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Domaine de Montgilet Update, February 2010

One of the joys of visiting a region such as the Loire, particularly in contrast to Bordeaux, is in meeting the people that live and breathe the Valley's air. In Bordeaux you are likely to find yourself having a genteel luncheon with a well-heeled proprietor rather than being introduced to anybody who actually has a role in making the wine. These wealthy proprietors are often dynamic and knowledgeable, and frequently prove to be fonts of fascinating information both contemporary and historical, but they don't have the same connection with the soils and the vines as their employees do, the vineyard managers and winemakers. Sometimes I wonder if their consultants - Rolland, Derenoncourt or similar - might know their wine better than they do, even though they might only visit the estate once or twice a year.

Here in the Loire, however, in one man or woman you can find the whole package. Proprietor, manager, viticulturalist and oenologist all rolled into one. Although there are many that fit the bill, if I were asked to suggest just one as an archetype I would perhaps place Victor Lebreton at the top of my shortlist. He is a well built man, solid and broad, as if he were himself made of the Ligerian rock and soil that lies underfoot. In fact I half-fancy that were he not a viticulteur and winemaker he might take up a career as a wrestler. Not the fluffery that passes for wrestling today of course, all body oil and perms, where the winner is just as likely to take home an award for their acting as they are for their spinning-headlock-elbow-drop technique. I mean proper wrestling, from the days of giants such as champion arm-wrestler 'Ironfist' Clive Myers and 'King Kong' Kirk, real fighters who wore their stories on their faces, all flattened noses and cauliflower ears. The sight of Lebreton entering the ring to do battle with fighters such as these, trademark flat cap atop his head, would have me tuning in every week.

Fortunately for those of us occupied with wine Lebreton has never been lured by the draw of the wrestling ring, and instead makes his living from the vines of Domaine de Montgilet (pictured above), which was established by his grandfather (also Victor) and passed through the hands of his son (another Victor) before coming to the current incumbents, flat-cap-Victor and his brother, Vincent. Each year he turns out an impressive portfolio of wines, a multitude of cuvées, dry white and red, and most important of all the sweet moelleux and liquoreux nectars. Here in Juigné-sur-Loire we are in the heart of the Coteaux de l'Aubance, an underdog of a sweet wine appellation, destined it seems to forever remain in the shadow cast by its bigger brother, the Coteaux du Layon with its crus, Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux. But the wise know that there is quality to be found here, and Domaine de Montgilet is one go-to name in this appellation. Another is Domaine des Rochelles, and it is surely no coincidence that this second estate is also in the hands of a Lebreton, a cousin, Jean-Yves.

A Visit to Montgilet

I visited Domaine de Montgilet to meet Victor and to shake his soil-stained hand the day before the 2010 Salon des Vins de Loire opened. As he entered the tasting room the space around us seemed to grow smaller, his frame almost filling the doorway and blocking the entrance of light, although sadly not excluding a blast of icy air from rushing into the already chilly room. And then the door was closed, the temperature within began to climb upwards once more, slowly creeping away from its starting point (somewhere just above absolute zero I think), and the tasting of his wines could begin.

This was a marathon event which took us through the whole range offered by Montgilet, including special cuvées, every style, in multiple vintages, mostly from 2009, 2008 and 2007 but also including a top-quality-trio of sweet wines from 2005, before going out - with a whimper rather than a bang - on a rather tired example from 1995. Kicking off were the whites, very serviceable Sauvignon Blanc and Anjou Blanc, followed up by a rosé which,  despite possessing enough sugar to place it firmly in the demi-sec category, I found rather appealing. The lesser red wines, straight Anjou Gamay and Anjou Rouge, similarly served their intended purposes, but things begin to get more interesting with the Anjou-Villages Brissac, the 2009 in particular showing the quality of the vintage. The 2008 vintage of the same cuvée was worthwhile but it was eclipsed by the corresponding Cuvée Yvonnais which demonstrated very nicely that Cabernet Franc and schist can work together very well in the right hands.

As I have already alluded though it is the sweet wines that are the strongest attraction here, and these begin with the entry-level Cuvée Générique which is a stepping stone to the more interesting Les Trois Schistes, named for the three schistous vineyards from which it is sourced; I tasted three vintages, the 2007 strutting its stuff very confidently whilst the 2008 was also convincing, although the 2009 has the potential to outdo them both, with the proviso that this wine had hardly finished fermenting of course. The final trio (save for one wine) was a crescendo of Aubance from the 2005 vintage, Clos des Huttières, Clos Prieur and Le Tertereaux (pictured above), all capable and confident just like the hand that fashioned them. All three have a deft character, an elegant lightness of touch, although I get the feeling that these wines, with their firm mineral intensity hidden within a velvety glove, could at the same time both seduce and arm wrestle you with all the skill of 'Ironfist' Clive Myers (I'm referring to the arm wrestling, obviously, not the seduction). These are impressive wines which belie their 'underdog' Aubance status, and they would be worthy additions to any cellar. The same sadly can not be said of the 1995 Huttières, the very final wine, which was - rather prematurely I thought - clearly showing its age. (29/6/10)

Domaine de Montgilet, February 2010 - Tasting Notes

The wines below were tasted at Domaine de Montgilet in February 2010. I have ordered my notes as they were tasted, white wines followed by rosé, red and then the sweet wines. All my tasting notes on the wines of Victor Lebreton, including those below, are collated under my Domaine de Montgilet profile. Click to locate stockists.

Domaine de Montgilet Sauvignon Blanc (VdP de Val de Loire) 2009: A very fresh, green style of wine, very varietal in terms of style. The palate has all the vibrancy that you might expect, with green fruit character especially kiwi and greengage. A touch grassy too. Lots of acid. A fun wine. 14.5/20

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Blanc 2007: A good, clean and bright nose, with just a little tinge of honey this year. The palate has a similar cleanly-styled character, with just a touch of honey here too. A gentle, lighter wine. There is some good grip in the finish though. Not perfectly focused, reflecting the vintage perhaps, but some nice character here. 15.5/20

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Blanc 2008: A brighter style than the 2007, showing a honeyed richness on the nose but also some floral and mineral tones. The palate has a lovely presence, soft and honeyed but with more grip. A much more direct and focused style than 2007, with better definition in the mouth. Lovely character. 16.5+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Cabernet d'Anjou 2009: This rosé has 32 g/l residual sugar, and plenty of fresh and bright fruit on the nose. Lightly sweet on the palate, fresh with good acidity. A nicely polished style with appealing structure. It's not usual for me to find a wine within this appellation of this quality. 15/20

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Gamay 2009: This is made with 100% carbonic maceration of the fruit. Vibrant, with a rather medicinal-cherry character on the nose, leading into a soft but stony-edged palate, with rather attractive rounded edges. A hard shell on the outside, but sweet within, and with a medicated style as suggested by the nose. Decent wine but that medicinal character detracts. 14-15/20

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Rouge 2008: This is 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon - plainly different to the assemblage I tasted last year. And the wine has a completely different feel too - a rather gamey character on the nose, with soot and green pepper alongside. The palate has a decent substance, rather polished in style, although with more gamey fruit. There is a rather feral edge here. Different blend, completely different character...surely this is a different bottling to the one I tasted at the 2009 Salon? 14/20

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou Rouge 2009: This has a rather sooty nose, with an edge of sweet black fruits. It shows a nice density and precision, more so than the wines from 2008. The palate is rounded, polished, with quite a lot of substance and good concentration. A solid but admirable style which I suspect would do nicely in the cellar. 15.5-16.5+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou-Villages Brissac 2009: Pure fruit here, quite aromatic, a touch of soot but also an appealingly floral Cabernet Franc character. Elegant, defined, stylish with lots of texture on the palate, but also quite direct and balanced. A good, ripe tannic backbone and fresh acidity complete the picture. This is a wine with good potential. 16-17+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou-Villages Brissac 2008: Lovely perfumed fruit here, sweet and aromatic, with a stony-minerally edge. The character on the palate is rather gentle, stylish, with very soft tannins which have a slightly chalky feel. Perfumed fruit reflect the cooler but still rather good vintage. A more elegant style than the 2009. Good. 15.5-16.5+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou-Villages Brissac Cuvée Yvonnais 2008: This cuvée is 100% Cabernet Franc grown on gravelly and schistous soils, harvested by hand and raised in barrel. A very distinctive nose here, with the scents of peaches along with sweet black fruits and a little note of toffee, from the barrels no doubt. It has very much the same character on the palate, sweet fruits, and overall this is very attractive although it needs to be left alone for the moment; it needs 3-5 years in the cellar to reveal what it is capable of I think. Delicious potential. 16-17+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Anjou-Villages Brissac L'Encère 2003: The L'Encère lieu-dit was acquired in 2001. This more mature wine certainly displays this openly with its dusty hues, and its finely maturing nose which has the character of softening, floral Cabernet Franc with a slightly meaty-gamey edge to it. I find it to have a lovely aromatic appeal. The palate is fine, elegant, fresh but with good flesh and substance, floral but also with some good grip and structure. Appealing and ready now, although there is no rush here I think. 16.5+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Cuvée Générique 2008: Pure Chenin Blanc of course. The nose has evolved to reveal a layer of citrus fruits, especially oranges, in a lightly creamy style. The palate is also very fresh, with lots of creamed fruit as the nose suggested, lightly sweet and best though, elegant and pretty rather than substantial. An attractive wine although on the light side. I like it a little more than I did last year though. 15+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Les Trois Schistes 2009: This has barely finished fermenting, and is still cloudy. Lots of evident youth on the nose, the fresh and lifted floral fruit of young Chenin Blanc. On the palate there is a matching, admirable clarity of flavour backed up by lots of lovely acidity. Great depth and some richness here but also fresh vibrancy. A lovely wine in the making I think. 17-18+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Les Trois Schistes 2008: This is quite an expressive wine, showing good honey on the nose but also a vibrant and crystalline layer of fruit, almost like quartz, with fresh and floral nuances. A beautiful weight on the palate, with lots of lovely sweetness and great acidity alongside the fresh citrus flavours presented with crystal-clear quality. Delicious. 17+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Les Trois Schistes 2007: This richly-coloured golden wine has a lovely weight on the palate, the nose loaded with fresh fruit but also honey and beeswax draped over the top. There is certainly some good botrytis here! Soft and rich on the palate, rounded, great character, very polished, rich and broad in style. A lovely wine. 17.5+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Clos des Huttières 2005: A golden hue from this wine, which has a little more maturity on its side. Great botrytis character on the nose, rich with beeswax and apricot and honey, altogether a fabulous panoply of aromas. Great richness on the palate too, rich and rounded, lovely depth of flavour, clearly a ripe and rich vintage. Moderate acidity. Beautifully honed, although certainly a very broad and rich style. 18+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Clos Prieur 2005: This has more than 200 g/l of residual sugar. Great purity on the nose, rich on apricot and citrus tones again, honeyed, with incredibly intense minerality, like a mouthful of quartz. A fabulously elegant palate, very broad but also very harmonious, defined and bright. This is an excellent wine - my favourite out of this trio, mainly thanks to that superb minerality. 18.5+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Le Tertereaux 2005: This wine has a deeper colour than the other Aubance cuvées in this vintage, and the nose reveals a much deeper botrytised character too. This is a big and impressive wine, superbly deep in terms of flavour and substance, marrowy and yet also composed and harmonious. Overall a beautiful wine although I think I miss the vibrancy possessed by some of the less extreme cuvées. 18+/20

Domaine de Montgilet Coteaux de l'Aubance Clos des Huttières 1995: This was not a vintage rich in botrytis, and so the wines are mainly sweet through passerillage. The wine has a very deep hue, with the aromas of baked honey on the nose, baked earth, and an undeniable vein of oxidation. And the palate has lost much of its sweetness too. It still has a fine style, like the faded elegance of an elderly aristocrat, and it is still for sale at the domaine, but I would look to more recent vintages for my thrills. If this is typical than this is certainly past its best. 13/20