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The Cream of the Loire 2004: Introduction
My passion for the Loire Valley is revealed by my desire to kick off a new Loire Series, only days after returning from the region. As with my Cream of the Loire 2003 series, this year I will be producing in-depth profiles of the vignerons that I met on my travels. There will also, however, be a series of mini-profiles.
Last year, when I based myself in the Nantais, I found myself in something of
a vinous wasteland, with little of interest locally other than the wines of
Louis Metaireau. This year based in Saumur, vinous
opportunities were
much
closer to hand. So as well as my tastings with the vignerons I sampled
many more odd bottles, either in restaurants or at my accommodation. These
include bottles from Philippe Delesvaux,
Domaine Vacheron, Chateau de Tracy,
G &
G Deletang, Domaine de l'Ecu and
Henri Pellé. I also sampled more wines from
Chateau Pierre Bise and
Nicolas Joly, both of
whom I visited last year. So it has been a real wine-fest.
The vines themselves look in very good condition. The flowers are budding, but remain tightly coiled in small green spheres (right). At this stage it is easy for the uninitiated to mistake these for bunches of embryonic grapes, but these will come later when the flowers have opened and fertilisation has occurred. The weather was perfect for the vines, with mostly warm days interspersed with the occasional overcast, showery one. Just enough to keep the vines moving along, but it shouldn't I hope cause any great problems with coulure or millerandage.
Those that appreciate the wines of the Loire will doubtless be aware that the region has enjoyed two very good vintages in 2002 and 2003. I asked several vignerons, including Catherine Champalou and Bernard Fouquet, what they thought of the two most recent years. They were of the same opinion. The hallmark of 2002 is balance and elegance, and this was certainly evident when I tasted Champalou's finely poised 2002 Cuvee Moelleuse. With 2003 there is more depth, ripeness and concentration. This is not surprising - when I walked among the vines with Claude Papin in August last year he was anticipating a harvest three weeks in advance of the norm. These qualities shone through in an impressive array of wines from the 2003 vintage tasted with Fouquet. This is a vintage for the cellar. (8/6/04)
This series, The Cream of the Loire 2004, focuses on a small selection of the best Loire vignerons. I visited these domaines, and tasted their wines, during a visit to the Loire Valley in 2004. Articles in this series include:
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