Lise et Bertrand Jousset, 2012 Update
Montlouis-sur-Loire remains the most exciting and dynamic appellation in the Loire, and I continue to be enthused by the wines coming from the newest arrivals here, whether from domaines that are now becoming well established such as Frantz Saumon (source of my latest wine of the week, the Minéral + 2011), as well as total newcomers such as Ludovic Chanson who I profiled recently, following a meeting with him and a tasting of his wines from 2010 and 2009, the latter his first ever vintage.
One of the more well established names is Jousset, where ex-military man Bertrand and ex-sommelier Lise are building a very strong reputation as one of the leading domaines in the appellation. I met up with Lise earlier this year in London to catch up on the Jousset news, and to taste some of the most recent releases. Lise immediately impressed when she greeted me by name, despite it being about fifteen months since we had first met; she is obviously one of those individuals who had no difficulty remembering names and faces and, more importantly, being able to associate the two. The last Loire vigneron who I remember doing that was Claude Papin, many years ago now; it had been a year and a half since our first meeting, but despite that he gave me a cheery greeting across a crowded room. For those of us who see a face and then struggle to recall who the person standing in front of us is, where we may have previously met, and most importantly what their name might be, the ability to perform such feats of instantaneous recall are enviable.
The 2011 Vintage
As Lise and I met up in May 2012, the first topic of conversation was the 2011 vintage. The growing season did not start brilliantly, said Lise, with a significant frost on April 17th impairing flowering and subsequent fruit set, ultimately leading to an unlooked-for reduction in yields. This is rarely of any great concern for us consumers, but for young vignerons only just establishing themselves, with bills to settle and loans to pay off, it can be really bad news. Nevertheless, after this disappointing start, Lise (pictured) reports 2011 was a more benevolent vintage than 2010 had been.
