La Ferme de la Sansonnière, 2019 Update
Mark Angeli remains an iconic figure for the Anjou region, inspiring wine merchants to reel off reams of purple prose on his vinous philosophies, while also supporting young vignerons in the region in tracking down and securing tenancy on valuable parcels of old-vine Chenin Blanc and gnarly Grolleau, all managed organically of course. He does this while continuing to turn out his own micro-portfolio of wines, these days assisted by his son Martial Angeli (pictured) and his associate Bruno Ciofi.
I like to keep in touch with what Mark is doing, if nothing else out of respect for his role in the region. I don’t always get along with his wines though; sometimes I adore them (and buy them, and drink them), sometimes I find them too variable in style. There are may possible reasons for this inconsistency. It may partly be down to Mark’s restrained use of sulphur dioxide (added in small amounts, and from a volcanic rather than in industrial source, last time we spoke about it anyway) as the wines can display a tendency towards an oxidative rather than a reductive style, if not when they are young than certainly as they age. Malolactic fermentation can also have an impact on the style, as can residual sugar, which can be present in demi-sec concentrations. It is a far cry from the new-wave of the brilliantly tense and reductive wines which can be found at some domaines in the region, often where there has been a generational change.
The Wines
His largest-volume cuvée is La Lune, an assemblage of a number of parcels, and although this is therefore his ‘entry level’ cuvée it has the strongest and most long-standing reputation among his portfolio, perhaps greater even than his two single-vineyard cuvées. In the past couple of years he has produced traditional and amphora versions, and while the former shows a rather oxidative style in 2017, the latter feels rather fresher, to my initial surprise. Then I learnt that the ‘amphorae’ in question are actually sandstone jarres, which offer much more protection against oxygen that terracotta or other materials. The two cuvées also display very different levels of residual sugar, 20 g/l versus 3 g/l, so if you are already getting your wallet out of your pocket be careful which one you buy.
