Loire 2006 at Ten Years: Tasting Notes
The wines tasted here showed really well across the board, an indicator partly of the quality of the vintage, but also a very narrow focus on a handful of leading domaines. Of the 16 wines, there were about a dozen that I would happily buy again, although of course this is easier said than done, as there is not a strong secondary market for the Loire Valley. Unusually (and if you had suggested this ten years ago I might have thought you were crazy) the prices of one or two wines would also be an obstacle towards any plan to restock. Clos Rougeard has taken the top spot in the Loire Valley ‘cult’ league table, its wines now priced well ahead of any of its competitors for pole position, even those of Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau and Nicolas Joly. Gone are the days when I used to stack my cellar with cases and six-packs from this domaine.
Happily a number of other wines tasted from the same appellation also showed really well. Indeed, and this is why it is important never to slavishly follow the leading names, and always remain open-minded, the 2006 Le Grand Clos from Jean-Pierre Chevalier of Château de Villeneuve was for me the best wine in this little line-up of Saumur-Champigny, pipping the 2006 Les Poyeux from Clos Rougeard (I don’t have any Le Bourg I am sorry to say) to the post. The 2006 Les Loups Noir from Régis Neau of Domaine de Nerleux was also exceptionally good. Continuing with red but in Chinon, the wines from Philippe Alliet in this vintage are stunning, and although I think I am ‘supposed’ to rate the Coteau de Noiré higher than L’Huisserie (that is usually the way I feel, anyway) on this occasion I couldn’t decide that I preferred one over the other. I am glad to have more of these tucked away. I don’t have so many bottles of the 2006 Clos Guillot from Bernard Baudry left, principally because I have experienced a problem with cork taint with this cuvée in this vintage, with two out of four bottles blighted. Two bottles remain, so my fingers are crossed for better luck in the future.
