The 1997 Vintage: Loire Tasting Notes
Some regions are to be avoided in the 1997 vintage, but not the Loire Valley. The triumvirate of the 1995, 1996 and 1997 vintages brought success to different communes and appellations of the Loire. In 1996, for example, the red wines of Chinon and Bourgueil seem to have been particularly lauded. In 1997 it is the botrytised sweet wines, whether from the Coteaux du Layon and the crus of Quarts de Chaume or Bonnezeaux, or indeed from the vineyards of Vouvray and Montlouis, that provide the most deeply felt shivers of excitement.
The growing season was not one that would immediately engender confidence. April and May saw some frost, and June was sodden (perhaps the rains had drifted over from Switzerland). Nevertheless, as is often said, it is the harvest that makes the vintage in the Loire. July and August were both hot, and as a result picking in some regions began before September had arrived. The wait for botrytis, however, naturally meant that the harvest along the Layon, and in some Touraine vineyards also, was delayed until late October. The ultimate quality turned out to be excellent, and indeed this is one of my favourite vintages for the sweet wines of the Loire since I first developed an interest in the wines of the region. They are not at the same level of quality as that offered by 1989, and they have perhaps been (or will be…) usurped by 2002, but they come close, and have always been more attainable and affordable than wines from 1989.
The Wines
Beginning with the only red wine here, the 1997 Clos de l’Echo from Couly-Dutheil, I have had a rather fractured relationship with this wine. Some bottles have shown a lovely, evolved and confident character, whereas some have seemed rather leaner and somewhat green. This bottle was more towards the latter than the former sadly, but one enjoyed back in July 2012, along with the much more impressive 2005 and 2003, showed more appeal I think.
