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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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