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Loire 2007: Introduction

With grey skies closing in and darkening considerably, it was clear that this particular day was not going to be one for sun worshippers. The raindrops falling onto the windscreen increased in size and intensity, and began to make visibility remarkably difficult. The wipers were switched up to double speed as I guided the car along, slowly negotiating the country roads that link the villages of the Coteaux du Layon. There was no let up as the roads widened past Beaulieu-sur-Layon, if anything the torrent of rain worsened, and I was glad when I drew the car to a halt outside Chateau Pierre-Bise, in the hamlet of the same name. This was a summer break characterised by a number of memorable wines, not least at the aforementioned estate, home to Claude Papin, but also by rather bleak weather. Rainstorms were not the worst of it; on one day I even ran for cover from stinging hailstones, a meteorological event not generally regarded as typical for mid-July even in this more northerly region of France.

Putting the weather to one side, after more recent trips to Bandol, Rioja and Bordeaux it was a personal delight for me to return to the Loire, a region about which I have written much over the past few years. And as these images show, there were some sunny days as well. It has in fact been three years since I last visited, and with the passing of that time I noticed a few differences that may be of interest to those that like to travel, taste and buy in the Loire. I will allude to these more specifically with each of my profiles and updates, which I will add to the site over the coming weeks. In some cases I visited old friends, such as Pierre-Bise, where the wines once again were of the highest quality, although comparing cellar door price lists for 2004 and 2007 I see prices have risen dramatically, but for once I will not complain. The wines are still excellent buys, and are fairly priced; it is just that beforehand they were ridiculously cheap. Huet was another must-visit location, although here I came away feeling slightly underwhelmed, not being greatly impressed by the dry wines from 2006, although the demi-sec and moelleux from the 2005 vintage that I tasted had a very good structure. But I note that the continually increasing popularity of the domaine has one downside for the discerning buyer, and that is Noël Pinguet is no longer allowing tasting of the Premier Trie wines at the domaine; like the Cuvée Constance which has obviously long been subject to this rule, these are no longer try-before-you-buy wines. Elsewhere I visited new domaines, such as Yannick Amirault who is located just outside Bourgueil, and I enjoyed tasting a number of wines from producers around Chinon, such as Couly-Dutheil and Bernard Baudry, but not until I had paid a visit to the ruins of the town's chateau, which dates from the 10th Century. In addition I also made an effort to look at the sparkling wines of the region, with a tasting of the efforts from two leading producers, Langlois-Chateau and Bouvet-Ladubay. I will also be adding some tasting impressions of wines from my cellar and thus over the next few months there will be plenty of interest for those that appreciate the wines of this region. (2/8/07)