Domaine des Forges: Tasting & Drinking
Domaine des Forges is an under-appreciated domaine I think. It has never achieved the fame of Château Pierre-Bise, or Domaine des Baumard, both benchmark domaines for the Anjou region in one way or another, nevertheless the sweet wines here are of such impressive quality that I cannot help but think this is a real injustice. It strikes me that this domaine is one of the hidden highlights of the Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume appellations.
Looking in more detail across the range, starting with the dry wines from the Anjou and Savennières appellations these have always had a less exalted reputation than the sweeter wines. The approach to harvest and winemaking, picking fruit very ripe with a tinge of botrytis influence, followed by fermentation in oak with élevage on the lees and regular bâtonnage, tends to engender the wines with a rather rich and fat style. The Anjou L’Audace sometimes carries the sweetly woody scents of barrel fermentation, which detracts somewhat from the wine’s sense of origin. In such circumstances it is difficult for the character of the fruit to shine through, never mind the interesting schistose terroir underfoot. Having said that, I would rather drink a wine such as this, a confident bruiser, than some of the over-cropped industrial Anjou Blanc made by local négociants and other uninterested parties.
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