Loire 2013 First Taste: The Nantais
It is no secret that the Muscadet region has lurched from one crisis to another in recent years. In 2008 there were dramatically low yields, following a major frost, and in 2012 we saw something similar as a result of adverse weather during flowering. Quality was good in both vintages, but volumes were small, and there was no room to raise prices in under-appreciated, unloved Muscadet. It is a very different situation here compared to other regions, such as Burgundy, where vignerons enjoy a much stronger position in the marketplace and can raise prices accordingly, as we have seen them do to compensate for the low yields they experienced in 2012.
And as for 2011, although the quantity was better, quality was way down; even some top domaines have turned out some pretty unusual, rot-tainted, grassy, unclean and stripped-out wines in that vintage. It is no secret that 2013 has been a ‘difficult’ vintage; in that case, I wondered to myself as I approached the wines for the first time, are we going to see a comeback for the region, against the odds? In this, the first instalment of my Loire 2013 reports, I take a look at the wines of Muscadet. I begin with an account of the weather, particularly during the summer and harvest months, and then on the next page document some of my tasting notes for the 2013 vintage. This report is based on my visits to the region in June and October 2013, and reports from vignerons including Nicolas Choblet and Rémi Branger. Weather data, where included, come from the weather station at Bouguenais, south-west of Nantes.
Weather Report
The first few months of the year were fairly unremarkable; both February and March saw temperatures and rainfall close to the average, and although April was a little drier and warmer, it was still nothing particularly different from the norm. May was when the character of the vintage began to be more clearly defined; vignerons look for the vines to establish good growth, and work towards flowering, but this was hampered by cool and wet weather. There was heavy rain on the 1st, with 18.6 mm recorded, with further sporadic rain later in the month; despite this, the total rainfall for the month was only a little higher than is usual. More significantly though, the weather was cold, with temperatures consistently below average for May, with both the day-time and night-time recordings at least 2ºC lower than expected. This had the effect of slowing down vegetative growth, and this delay wasn’t helped by temperatures in June which were also below average, about 1ºC behind the norm. As a consequence, as summer approached the vines were lagging behind; it looked like it would be a late (and therefore risky) harvest.
