Vincent Carême, 2014 Update: Older Vintages
After 2012 and 2013 I now take a brief look at 2011 and older vintages, with notes across all three tastings.
Starting with 2011, this was an unusual year, the topsy-turvy vintage of a warm spring, disappointing summer and warm autumn. Overall the year was one of the warmest on record (warmer even than 2003) necessitating an earlier harvest; Vincent picked Le Clos three weeks earlier than usual, on September 9th and 10th. Picking was forced upon him as at this point sugar levels were heading rapidly skywards, but I think the cooler summer retarded the development of the fruit in other ways; thus the grapes achieved a good level of alcoholic potential very quickly, while physiological ripeness lagged behind. Picking for a dry cuvée, with lower sugar concentrations, meant picking greener fruit. The 2011 Vouvray Le Clos suggests this, the ripe and appealing substance of the wine contrasted against the greener fruit elements the wine displays. It was a very good vintage overall for sweet wines (allowing the sugar levels to rise seems to have allowed the phenolic ripeness to catch up), nevertheless with the greener fruit Vincent has made some very successful sparkling wines, and there are notes below on both the négoce 2011 Vouvray Cuvée T and Vincent’s own 2011 Vouvray Brut.
As for older vintages, 2010 was of course a fine year for the appellation, as was 2009. This is evidenced by my notes on the 2010 Vouvray Le Clos, with 20 g/l residual sugar, and the 2009 Vouvray Moelleux Le Clos, with 45 g/l residual sugar. The latter is one of several moelleux cuvées from the 2009 vintage, and is sourced solely from Le Clos. This was my first opportunity to taste this, and although the residual sugar is rather gentle (the corresponding première trie cuvée carries 120 g/l) the wine is quite delicious. Finally I have also included below notes on Vincent’s Pét Nat Rosé, and also another look at his two sparkling wines from the 2008 vintage, both of which are still going strong. (7/10/14)
