Michel Autran, 2019 Update
Of all the newcomers to Vouvray who have appeared alongside Vincent Carême in recent years, perhaps one of the most interesting and certainly one of the most determined is Michel Autran (pictured). His wines have a classically reserved and upright style, taut and acid bright, strict and correct, without unnecessary frills and fripperies. If you know the appellation well, think old-school Philippe Foreau more than modern-day Domaine Huet.
On this most recent encounter I was fortunate enough to be able to taste both of Michel’s principle cuvées, in the 2017 and the 2016 vintages, an unusually comprehensive display for Michel who often shows just a couple of wines. In addition, he followed up with both his sparkling wines, one Vouvray, one Vin de France.
The Wines
The four still wines tasted were very convincing, showing the very typical Autran classicism, but set against a more textured backdrop than I am used to finding here. As far as the 2017 vintage goes, the simple youth of the wines may contribute to this feeling somewhat, as I find very young Chenin always carries a touch more fruit and texture than you find after bottling. Even so, this vintage is now almost at the end of its élevage chez Autran, and at the time of tasting was soon to be bottled. And no such excuses can be made for the 2016 vintage. These wines definitely have a little more substance and cushion to the structure, and I welcome this slight shift in style. Le Ciel Rouge is undoubtedly the superior cuvée to my palate; in the 2016 vintage Le Ciel Rouge was more to my liking than Les Enfers Tranquilles. The brut de cuve samples from the 2017 vintage followed the same pattern, although the difference was (accepting that these are ranged scores at this stage) perhaps a little tighter.
