Domaine des Forges, 2019 Update
In a little hamlet named Les Barres, just up the road from Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné, one of the half-dozen communes dotted along the course of the Layon which are eligible for the Coteaux du Layon appellation, are two unsung domaines that I have been following for as long as I can remember. One is Château de la Genaiserie, a source of classically styled Coteaux du Layon (as well as, in the typical Anjou manner, a gamut of other wine styles). The other is Domaine des Forges.
I think I have already written about the house style at Domaine des Forges, but in essence it is this; on the one hand we have sweet wines of stunning purity and value, classically styled blends of minerality, acidity, sweetness of fruit and bitter texture, not to mention surprisingly good reds, which I didn’t really get to grips with until a year or two ago (discouraged by a local courtier, they never used to show the reds to UK journalists, a mistake in my opinion). On the other hand, most of the dry whites tend towards a less inspiring combination of oak and weight, bolstered by malolactic fermentation in several of the cuvées (the notable exception being the Savennières Roche-aux-Moines). It is therefore a portfolio of wines which requires consideration, but time spent picking your way through it can be time well rewarded.
The Wines
Séverine Branchereau (pictured) was on hand to pour the wines, and we started with two dry whites, both from Savennières. The first was the 2017 Savennières Moulin de Gué, and it was something of a surprise to see this vintage. Savennières was badly frosted in 2017, and many domaines lost the majority of their crop. The Branchereau family have made no Savennières Clos du Papillon or Savennières Roche-aux-Moines in 2017, the harvest on both vineyards wiped out. The one cuvée they have made has some attractive points, but the house style is amplified here by post-frost low-yield concentration, adding a honeyed sweetness to the flavour profile; it is a wine for the open-minded.
