Domaine de Juchepie, 2019 Update
If there is a domaine where the wines are as charming as the proprietors, perhaps Domaine de Juchepie is it. Eddy and Mileine Oosterlinck arrived in the Loire Valley from Belgium more than a few years ago, taking over the running of this domaine which sits just outside the village of Faye d’Anjou. From their little slice of the Anjou vineyard they produce a recently expanded range of dry whites and a high-quality quartet of sweet wines. Both styles are too frequently overlooked; the dry wines are easily the equal of some of the most cultish cuvées from the banks of the Layon, while the sweet wines, which range from classically minerally to intensely botrytised, are top-notch.
And, as I discovered during the course of this encounter, Eddy (pictured) has plans in red as well. There has long been a Cabernet Franc in the portfolio, although it always had a very low-key presence. But now he is experimenting with Pineau d’Aunis as well, and the early results look promising. First though, although Eddy did not pour any 2018s on this encounter, we did speak at length about the vintage, and I think it is worth recounting some of Eddy’s words here.
The 2018 Vintage
The overarching story for the Loire Valley as a whole in the 2018 vintage was one of great success in the end, but there were problems along the way. The problem this time was not frost, the blight that affected the 2016 and 2017 harvests up and down the Loire Valley, but mildew. While the majority of Ligérian vignerons managed the problem well (mildew is not exactly a rare occurrence in the region), this can not be said of Eddy’s vines. They suffered significant damage, and two-thirds of the crop was lost.
