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Domaine de la Charmoise

Home to Henri Marionnet, Domaine de la Charmoise is one of the leading estates of Touraine, a region best known for Chinon and Bourgueil as far as red wines are concerned, and Vouvray when one is thinking of white. But here, in the village of Soings, nestled deep in the forests of La Sologne, Marionnet produces some of the freshest, genuine, sincere wines of the Loire Valley.

Around Soings, the terroir is very varied, but the soils around Charmoise are predominantly fine sand, flint and clay, peppered with fossilised shells in places. Just behind the Marionnet residence is the highest peak between the Cher and the Loire, which is characterised by these soils mixed with large, heavy stones. The climate is favourable, there are occasional hailstorms but the vines are otherwise quite well protected from frost. Although the two Cabernets are popular varieties for those wishes to try their hand at producing a red wine in the Loire, Marionnet is of the opinion that these varieties are poorly suited to his particular corner between the Loir and Cher, and he has the same opinion of Pinot. He prefers to work with indigenous varieties best suited to the terroir and climate, shunning the commercial, opting instead for Gamay and Cot as the two principle red varieties, the more popular Sauvignon Blanc, with tiny plots of Chenin Blanc and Romorantin alongside for the whites. The Cot (otherwise known as Malbec), includes a parcel of ungrafted vines planted in 1990 (and replaced in 2000); his planting of vines franc de pied (ungrafted) was inspired by Joguet, where a hectare of similarly ungrafted vines had been established in Les Varennes du Grand Clos. These were pulled up after the 2005 vintage, as they succumbed to phylloxera, and it will be interesting to see if Marionnet has the temerity to persist in the face of continuing infection of the vines.

The domaine covers 47 hectares in all, including a single 40 hectare block of vines. They have a good age, the majority having been planted between 1967 and 1978, with eight hectares planted more recently between 1990 and 1991. There are also 15 hectares that Marionnet rents. Red varieties dominate, accounting for two-thirds of the vineyard. They are trained high and broad, to discourage rot, with a green harvest to reduce yields and leaf thinning in August to further help ripening. Vineyard practices are in keeping with la lutte raisonnée, with minimal treatments for pests and increasing use of pheromones to induce sexual confusion rather than pesticides. The fruit is harvested by hand, an increasingly unusual practice in many parts of the Loire, especially in generic appellations such as Touraine. The grapes are sorted and rotten berries discarded, the good fruit collected in small baskets which sit on tripods in the vineyard at the level of the bunches, minimising the damage to the fruit as it is placed into the receptacle. The fruit is transported to the winery on tractors, which pass up and down the widely-spaced rows - there is a three metres distance between rows in the majority of Marionnet vineyards - without difficulty. The yields obviously vary, but 50 hl/ha for the whites and up to 60 hl/ha for the reds is typical, although in some years it may be less.

In the cellars the Gamay is fermented in whole bunches with indigenous yeasts, the only intervention being a warming of the juice released as the berries at the base of the tank are crushed by those above. Once up to about 25ºC this is returned to the vat and the fermentation is usually coming to an end within about six days, although at this point many of the berries are still intact. Then without recourse to sulphur the wine is pressed and returned to the vat to finish fermentation, and then malolactic, which occurs in two to three weeks. Once completed the wine is sulphured, quickly clarified using kieselguhr as Marionnet prefers this to letting the wine clear in a more natural, slower process, and bottled. Meanwhile the Sauvignon has been pressed and chilled to 5ºC before fermentation in steel. There are three levels of wine produced; the entry level wines are the primeurs, as Marionnet refers to them, the basic wines predominantly from sandy soils close to the cellars. Superior are the Vinifera cuvées, Gamay or Cot, produced from ungrafted vines, and also the Cépages Oubliés (literally, forgotten vines) made using Gamay de Bouze. This is one of three local Gamays, these being the prohibited Gamay Fréaux, a variety noted for having red flesh and juice rather than the usual clear juice, Gamay de Chaudenay and the aforementioned Gamay de Bouze. These latter two are permissible although the names are forbidden from appearing on the label.

Keen to expand my Loire knowledge I have recently tasted a few wines from Domaine de la Charmose. I preferred the reds, a basic Gamay and the Vinifera Cot, to the basic Sauvignon, but all certainly had freshness and flavour. This is a domaine worth exploring further I think. (12/6/07)

Contact details:
Address: 41230 Soings en Sologne
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 54 98 70 73
Fax: +33 (0) 2 54 98 75 66

Domaine de la Charmoise - Tasting Notes

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2005

Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Vinifera Gamay 2005: Another of Marionnet's grafted wines, from a vineyard established in 1992. What an amazing commitment to the vine it must be to undertake planting, knowing that in a decade or perhaps just a little longer the vines will be so afflicted as to require replacement. The cork here here is a twin-top, two disks of cork flanking agglomerate material in the centre, and the business end is coated with the thickest layer of bright purple tartrate crystals I have ever seen. A sign that the wine has probably not been cold-stabilised, I tend to associate this with vignerons striving for maximum quality in a 'natural' style, which fits in with my perception of Marionnet perfectly. The nose has a sweet, almost gamey character, with plenty of fruit. On the palate, a lovely cool freshness with plenty of defining acidity, and a lovely sappy, savoury, balanced character that improves immeasurably over an hour or two, so this is a bottle well worth opening a little in advance. A fine mouth-watering style and a lovely frame of fruit. Very good indeed. From an Artisan Wines tasting. 17/20 (September 2007)

2004

Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Sauvignon 2004: A mid-golden hue, quite rich for the appellation I think, with a very attractive nose of pear and gooseberry, presented in a very fresh style. On the palate clearly this wine has a good weight, although with a slightly unripe gooseberry character, compounded by a bitter crispness from the firm, acidic backbone and a little note of astringency on the finish. Good wine. 14.5/20 (May 2007)

Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Gamay 2004: This Gamay has thrown a very fine deposit, leaving a faint, granular haze around the inside of the bottle, most concentrated into the neck. It has a moderate depth of colour, with a youthful cherry red hue and a pink rim. The nose has some smoky, crunchy black fruits, ripe but fresh, with no greenness. There is a smoky-sweet edge to it. Lovely presence on the palate, light and dancing, but with a little substance and a nicely rounded touch of flesh on the end palate. A little depth and grip too, and surprising substance on the length. And it has such a wonderful freshness! Very good indeed. 16.5/20 (May 2007)

Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Vinifera Cot 2004: Initially sweet and a touch soapy, but I am glad to say this blew off, the nose melting into a sweet, smoky, perfumed, cigar and charcoal character. Deep, crunchy, highly aromatic fruit. A firm palate, fresh, lean but attractive, a nice tannic grip and piles of it, with good flavours. Not a rich or fleshy style, rather sappy, like sucking cherry stones. Smoky, with a little leafy greenness, which I find attractive. Tannic finish. Reminiscent of a very good quality Saumur-Champigny; it has that savoury, sappy, juicy, mouth-watering dryness, but is absolutely packed with flavour. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 17/20 (May 2007)