Jo Landron, 2020 Update
Jo Landron (pictured) never fails to offer visitors a cheery smile, even if it isn’t always that easy to see it, as it hides beneath his billowing moustache. This time, however, Jo’s welcome was brighter and more beaming than ever. While he, like his peers, had a problem with frost in the 2019 vintage, it was much less severe than that seen in some other recent vintages, and it seems to me he was pleased with the eventual outcome. Indeed, no sooner had we shook hands (obviously this was before the current viral-induced moratorium on such greetings) than he was filling my glass with his first 2019. His eyes, displaying a level of joy and eagerness you might associate with a child’s first visit to a sweetshop, told me all I needed to know about Jo’s view of the vintage.
The Wines
So we kicked off with two from 2019, first the 2019 Amphibolite Nature, followed by the 2019 Les Houx. The former is softly composed yet still minerally and filled with energy and grip, and it will be a fantastic choice for drinking now and during the next year or two. Indeed, it is so good I preferred it to Les Houx in the same vintage, which impresses all the same with its plush texture and minty lift.
Thereafter Jo and I took a canter through some more of his wines from the 2018 and 2017 vintages. The domaine cuvée in 2018 shows good quality, but the 2018 Clos la Carizière suggests better interest and balance, while the 2018 Les Houx is fabulously expressive and possesses great balance and energy, seemingly shrugging off the vintage’s warm, broad and blowsy reputation with ease. There aren’t many cuvées in the Muscadet region where I have come down in favour of 2018 over 2019, but this would appear to be one example. At least on this occasion.
