Michel Redde, 2016 Update
Having admired the wines of this domaine for so long, it is a shame that I haven’t been able to visit or to taste regularly in recent years. It is simply a question of time, that is all. With a few extra hours in each day, and perhaps a few extra days in each week, maybe I could have done it. This year’s leap day was nothing more than a tease; I need a fresh leap day every month of the year, not with the passing of every 52nd new moon.
Putting time pressure to one side, however, I did still manage to squeeze in a tasting with Romain Redde (pictured), one of the two brothers now running this domaine (the other is Sébastien) while father Thierry eases himself into a comfortable retirement. I was glad that I did. Not only is Romain Redde a charming guy (as indeed are the entire family), I learnt about their newest project, making wine from vines planted on an old quarry. Wine and dynamite, I have discovered, is a fun combination.
The Wines
Two of the first few wines tasted with Romain, the entry-level 2015 Pouilly-sur-Loire and 2015 Petit-Fumé cuvées, I have not reported on here as I have already written them up in my Central Vineyards 2015 report. So, excluding those two wines, I started with their second cuvée of Pouilly-sur-Loire, the more upmarket Gustave Daudin in the 2013 vintage, which was pretty enough. But even just the domaine cuvée (which is a step up from the entry-level Petit Fumé, it should be noted) was immediately and obviously superior, the 2014 Pouilly-Fumé La Moynerie showing a cool and lightly saline character with good grip.
