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Philippe Tessier Romorantique 2020

“A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.”

I thought I might introduce this week’s Weekend Wine report with this statement on being open-minded. Now, which great philosopher first uttered these words? Bertrand Russell? Jean-Paul Sartre? John Locke? Simone de Beauvoir?

None of them. It was Frank Zappa.

Frank’s presence would have been most welcome at a dinner I enjoyed in Bordeaux a couple of weeks ago. It was a Paulée-style affair, each guest bringing a bottle. Last year I took a 1973 L’Archiviste Rivesaltes which did not set too many pulses racing (although one or two attendees appreciated it, thank you – you know who you are), while this year I carried in the 1964 from Château L’Église-Clinet which was, I think, one of the stars of the show (well, you lose some, you win some). Among the oldest bottles we drank were two from the 1914 vintage, the corks pulled – just in case you think that might be a typo – at 110 years of age.

Wines of such venerable age do not tend to slap you about the face with their rich textures and oodles of fruit, and are of an inevitably more gentle demeanour, with very tertiary flavours, fully resolved tannins and occasionally rather fresh acidity. And the joy comes in appreciating not only how well the wines have survived, and the joy they can still give, but also all the history they have under their belts. Some at the dinner seemed to struggle with that concept a little though, their minds closed to the joys of such ancient wine, decrying them as devoid of any pleasure.

Frank would, I am certain, have put them right.

Philippe Tessier Romorantique 2020

I was reminded of the benefits of being open-minded only this weekend, when I pulled the cork on the 2020 Romorantique from Philippe Tessier; it is still Philippe on the label, by the way, although it is Simon Tessier and Marie Drancourt who run the domaine today.

Simon is – as you have probably already guessed – Philippe’s son, and their wines are some one of the more widely distributed and appreciated of the Cour-Cheverny and Cheverny appellations. Alongside the likes of Domaine de Montcy, Domaine des Huards, Domaine de Veilloux, Henry Marionnet and François Cazin (and a few others, admittedly) in Cour-Cheverny they keep the Romorantin fire burning. This historic Loire Valley variety was allegedly (please have your pinch of salt ready, it’s legend time) introduced to the region by King François I (1494 – 1547) in 1519, and has been present in Cour-Cheverny ever since. That he had 80,000 vines brought up from Burgundy I am prepared to believe (this is the first instance of me being open-minded), although we really have no evidence these vines were all Romorantin.

Popping the cork on the 2020 Romorantique (bit of a clue to the variety, even if it is a Vin de France) the wine when it hits the glass is clearly bright orange, giving this orange-wine skeptic another opportunity to follow Frank and open my mind.

The Romorantique cuvée is the result of several years of experimentation by Simon Tessier. A skin-contact wine made using Romorantin, the fruit is destemmed and then deposited in two qvevri fashioned by Zaliko Bojadze who – I am reliably informed – is one of the most renowned qvevri-makers in Georgia. The two vessels (one of which is, I guess, that represented on the label) are mostly buried, essential as they have round bases, but I would think it is very beneficial for thermal stability too. The fruit is macerated within for six months, after which comes the hard part, which is getting the new wine and skins out again. After which, the latter is pressed, by foot of course.

In the glass the 2020 Romorantique (in truth the vintage is not declared, but the lot code LR020, which is engraved on the bottle, tells me what I need to know) from Domaine Philippe Tessier exhibits the aforementioned deeply burnished orange-gold hue. The nose is certainly intriguing, with layers of toasted yellow plum, liquorice, pressed flowers and baked citrus fruits. This precedes a savoury and finely grained construct on the palate, with mouth-watering acidity wrapped up in a powdery phenolic substance which pervades to the end of the palate. Dry and suitably gripped in the finish, this is an intriguing wine and a good example of the orange style. Initially finding it to be slightly awkward in its composition, I was ultimately enchanted by the harmony and sinew I found here. I was surprised to note the alcohol on the label is high, at 15%, as it does not show on the palate. While I am not sure the finished article says very much (if anything) about Romorantin to me, it certainly enchants, and this is one cuvée this orange-wine skeptic is happy to have encountered. 92/100

And that is despite the fact it did not slap me around the face with rich texture and oodles of fruit. You see, I really am channeling Frank’s open-minded philosophy. (6/5/24)

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