Jérémie Mourat, 2017 Update
One of the facts I have learnt about the Loire Valley after all these years of visiting and tasting is never to conflate the reputation or renown of an appellation with the quality of the wines emanating from it. Everybody, even those with little more than a momentary passing interest in the wines of this region, has heard of Sancerre, Vouvray and Chinon, and most open-minded drinkers recognise the quality of those wines. Fair enough. By some perverse logic, one conclusion that might be derived from this snippet of knowledge is that the wines of less familiar appellations, such as Cheverny, Jasnières or Fiefs Vendéens, must inherently be of lesser interest. Yet there are, I soon realised, too many winemaking superstars – such as François Cazin and Eric Nicolas – in these other appellations for this ‘theory’ to hold any water.
A couple of domaines in Fiefs Vendéens really stand out, one of which is run by the dynamic whirlwind Jérémie Mourat (pictured). I recently encountered Jérémie and his wines in London, and again a few weeks later in Angers, and thus I have recently tasted my way through his current portfolio of wines, mostly new or forthcoming releases from the 2016 vintage. Compiling my scribblings from these two meetings produced a smorgasbord of tasting notes which I present here in this short report.
The Wines
Looking first at the whites, the 2014 Clos Saint-André was the clear winner here. It is not the first time that that this cuvée, from a single vineyard of purple schist and rhyolite, has impressed. Officially it is a blend dominated by Chenin Blanc, topped up with 10% Chardonnay, although I think in 2014 it may be closer to 100% Chenin Blanc. Vinified in cement egg, with a 12-month élevage, it has a delightful matchsticky and saline character that would see it stand up to many more ‘serious’ whites from more famous appellations. A year or two ago I tucked a couple of bottled of the 2012 vintage away in the cellar to see how they turn out, and I may well have to do the same with the 2014.
