but can understand the wariness to go out on a limb when others don't detect it to the same extent.

The second red we enjoyed was a bottle of Clos du Chene Vert 1998 from Charles Joguet. That was better - beautiful elegant fruit on the nose, a touch of leather and smoke and soft rich tannins that married well with the pork. Delicious.

The piece de resistance was the dessert. Inspired by his recent stage at the wonderful Auberge de la Sansonnerie, my 14 year old son and I spent hours fiddling around in the kitchen together creating the star anise sablé topped with a spiced pear fig and orange chutney, salted butter caramel ice cream and pear crisp. It was wonderful and a perfect finish to the evening (after the cheese).

With it we enjoyed a glass of Chateau Rieussec 1996. A real lanolin waxy hit on the nose was followed by rich honey and barley sugar notes. If I am brutally honest - I preferred the Quarts de Chaume that we enjoyed with the foie gras. We've obviously been living in the Loire valley for too long - the bias is setting in!

All in all a lovely evening spent enjoying good food with good friends and family. What more can you ask for for.

A very Happy New Year to you all. May 2012 be full of good things, laughter, good food, great wine and happy times.

A few Statistics from the Central Vineyards

2011-12-06T10:26:00.004+01:00

Thanks to Jim Budd for posting the press release from Benoît Roumet of the Bureau de Centre. If you would like to read the full post in French you can find it on Jim's blog here but here are a few points that I took from it and translated into English.

'With a progression of 12% on the export market and an increase of 5% on the French market, the wines of the Central Vineyards have had a very successful campaign despite the environment of economic crisis.

At the end of July 2011 sales of wines from the Centre Loire had increased by 11% with more than 38 million bottles spread across the export and domestic markets.

Appellations with the highest profile are Sancerre and Coteaux de Giennois with an increase of 16% in the export of Sancerre white and 10% for the Coteaux du Giennois whites. Quincy's drop in exports has been compensated for by the French market. Other appellations have equally developed their sales with the exception of Reuilly which has seen a slight reduction of 2%.

A few figures

8 appellations make up the Central Vineyards: Sancerre, Pouilly Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Coteaux du Giennois, Chateaumeillant, Pouilly-sur-Loire.

There are:

360 vignerons

35 négociants

5 Co-operatives

Production 2010 amounts to 42 million bottles of which 82% is white (up 10% when compared to the average of the past 5 years).

Sales over 12 months at the end of July 2011 were 38,1 million bottles of which 45% was exported to 110 countries around the world. Whites represent more than 92% of exports from this region.'

Domaine Cady Portes Ouvertes December 10/11

2011-12-02T10:04:00.000+01:00

INVITATION à fêter notre 20ème WEEK-END DÉGUSTATION

les 10 et 11 décembre 2011

de 10 heures à 19 heures

C’est le moment de mettre en cave le fabuleux millésime 2010 :

un cru remarquable grâce à un terroir prodigue

ou de faire plaisir à votre entourage avec nos coffrets cadeaux.

Pour faire pétiller vos fêtes, n’oubliez pas les fines bulles de nos CRÉMANT DE LOIRE

Une bouteille ouverte est toujours un grand moment de convivialité !

Promotion : 12 bouteilles achetées la 13ème offerte

Pour affiner votre choix (descriptif et tarif des vins),

consulter notre site internet : http://www.domainecady.fr

Nos partenaires vous attendent pour vous faire

déguster leurs produits artisanaux en accord avec nos vins de terroir.

LA RUCHE VERNANTAISE : Miel et pain d'épice : 06-23-24-30-31

LA FERME DES ALPINES : Fromages de chèvre : 06-83-58-98-48

LES GOURMANDS DISENT : Chocolats : 02-41-54-09-56

M. AUDOUIN Laurent : Foie gras : 02-41-78-87-01

Espace enfants, Jeu, Buffet permanent

Un panier garni à gagner par jour

Pithon-Paillé Portes Ouvertes

2011-11-28T10:04:00.012+01:00

Lots of good wine tasting opportunities this past weekend. We opted to pop in and see Pithon-Paillé with clients yesterday. Jo and Isabelle Pithon were manning the ship while Wendy and Joseph Paillé were down the road at the Anges Vins tasting.

Jo Pithon pouring samples and chatting to customers

Most producers hold open days at this time of year so it's a good opportunity to call in and taste the wines and maybe purchase a few bottles for the up and coming Christmas festivities.

Jo Pithon was on good form pouring samples and chatting to customers and the wines were tasting excellent, especially the Chenins. I loved the Belargus Coteaux du Layon - floral and honeyed with hints of citrus marmalade and with a fabulous stream of mouth watering acidity that hides the 200g of residual sugar. It has real class and is a tip top example of getting the sugar/acid balance just right.

The Quart de Chaume is excellent too but softer on the palate, a little more gentle with lower perceived acidity so although it also has 200g of residual, it seems sweeter. One of our clients asked Jo why it was not priced at a higher point than the Belargus bearing in mind its recent promotion to Grand Cru status. 'Because it's not better than the Belargus - they are of the same quality' he replied. What a great answer and an honest one - let the wines speak for themselves.

I also liked their Crémant de Loire which was on show for the first time. The 2009 base wine underwent a slow fermentation and was aged for a year before being mixed with unfermented grape juice from 2010 promoting the second fermentation. Jo explained that he was keen to make a sparkler but one that had the Pithon-Paillé identity and this certainly has it. Aromas of stewed apple and great minerality give it real complexity on the nose. If you like the slightly evolved style of Chenin then this is one for you.

Finally, anyone who has the guts to market a wine like this Grololo deserves to have success. A jeu de mots (play on words) - it refers to the grape variety from which it's made. Groslot (or Grolleau) is a work horse variety that is widely planted in Anjou, mostly for the production of rosé wines. A wine for friends and family this is not to be taken too seriously as indeed it is not. Full of juicy fruit, slightly peppery on the nose and with light tannins it's what we call a 'vin de soif' and was formerly their wine served at family meals during harvest time.

The term Grololo is a used to describe 'big breasts' hence the label. Jo Pithon laughs out loud as he explains its meaning to us and while there may be the odd one amongst you who may feel this is a little inappropriate I'm afraid everyone around him laughed along too.

http://www.pithon-paille.com/

Pre-pruning

2011-11-21T14:23:00.002+01:00

Hard to believe with all this warm weather in November but yes, growers are already starting to prune their vines. In an ideal world they would wait for a decent cold snap to make sure the vines have had a dormant phase and viruses and diseases have been knocked on the head.

Practically speaking however, in many cases it's a question of the number of vines to prune, the manpower available and the deadline for finishing. So, pruning has commenced.

These pictures show the process known as pre-pruning. These blades sweep through the vineyard and make the 'first cut'. This allows the hand pruners to follow on with their secateurs (either electric or conventional). This second manual pass is the important one, where the pruner chooses the cane or canes (according to local tradition, appellation etc) that will bear the vine's fruit the following year.

There are two sets of circular blades that straddle the row of vines at the level of the top wire. The tractor passes slowly through the rows and the blades move out and around the posts. It's clever and saves a lot of time pulling and tugging canes that are stubbornly clinging on to the wires.

Reflections on the 2011 Vintage from Christophe Daviau of Domaine de Bablut

2011-11-17T12:19:00.007+01:00

I received a few thoughts from Christophe Daviau of Domaine de Bablut on the 2011 vintage this morning so have taken the opportunity to translate them into English.

It's already a month since the harvest finished.

We brought in the last grapes on Tuesday 11th October - it was those from the hillsides of the Grouas and those destined for Petra Alba that closed the season for us. It's quite rare to finish so early. It was in part what we all expected but also partly due to the fact that the passes through the Coteaux de L'Aubance normally push us right in to mid-November and this year, with the hot and humid weather in September, noble rot spread quickly through the rows and the yields from the Grandpierre parcel were down due to a localised hailstorm in April.

The Sauvignon blanc 'Petit-Princé' and the Rosé de Loire are ageing gently on their lees, Ordovicien has just about finished 'devouring' its last sugars and the rich sweet wines are in full swing.

As for the reds, we can expect another great year. I have to admit being a little concerned about the Cabernet Franc but the results are very surprising. We took the decision to hold off harvesting until the grapes had achieved full phenolic maturity (always a risk) as they were lagging behind at the beginning of September. The Petra Alba and Rocca Nigra are still macerating (or should I say infusing!) and are tasting very good indeed. I am pleasantly surprised by the fruit and the roundness of the tannins. The heterogeneity of the Cabernets (particularly the Cabernet Franc) worried me before harvest and I feared we would see vegetal notes in the wines due to these grapes having a delayed maturation, however, I am delighted with what we have. It seems that we made the right decision delaying harvest and have avoided the problem. I can't say that the level will be up there with 2009 and 2010 but it will be very good.

Watch this space...

Bien cordialement

Christophe Daviau

Photos from the Coteaux du Layon 11 November

2011-11-11T19:16:00.005+01:00

We were in the Layon today paying a visit to Pithon-Paillé. What a splendid day it was - glorious sunshine highlighting the colours of the falling leaves on the vines.

La Récolte Nouvelle est Arrivée - Olive Oil from Provence

2011-11-07T09:41:00.006+01:00

There are hundreds of different grape varieties in the world, each one having its own flavour profile and characteristics. Did you know that it's the same with olives? In Provence alone there are more than 100 varieties of olive tree. Some are very old and each one has a specific 'terroir' that comes partly from the soil in which the tree grows but also from other factors such as micro-climate, water and production know-how.

Mass produced olive oil is fine for every day use and for cooking but if you want to really step it up a notch then it's worth seeking out a good supplier. Like cheese, you can find pretty decent cheese in the local supermarket (in France) but if you buy from a top quality fromagerie then the quality jumps to an entirely different level.

Leïs Öoulivades is an olive oil sold by the specialist shop Première Pression Provence which specialises in high quality oils made by a selection of artisanal producers. La Nouvelle Récolte is what is says 'the new harvest'. It's an olive oil that was pressed in October 2011 - the Beaujolais Nouveau of oils you might say.

And what a treat it is. Made from olives harvested early it has a wonderful grassy aroma and flavour with a real pepperiness on the finish. The Arboussane olives are grown in the Bouche du Rhone at Mas Thibert owned by André Meiffre. Whereas many producers are used to blending different varieties, André prefers milling the Catalan olive as a mono varietal. Prone to suffering from the cold, he always harvests early even if yields are low.

Don't waste it in cooking, just savour the creamy unique flavour drizzled over fresh tomatoes or a few salad leaves, grind a little black pepper, add a few flakes of sea salt and dip your pain de campagne in it. This takes olive oil to a new level.

It's strange how we justify spending quite a lot of money on a delicious bottle of wine that is consumed in a single evening and yet we hesitate about spending the same kind of money on a bottle of olive oil that will last for several weeks at the very least.

I think we've found a new passion.

http://www.ppprovence.com/fr/

2011-11-03T17:55:00.002+01:00

Our cellar is a great place for a party. We had about 20 family and friends for a bit of a celebration last weekend but also hold our larger tastings for groups here too.

Un oeuf is enough!

2011-10-31T12:38:00.009+01:00

Great to see this ovoid fermentation vessel being used at Domaine des Rochelles. The wine gently fermenting inside is the Roches des Rochelles 2011, a 100% Chenin Blanc that normally has a wonderful minerality and real class that comes from extended ageing upon the yeasty deposit (the lees).

A supposed benefit of using this type of vessel (a modern take on the old amphora used by the Romans centuries ago) is that the lees remain in suspension, adding depth and complexity without the need for stirring. Can't wait to taste the end result.

So, why is Domaine des Rochelles only using one egg shaped vessel this year? Because un oeuf is enough!

Vintage 2011 Update - Pierre-Jacques Druet in Bourgueil

2011-10-01T09:51:00.016+02:00

Yesterday we were in Bourgueil with Pierre-Jacques Druet, a maverick winemaker in Benais who makes one rosé and a range of red wines from the Cabernet Franc grape variety.

The rosé is unusual. Pierre-Jaques uses an old method of production called Guillage. When we arrived he was just preparing a batch of grape juice for fermentation. After adding a little bentonite (an absorbant clay that helps clarify the juice) he chills it down to about 1° and then transfers it directly to old wooden barrels.

Having a look at the machine harvester that brings in the grapes

This is one of the barrels that will contain the fermenting juice for the rosé

Cleaning the barrel with water before filling up with the clarified juice

Having a look from above - this wine has finished fermenting and the skins are being pressed to form the press wine

After the juice has been transferred to the barrels they are transferred to his ancient cellars about half a kilometer away. These cellars, like many in the region are made of tuffeau limestone that was quarried from the 10^th century onwards leaving a labyrinth of tunnels all around the region. With a constant temperature of 12° (52F) all year and around 85% humidity, they are perfect for barrel maturation.

Guillage is an ancient method of winemaking that is little used in the region. Once the wine has been chilled and put into barrels, they are brought to the cellar and here the fermentation commences. Slowly, slowly, the yeast starts to do its work. As the cellar is cool, fermentation takes much longer than normal – 3-4 months or sometimes even longer. The barrels are kept full to the brim and each day they must be topped up and cleaned as solids rise to the top and are pushed out by the fermentation.

The result is a wine that has character, body, fruit and balance. A rosé that can be drunk with friends or accompany a meal.

Guillage - the barrels are wiped and topped up every day for 3-4 months

Solids rise to the top and around 10% of volume is lost as the fermenting wine spills over

Tasting a range of wines at the end of the morning

Pierre-Jacques is only half way through harvest. The grapes from vines planted on the sandy gravel flats have been brought in but his best parcels are taking advantage of the extra ripeness that will come over the next few days. He has a smile on his face.

You probably wouldn't even think to call in on Pierre-Jacques Druet if you drove past the winery. It's the ugliest red brick building and is quite difficult to find if you don't know where you are going. However, you are missing a real treat. Of all the producers we work with, he gives us the closest insight into his world. His passion for what he does shines through, he takes time to show and explain and what's more, his wines are excellent. Here he is talking us through the mechanics of machine harvesting, winemaking and technique of guillage.

Domaine des Rochelles Vintage update

2011-09-25T09:08:00.008+02:00

We popped in to Domaine de Rochelles for a tasting yesterday with clients and had an excellent tasting. We like the wines and Jean-Yves Lebreton was on particularly good form.

Talking about this year's vintage, he said that they have brought in the Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Grolleau for sparkling so far. Before calling at the winery, we drove down to the Croix de Mission vineyard which is a specific parcel in the Anjou-Villages-Brissac appellation. This vineyard is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and is looking fantastic. We have seen a lot of rot around this year, particularly with the Chenins but these grapes are looking in tip-top condition with not a sign of rot anywhere.

A little bit of terroir - part of what makes this plot so special.

Super healthy Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with no rot.

The bloom on the outside of the grapes, unblemished and downy.

Bunches are nicely aerated.

Jean-Yves is very happy with the condition of the grapes. He says that they are reaching full maturity and that the pips are starting to turn brown, a sign that physiological maturity is on its way, accompanied by a marked reduction in unwanted herbaceous flavours. Many locally have already started picking but the weather forecast for the next couple of weeks is good so he is confident that he can bring the grapes in fully ripe with a decent potential alcohol. As yields from the Croix de Mission are small (around 35hl/ha), this is feasible.

We discussed the situation in Bourgueil briefly. He was there a couple of days ago and says that the situation there is not so bright. Grapes on the sand and gravel flats have all been harvested because recent weather conditions have left a lot of standing water on the vineyards and that in turn has produced a huge problem with rot. We spoke to Pierre-Jacques Druet 2 days ago and he confirmed that it has been a big problem this year although he had only just harvested his grapes from the sand and gravel whereas many did so more that a week earlier in the rain. We are seeing him on Tuesday so will give a fuller report after our meeting with him.

Chateau de Parnay & Chateau Princé Vintage 2011 Update

2011-09-17T18:31:00.003+02:00

Popped in to Chateau Princé in Anjou for a quick vintage update when passing today. This year's harvest started 10 days ago starting with the Chardonnay for the Crémant. The Grolleau (again for Crémant) was next to come in followed by a first 'tri' through the Chenin vineyards for the Aubance. Last week finished with bringing in the Cabernet Franc in Anjou destined for la mousse - it had a potential of 11.5.

In Anjou the berries are looking in pretty good condition - the Cab Franc currently has a potential of 12, bunches are in good shape and there is little or no rot. The Chenin in also in good condition with a little rot in certain parcels and nearly none in others.

All wines from both Parnay and Chateau Princé will now be vinified at their brand new winemaking facility in Parnay. Work on the proposed 5* hotel is due to start over the winter months.

Vintage Update 2011 - Chateau d'Epiré

2011-09-14T09:52:00.006+02:00

A visit to Chateau d'Epiré in Epiré, Savennières and Domaine Cady in St Aubin de Luigne showed us what a difficult year this is proving to be for Chenin Blanc. Luc Bizard walked around his vineyards with us and gave us an update. The Hu Boyau vineyard was harvested on September 2nd. Recent weather conditions forced them to sweep through and pick all the fruit in one pass. Other parcels such as that for the Cuvée Speciale remain on the vine athough they have passed through and cleaned up the rot that has set in due to the recent wet weather.

These grapes are looking pretty healthy, the vines have been opened up and leaf stripped to ensure plenty of air is drying up any excess moisture.

Lovely views from Savennières look over towards La Corniche Angevine and the vineyards of the Coteaux du Layon.

More healthy grapes from the same parcel which overlooks La Coulée de Serrant.

Grapes from a neighbouring plot owned by Chateau de Chamboureau.

We tasted the 2009s in the chai - interesting to note the differences between the Reserve du Maitre de Chai which has been aged in Acacia and has not been through malo, the Cuvée Speciale that has been aged in old chestnut and the Hu Boyau that has spent time in new oak. The wines have a lovely grapfruit mineral edge and plenty of obvious ageing potential. The acidity of the wine that has not been through malo is noticeably higher.

Luc anticipates passing through the remaining parcels in about a week's time. Meanwhile he was busy oxygenating his already fermenting wine from Hu Boyau in the winery.

Update from Cady to follow.

Langlois Chateau - Saumur

2011-09-12T09:43:00.005+02:00

Langlois Chateau is the smallest of the big sparkling wine producers based in Saumur with production of around 1 million bottles per year. You don't need us to take you there (although we are more than happy to do so and if you don't have a car then you might just need us). Give them a call yourself and call in for what is certainly one of the best visits around. For just 2€ per person you will get a quick 20 minute lesson in the classroom, a trip around the cellars and a comprehensive wine tasting including the sparkling wines for which they are reputed as well as a range of still wines produced from vines they own in other appellations along the Loire valley from Nantes to Sancerre.

View from the winery courtyard looking across to the chateau of Saumur. Don't expect to find a chateau here, the name comes from the marriage of Monsieur Langlois to a young lady called Chateau hence the name Langlois Chateau!

After the second fermentation in bottle and ageing 'sur lattes', the next stage in the production of 'methode traditionelle' sparkling wines is to slowly move the sediment in the bottle down in to the neck.

Traditionally this was done by hand but these days large gyropalletes are used that do the job more quickly and efficiently. Premium products such as Langlois' top cuvée Quadrille, are still done by hand.

On this occasion our tour was led by Pierre who joined the company 6 months ago having completed a 4 year degree in international trade one of which was spent in Manchester. He speaks excellent English and clearly comes from the Michel Launay school of tour guides as he too is full of funny anecdotes, good humour and expertise keeping us amused and entertained for nearly 2 hours.

And, we like the wines, so all in all a good experience. Langlois Chateau manages to keep it personal. You feel like you are in a living, working environment and are likely to see some real action during harvest if you call in. We had a word with the winemaker who mentioned that the grapes are of average quality this year - time will tell - the rain keeps falling.

Langlois Chateau

3 rue Leopold Palustre

St Hilaire St Florent

49400 Saumur

Tel 00 33 (0)2 41 40 21 40

http://www.langlois-chateau.fr/accueil.html?lang=en

Vintage 2011 update - Chateau de Villeneuve

2011-09-11T13:07:00.003+02:00

Chateau de Villeneuve is due to start bringing in the Chenin Blanc this Tuesday and the Cabernet Franc will follow on the 19th September. These photos were taken yesterday in the vineyard surrounding the chateau. The Cabernet Franc looks very healthy with little noticeable rot but the Chenin is less consistent. Heavy downpours all this morning in Saumur Champigny will frustrate growers further as they approach harvest.

Vintage 2011 Update from Lionel Gosseaume - Domaine de Pierre

2011-09-08T09:53:00.008+02:00

Quick update from Lionel Gosseaume of Domaine de Pierre in Touraine. We have been showing his wines to clients this season and they have proved a big hit. A young winemaker based in Choussy Lionel rents 9 hectares of vines locally and shares winery space with his brother and father. He started making wine in 2007.

'Les vignes vont très bien, merci ! Nous avons attaqué les vendanges samedi dernier avec les sauvignons qui seront terminés, pour moi, demain. C’est une vendanges qui ce sera concentrée sur quelques jours, très particulière. Je rentre des raisins de toute beauté. Je n’ai jamais vendangé de tels raisins depuis que je suis vigneron. J’espère que ça suivra derrière pour les vins ! je vais certainement ramasser mes gamays début de semaine prochaine. pour le moment, ils sont beaux eux aussi, pas de pourriture.'

The vines are very well thanks! We started harvest last Saturday with the Sauvignons which will be finished for me tomorrow. It's a vintage that will be concentrated around a few days, very unusual. I'm bringing in grapes that are of excellent quality - I've never harvested grapes like this since I became a vigneron. I hope that the wines will continue in the same vein! I'll certainly be harvesting my Gamays at the the beginning of next week - for the moment they are in great condition too with no rot.

Chateau de Minière - Bourgueil

2011-08-29T08:27:00.012+02:00

Chateau de Minière has a tradition of being run by women over the centuries and Kathleen Van den Berghe who has recently taken over this Bourgueil estate is intent on maintaining it.

This will eventually become a delightful tasting/event area for guests

The tuffeau chateau dates back to the 17th century and has always been managed by women. It was in the same family for 2 centuries and then another family until 2010. Kathleen, (who works in construction) and her husband (who works in mining) fell in love with the chateau and are now intent on seeing this beautifully situated estate back on the map.

There have been changes since they took over the property - restoration work is well under way to produce a lovely tasting room in the chateau, a new winemaker has been employed (Eric Goujat who has 10 years experience of working in Montlouis), a small parcel has been replanted, missing vines replaced and new barrels purchased. Kathleen is a perfectionist and is looking to make big improvements in wine quality over the next few years. Purchase of the property took some time so she bought the base wine in July 2009 from the former owners to ensure that they had some wine to sell and the 2010 vintage was vinified by them under the control of the previous winemaker.

The 2011 vintage will be under their total control from grape to bottle so it will be interesting to see how the wines evolve over time.

There are around 18 hectares in total - around 2-3 in the walled clos, another 2-3 just outside with the remainder up on the nearby hill. Around 1 hectare of vines are 100 years old.

To the wines - obviously what is available now is not necessarily in the style of what will come in the future but here are my notes for the wines we tasted during our visit.

Chateau de Minière Rose 2010

Peachy apricot tones, clear and bright. Quite creamy, peachy, soft slightly lactic style on the nose. Cream soda - nice and dry on the palate.

Chevalier de Minière 2010

Nice fresh purpley colour. A little sharp on the palate, quite high acidity on the palate with a bitterness that comes through on the finish. Could use some time to soften up a bit.

Chateau de Minière 2009

Deep blackberry colour. Seems lighter in style than the Chevalier although it should be the other way round. Again, quite high acidity and quite a lot of tannin at the end although nice bramble fruit on the mid-palate.

Vieilles Vignes 2009

Part of this wine has been aged in barrels (2 wine Bordeaux). More concentration on the nose, quite aromatic. Much softer and lighter on the palate than the previous two wines. Tannins are more gentle and rounded - better.

Chateau de Minière 2008

Nice sweet bramble fruit on the nose that is missing on the 09. A hint of violets and blueberries on the palate Lightish in weight and tannins less present. Ok for drinking now.

Vieilles Vignes 2005

Deeper rubyish colour. More savoury on the nose with a slightly animal quality. Ripe stone fruit comes through on the mid-palate. Quite a bit of tannin and a dry finish.

To summarise - expect to see some big changes at this estate over the next few years. Perched along the cycle route in Bourgueil it is perfectly situated and after the restorations are finished it will be a very pretty property indeed. Kathleen has a very clear vision of what she is hoping to achieve and we can expect it to become a good wine tourism venue. Watch this space.

Happy Clients!

2011-08-19T17:50:00.004+02:00

We had a lovely day last week with Ellen and her family from New York. After spending the morning tasting a range of wines from all over the Loire valley and a relaxing candlelit lunch in our old cellar, we drove out to the appellation of Savennières where we walked in the vineyards and tasted some of the lovely Chenin Blanc whites that give it such a great reputation. Our thanks go to them for being the first of our clients to give us a video testimonial. It was a great day spent with good company.

Chateau du Petit Thouars

2011-07-17T16:28:00.005+02:00

We called in for a tasting with Sebastian du Petit Thouars last week. He was on fine form and exceedingly generous with his time as he was in the final throws of organising his wedding which happily took place last weekend.

We had the opportunity to taste from tank which is always interesting. Sebastian introduced us to a new cuvée that they are working with - a wine that will be called Cuvée l'Amiral and that is a press wine. Press wines are those wines that are the result of the final pressing of the juice after fermentation. On the whole they are regarded with disdain and few winemakers treat the press wines with the same respect as they do their free-run wines which are generally finer and less tannic. One or two producers take a different view (Pierre-Jacques Druet is one of them) and decide to treat their press wine as they would any other fine wine.

We tasted the future Cuvée l'Amiral - intense purple colour and ripe rich fruit on the nose are backed up by firm grippy tannins that are not austere. It's certainly not without class. Still in tank - it's by no mean a finished wine yet but I can't wait to see how it develops. I mentioned that it was a slightly brave move - both Michel and Sebastian smiled - it's a maverick wine from an estate with a twinkle in its eye.

One to watch as indeed are the wines from this estate. The 09's are tasting great and noticeably fuller and more elegant than previous vintages.

La Secheresse

2011-07-04T09:41:00.010+02:00

The dry weather continues here in Anjou and while vines are coping well at the moment our neighbours who are farmers are becoming increasingly distraught about the state of their crops. The maize is short and patchy and the sunflowers are stubby. The potatoes planted in one field where they can't water, have died and they are watering where they can to try and keep things alive but it's proving difficult.

In Anjou in May we had 700 hours of sunshine - a staggering 200 hours above average. I don't have rainfall figures but I can tell you that we have had almost nothing. Downpours have been very localised and sparse. So what impact is this going to have on the vineyards and how are producers going to deal with it?

Damien Richou (pictured above) has left the grass between the rows long. His theory is that if the grass is cut and it rains then it will quickly absorb the rain and concentrate on pushing again. By leaving it long, if it rains, the water will run down the long grass and be absorbed by the earth not the grass. In the picture he is showing us a small parcel of 80 year old vines that were planted by his grandfather. They seem to be coping fine with the dryness due to a well established root system that has long been established.

The river Loire is at an all-time low. As you can see from the picture here, it no longer looks like a majestic river but a series of sandbanks. Hard to believe that in 2007 and 2008, it flooded and prevented us from driving along the river road for several weeks. Boats can just about navigate between the buoys that mark out the only channel deep enough for them to pass.

Irrigation is forbidden under current appellation law so we could have interesting times ahead. As far as the vine is concerned, it continues to flourish but grapes will be small this year, sugars will be high and yields low. Vines have a minimum requirement of water (around 450mm) and if they do not receive enough they can shut down.

We were talking with Xavier (pictured above) of Domaine de Montgilet last week and he was explaining that they have concerns about the vines shutting down due to the dry spell we are having. When vines shut down, the grapes stop maturing and this can lead to a green character in the reds and the cat's pee note that is not very desirable in Sauvignon Blanc.

It certainly makes for an interesting time living in a cool climate wine-making region with huge vintage variation. Each year brings with it its trials and tribulations be it frost, hail, rain or sun.

It's all about fine wine, great food and good company

2011-06-13T19:07:00.002+02:00

Been having a bit of fun making a slideshow with some of my favourite pictures.

It's All About Fine Wine, Great Food & Good Company. Slideshow: Cathy’s trip from le tasting room, Cumeray (near Les Rosiers-sur-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France) to Vallée de la Loire was created by TripAdvisor. See another Vallée de la Loire slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

Vouvray 2 June 2011

2011-06-05T17:21:00.004+02:00

We drove over to Vouvray this week to pick up some wine from Bernard Fouquet. His Cuvée Silex is one of the most popular wines we show during our regular wine tastings.

Bernard Fouquet in his cellar in Vouvray

Interesting to talk to Bernard about the climatic conditions this year. He likens them to 1976 but also says there is way too much talk about the vintage at this early stage. Obviously the fact that there has been no rain has had and will continue to have an effect upon the harvest in so far as yields will be much lower than normal and grapes are likely to be very sweet but he was at pains to stress the importance of what happens in the month or two just before harvest and indeed the weather conditions during harvest. Apparently in 1976, after that scorching summer that I can remember very well (being about 13 at the time) there was rain just before harvest.

We popped up onto the coteaux for a look at his vineyards - this is the plot that produces his Les Giradières - another cuvee that has a slightly higher level of residual sugar. Only three producers have vines on this hillside - himself, Philippe Foreau and Huet.

Bernard keep the weeds at bay using a burner that is gas generated. He was telling us that it's very efficient but not very eco friendly using so much fuel and he's hoping that the organic weed control sprays that have already been developed for use in the garden will be available soon on a bigger scale making them a more environmentally friendly option.

In the cellar we retasted the 2010 vintage of Cuvée Silex that we love. It has lovely pure fruit and an elegance that was not quite so present in the 2009. Lovely citrus, pear notes and a touch of grapefruit on the finish. He then poured us a little of the same wine from 2002. If there was ever a lesson for holding on to your Vouvray (if you can bear it) this was it. It was tasting just incredible - rich and powerful with a magnificent tropical fruit and mango quality and yet holding on to that beautiful fresh acidity that Chenin offers. Cuvée Silex costs around 8 Euros a bottle cellar door - if this is what happens to it as it ages, then I really recommend you buy some and put some away.

Bernard likens the 2010 vintage to the 2002 in terms of weight, wine style and ageing properties. I can honestly say, it was quite the most delicious wine I've tasted in ages.

Crémant de Loire from Closel Chateau des Vaults in Savennières

2011-05-28T19:54:00.004+02:00

We tasted the sparkling wine from Closel Chateau des Vaults in Savennières last weekend. Known for its high quality dry Savennières this marks a bit of a departure but we liked it very much. It has a real Savennières quality on the nose, quite perfumed and citrussy with a backbone of toastiness that comes from prolonged ageing on the lees.

Flowering in the Loire valley

2011-05-21T08:56:00.005+02:00

It's May 21st 2011 and the vines have burst into flower in Anjou and all around the Loire valley. About a month ahead of 2010, this is the earliest recorded flowering since 1893 according to local experts. It's turning out to be a very dry year, not only for the vineyards but also for local farmers who are struggling to keep fruit and vegetables going because of the lack of water. Vines are pretty resistant to water stress but can shut down and cease to develop if the situation becomes very severe.

Domaine de Nerleux Portes Ouvertes

2011-05-11T18:01:00.006+02:00

Domaine de Nerleux had a portes ouvertes over the weekend. Although we have tasted their wines from time to time at the Salon and out and about, this was the first time we have visited the domaine.

The domaine (owned by Amélie and Régis Neau) dates back 5 centuries making them the 8th generation to live in the beautiful 17th century mansion. Quite a large estate, it comprises 45 hectares of Cabernet Franc, 38 hectares of Chenin and just 1 hectare of Chardonnay.

Wild flowers are grown between the rows to encourage wildlife, preserve soil balance and support sustainable agriculture.

Les Loups Noirs (Nerleux means Black Wolves in old French)

Beautiful peony in the garden

Les Nerleux - Saumur Champigny - the lightest cuvée

In the cellar

The large pipe seen on the roof fed grapes directly down into the old press in the past

This was the entrance for the grapes above ground (now blocked up for safety reasons)

Saumur Blanc Les Nerleux 2010
Clean crisp, light fresh fruit on the nose. A little grapefruit and minerality on the palate. Acidity not too marked. A typical Chenin from this appellation. Good at the price (5,20)

Saumur Blanc Les Loups Blancs 2010
Another Chenin, this time vinified in oak and using much riper grapes. Tight as a drum on the nose, giving nothing away probably due to the fact that it was only bottled a few days ago. Nice citrus quality comes through on the palate, a hint of tannin and softer . Oak does not dominate despite having spent 6 months in barrique (1-4 years old). Quite long - good but very closed at present. (10,00)

Cabernet de Saumur 2010 Rosé
100% Cabernet Franc grapes - directly pressed. Quite full bodied on the palate with good summer fruit quality that remains restrained and classy not too tropical. Quite a dry finish on the palate. Good summer drinking. (5,20)

Saumur Champigny Les Nerleux 2009
Quite purpley at rim, aromas of black fruits, chocolate and coffee. Soft and round on the palate, some tannin present on the finish but relatively easy drinking. Maybe a little short and final impression is one of tannin. Bit more time? (6,00)

Saumur Champigny Les Nerleux 2010
Very rich colour. A slightly savoury note on the nose with black fruits and a teensy whiff of boardmarker. Tannins present but not too chewy, mid weight. (6,00)

Saumur Champigny Clos des Chatains 2009
Lovely ripe fruit on the nose, Some raspberry and blackberry. Juicy fruit on the palate. Great concentration and ripe tannins. Good (7,50)

Saumur Champigny Clos des Chatains 2008
Less forest fruit on the nose and more damson type aromas, stone fruits. Quite a lot softer on the palate than the 09 and a reasonable finish. Less concentrated than the 09. (8,00)

Saumur Champigny Clos des Chatains 2007
Ruby garnet colour. Real red fruits on the nose and a savoury quality that we both like very much. Quite light on the palate (as are many 07's) but nicely balanced and with tannins that don't dominate the finish. Very nice and proves once again that some of the 07's are drinking well now despite the difficulties of the vintage. (8,50)

Saumur Champigny Clos des Chatains 2006
Surprisingly closed on the nose. I got a hint of violets and maybe a touch of volatility. Quite a bit of tannin on the palate that dominates the fruit which recedes into the background. A little bitter on the finish - our least favourite vintage.

Saumur Champigny Les Loups Noirs 2009
The top of the range having spent 1 year in barrique. Rich dense colour - wood not particulary evident on the nose but comes through straight away on the palate. A big wine with masculine flavours of coffee, plums and black fruits. Loads of tannin on the finish. Full of concentration and with good potential - needs more time.

Saumur Champigny Les Loups Noir 2008
Blackberries and a hint of plum, a touch spirity, sweet vanilla wood aromas and flavours coming through on the palate. A definite food wine.

To summarise - we found all the wines good although our personal choice would be the Clos des Chatains 07 and 09. Very different in style but equally good. The Loups Noir reds are very chunky and need time as does the white which need time to settle after bottling. The entry level Saumur Blanc is good and the rose is great summer drinking.

Domaine de Nerleux
4 rue de la Paleine
49260 St-Cyr-en-Bourg
www.domaine-de-nerleux.fr

Hail damages 100 ha in Anjou around Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay

2011-05-10T17:16:00.005+02:00

Bad news for producers around Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay. Initial figures from the professionals estimate that around 100 hectares of vignes were damaged on Monday 2nd May by what was a particularly strong downpour on the Anjou vineyards. The cloud was very localised and dropped impressive quantities of hailstones along a west-east axis from La Jumelliere as far as Beaulieu-sur-Layon passing by Chaudefonds-sur-Layon and Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay. Sporadic downpours were also signalled in Savennières, Saint-Macaire-du-Bois and La Varenne.

Unfortunately for Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay, 70 of the affected hectares were within this one commune.

I don't have an up to date picture of the damage to vineyards but this is the kind of damage that hail can do to a vineyard (this was in Alsace after a localised hailstorm in June 2007).

Tony Rousseau (responsable communal de la Fédération viticole) said '18 growers out of the 45 in the commune have been affected'. In certain areas hailstones fell to a depth of 70mm whereas in others only a few mm were recorded. The degee of damage was random and dependent upon grape variety. 'Grolleau is much more sensitive than the Cabernet. Certain parcels will lose 20% of their harvest but, for others, it may go as far as 70%. For certain growers the losses could go even further than that'.

Those affected will know the extent of the damage soon. Flowering (which generally happens between the 17th and 25th June) is expected to begin around the 17th May, a full month ahead, the consequence of a particulary dry and hot Spring.

This report was taken from today's Courrier de l'Ouest.

Loire valley wine day tours from Paris

2011-05-06T17:44:00.003+02:00

If you're staying in Paris and fancy a day out in the countryside learning all about Loire valley wines in the company of like-minded people, we'd love to welcome you here.

Fete des Bateaux at Le Thoureil

2011-04-26T10:39:00.002+02:00

A little taste of our annual fete on the river that was held this weekend in Le Thoureil. We were blessed with wonderful sunny weather so a record number of old boats made their way down the Loire to join in this celebration of life on the river Loire in times gone by.

A delicious radish salad

2011-04-20T16:42:00.003+02:00

I don't know if you're like me but to be honest I've never been too fussed about radishes. They look pretty and I buy a bunch from time to time but more often than not, after the inital enthusiasm, they end up at the bottom of the fridge. All that has changed - I've found a recipe that uses a whole bunch and it's absolutely delicious. Here it is

800g radishes finely sliced (I had less than this but used a whole bunch)
1 Granny Smith (I used a Gala)
2 cornichons finely diced
1 shallot finely diced

For the dressing:
2tbs creme fraiche
1tsp dijon mustard
the zest and juice of 1 lemon
50ml sunflower oil
chopped chervil (I didn't have any so used flat leaf parsley and a little coriander) and mint.

Mix all the dressing ingredients together pour over the chopped radishes, apple, cornichons and shallot and mix well. Season and stir in the fresh herbs.

What could be simpler? I served it with a salmon and tarragon tart which worked well but it would be lovely as part of a simple starter.

Pascal Beillevaire Maitre Fromager à Angers

2011-04-18T09:01:00.006+02:00

When it comes to cheese, we always buy from specialist suppliers or the markets in Angers, Saumur and Gennes. I know you can buy pretty good cheese from the supermarket but if you are looking for real quality, those who make it their living provide the best.

We provide a simple yet tasty lunch as part of our Loire wine tours and tastings and the cheeseboard is central to this. We normally serve 4 or 5 cheeses, all different in style (hard, soft, blue, goat, sheep, cow, young, old, fresh) and take advice from the fromager as to what is tasting at its best when we purchase. Like fruit and vegetables, many cheeses are seasonal so it makes sense to buy them when they are at their peak. Good cheese doesn't come cheap (I'd say on average we spend 20-25 Euros per cheeseboard) but it's worth every penny.

This is the shop in Angers that we use on a regular basis. Friendly unstuffy service and a fantastic range.

Place de la Visitation in Angers where the shop is located - just a short hop across from the station, it also has a great fishmonger and a superb boulangerie.

Local goats cheese always makes an appearance

View across from the station towards Place de la Visitation.

And did you know that in many cases, a white wine goes better with cheese than a red? A crisp Sauvignon from Touraine or Quincy brings out the best in goat's cheese, the acidity in the cheese marrying perfectly with the freshness in the wine. A sweet Chenin Blanc from the Coteaux du Layon is heavenly with a salty blue such as Roquefort. Save the chunky red for a morsel of aged Comté or Gruyère Suisse 18 mois. The hard almost crytalline character of the cheese just melts away those tannins.

Bavarois de Poivrons Rouges (a red pepper mousse)

2011-04-16T15:09:00.008+02:00

We had a ladies day here yesterday at le tasting room - three mums and two daughters joined us for a day discovering Loire valley wines in the Spring sunshine.

Here is the recipe for a very light red pepper mousse that I served for lunch with a fresh uncooked tomato sauce and a few lightly dressed salad leaves. It makes a good summer starter and although creates quite a lot of washing up, can be made the day before and then left in the fridge which is always a plus in my book.

You will need:
Half an onion finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
5 red peppers deseeded and finely chopped
A couple of tbs olive oil
seasoning

4 gelatine leaves put to soak in cold water
100ml wine vinegar
cayenne pepper
400ml whipping cream (I used creme entière)

Sweat the onion in the olive oil for about5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and peppers and season, then leave to cook for about 8 minutes with the lid ON.

If you want to 'dress' the top of the mousse with a layer of pepper jelly then after 8 minutes, drain off 100 ml of the juices that have been released by the peppers and put to one side. Then continue cooking the peppers etc for a further 20 minutes on a medium heat with the lid OFF until they are soft and all the liquid has evaporated (It took me about a further 6 minutes to reach this stage). Take off the heat and stir in the soaked gelatine leaves until they have dissolved.

When it has cooled down a little, blitz the mixture to a purée in the magimix and then push through a sieve or a mouli-legumes (the gadget with a handle that you turn round and it pushes the purée out the bottom). This is where you slightly despair at the washing up but take heart.

Reduce the vinegar to about a third and then add to the sieved purée, season with salt and cayenne pepper.

Whip the cream in a bowl until it's firm and then fold it in gently into the purée. The more gentle you are, the lighter it will be. Make sure the purée is at room temperature. Adjust the seasoning.

Pour into a tin ( I used one with a removal bottom) that is 25cm wide and 3cm high. You can also use a pastry ring. Put in the fridge and allow to set for a minimum of 4 hours.

If you are dressing the top with the pepper jelly then gently warm the 100ml of juice that you kept and stir in one gelatine leaf that you have soaked in cold water. When it has cooled, gently pour over the top of the chilled mousse and leave it to set.

I served this with a fresh tomato sauce.

Peel and de-seed about 8 tomatoes, chop and then blitz to a puree in the magimix. Now at this point you are supposed to pass this through a sieve but I lost the will and decided to go for a rougher purée (life too short and all that). Meanwhile, heat up 50ml of olive oil with a few basil leaves, a sprig of thyme, a strip of lemon zest and a couple of strips of orange zest. Leave it on a very gentle heat for about 5 minutes so the flavours are absorbed by the oil but don't let it boil. Add the infused oil to the tomato purée, season with salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes aren't super-ripe.

When you are ready to serve, take the pepper mousse out of the fridge and run a hot knife around the edge to loosen it. remove from the tin or if using the pastry ring gently pull it off. Serve in small wedges with a little of the sauce and a few dressed salad leaves.

So, not a complicated recipe but a bit of a faff. However, as I mentioned before, it keeps well in the fridge so can be made in advance and, would serve 10 -12 people - a little goes a long way.

As for a wine recommendation to serve with it - it's perfect with a dry rosé. Try a Rosé de Loire or one from one of the predominantly red appellations such as Domaine de la Noblaie's rosé (Chinon) or Pierre-Jaques Druet's rosé (Bourgueil).

Les sous-terrains at Chateau de Pimpéan

2011-04-14T08:56:00.008+02:00

Maryse Tugendhat had been promising us for a while that we could go down and have a look at the sous-terrains under Chateau de Pimpéan. Last night, we donned our scruffy gear and went down for the first time. The entrance to the network of tunnels is barely visible above ground, a series of slate slabs covers the hole which is located a short distance away from the chateau itself. We weren't quite sure what to expect and in fact I was initally a bit of a weed as once we had uncovered the entrance we were faced with a narrow well-like tunnel into which we lowered the biggest ladder we could find in the winery. The ladder was not long enough to reach the top so it required a 'leap of faith' and a little clinging on to the narrow metal bars that straddle the opening before your feet made contact with the ladder.

Here's a short video that shows us opening up the entrance. I couldn't take any video after this point but managed to hang the camera around my back while I went down the ladder so took some photos once down in the tunnels.

Dropping the ladder down the entrance tunnel

Spencer was the first to go down

Incredible - a whole series of vaulted tunnels all interlinking

Looking back up at our support team

You can see from the size of the ladder just how deep it is

Places to rest, sleep and eat are carved out of the tuffeau

And afterwards, fresh fouasses cooked in the ancient oven at the chateau

All washed down with a glass of Crémant and some Chateau de Pimpéan Cuvee Passion 2005 of course which was tasting delicious

And this is how it looks normally, a tiny area covered with a few slate slabs.

Chateau de Pimpéan was a Catholic stronghold during the French wars of religion during the 16th century and these tunnels and galleries were used to provide a safe place for those seeking refuge. Many of the galleries are no longer accessible but it's incredible to see what lies deep beneath the ground so many years later. A really amazing insight into life in ancient times.

The Sunday Brocante at Montsoreau

2011-04-10T16:59:00.008+02:00

A few pictures taken today at the brocante in Montsoreau. We enjoyed a glass of Crémant watching the world go by and pottered around by the riverside for a while just enjoying the atmosphere. While I'd love to tell you that the only reason for visiting the Loire is to discover it's wonderful wines, that would be fibbing. There are hundreds of other things to enjoy while you're here and the traditional French brocante is one of them.

This is the Amarante - a restaurant boat that operates regular trips along the river during the summer months.

It can be a bit boring being a stallholder so best to bring a good book just in case!

And when you look around and find that suddenly the stallholders are enjoying a glass of wine, some terrine de foie gras and a large platter of seafood - you know you're in France. It's lunchtime and nothing will get in the way of a good meal.

The brocante in Montsoreau takes place on the 2nd Sunday of each month and there is a small market every week selling a selection of vegetables, fruits, seafood, charcuterie and flowers.

Petite Cité de Caractère - Le Thoureil

2011-04-07T10:30:00.010+02:00

It was such a beautiful morning I couldn't resist walking down to the river. Here are a few photos that I took - it's 8am and the sun illuminates everything in such a lovely way, highlighting the tuffeau limestone of the houses along the riverside and the old boats on the water.

Most of the houses along the riverside have these wonderful terraces which enjoy spectacular views over the river Loire.

Walking down Creuse rue to the river.

This little pathway runs high above the riverside houses giving you a glimpse of the terraces.

This is the Tour des Hollandais built by the Dutch Van Voorn family around 1670. They were négociants in wine and made their fortune in Le Thoureil becoming important vineyard owners, transporting their wines to Nantes and further afield using the waterways. These towers were built so that the merchant owners could watch their wares going along the river.

View of Le Thoureil looking towards Gennes (5km away).

This the lovely terrace of the Tour des Hollandais with the tower dominating the view.

This is l'Hotel des Mariniers - a former hotel (during the 15th century and after) which used to accommodate merchants and fisherman who were using the ancient port. The tower dates back to the 14th century.

Boats on the river Loire at the Cale de Richbourg -( little quay).

Another view of l'Hotel des Mariniers with it's 14th century tower.

The school in Le Thoureil - it has one class of CM1 & CM2 children (numbering between 12 and 30 depending upon the year). The canteen has amazing views over the river.

Waling down to the riverside you pass a couple of vineyards that look lovely in the early morning light.

The vines are pushing now and the shoots are beginning to form in this beautiful weather.

Bicyles propped up outside one of the lovely riverside houses.

View from vineyard just before descending to the river.

From the top of the hill where I shot the video yesterday. This morning you can see the bridge at Les Rosiers sur Loire. It looks more like a painting than a photo.

Vines in the early morning sunlight.

If you join us for the la Loire - Secrets of the River tour this year, Le Thoureil is where the old sand dredging boat is docked ready to welcome us during the afternoon. Alain Gillot is an experienced mariner and a local man who knows the history of this ancient port as well as that of the river itself.

A wonderful view of the Loire?

2011-04-06T09:26:00.000+02:00

Budburst in the Loire valley vineyards

2011-03-31T18:24:00.001+02:00

Mathieu Vallée of Chateau Yvonne in Parnay - Saumur-Champigny

2011-03-30T15:43:00.006+02:00

A few photos taken yesterday during a visit to see Mathieu Vallée of Chateau Yvonne. Mathieu used to be an engineer and initially resisted the urge to become involved in wine like his father and brother. 5 years ago however he had a change of heart and today he owns Chateau Yvonne in Parnay - the heart of the Saumur Champigny appellation.

He has 28 small parcels within 3 different villages making up a total of 11 hectares (8 Cabernet Franc and 3 Chenin Blanc). Total production is around 25,000 bottles on average.

He has one person helping him in the vineyard on a full-time basis and they do the pruning together. He finished this week - late by some standards but he was keen to point out the benefits of pruning late in terms of frost protection.

We enjoyed a tasting in his delightfully rustic tasting room, located in front of his winery which is hewn out of the tuffeau limestone.

Our thanks go to Mathieu for welcoming us at a time when he should probably have been at home (he was celebrating the birth of his second baby only a couple of days ago).

Tasting notes to follow.

Chateau Yvonne
16 rue Cristal
49730 Parnay
Tel 02 41 67 41 29
chateau.yvonne@wanadoo.fr

Chenin Blanc & the delights of the quince

2011-03-21T11:33:00.006+01:00

When wine tasting we often try to recognise aromas in wine and one of the most commonly cited aromas in Chenin Blanc is quince. This old fashioned fruit is similar to the pear - knobbly and impossible to cut, it has a similar aroma although a little more exotic.

I had a quince tree when I lived in the South of England and despite being a keen cook, never did anything with the fruit giving them instead to my elderly neighbour who made them into quince jelly. Preserving is a bit old-fashioned - at least that's what I thought before I moved to France.

Here, it seems everybody makes jams, jellies and preserves. Fruit from the garden is eaten fresh in season and preserved for the winter months. I was given a few kilos by a friend this summer and decided it was time to have a go.

Firstly, I peeled the quinces and put the peelings into a large demi-john along with a litre of eau de vie. Then, I cut the quinces up (shere brut force required here - they are rock solid) put the pips and cores in a muslin square and cut the remaining fruit into slices. All this went into a large casserole into which I poured enough water to cover, brought to the boil and simmered for several hours.
Some of the cooked fruit I put into a tart with a frangipane base, the remaining fruit I pureed, added sugar and boiled again to make quince paste. I strained the liquid remaining from the boiled fruit and added sugar making a jelly with this.

A bit of a fiddle you may say, and yes, I suppose it was, but for a few kilos of fruit that cost nothing I made delicous jelly to spread on fresh crusty bread or to serve with roasted meats, quince paste to eat with cheese, a most delicious take on a traditional pear tart with more colour and flavour and a bottle and a half of quince eau de vie that I decanted off the peelings only yesterday.

And, I am now able to recognise the aroma of quince in many of our delicious Chenin Blanc wines from the Loire valley. We are only able to pick up individual aromas if they are within our own experience. I think I've finally nailed it!

Cathy's Loire Wine Tours - why you should visit the Loire valley

2011-03-09T17:33:00.003+01:00

A few thoughts from Cathy on why you should visit the Loire valley this year.
http://www.youtube.com/user/letastingroomLoire

Le Patio Saumur - a delightful B & B in the centre of town

2011-02-26T12:59:00.009+01:00

We stayed at this B & B in Saumur on Thursday night. Located on the river front just next to the Hotel Anne d'Anjou, this B & B is a delightful find. Rooms are accessed via an old stone spiral staircase and are quirkily furnished with antiques and brocante finds. There is a pretty hidden courtyard, a lovely place to share a glass of wine early evening or have breakfast in the summer. A little wine bar is also part of the business and is for residents only - this is where breakfast is taken in the morning during the cooler months.

La chambre Loire - one of three bedrooms and two suites

View from the bedroom window over the river

Pretty courtyard where you can enjoy breakfast during the summer months

The little wine bar where we enjoyed a digestif after an excellent dinner in town

Le Patio Saumur
31 Quai Mayaud
Saumur
02 41 51 20 22
06 09 94 84 55
www.lepatiosaumur.fr

Lionel Gosseaume - Domaine de Pierre

2011-02-20T15:57:00.006+01:00

We called in to see Lionel Gosseaume of Domaine St Pierre yesterday to purchase a few bottles having tasted his wines at the recent Salon des Vins de Loire in Angers. It was wild and windy with a constant drizzle but this did nothing to stem the enthusiasm of Lionel who drove us around his vineyards telling us all about the various parcels that make up the 9ha of vines on sand and clay in Touraine he currently rents. He's keen to point out that Sauvignon Blanc has a much longer history in Touraine than in the arguably more famous appellation of Sancerre and shares with us his approach in the vineyard, aimed at achieving quality while maintaining aroma and balance.

Currently, Lionel shares facilities and machinery with his brother but hopes one day to be independent and have his own. He's a young vigneron who until recently was also working for the Syndicat Agricole advising other new growers but now concentrates his efforts solely on his own production He rents his vineyards from an older more established grower who was initially a little wary of his modern approach but has proved to be a great support and this has given him the flexibility to trial various methods of viticulture for himself.

One peculiarity is that he has a tiny surace area of a near distinct grape variety called Meslier St Francois. Around 30 ares are pruned like the one in the photo above 3 or 4 x 2 buds. He tells us that this grape was once widely planted, was productive and had a reputation for high acidity. It was grown and then sent to Germany for the production of sparkling wines. Noone else around has any of this grape planted any more (not that they would know if they did). It's extremely rare and he says that he finds it has great acidity, a lovely floral style and a real capacity for ageing. The grapes are large and very sensitive to rot so selective harvesting is essential. He calls it a cépage doublement oublié (a doubly forgotten variety!). At the Salon we tasted a wine that he has made from 50% Sauvignon 50% Meslier St Francois. On the nose it was very interesting with a tropical note, hints of papaya, apricots and nettles. On the palate a grassy background and a flinty smokiness give way to a very dry finish. Still in tank - it remains unnamed.

Lionel produces a range of wines including two distinctly different Sauvignons, a rosé and a Gamay.

Romorantin - a unique Loire valley grape variety

2011-02-03T10:12:00.012+01:00

Are you familiar with Romorantin? Legend has it that it was first planted in the Loire by King Francis I (1494-1547). He came from the region and allegedly brought 80,000 vines from Burgundy in 1519 ( the origin of the grape, thought to be a relative of Meunier and Gouais Blanc) and had them planted around the chateau of Romorantin. It's thought this is how the grape gained its name. Over time, plantings of the grape dwindled and today only one tiny appellation bearing the name Cour Cheverny uses this variety. It's a rarity, an oddball, a one off.

Cour Cheverny only gained appellation status relatively recently in 1993 and applies to a tiny surface area of 48 hectares. Whites from the neighbouring appellation Cheverny are normally a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. So, what are the wines like? Well, they have a bit of a reputation of being exceedingly acidic and with real minerality. We tried several this week at the Salon des Vins de Loire in Angers and we were surprised to find very different styles on show.

Domaine des Huards is situated in the commune of Cour-Cheverny betwen the Loire and the Sologne, 4 kh from the chateau of Cheverny and 15km from Chambord. It's a family domaine established in 1846 and in 1950, 4 hectares of vines were cultivated, the majority of which was Romorantin. Today, the estate comprises 35 hectares farmed biodynamically.

Cuvée Francois Ier is made from 100% Romorantin. The vines are between 50 and 88 years old. Two thirds of the grapes are whole bunch pressed and the remaining third undergoes a maceration on the skins for 15 hours before going in the press. It's aged for 6 months on its fine lees and is normally bottled in the April or May following harvest.

The 2005 Cuvée Francois Ier is very tight on the nose, clean and fresh, citrussy. On the palate it has a big minerality, powerful, steely and with aromas of rum, spice and nuts. The finish is long and intense. We loved it and I think it would appeal to those who like aged Savennières. It would be a great food wine, scallops, chicken, pork would all partner it well.

The 2006 Cour-Cheverny Romorantin is again tight on the nose although has moved away from primary fruit expression and moved towards more complex aromas that are hard to identify. Stewed apples notes come through and a touch of honey and citrus. According to Michel Gendier, ageing is essential for Romorantin to be at its best.

The 2007 Cour Cheverney Romorantin has a long floral nose with much more fruit and higher acidity then the others. A clean streak of freshness runs through it. It seems very young and will probably benefit from a few more years ageing.

For us the 2005 vieilles vignes wins hands down although I would say that it's not necessarily a wine with mass appeal.

We tasted a very different style of Romorantin with Benoit Daridan of Domaine de la Marigonnerie again based in Cour-Cheverny. Benoit is a 7th generation winemaker who has spent time in Spain and New Zealand. His approach with Romorantin is different. Always seeking a style of wine that is more accessible young, he leaves the grapes on the vine until they reach optimum maturity (13-14 potential), sometimes even harvesting in several tries through the vineyard.

His 2009 Vieilles Vignes (50 years old) Cour-Cheverny is made using natural yeast, fermented in cuve and then aged on the lees with malo going through naturally. Around 20% of the wine spent a short time in barrique. It's very floral on the nose, exotic and fragrant with more than a hint of violets. On the palate it's surprisingly soft and not at all what we expected. The acidity is less marked, the finish full and long. It's delicious and interesting and I guess a more modern style of Romorantin.

We also tasted 2 Cour-Chevernys from Philippe Loquineau. Fleur de Lys 2005 is a lovely golden colour with a stewed appled nose. Quite soft on the palate due to its age and real apple fruit leading to an extremely dry finish. It would be lovely with white asparagus, a fish terrine or summer salad.

Cuvée Salamandre 2006 Cour-Cheverny is more complex. Benefitting from a further 9 months ageing in cuve and a short spell in barrique (not new) it has a similar apple crumble note on the nose but with white flowers as well. The acidity seems more marked than the Fleur de Lys and it's fuller and fatter on the palate. An interesting wine that would be good with chicken or fish cooked with a creamy sauce.

Henry Marionnet in Touraine has a plot of Romorantin that predates the phylloxera crisis in the Loire valley. His wine Provignage takes its name from the old method of propogating new vines using existing ones - a system that was used to replace dead or diseased vines before grafting became essential. It's expensive at around 45 Euros a bottle but what a history. We tried a bottle of the vintage last year and the acidity was searingly high - classy and with a huge minerality it certainly needs a lot more time to soften and fatten. I note from their website that you can buy a magnum of the 2005 for 92 Euros.

So, who's got it right? The classic producers who are making steely, mineral, pear and apple fruit wines that evolve into complex, nutty, rummy, honeyed wines full of character - or, is the more modern approach the answer. After all, on the whole consumers are not good at the waiting game - they buy to drink now and these wines can need time.

I like both styles - perhaps the more modern one for early drinking - a good introduction to an unusual and eccentric grape variety, a little easier on the palate, and I like the classic style too, the honey and nuts, the white flowers, the slightly oxidate quality - potentially great food partners. The jury is out and there is certainly a sense of disagreement amongst producers.

We're certainly looking foward to introducing these unusual wines to our Loire wine tour customers this year.

www.benoit-daridan.com
www.gendrier.com
www.henry-marionnet.com

Does your bag fit?

2011-01-05T10:33:00.003+01:00

Yesterday while dropping family off at Tours airport for a flight back to the UK, we stood chatting in the line, waiting to go through security. Practically everyone had opted to take 'hand luggage' rather than check-in a bag (no doubt due to the extra costs involved).

Ryanair has become very fierce of late. Each traveller is required not only to weigh their bag but to place it in the frame provided in order to verify that the permitted dimensions have not been exceeded.

This is where both a new competitiveness and a camaraderie emerges. Conversations between travellers strike up as they discuss whether or not the bag in front will or won't fit in the cage. And what's more, in a perverse way - you actually WANT their bag to fail, you are WILLING it to be too heavy, too bulky.

When someone's bag is refused and they are sent away with their tail between their legs to pay the hefty fine of 35 Euros to check it in - comments are passed between travellers - 'they should've weighed it before they left home', 'how ridiculous trying to take that one through', 'everyone knows the rules'.

To add insult to injury, when our time comes and our bag passes the test - we feel SMUG, yes smug that we were so canny, so organised. We got away with it, we wouldn't be so stupid would we?

When returning from a UK trip in October, we were caught out ourselves - not going through security but at the boarding gate at Stansted. A rather militant air stewardess was clearly taking great pleasure in asking everyone to post their hand luggage into the cage. Elegant ladies were stuffing their handbags, duty free purchases and umbrellas into their one permitted piece of luggage. We had a large squashy bag which was never going to make it. No problem though, a newly created payment desk had appeared just by the boarding gate to make our lives easy!

And so we paid up, muttering under our breaths that we should have checked at least one bag in beforehand. We won't make that mistake again - we'll just take even more pleasure in watching other people being turned back and feel even more smug that we got it right!

Our top Loire wines of 2010

2010-12-29T13:50:00.016+01:00

It's always interesting to read the personal choices of other wine writers, growers and friends, so I thought I would add our top wines of 2010 to the mix. What makes a top wine for le tasting room? Well, it's obviously a wine that we love, that we drink ourselves, but it's also a wine that our clients have loved too.Over the course of the season we show many different wines to many different customers who have very varied palates. We always try to show a broad spectrum that represents the diversity of styles and grape varieties and make no apologies for having a bias towards those from the region of Anjou Saumur as this is where we are located.

Cheninsolite 2008, Anjou Blanc AOC, Domaine Cady, Saint Aubin de Luigné

This classy white made by Alexandre Cady shows just what can be done with Chenin blanc. Grapes are picked at optimum maturity and then fermented in oak (50% of which is replaced each year). The wine is then left on its yeast lees for 11 months with regular stirring. The result is a beautifully crafted, elegant, rich wine with a hint of creaminess. Round and soft on the palate, yet with a crisp acidity, wonderful sweet primary fruit aromas on the nose and no excess wood dominating the scene. It's fantastic now and will develop over time too. A regular winner at our tastings - it seems to cross the divide keeping both New World and Old World palates happy.

Le Haut de la Garde 2008, Anjou Blanc AOC, Chateau Pierre Bise, Beaulieu-sur -Layon

Another Chenin blanc from another producer in the Layon. What is especially interesting is that both these exceptional dry whites come from producers better known for their sweet wines. Claude Papin at Pierre Bise is a master of 'terroir'. Le Haut de la Garde has a purity of flavour and exotic minerality that comes directly from the schist, sandstone and rhyolite soil that nurtures the vines for this wine. A beautiful nose of pears and quince with a touch of white flowers leads on to a warm and complex palate with a hint of grapefruit and a long finish. It's exceptional value at 7.75 Euros cellar door.

Goutte de Rosé, Chinon AOC, Domaine de la Noblaie, Ligré

Yes, it's a rosé - and I'm afraid I have veered away from the many rosés of Anjou. There are three specific appellations for rosé - Rosé de Loire (always dry and often made from the workhorse grape variety Grolleau), Rosé d'Anjou (min 7 g/l residual sugar and often quite a lot sweeter than that, made from Grolleau, Cab Franc, Cab Sauvignon amongst others) and Cabernet d'Anjou (min 10 g/l residual sugar and often sweeter, arguably the best of the three and always made from Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon). This one however, comes from Chinon (predominantly a red wine AOC but permitted to produce a little white and rosé too).

Jérome Billard uses his young Cabernet Franc vines to produce a rosé that is lovely and fresh with wonderful summer fruit aromas and a light, crisp palate that is a delight in summer. By far and away the best rosé we tasted in 2009, we managed to change the minds of many customers who came to us with a prejudice against sweet, poorly made wines. Another plus - the wine is bottled under screwcap. Why don't more Loire producers use screwcap for wines that are destined for early drinking?

Cuvée Passion 2003, Anjou Rouge AOC, Chateau de Pimpéan, Grezillé

Looking over the vines at Chateau de Pimpéan in February 2009

Those of you who know us are aware that we have a special relationship with Chateau de Pimpéan and are therefore a little predisposed to singing its praises. However, we first encountered Cuvée Passion independently while eating out at our local auberge a couple of years ago and continue to be impressed with the quality of this wine. Anjou Rouge has a hard time as an appellation - it lacks the sex-appeal of Saumur Champigny for example, doesn't have 'villages' tacked on and Grezillé was not included in the more recent appellation of Anjou-Villages Brissac which seems to be making a bit of a name for its Cabernet Sauvignons. As Sarah Ahmed says in her recent top 5 Loire wines, Cabernet Franc has a hard time reaching ripeness on schistous, slate soils. That's where this wine is different - Chateau de Pimpéan is located at the point at which the schistous slate soil changes to tuffeau limestone. Maryse Tugendhat is making wines that are not at all in the style of traditional Anjou Rouge (often with harsher tannins, green notes). We love the 2003 - a wine typical of its vintage in that it has an explosion of soft, ripe fruit on the nose. It also has lovely aromas of leather, wood, vanilla and spice that back it up. A wonderful introduction to Cabernet Franc and a million miles away from a harsh, tannic red.

Rocca Nigra 2005, Anjou-Villages-Brissac AOC, Domaine de Bablut, Brissac

Tasting with Christophe Daviau at Domaine de Bablut

While this wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Christophe Daviau is looking to express the ground in which the vines were grown rather than the grape variety from which it is produced. Rocca Nigra is a reference to the schistous, slate, sandstone soil originating from the primary era (ordovicien and silurien). Soils like this require grape varieties that can support a reduced amount of water (one of the reasons why Cabernet Franc vines often struggle in such soils). Cabernet Sauvignon is happy in such circumstances and tasting this wine, you can see why. Not a wine for the faint-hearted - we first purchased a case or two a couple of years ago and at that time it was a massive wine with enough tannin to make your gums wither. 2 years on - what a change - the wine has begun to soften, the smokey, stone fruit aromas gather together in a delcious expolosion of flavour. This wine is still young and has a long life ahead of it but we'll be bringing it out much more during 2011.

Last but by no means least, a sweet wine. The Loire valley makes fabulous sweet wines from the Chenin blanc - our problem is convincing our customers that they are as wonderful as we say they are. Of course the term 'sweet' is a loose one, encompassing everything from 'off-dry' to unctuous.

Les Trois Schistes 2008, Coteaux de l'Aubance AOC, Domaine de Montgilet, Juigné sur Loire

100% Chenin blanc, Les Trois Schistes is a wine made from grapes coming from 3 separate parcels owned by Domaine de Montgilet. Several passes were made through the vineyards to ensure only fully ripe grapes and those affected by botrytis were picked. Fermentation and ageing of the wine took place at a leisurely pace in oak barrels (average age 3 to 6 years old). This is a young wine - its golden colour will change and deepen over time and the aromas of white flowers, quince, apricots and pineapple will develop. But, it's delicious now - the perfect balance between sweet fruit and refreshing acidity - wonderful as an aperitif and great with blue cheese, fruit tarts and desserts with the same balance of fruit and acidity. Many of our customers who have expressed a prejudice for sweet wines have gone away converted. Served in the right situation, with the right food, the Loire takes some beating when it comes to sweet wines.

For more top Loire wines see the Wine Detective's top 5

http://www.thewinedetective.co.uk/blog/loire/my-top-five-wines-of-the-year-the-loire/

A new roof for le tasting room

2010-12-06T09:46:00.013+01:00

Like many others in France, our roof suffered quite substantial damage following the storm Xynthia in March, and while we knew that it would need replacing in the coming years, this accellerated the urgency somewhat. Our home (and business) is in Cumeray, a small hamlet just a 10 minute walk from the river Loire in Anjou The house itself is a former winemaker's home - a simple single storey property comprising 3 rooms and a large maturation cave running underneath the house. The previous owners restored the property and attached it to the large 17th century barn that would have at one time housed animals and grain.

First job was to remove all the old 'ardoises' (slate tiles). They were in a shocking state - crumbling in your hand.

Having removed all the old tiles, a new structure of wooden slats had to be put up for the new tiles to be pegged onto.

You can see the damage to the front of the house - we were left with several large holes after the storm that were repaired 'heath robinson' style until the entire roof could be replaced.

On go the new tiles - amazing how quickly the couvreur progressed once he got going

Off come all the old slate tiles on the front.

On goes one of the two new finials - we had hoped to repair the old ones but this was impossible so opted for two new ones.

Here you can see the new wooden structure that allows the slates to be pegged on.

Continuing with the front of the house - it's taking shape now.

One week later and the job is done - just missing the snow.

And the view from the front - a great job well done.

A bit of a drain on the pocket just before Christmas but a job well done and one that will last for many years to come. We're extremely pleased with the result and it ties up the front of the house nicely with the barn at the back (it was letting the side down a little before). The couvreur who did the job was Thierry Cerceau from Chemellier. He was quick, efficient and helpful - we can recommend him.

Thierry Cerceau
Couverture, Zinguerie-Ramonage
La Petite Guittière
49320 Chemellier
02 41 44 19 40

Christmas Fair at Chateau Brissac

2010-11-29T09:26:00.003+01:00

A few photos taken yesterday at the Christmas Fair at Chateau de Brissac in Brissac-Quincé, a short hop from Angers in the Loire valley. This beautiful chateau is still privately owned and occupied. Each year the family holds a number of special events of which the Christmas Fair is one.

If you're feeling flush and fancy a little luxury you can stay overnight in the chateau in one of 4 rooms for around 390 Euros.

Open from April to October for daily tours, I can certainly recommend a visit. Most of the tours are conducted in French but a sheet in English is available for non-French speakers. It's fully furnished unlike many French chateau and is full of wonderful paintings, tapestries and antiques yet remains small enough to feel like a real home.

http://www.chateau-brissac.fr/2006/english.htm

Domaine Richou - Mozé sur Louet

2010-11-21T15:06:00.015+01:00

Domaine Richou is a family domaine in Chauvigné near Mozé sur Louet. Managed by Didier and Damien Richou, Damien is responsible for the family's 33 hectares of vines while Didier takes charge in the chai. The estate works along organic lines and is in its first year of official conversion to 'bio'. In 2011 Damien is going to introduce a biodyanamic approach for the first time. He is passionate about terroir and values above everything the notion of identity, cépage, purity of wine and soil.

This was a first time visit to the domaine during their annual portes ouvertes, mainly aimed at private consumers wishing to purchase wines for the festive season (this represents around 60% of their total sales).

A list of wines available for tasting and an order of degustation stuck on the wall made life easy

The first wine on the list was this year's Primeur Gamay 2010. I have to admit to being a bit sceptical about all primeur wines as they are (in my opinion) on the whole made too quickly and with an eye on profit rather than quality. With a very typical ripe Gamay nose and an intense purple colour, the fruit on this wine is lively and attractive, very fruity, fresh and extremely easy drinking. Tannin is low and acidity not too high. We purchased a couple of bottles to show to our American clients who are coming on Thursday. I'll never be a big fan, but of its kind, its a great example. Juicy red fruits, simple and easy - a good wine to share with friends and not get too snobby about. I discussed my feelings on Primeur wines with Damien who was keen to stress that he too feels the same about wines produced purely to get the money in the bank soon after harvest. He reassured me that this wine while being a primeur is also made using perfectly ripe fruit. I think I've been converted.

The entire family was on hand, pouring samples, answering questions and giving advice

AOC Anjou Blanc Sec, Chauvigné 2009 is a blend of several parcels of Chenin from volcanic and schistous soils. A long slow fermentation takes place and then the wine rests on its lies for around a year before bottling. Light and clean on the nose it has some minerality and white flowers and then this opens out on the palate to reveal a beautifully clean and precise wine with citrus, grapefruit and finally a touch of honey and quince on the finish. A delightful wine and very good value at 6.35 Euros TTC.

AOC Anjou blanc sec Les Rogeries 2008 has been aged in 2-3 year old barriques for 18 months. A richer, more golden colour and lovely attractive creamy aromas on the nose. A bigger wine for spending time in wood, floral, full bodied and with a swirl of vanilla on the palate. Rich and citric, a hint of honey and grapefruit at the end. Great length. More of a food wine that the Chauvigné. 10.20 Euros TTC.

AOC Anjou Rouge 'Les 4 Chemins' 2009 comes from young vines of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. A wine meant for drinking young it has a deep purple colour with a bright pink purple rim. Quite a firm nose, black fruits dominating and a whiff of violet coming through. Quite spicey and peppery on the palate. It seems a little dry on the finish - maybe needs a little more time for it to be 'easy drinking'. To be fair Richou says drink young or after 5 years ageing. I'd err on the side of keeping for the moment. 6.20 Euros TTC.

AOC Anjou Gamay 'Le Champ de la Pierre' 2008 is another Anjou Gamay coming from schistous soils with quartz. A deep purple colour with less bright pink reflections than the 4 Chemins (another year older so to be expected). Blackberry and violet notes on the nose. Quite firm and earthy on the palate with marked acidity running through. Tannins come in at the front of the mouth but don't dominate completely. Surprising weight for a Gamay - needs food. 7.30 Euros TTC.

AOC Anjou Villages Brissac 2008 comes from Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon 50/50 harvested from schistous and quartz soils. This is more like it - attractive smokey red fruit on the nose with the Cabernet Sauvignon coming through. Lovely fruit on the palate, well balanced. Quite tannic but would be lovely with a rich casserole. Similar in style to the lovely Croix de Mission from Domaine de Rochelles. I am increasingly convinced that reds from Anjou just have to come from vines planted on the right soil. Wines coming from the Anjou Villages Brissac appellation often deliver while other Anjou's just don't seem to make the grade. 8.20 Euros TTC and good at that.

Now on to the sweet wines that give the Coteaux de l'Aubance its reputation. AOC Coteaux de l'Aubance 'La Sélection' 2009 is harvested late in a series of passes through the vineyard when small clusters of perfectly ripe and overripe berries are picked individually. Grapes are naturally very rich in sugar and so are able to produce naturally sweet wines. This particular wine was harvested in 4 separate passes through the vineyard finishing at the beginning of November. With an amber appearance, the nose is quite light and elegant with a note of pineapple chunks and a honey-like sherbet quality. Lovely fruit on the palate, light and fresh, not at all cloying and with a refreshing bitterness at the end. Notes of apricot and peach creep up on you towards the end. This would be an excellent apero wine and would also be great with the quintessential Christmas foie gras terrine or blue cheese. 7.20 Euros TTC 50cl or 9.30 Euros TTC 75cl.

AOC Coteaux de l'Aubance 'La Grande Sélection' 2009 is a similar colour to the Sélection although is slightly sweeter in style having around 80-85g/l residual sugar as opposed to 78g/l. There's more honey on the nose and it's slightly more floral although again quite tight on the nose at present due to its youth. Again on the palate, incredibly refreshing despite its sweetness. Not a hint of sugary stickiness that leaves the palate jaded. Great fruit and a lovely vein of acidity running through it. More minerality on the finish and a touch of tannin coming in at the end. 10.40 Euros 50cl or 14.20 Euros 75cl.

AOC Crémant de Loire Brut 2006 'Dom Nature' is vinified according to an old method of making sparkling wine called 'la méthode ancestrale'. In this process, the wine is bottled for its second fermentation before the first fermentation has completely finished. This means that there is still sugar in the partially fermented wine and therefore no additional sugar is required to promote a second fermentation ( I guess you could argue that it's really one fermentation that was stopped in the middle, bottled and then carries on). Because no additional yeast or sugar is added, wines made by this method don't need the sediment removing. You can occasionally find a little sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Dom Nature has no liqueur d'expedition added either (the usual addition of wine and sugar after degorging has taken place). Quite a rich colour it has a slightly milky aroma and then a hint of green apple. Very dry indeed on the palate and with a characteristic bitterness on the finish. I rather like the oddness of it but I'm not sure if I like it - would like to try again. Full marks to Richou for the presentation - it looks classy and is a very interesting take on sparkling wine. 12.20 Euros TTC

Le Domaine Richou
Chauvigné - Route de Denée
49610 Mozé sur Louet
00 33 2 41 78 72 13
domaine.richou@wanadoo.fr
www.domainerichou.fr

A Tale of Two Magnums

2010-11-12T12:11:00.005+01:00

We've had the opportunity of sharing a couple of Magnums over the past couple of weeks that merit a mention.

We opened the Dom Perignon Vintage 1982 with family to celebrate my father's 80th birthday. I'm not sure how long it had been hidden away in dad's cellar but we couldn't think of a better time to open it. Dom Perignon was the famous Benedictine monk who is often accredited with 'inventing' Champagne although it is for his development of blending that we should be grateful as it was the English who in fact had more to do with it's development as a commercial product.

The Cuvée was launched in 1921 as their top of the range Champagne and has a price tag to go with it so expectation was high. Any wine that is kept for a long time changes and develops in bottle - only top quality wines can expect to withstand long ageing and come out the other side all the better for it.

So, what was it like? Well, it was tricky to open - the cork was very dry and despite our best efforts to open the bottle in the correct manner (twist the bottle not the cork) we didn't manage that. After several minutes of gently teasing the cork up it broke in two so we had to revert to using a tradtional waiter's friend. With a lively bottle of Champagne this is something I would absolutely not recommend as the pressure in the bottle is still likely to be very high. As this wine was nearly 30 years old we decided this was a risk we could take.

To the wine - it was a delight. A delicate caramel colour with very fine bubbles that continued to rise up the glass. Hints of toast, hazlenut, butter biscuits and stewed apple came through on the nose with just a hint of oxidation (which we love). A gentle elegant glass of Champagne, softer on the palate due to it's fine mousse and truly delicious. Worth it? Yes, as this was a special occasion. This wine is tasting fabulous and is by no means past its sell by date yet. A lovely surprise and one that we will remember for a long time.

We opened the second magnum on Tuesday while entertaining a group here in the cellar. 22 people from around France joined us for an introduction to Loire valley wines so we thought it fitting to offer a glass of Crémant to start off the morning.

A more humble wine you might say - certainly not in the league of Dom Perignon 82. We bought several magnums from Gratien & Meyer about 3 years ago and this was a good opportunity to open a couple. A lot younger as well - vintage 1999 - a mere 11 years ago. A blend of Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay - would it live up to expectation? Well, it was delicious. Am I being unfair comparing the two wines? No, not at all - the Crémant too was slightly caramel in colour showing its age. It too had complex aromas on the nose, green apple, biscuit, nuts and toast. Maybe a little less intense and shorter on the finish than the Dom Perignon but a real treat. The mousse was still lively, the wine a pleasure to drink.

Fine and rare wines will always cost more than their actual worth and it's a privilege to taste them from time to time. Lower cost alternatives can also be fabulously good value as in this case. I enjoyed them both - the one that will stick in the memory? The Dom Perignon of course. But, if I had to pay my own money - I know where the Euros would go.

Annual Brocante at Durtal

2010-09-27T08:21:00.015+02:00

A chilly start to the day with mist rising from the river

View of the chateau in Durtal

Delicious looking breads for sale

It was clearly going to be a long day!

The sun rises leaving a cold but sunny autumn day - perfect for pottering.

Tarte au Citron et Tarte à l'Orange

2010-09-10T11:18:00.005+02:00

There are lemon tarts and lemon tarts. This is the tartest and best recipe I have come across and it goes down well every time. If you like a big sharp lemon hit then this is just the job.

I use a very rich sweet pastry made with plenty of egg yolks and icing sugar for the base. I know it's a fiddle but it is absolutely worth it and on the occasions when I have resorted to normal or bought pastry it has still been delicious but not a patch on the real thing. Obviously time doesn't always permit this and sometimes life's too short to be making pastry from scratch but here is the recipe if you want to have a go. This quantity make enough to do 4 or 5 tarts so I make it in advance, weigh it out in around 400g portions and then freeze it. I use the Kitchenaid and it's quite a messy business as the quantities are large but you can cut the quantities in half to make 2-3 tarts.

You will need:
700g unsalted butter (best left out of the fridge)
300g icing sugar
8 egg yolks
100ml water
1kg flour

Cream the butter and sugar until they are really soft and white. Add the egg yolks and keep scraping the sides down periodically to make sure they are well mixed in. Add a little water and then tip in all the flour. Add the remaining water (or sometimes a little less) and mix everything well. Remove, divide into portions and either chill well in the fridge or freeze.

The result varies and sometimes it is extremely short. Be sure to keep a little raw pastry back after you roll it out and blind bake so you have some for patching afterwards. You can also cut small slices of pastry and make a patchwork pastry base if it's proving difficult to roll.

For the filling you will need:
5 lemons (grate the zest of 4 them and squeeze the juice from all 5)
9 eggs
390g caster sugar
250ml double cream

Roll, line and blind bake the pastry case - make sure there are no holes and patch up if necessary with a little of your reserved pastry. This is very important - I have had one or two disasters when the filling has slowly oozed out of a tiny crack and ended up all over the oven.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together, add the lemon juice and zest and stir in the cream.

Pour into the pre-baked pastry case. I use a very deep fluted tin and have a little left over which makes a couple of individual tarts. If you don't have a deep tin you can use half the quantity of filling - it's not quite as decadent but very delicious nonetheless and will need less cooking time.

Put in the oven preheated to Gas half to one 130C 260F for 30 to 40 minutes. It should be still wobbly in the centre as it continues to firm up when taken out of the oven. Leave for at least an hour - it's wonderful at room temperature, equally good cold the next day and it freezes perfectly.

For an orange tart which is different but equally delicious use the following filling:

Grated zest of 4 oranges
1 litre of fresh orange juice, reduced down to 250ml (this takes quite some time and can be done the day before)
400g caster sugar
9 eggs
250ml double cream

Again, whisk the eggs and sugar, add the reduced orange juice and zest, stir in the cream and cook as above.

Just as a final note, the tart in the picture was one I made using half quantities and a more shallow tin. I had a little filling left so I baked it in tiny ramekins and served with a little pouring cream as a palate cleanser after a rich meal.

Vert de l'Or - Baumard

2010-08-17T14:16:00.006+02:00

While tasting at Domaine des Baumard in Rochefort sur Loire the other day we purchased a bottle of Vert de l'Or. The name is a play on words. The name Vert de l'Or sounds like the grape variety from which the wine is made, Verdelho.

A Portugese grape variety most closely associated with the wines of Madeira, it's rare to find it in France but was apparently introduced to the Loire in 1810. It has always been bottled as a table wine and has no information concerning either the vintage or the grape variety on the label as prior to 2009 this was not permitted.

2009 saw the introduction of new legislation allowing table wines to be renamed Vins de France and enabling both a vintage and a grape variety to be stated on the label. Good news you might think - no so for Domaine des Baumard and Vert de l'Or. Despite its history, Verdelho became increasingly rare after the 1950's and when a definitive list of grape varieties was published in 1955 it was not mentioned. It was also not included in the 'Catalogue Officiel des Variétés de Vigne cultivées en France' published in1995. The result of this is that under todays legislation, this wine is illegal and Baumard has been told it cannot produce it any longer.

A great example of crazy French legislation. An unusual wine made by a quality producer who discovered it by accident in the vineyard some years ago and vinified it separately is now no longer permitted to make it because it does appear on an official list of grape varieties.

To the wine - it's pale in colour and has a crisp Spring freshness on the nose and palate. Good acidity makes it a flexible food wine that would be good with seafood, fish and white meat dishes or as a crisp aperitif on its own.

As a grape variety, budburst, flowering and ripening are all a little in advance of Chenin (around 10 - 12 days). Picking the right moment for harvest is crucial to ensure good fruit flavour and balance.

In my opinion it would be a great shame if Baumard is forced to grub up this small parcel. I gather they are currently in discussion with the authorities in an attempt to try and stop this happening.

I think we paid around 6.50 Euros for it and although it's not a wine that will change the world, - for the historical interest, the rarity value and the story, I for one am happy to pay for that.

A couple of winning wines from the Lebretons.

2010-07-28T10:41:00.005+02:00

We've enjoyed a couple of delicious wines over the past couple of nights that come from the various Lebreton estates in St Jean des Mauvrets and Juigne sur Loire.

The night before last we returned from Tours having braved a quick dash around Ikea for essentials (candles, water glasses, paper napkins) and picked up friends from the airport. It was a long day and we popped into the supermarket to buy a ready roasted chicken, some new potatoes and salad for a quick supper on our return. To the wine - we opened a bottle of Domaine de Mongilet's Les Yvonnais 2002.

What a delight. Soft perfumed Cabernet Franc fruit with smoky notes on the nose, smooth and fruity on the palate, quite light but with some tannin remaining. The perfect choice to lift what was an ordinary supper. If this is what appellation Anjou Villages Brissac is like after a few years ageing then I'm all for it.

Anjou Villages Brissac is a newish appellation created in the 90's for so-called 'vins de garde', wines that require ageing to show their full potential. Only vineyards from around a dozen individually selected sites are entitled to use it and wines must not be bottled until September 1st following the year of harvest. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are both permitted so allowing a variety of different styles being made by individual producers. We like Jacques Beaujeau's version - 100% Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 - powerful and perfumed with a real concentration, drinkable now because of the great fruit but will be better in a few years time. We also like Christophe Daviau's Rocca Nigra and Terra Alba both of which have amazing structure but are very tannic at present (we have the 05) - give them another 5 years or so and they will be softer and more ready.

Back to Montgilet's Les Yvonnais - the vignes have an average of 49 years old and come from a parcel planted on decomposed schist with a clay layer on top. No commercial yeast is added and as soon as the alcoholic fermentation is complete, the wine is moved into barriques to undergo its malo lactic fermentation where it stays until bottling 12 months later. Barriques of 1, 2 and 3 wines are used as Montgilet is not looking to extract tannins from the wood but rather to impart a richness of flavour to the wine. It's delicious and for us resembles the elegant wines that we have come to enjoy from Pierre-Jacques Druet in Bourgueil. Ready to drink now, it costs 10.50 Euros cellar door.

Last night we enjoyed a family meal together and I cooked a seafood risotto. I pre-cooked the mussels and retained the liquor, shelled king prawns and made a stock with the shells, cut salmon into large dice. I fried a finely chopped onion in butter, added the arborio rice, deglazed the pan with a glass of Noilly Prat and then used the stock I had made earlier. At the end I slipped the mussels and prawns back in, added a smidgeon of cream, some chopped tarragon and lastly stirred in the raw salmon, turned off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes before eating.

To go with this, we choose the lovely, crisp Domaine des Rochelles, Roches de Rochelles 2008.

100% Chenin Blanc, the wine has a real purity of fruit with a strong mineral edge. Vines are around 30 years old and are manually harvested (a small proportion being affected by botrytis). After a 12 hour maceration on the skins, the juice is fermented and the wine then aged for 12 months in 400L oak barrels that are 3 years old. Grapefruit and citrus with a touch of lemon verbena and refreshing acidity made it the perfect match with the seafood. Around 8 Euros cellar door.

www.domainedesrochelles.eu
www.montgilet.com

Le Petit Manoir - St Melaine (near Angers)

2010-06-28T14:58:00.007+02:00

Following an excellent tasting at Domaine des Rochelles in St Jean des Mauvrets this week, we tried out a restaurant in St Melaine that we had not been to before. In the heart of the village, it was refurbished last year and we've been meaning to try it since then.

It was packed with locals (always a good sign), most of them eating the ouvrier's menu which at just over 10 Euros for entrée, plat, fromage, dessert, coffee and wine , sounded like tremendous value to me. As we had a little more time on our hands we opted for the 18 Euro menu. I enjoyed a croustillant of goats cheese served with an aubergine caviar and balsamic dressed salad leaves. Other starters were a smoked duck, and foie gras salad with walnuts and orange, and a pressé of sardines. For my main course I had the plat du jour which was a fillet of merlu (white fish), served with a mirepoix of vegetables (tiny cubes of pepper, courgette, onion, garlic, aubergine). The others had kidneys in a rich grain mustard and wine sauce with smashed new potatoes.

We drank a bottle of Damien Laureau's Savennières, Les Genets 2006 which was a little closed but had good minerality on the palate and went well with the fish.

Service was swift for those eating the ouvriers menu (who were incidentally enjoying a Magnum ice cream for dessert - welcome on a very hot day) and slightly more relaxed in the main restaurant where we were seated. The decor is attractive and there is a nice garden out the back although it was so hot that we opted to stay inside.

We'll be back to try out the ouvrier's menu but in the meantime, we can certainly recommend it.

La Pointe - A Perfect Picnic Spot

2010-05-25T11:28:00.005+02:00

If you are looking for a beautiful spot for a picnic I can highly recommend the pretty riverside village of la Pointe. In between Bouchmaine and Savennières, this old fishing port is quiet and unspoilt with beautiful views of the river where the Maine meets the Loire.

The village boasts a number of restaurants including La Terrace which overlooks the river and has a very good local wine list.

You can walk alongside the river and find a quiet place to sit and watch the world go by. The vineyards of Savennières are just a 5 minute drive away so it's an ideal place to stop if you are looking for a little rest and recuperation after a hard morning's wine tasting.

Wine & Chocolate Tasting at Domaine de la Soucherie

2010-05-16T12:58:00.012+02:00

Our group outside on the tasting terrace - splendid veiws over the Coteaux du Layon

We enjoyed a very unusual and interesting tasting at Chateau de Soucherie this week. The estate was bought by the current owners in 2007 from the Tijou family (an old established wine-making family going back generations). The chateau is based in the Coteaux du Layon, not far from Beaulieu and has some of the best views in the Loire valley.

Clearly a lot of money has been spent refurbishing the chateau and estate. I did not have the opportunity to ask too many questions of the owners as we were with clients but I am led to believe that this was a new project for them and the first time they have been involved in making wine.

As well as completely renovating the chateau, La Soucherie also offers a very contemporary reception room (available for private meetings, dinners, events), a maison des amis (which can be used as accommodation in conjunction with the meeting room), a slick inside tasting room and a stunning terrace with the most beautiful views of the Coteaux du Layon.

A range of hand-made chocolates has been created in conjuction with a Parisien chocolatier and these are served together with the wines to create a unique and unusual tasting experience. I have to admit this was a first for us - chocolate can be a difficult fit when it comes to wine at the best of times so this approach is new and just a little off-beat.

We tried their 2008 Savennières with strips of dark chocolate containing a sharp lemon paste/jelly - the outside dusted with fennel seeds. The idea is that the citrussy aspect of the wine is complemented by the citrus aspect of the chocolate. A new approach but interesting and in fact not a clash as I would have expected.

We then tasted the 2009 Rosé de Loire - light, fresh summer fruits backed up with fresh crisp acidity. A good summer wine.

The 2008 Cabernet d'Anjou was served with a tablet of dark chocolate studded with chunks of dried banana and strawberry - again the idea being to marry the fruity aromas in the wine with that of the fruit. I found the strawberry aspect worked quite well but the dried banana did not particularly enhance the match.

The very contemporary meeting room/salle de reception.

We finished with two sweet wines, the Coteaux du Layon 2007 which was light and fresh with honey and pear aromas - easy to drink with good balanced acidity, a good aperitif wine. Finally we had the Chaume 2007 which was served with a dark chocolate covered dried apricot. The rich golden wine had aromas of honey, apricot and spices and it went surprisingly well with the chocolate.

The terrace overlooking the Layon has the best views we have enjoyed since moving to live here in 2006. They are just spectacular and I can recommend a visit to Chateau Soucherie for this alone. When the weather is fine (as it was on this occasion), I can't think of a better place to be. As for the modern approach - well, part of me loved it and a little part of me feels that it has been over-renovated. We almost felt like we weren't in the Loire valley any more. Certainly we got the impression that the owners are trying to push the boundaries, to create something unusual, unique and different.

I'm sure we'll be back again as it provides a complete contrast to the normal tasting experience. We were warmly welcomed and our clients absolutely loved it.

I'll be interested to hear your views.

www.domaine-de-la-soucherie.fr
La Soucherie
49750 Beaulieu-sur-Layon

02 41 78 31 18

le tasting room is THE BEST!

2010-05-12T10:39:00.009+02:00

Just once in a while I feel we have to blow our own trumpet a little. We welcomed Diane and her parents to le tasting room last week for a Loire Wine Discovery day - a one day wine discovery tour from Paris.

In the morning we tasted a range of Loire valley wines, discussed appellation and production in the region.

We enjoyed a tour of the impressive Chateau de Pimpéan with owner/winemaker Maryse Tugenhadt and a vertical tasting of her Cuvée Passion.

Lunch was in the old barrel maturation cellar underneath our home

Jean-Hubert Lebreton led us through a comprehensive tasting of his wines at Domaine des Rochelles in the afternoon.

I think it was Sybil our chocolate labrador that made the day!

Here is Diane's review on TripAdvisor. A big thank you to her and her parents for making the day so enjoyable and also for taking the time to write up such a special review.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187196-d1441140-r63823489-Le_Tasting_room-Loire_Valley_Centre.html

Good Cheese from the Market in Gennes

2010-05-04T10:21:00.004+02:00

Just back from the market in Gennes where we always stock up on good cheese, particularly when we are providing picnics for our customers.

Our cheese supplier has a shop in Seiches sur Loire, does the market in Gennes on a Tuesday morning and the big market by the Place du Mail in Angers on a Saturday. Although it's expensive, the difference in quality compared with cheese found in the big supermarkets is very evident.

Today we bought some St Nectaire Fermier, a Langres, a Cabichou from Poitou, some Tomme de Savoie, a quarter of Brébis de Corse and a demi of Reblochon. We have yet to find a better Reblochon anywhere - soft and creamy with a wonderful fruity flavour, it gradually slides across the cheeseboard. The Brébis de Corse is the best we have ever tasted too - soft and moist, envelopped in a crust of herbs from the South - at the same time aromatic and gentle.

Can't wait to share them with our customers tomorrow.