Clos du Tue-Boeuf, 2018 Update
Thierry Puzelat is an influential figure in the Loire Valley, especially when it comes to the more natural, non-interventionist side of wine. This he has achieved through two roles, firstly as lecturer on the viticulture and oenology course at Amboise, secondly as mentor (both formal and informal) to many of the region’s names in their early years. Names such as René Mosse, Hervé Villemade and Brendan Tracey, among others, all learnt their craft at Thierry’s feet.
Thierry and his older brother Jean-Marie Puzelat (pictured) have restructured their business in recent years. Keen to wind things down a little, they sold off thenégociant side of their business to Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme a few years ago. As a consequence some of their most striking cuvées, such as the vibrant In Côt we Trust, have disappeared from the portfolio. This leaves Thierry and Jean-Marie largely working with the original Clos du Tue-Boeuf cuvées.
The Wines
Many of the cuvées tasted here originated from the 2017 vintage, which as regular readers will know was hit by frost. I think some of the wines tasted here show some evidence of this. None of them show the greener elements that you can find in some frosted wines, where vignerons have failed to separate out the first and second generation fruit, so credit to the Puzelat brothers for that. Nevertheless, some of the wines feel rather light and crisp in style though, and there is no doubt frost hit the Caillère and Rouillon lieux-dits, the resulting yields so low that the harvest was combined to make the informatively titled 2017 Caillère + Rouillon = Couillon cuvée.
