Florent Cosme, 2015 Update
I was delighted to have made Florent Cosme’s acquaintance back in 2014. After so many years during which Vouvray was increasingly beginning to feel stagnant, Florent was just the latest in a string of new discoveries in the appellation that was proving this was certainly no longer the case. Most obviously there was Vincent Carême, but in and around the viticultural hotspot known as Vernou-sur-Brenne we can also find the likes of Peter Hahn, Tanguy Perrault, Mathieu Cosme, Sébastien Brunet, Michel Autran and indeed a few others.
Florent Cosme (pictured) is based in Noizay, proof that a search for new names in Vouvray shouldn’t stop at Vernou-sur-Brenne. With just 3 hectares here, all on the première côte and all farmed according to organic principles (he should be certified in time for the 2015 vintage), he turns out a very select portfolio of wines. After the sparkling wines there is a sec cuvée named, Coup de Fougue, a demi-sec with the rather promising moniker of Utopia, and a moelleux cuvée named Audace.
The Wines
I last met up with Florent to taste his latest efforts. Unsurprisingly he has focused on sparkling and sec wines in recent vintages, with 2013 and 2012 having both been very difficult for the Vouvrillons. Until recently, the last time Florent Cosme made anything with even a touch more residual sugar was in 2011, a rather awkward vintage but one that was blessed with warm and humid autumn weather, meaning it was possible to make some sweeter wines that year; Florent released a 2011 Audace.
