Loire 2017 First Taste: Central Vineyards
If you have nosed through my Loire 2017 introduction and weather report, you will already know that the vignerons of the Central Vineyards were mostly able to breathe a sigh of relief this year. Yes, there was some frost here in late-April, but like many (but certainly not all) of their peers in the Touraine vineyards they were not so hard hit compared to those in Anjou and the Nantais. This was in great contrast to the 2016 vintage, when vignerons in Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon and the Coteaux du Giennois saw extensive frost damage, many losing at least half their crop, and a number losing just about the entire harvest. With temperatures in late-April barely flirting with frosty levels, only a few vignerons I spoke to recorded a loss of greater than 25% in these parts, and all went on to benefit from fine summer weather thereafter.
Quincy & Reuilly
Although it might make sense to turn first to one of the region’s two ‘big name’ appellations, I think we find the most interesting developments in Quincy. Here the appellation’s vignerons have expanded some already fairly comprehensive anti-frost measures. Says Maroussia Wilk Tatin, of Domaines Tatin, “there were already 25 anti-frost turbines in the Quincy vineyards, but now about 30 more have been erected, so the appellation is now protected by more than 50 turbines. This means more than 280 hectares of the appellation have some anti-frost measure in place”. For an appellation which covers just less than 300 hectares, this essentially means the entirety of the Quincy vineyard is protected (to at least some extent) against frost. Maroussia and her father Jean Tatin (pictured) reported a loss of 50% of the crop in the 2017 vintage, compared to 25% in 2016, which I found surprising, for the reasons described above; most Central Vineyard domaines were hit harder in 2016 than they were in 2017.
“Afterwards we had a nice vintage”, continued Maroussia. “We began the harvest on September 4th, picking the Pinot Gris in Reuilly first, before moving on to the Sauvignon Blanc and, in Reuilly alone, the red varieties”. The wines, when I tasted them, seem to communicate quite clearly the quality of the vintage. Looking to their neighbours, Adèle Rouzé didn’t have any figures to give me, but still managed to sum up her experiences in recent vintages quite succinctly. “I lost a lot in 2016 , but in 2017 I lost less”. She will benefit from better frost protection in future vintages, one of the many new éoliennes (anti-frost turbines) having been installed over her vines in spring 2017. Just next-door her brother Côme Rouzé, who took over the running of Domaine Jacques Rouzé from their father, reported losing 10% to the frost in 2017, better than the 40% lost in 2016.
