Loire 2017: Weather Report
During the course of 2017 I visited the Loire Valley four times, and although I made many visits, tasted many wines, and learnt a lot on each of these trips, without a doubt it was my visit during the unexpectedly early harvest, in September, that was the most instructive, and therefore the most memorable.
It was not my first time visiting the many domaines of the Loire Valley during the harvest of course. The difference in 2017 was that I allowed myself time to linger at each domaine on which I called, soaking up (and enjoying) the atmosphere, but also seeing how the different domaines dealt with the freshly picked bunches. At some picking seemed very relaxed, while at others the harvesters were marched through the vines with military precision, the winemaker directing his troops from his position standing atop his tractor, like Napoleon atop his steed. At some the bunches go from hand to basket, to hod, to trailer and to destemmer or press, every step risking damage to the soft-skinned berries, while at others they travel from vineyard to cellars gently cosseted in small crates. And most striking of all, at a number of domaines I was struck by the absence of sorting tables, the fruit raked directly from the trailer to the destemmer. I have always viewed sorting as a sine qua non in assuring quality, but it seems maybe I should reassess these beliefs.
I was also struck, it has to be said, by the apparent quality of the fruit. The Chenin Blanc I saw picked in Vouvray was golden, speckled and clearly ripe. The Cabernet Franc I saw picked in Chinon (pictured) was dark and glossy, the berries small, firm and tense, with many of the stems changing from green to brown. While I will pay appropriate attention to the frost in this vintage report, and while I acknowledge for some vignerons this frost totally defines their 2017 experience, we must not overlook the fact that up and down the length of the Loire Valley there is fine quality coming our way from this vintage.
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