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La Ferme de la Sansonnière Update, February 2010

I have very mixed feelings about the wines of Angeli, the philosophically self-styled paysan solidaire. As I have written in my profile of La Ferme de la Sansonnière, his commitment to the land is admirable, his vines tended using biodynamic methods, his ferme a haven of healthy polyculture ranging from honey bees to cattle, from cereal to the vine. But this return to a life in harmony with nature should - to my mind - be only part of the story, not the dominating feature. And I would like that story to culminate in a collection of delicious wines which, without doubt, Angeli is capable of making.

Sadly the story and the ending do not always sit happily together; ultra-natural winemaking means low- or zero-sulphur, and when sulphur use is pushed to the limit that can sometimes mean oxidised wines. Angeli is the figurehead of the ultra-natural school in the Loire Valley, and this was clearly seen (or rather, clearly tasted) at last year's Dégustation Renaissance when Angeli's wines all displayed, alongside their profoundly high-quality fruit and defined structure, a seam of oxidation. No doubt some regard this as acceptable, the means perhaps more important than the end, but I am not in this camp. An oxidised wine is a wine lost forever, not a wine of charm to be admired for its 'natural' state. I abhor oxidation in most wines, especially in Loire Chenin Blanc, where it seems most incongruous when contrasted against the fragrant and floral aromas that often typify these wines. To replace these characteristics with the aromas of oxididation is little more than a tragedy.

Happily for me, this year there was no such concern with the wines of Marc Angeli (seen above, third from left, alongside Sylvain Martinez, Richard Leroy and Charlotte Battais). Anticipating an onslaught of baked apple and furry fruit, I was instead greeted by a small array of delicate, minerally, fresh but gently fleshy wines. This is a cause for celebration! My diatribe against the evils of oxygen is, perhaps, this year at least, unwarranted, although there was still a surprise to be found with Angeli's 2008s. Angeli insisted on pouring his wines in the opposite order to that which was usual, the normal pattern being to start with Blanderies and finish with La Lune. When I tasted the wines, it became clear why; La Lune, usually the cuvée in possession of the most depth and structure, is the lighter of his three white wines in this vintage, followed by Les Fouchardes, and for my palate the most convincing wine was the richer of the three, Les Vieilles Vignes des Blanderies, which Angeli poured last. All of this trio do, however, show an appealing freshness and clarity. Alongside, his Rosé d'Un Jour was good, although it would pale in the shadow cast by the magnificent 2008, and his inky-dark and tannin-rich Les Jeunes Vignes de Gelinettes was certainly worth experiencing, even if it does need a decade to shed those tannins - or to at least try to. (12/5/10)

La Ferme de la Sansonnière, February 2010 - Tasting Notes

The wines below were tasted in Angers at the annual Renaissance tasting, just before the Salon des Vins de Loire in February 2010. All my notes on the wines of Marc Angeli, including those below, are collated under my La Ferme de la Sansonnière profile. Click to locate stockists.