Domaine de la Taille aux Loups, 2017 Update
Since I first visited Jacky Blot, quite a few years ago now, I have seen the range of wines broaden as Jacky expanded his Montlouis-sur-Loire domaine. While the old-vine Rémus Plus cuvée always remained top of the tree, it has been fantastic to see the addition of some single-vineyard wines to the portfolio. The wines of Clos Michet and Clos de Mosny are two unique and valuable expressions of the Montlouis-sur-Loire terroir.
On this meeting there were no more new additions to the portfolio, although I was surprised to learn that Rémus Plus is no more, in name at least. In the 2015 vintage Jacky has decided to change the name of this cuvée to Les Hauts de Husseau, Husseau being one of the communes eligible for the Montlouis-sur-Loire appellation, and of course where Jacky Blot and his family are based, at the Domaine de la Taille aux Loups.
The Wines
Jacky (pictured) and his son Jean-Philippe (pictured) kicked things off by pouring an absolutely cracking Triple Zéro, vibrant and packed with flavour. “It was a vintage with good maturity”, says Jacky, “with a potential alcohol of 12.5%”, As this is a méthode ancestrale wine, one which relies solely on the natural sugar in the grapes at the time of harvest, having a good level of ripeness at picking is essential. In terms of style and energy, this particular release, based on the super 2014 vintage, has to be one of the best examples of Triple Zéro I have tasted.
