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Château de la Genaiserie

Yves Soulez purchased Château de la Genaiserie in 1990, having previously earned his living in the Savennières appellation, making wine at Château de Chamboureau. He had quickly made his mark, however, with his wines scoring highly with at least one influential American wine critic. He produced a number of Coteaux du Layon cuvées from his 42 hectares of vineyard, reflecting his belief that different terroir can have a marked effect on the quality of the wine produced. This is the reason for his single vineyard cuvées La Roche, Les Tetuères and Les Simonelles. Under Yves Soulez there was great attention to detail at Genaiserie, with manual harvesting and a meticulous pick-through and sorting of the fruit prior to vinification. These practices have always shown through in the quality of the wines.

In 2003 Château de la Genaiserie changed hands once again, the new owners being Lori & Frédéric Julia. Lori and Frédéric made contact with me in October 2005, to inform me of their purchase and to request that I taste the wines from the Julia vintages, namely 2003 on. Yes, was my eager reply, to which I never had any response. Why does that happen? Never mind, I am quite happy drinking the Tetuères and Simonelles from the 1997 vintage, of which I have many bottles left. For the time being I will remain unacquainted with the new wines. (10/3/06)

Contact details:
Address: 49190 St-Aubin de Luigne
Telephone: +33 (0) 2 41 54 38 82
Fax: +33 (0) 2 41 54 60 45
Internet: www.genaiserie.com

Château de la Genaiserie - Tasting Notes

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Château de la Genaiserie Coteaux du Layon St-Aubin Les Simonelles 1997: An appealing colour, shimmering gold, but not hugely dense. Whereas last time this wine started off rather high-toned, this time it has a more readily accessible nose, full of pineapple and honey, but still with a delightful presence of straw and wool. Pure, slightly grainy, deeply characterful palate, fresh and bright with rich acidity, but also rich, heady and full of pleasure. Nicely balanced and well composed. Beautiful presence through to a grippy, lingering finish. Excellent. From a tasting of the 1997 Vintage at ten years of age. 18/20 (December 2007)

Château de la Genaiserie Coteaux du Layon St-Aubin Les Simonelles 1997: Again, about four years on. The first aroma from the glass is acetone, which thankfully yields to an array of more typical mineral, honey, straw and wet wool aromas. On the palate, it offers an appealing depth and delightful sweetness, although still with a little high-toned streak. But it certainly has richness, and is beginning, just, to show a little of that grainy complexity that comes with ageing good Coteaux du Layon (and crus). Very good indeed, full of potential, but needs yet more time to show what it really has. 17.5+/20 (February 2006)

Château de la Genaiserie Coteaux du Layon St-Aubin Les Simonelles 1997: A moderately deep golden yellow wine. The nose has some high toned notes, but these blow off after a while to reveal classic aromas of quince, herbal tea and lemons. There is a very impressive texture on the palate, which is luscious, full and rich with honey and oatmeal character, showing particularly on the endpalate. There's great depth to the flavour. Alongside there is a sharp, almost bitter, lemony acidity. It finishes dulcetly, leading into a considerable length. Could be drunk now, although perhaps a little brutal. In my opinion this is one for the cellar. 17.5+/20 (March 2002)

Château de la Genaiserie Coteaux du Layon Chaume Les Tetuères 1997: A moderately rich golden hue here, deeper than on my last tasting I think. The nose starts off a little high-toned, but then displays attractive notes of orange marmalade, candied pineapple, honey, sea salt and evident botrytis. Precise and yet with richness on the palate, there is a lovely midpalate depth tied with a firm acidity, and lots of creamy texture which builds up to the finish. Very resinous, with great flavour, and beautifully structured with bright acidity underpinning all the candied fruits. Still lots of potential here too I think. From a tasting of the 1997 Vintage at ten years of age. 17.5+/20 (December 2007)

Château de la Genaiserie Coteaux du Layon Chaume Les Tetuères 1997: About four years on since last tasted. Moderately rich golden hue. Such purity on the nose, rich yet precise, with aromas of fresh honey and beeswax, with an apple and straw freshness. As last time, wonderful balance on the palate, with fine acidity cutting through the richly endowed panoply of flavours; still a little of that creamy fudge, but also drying straw and a fine minerality. This is maturing with great grace, and will continue to improve over the next five to six years at least. Excellent. 17.5+/20 (February 2006)

Château de la Genaiserie Coteaux du Layon Chaume Les Tetuères 1997: A delightful looking golden wine. There is an evident richness on the nose, with aromas of liquid honey and beeswax, with a side note of fresh green apples and fudge, with high-toned notes of volatility in the background. Elegant richness on entry, with fine apply acidity cutting through a layer of waxy, honeyed and somewhat candied fruit. Through the midpalate a warming richness, bordering on lusciousness, develops. Firm finish and a great length. 17.5+/20 (March 2002)

Château de la Genaiserie Coteaux du Layon St-Aubin La Roche 1996: Looking back at my notes I am amazed to see it has been nine years since I last opened one of these bottles. The colour certainly seems to have developed, with the wine now showing a rich, honeyed, orange hue. The nose follows on in the same vein; it now shows a little note of baked fruit, with rather a dry-woody edge to the sweetness. There is surely a little oxidation here, and although I think I prefer my Coteaux du Layon without this character it can work extremely well at times (as with Juchepie, for instance). It gives a really good grip on the palate, showing here a dense, quite intense, polished but very firm character, moving into a sweet marmalade intensity at the end. There is freshness underpinning it, but the solid and honeyed grip is the name of the game here. Very long. Overall this is a good wine, but I can't help thinking it may have been better three or four years ago. Drink up if you have any. From my 1996 Vintage Fifteen Years On tasting. 16/20 (December 2011)

Château de la Genaiserie Coteaux du Layon St-Aubin La Roche 1996: Quite an intense although somewhat simple nose here. Honeyed, fat and rich, predominantly quince aromas with herbal tea nuances. Beautifully textured on the palate, fantastically rich, with a soft, honeyed lusciousness, almost creamy in character. It builds considerable weight on the palate, but maintains a super clarity of flavour thanks to an almost citrusy acidity which cuts through it all. The flavours mirror the aromas on the nose. It's all rounded off by a soft, minerally chalky finish. 17+/20 (March 2002)

Château de la Genaiserie Coteaux du Layon St-Aubin La Roche 1996: A golden yellow hue. Good botrytis characteristics on the nose, with an abundance of quince and apricots. A honey textured palate, with good balancing but not racy acidity. Attractive lime and quince notes. 17+/20 (January 2001)