La Grange Tiphaine, 2014 Update
Having visited, revisited and then visited again in Vouvray, I was hoping to spend some time in Montlouis-sur-Loire this year as well. Unfortunately the passing of time combined with other commitments was against me, and so I expect my next opportunity to check out what is happening in this appellation, in particular with stalwarts François Chidaine and Jacky Blot, will be at next year’s Salon des Vins de Loire.
Even so, I did manage to meet up with the ever-elegant Coralie Delecheneau (pictured) to taste some of the latest releases from her and husband Damien Delecheneau. This is not the best known domaine in the Montlouis-sur-Loire appellation, but it can be difficult for smaller domaines to shine through in the presence of the very dominant names already mentioned, just as some lesser-known but very interesting domaines in Vouvray are overshadowed by the presence of Domaine Huet, Philippe Foreau and peers. Nevertheless Damien is a dedicated vigneron who practices exacting methods in the vineyards. He is committed to the health of his vineyards and the quality of his wines. Of note, he is the only vigneron in Montlouis-sur-Loire (that I am aware of, at least) to join the recent initiative, led by Vincent Carême in Vouvray, to plough part of his vineyards using horse.
The tasting here took in a variety of vintages, starting with a basic Touraine Amboise from the 2013 vintage, 100% Chenin Blanc, which had a cool and attractive character for the vintage. It was of course outclassed by two vintages of Clef de Sol, including the 2011, a year which Coralie described as “a vintage for the vigneron” no doubt referencing the rather damp and cool summer which tended to keep acidity levels high in the grapes. I have come to the conclusion it is a great year for moelleux in the region, but agree with Coralie that if picking earlier, for dry wines, it was indeed a difficult vintage. The 2010 Clef de Sol was a notch above it. Thereafter came two interesting sweeter wines, third and fourth tries from the 2009 vintage, named Les Grenouillères and Equilibriste, carrying 35 and 170 g/l residual sugar respectively. These were good wines, although I enjoyed the greater substance and pithy character of the sweeter wine most.
