Loire 2016 First Taste: The Nantais
My 2016 Loire Valley vintage report is published a little later than usual this year. Having returned from the Salon des Vins de Loire (n Angers) and Vinovision (in Paris), two salons held in quick succession in February, I focused on rapid-fire publication of a series of Muscadet reports, updates and profiles in my Month of Muscadet series, beginning with a Luneau-Papin update, ending with a profile of Domaine de la Foliette. I finished only just in time, publishing that last article on the very day I flew out to Bordeaux for the 2016 vintage primeurs.
This means I have already published a lot of opinion on 2016 Muscadet, with plenty of tasting notes too. These new tasting notes can be found in many of my 2017 tasting updates, including those for Pierre Luneau-Papin, Domaine des Herbauges, Domaine du Haut Bourg, Domaine de la Pépière, Famille Lieubeau, Jo Landron and, looking to the Fiefs-Vendéens, an update on the wines of Jérémie Mourat. I also published a number of new profiles, most of which also include new 2016 tasting notes, including Jérémie Huchet, Les Bêtes Curieuses, Domaine la Haute Févrie and the aforementioned Domaine de la Foliette. As a consequence, this report looks at Muscadet from other domaines, such as Bonnet-Huteau and Château du Cléray, as well as other wines from all these domaines, mainly varietal IGP wines, not included in the above reports.
The Muscadet Story
The growing season here was initially defined by the frost, but as I mentioned in my vintage report it rained persistently from January through to late June, and mildew was also a pressing concern. “We lost a lot in the frost, and then we had a lot of rain in April and May, and mildew was a threat”, says Jérôme Choblet of Domaine des Herbauges. His cousin Nicolas Choblet, of Domaine du Haut Bourg, gave more detail. “We lost 60% of the harvest, the damage mainly on the Muscadet parcels rather than our IGP varieties, but all our parcels were affected to some extent”. The very talented Vincent Lieubeau of Famille Lieubeau also reported significant damage, with about 50% lost, although largely localised to lower slopes, where the coldest air gathered.
