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Charles Sydney: Loire Vintage Report 2008

Following on from Charles' earlier report, here's an update from him received today. He describes 2008 as a 'golden vintage'. (24/10/08)

Hello!

Bar the final selective tri pickings in the Layon, the harvest is in. So, as promised, here's a run down on the 2008 vintage across the Loire.

The first thing to say is that - much to our surprise - the vintage is looking really very, very good indeed. We thought of calling it the 'mini Miracle' (because it's brilliant but pretty tiny!), but the photo will explain the 'golden' bit.

Early September - right up to the 12th - we thought we were heading for a catastrophe, with a crummy summer looking set to head into the autumn. We really felt that we weren't going to have time to get the 3 weeks of sunshine we needed to save the crop.

Miracles do happen: the sun came out, the wind too and they stayed (bar a couple of days much needed rain) all the way through the harvest.

So the grapes came in healthy and concentrated. Maybe too much acidity for those who couldn't or wouldn't wait, so beware of some lean-and-mean wines from lesser growers, but with perfect balance for the better growers, for whom the vintage should be better than good - certainly better than either 2006 or 2007.

Muscadet - tiny (averaging around 20 - 25 hectolitres/hectare), but good. Loads of work over recent years mean that the wines have little in common with the dross seen in the 90s.

Sauvignons - smaller harvest than we'd like (40-odd hectolitres/hectare in the Touraine, I'd guess on average 15 - 20% less than usual in Sancerre and Pouilly), but lovely ripe, healthy grapes giving stylish, fresh and typé juice. Better growers are comparing this with 2002 and 1996.

Cabernets - the last Cabernet Sauvignons came in yesterday - and the last Cabernet Francs are coming in today. We were worried about acidities, but those guys who de-budded, de-leafed and waited have picked some wonderful grapes. Maybe not 2005, but they should have loads more depth, structure, colour and fruit than the 2006s and 2007s.

Chenins - Vouvray and Montlouis now pretty well finished, with some moelleux, but in the main better growers have concentrated on picking secs and sec-tendres - the fermenting juice is full of explosive fruit and freshness. In the Layon, the dry chenins are in (with tiny yields) - and the guys are just starting their selective pickings. First wines are coming in at 16 - 18° potential, but bunches starting to botrytise or concentrate through passerillage are already hitting 20° and more. I'd expect pickings to go on for another 3 weeks.

And we've never seen a harvest in vines that have turned autumn gold. The vineyards are quite beautiful!