Le Rocher des Violettes, 2019 Update
I feel a tinge of vinous guilt at not having paid Xavier Weisskopf as much attention as I would have liked over the years. I first met Xavier eight years ago when he was a relatively new addition to the Ligérian wine scene, manning his stand at the Salon des Vins de Loire. Since then our paths have crossed on a reasonably regular basis, but I have not managed to find the time to stop off and taste his wines here every year, as I always do with François Chidaine and as I try to do with Jacky Blot.
Sometimes the two shining stars of Chidaine and Blot, while no doubt saviours and figureheads for the appellation, can also eclipse the talent that has to coexist with them. Among the Montlouis pack Xavier Weisskopf (pictured) is a local star (as is Damien Delecheneau, for what it matters). I have ensured I stop off to taste with both Xavier and Damien this year; my 2019 La Grange Tiphaine update already published. Here’s my report on the latest from Xavier.
The Wines
Xavier Weisskopf has an increasingly interesting and sometimes eclectic array of wines, a blend of Montlouis-sur-Loire in all styles on one hand, and a variety of red (and sometimes white) wines under the Touraine appellation (or Vin de France, or IGP Val de Loire) on the other. Starting with Montlouis-sur-Loire, Xavier produces perhaps the best example of Montlouis-sur-Loire Pétillant Originel, the 2015 vintage sufficiently benevolent to permit him to clear all the hurdles involved in making this wine, the only appellation-defined pétillant cuvée in the Loire Valley. This is a first disgorgement of this vintage, after 36 months sur lattes, and we can expect to see later disgorgements in future vintages.
