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Loire Stars 2012
As those who have been following my recent blog posts will know, the 2012 Salon des Vins de Loire has not been one that has gone completely smoothly. Poor communication with the organisers of the off-events, questionable decisions about timing and bad weather have all contributed towards reduced visitor numbers. A shoddily run bus service, with buses which failed to materialise on two of the three occasions I opted to use the service, only added to my frustration. And a close call making my travel connections on the way down to the Salon added a personal frisson of excitement; having gone through my travel bookings from previous Salons I've realised this was because the train I caught was 40 minutes earlier than in previous years; that's something I will have to look out for next year!
Although I look upon the 2012 as a somewhat troubled affair, this by no means should be taken as reflective of the quality of the wines. Despite 2011 being what can only be described as a 'challenging' vintage for many, there are still plenty of good wines to be found. And the Salon is never about the very latest vintage anyway; there is always a good range of finished, in-bottle wines to be tasted and assessed.
Reporting on the dozen wines highlighted below, my thoughts turn back to my tasting with the team at Pithon-Paillé, who were showing their Crémant de Loire for the first time; this is made from a blend of 90% wine from 2010 and 10% must from 2011, a technique I have not encountered anywhere else. Jo Pithon introduced the wine in a very low-key manner, saying (and I've translated from his French), "it may not be the best style of Crémant de Loire, but it's my style". In the same manner the dozen wines presented here may not be the very best wines from the Salon, I haven't gone through my notes and picked out only those wines with the highest scores. Rather, these are twelve wines that, at the end of the Salon, still stick in my mind. It may be some eccentric aspect of vigneron or wine, some preconception overturned, unexpected delight or indeed, as in the case of the 2007 Quarts de Chaume from Pierre-Bise for example, heart-stopping quality, that struck a chord. Regardless, each one is a wine worth knowing, and worth talking about, perhaps the best indicator of a wine of quality. (10/2/12)
The Loire does every style from lick-a-stone Saumur Mousseux, to more honeyed, richer styles. Here are three points along that spectrum, kicking off with a wonderfully breezy Pét-Nat Montlouis from Coralie Delecheneau, an impressive rosé from Yves Guégniard, and a succulent Brut Zero from Marielle Henrion.
La Grange Tiphaine Montlouis Pét-Nat Nouveau-Nez NV
A deliciously fresh and approachable wine from Coralie Delecheneau, this is
officially non-vintage but from the code on the label - PN010 - I'm guessing it
originates from the 2010 vintage. Whatever the vintage, this was a wonderful
discovery that opened a door onto Coralie's range of vibrant Montlouis cuvées. A
domaine I will have to revisit I am sure.
Domaine de la Bergerie
Crémant de Loire Préambule Rosé NV
Tasted with Yves Guégniard at Domaine de la Bergerie, and then again over dinner
the same evening, this is a very fine, beautifully textured cuvée. Where
many Loire sparkling wines exhibit rather dry, stony textures, this was
succulent and fresh, and filled with honest, genuine red fruit character.
Château L'Aulée Crémant de Loire Brut Zero NV
A new discovery for me, these sparkling wines offer not just fresh and lively
character, but a real sense of elegance too. This wine betrays the ripe and rich
fruit of the 2009 vintage, and has zero dosage; despite this the nose is
expressive and fruit-rich, and the palate lightly creamy and full of finesse.
I tasted a lot of Muscadet this year, more than usual, but this is appropriate; this region is currently in a dynamic state of flux, with new appellations - the crus communaux - springing up left, right and centre, and many exciting new wines to be discovered.
Bruno Cormerais Muscadet Bruno 7 Ans 2004
I encountered this wine, aged sur lie for seven years, at dinner on
Tuesday evening, and tasted blind I never would have thought it a Muscadet.
Having intended to taste more from Cormerais for some time, I was spurred into
action. I tasted through the range with his son, Maxime, and found some very
high quality especially from the Granite de Clisson (and now just Clisson)
cuvées, and the special Maxime and Bruno bottlings, such as the one I have
picked out here.
Domaine du Haut Bourg Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu 2002
What can I say about this wine? There is life beyond Sèvre et Maine after all.
The charming Choblet brothers turn out a very respectful array of wines, but
things really get interesting with these mature cuvées, aged sur lie; the
2001 is in bottle, and the 2002 I have focused on here was a sample from cuve.
I just think they need to come up with an exciting name for this remarkable wine.
Domaine Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur lie Cuvée L d'Or 1989
It's easy to go ga-ga over the 1976, poured from magnum, which was as fresh as a
daisy, but I much preferred the depth of fruit and complexity from the 1989. But
there are dozens and I mean dozens) of choices here from more youthful
and more widely available vintages.
Pithon-Paillé Anjou Coteau des Treilles 2010
It's no secret that I have an admiration for what Jo Pithon, Jo Paillé and their
spouses Isabelle and Wendy have achieved here, and having heard of their plans
for the next two years this is unlikely to change. What I sensed in their wines
this year, though, was a somewhat more reductive and elegant style. From Mozaïk,
to the Bonnes Blanches cuvée, to Coteau des Treilles, the quality went up
and up. Super wines.
Les Seches Roches Anjou La Guimardière 2010
There's nothing more delightful than a new discovery, especially when the
quality is not just good but really high. This new domaine - 2010 is the first
vintage - is run by a trio of pals Jean-Marie Brousset, Thibaut Ducleux and Julien Delrieu. Good
terroir, low
yields (22-25 hl/ha for the two white cuvées) and minimal oak influence have
made for some very exciting wines; think
Richard Leroy, but without the new barrels. Seriously, they are that
good.
Vincent Carême Vouvray Peu Morier 2010
Quality remains high here, and consistently so across the board, with some
remarkably good sparkling wine, dry Vouvray and also sweeter styles. It was hard
to choose just one, but as I have probably talked enough about the Cuvée
Ancestrale in recent years I thought I would select this elegant, ripe and
expressive wine instead. I was sad to hear that Vincent has been laid up with a
broken foot recently. It doesn't seem to have affected the quality of his wines
though.
Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré 2009
What?! Philippe Alliet at the Salon?! Philippe Alliet in the flesh?! Yes, and
his wife, and his son too. And also his wines, which are superb, although very
much a richer, riper style of Chinon rather than the slightly more fine-boned
style such as that from Bernard Baudry that perhaps typifies the appellation.
Lots of lovely wines here, including a new white Chinon, oak-influenced as you
might expect, but the 2010 and 2009 Coteau de Noiré cuvées were easily
the most remarkable.
Château Pierre-Bise Quarts de Chaume 2007
On Tuesday morning Jim Budd and I tasted through a fascinating range of sweet
wines from the 2007 vintage, a tasting hosted by InterLoire for which I am very
grateful. Not so grateful as to avoid voicing my concerns about Salon
organisation and its future, but grateful nevertheless. The stand-out wine for
me was this simply breath-taking cuvée. I can't say much more than that really.
Simply breath-taking. Where can I get some?
Domaine Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance 2003
Errr....a bit of a no-brainer really. I'm not sure but I might have included
this wine in previous line-ups of favourite wines, but I don't really care. It
is head and shoulders above the very best wines of the appellation. Perhaps the
only wine that would come close would be the 2003 Moelleux Reserve from Philippe
Foreau, but as he does not exhibit at the Salon it's not possible to compare
side by side without pulling the two bottles together in my cellar. Happily I
have the bottles to do that (gulp!) but I think it is a project for some
far-distant day in the future.
