Loire 2013 First Taste: Anjou & Saumur
Having looked at the trials faced by the vignerons of Muscadet during the 2013 growing season, I now examine how the vintage unfolded a little further upriver, in the vineyards of Anjou and Saumur. In general it is true that the further inland you move, the more continental (meaning warmer summers and colder winters) the weather will be; this is certainly true of Angers compared to Nantes, which lies close to the coast and enjoys a milder, more maritime climate. Even though there are just 100 kilometres of river between these two cities, winter temperatures around Angers are always colder, and in 2013 this was true of spring as well. This was a late vintage for Muscadet as a consequence of the cold spring; here around Angers and Saumur, it was destined to be even later, as the vines were even further behind.
I begin as previously with an account of the weather, particularly during the summer and harvest months, and then on the next page I present some of my tasting notes for the 2013 vintage. This report is based on my visits to the region during 2013, and reports from vignerons including Yves Guégniard and Vincent Ogereau. Weather data, where included, come from the weather station at Beaucouzé, which lies on the south-western edge of Angers.
Weather Report
The region’s more continental climate was evident in February, which was cooler than usual, and March, which was not only wet but set some new records with the lowest maximum daytime temperatures ever recorded for the month. Even as the month drew to a close the day-time and night-time temperatures were lower than usual, and the average day-time temperature for the month was a remarkable 2.5ºC below the average. In April comes budbreak, for which dry and warm weather is obviously beneficial; unfortunately temperatures stayed generally at or below the thirty-year average. Like March, April also broke records for low day-time temperatures, although it was nowhere near cold enough to damage the vines, as the lowest temperature recorded during the month was just -1.5ºC. For both months, it was the failure of the mercury to climb during the day that set new records.
