Loire Valley Wonders

I was delighted to showcase the Loire Valley at a tasting for the Deloitte Wine Club in their Shoe Lane offices in the City this week. It was a very enjoyable evening, and I think the Loire did itself proud with the following wines. It certainly opened peoples eyes to this neglected region!


Chéreau-Carré Comte Leloup du Château de Chasseloir "Cuvée des Ceps Centenaires" sur Lie 2005 (Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, Loire)
17.5/20
Almost devoid of colour, just flickers of straw and green. Very open nose, crisp citrus dominated. An immense palate, full and balanced with ample acidity. Full, intense, lingering finish. Very long. How on earth so much flavour is packed into this I have no idea. Without doubt the finest Muscadet I have ever tasted, and I think most people would never recognise it as Muscadet if they tried this blind. 100-year old vines from a single vineyard plot. Already 5-years old, this will doubtless continue to age for some years yet. Spectacular stuff.

Eric Morgat "L'Enclos" Savennières 2006 (Loire, France)
16-/20
Pale straw, reserved nose quite mineralic and sappy. Piercing Chenin Blanc acidity on the palate, although this seems a little out of kilter with the wine as a whole. Some wood on this? Hasn't quite come together yet. I imagine this will make a great wine in due course (I hope) and will give it the benefit of the doubt. I know Jancis Robinson has had l'Enclos as a one of her 'wines of the week' previously, and this was a more difficult vintage.

Domaine de Bellivière "Calligramme" Jasnières 2004 (Loire, France)
17/20
Mid-yellow, with a splendid open nose redolent of minerals, blossom, and honey comb. Similarly complex palate, very fresh. Medium finish. Beautiful, much more together than the previous wine, with secondary bottle characteristics coming through. It would seem to my mind to be fully mature now, but will doubtless keep several more years as Chenin wines are want to do.

Domaine Landrat-Guyollo "Carte Noire" Pouilly-Fumé, 2006 (Loire, France)
16.5/20
Pale yellow, with a very open nose of (dare I say it) smokey, gun-flinty character. This seems very true to style, and although perhaps not my personal preference it is a very good Pouilly-Fume. Good concentrations and finish.

François Cotat - Chavignol "Monts Damnés" 2004 (Sancerre, Loire)
16/20
Very pale yellow, quiet, restrained nose. Concentrated palate but a little short on weight. Some typical Sauvignon character there in the background, but a very refined style. I'm happy to own up to thinking I missed something with this, but for one of the great producers on one of the best vineyard sites in one of the best villages in Sancerre I had expected so much more. Perhaps this was just a reflection of my non-plussed approach to Sauvignon Blanc, but I actually preferred the Poully-Fume as having more character.

Frédéric Mabileau - Bourgueil "Racines" 2006 (Loire, France)
15.5(+)/20
Classic, traditional. Some strong tannin on the palate and plenty of stuffing to this. Needed some strong hard cheese to take that away. This needs some time to come around, up to 10-years I would imagine.

Clos des Cordeliers - Saumur-Champigny, Cuvée Prestige, 2003 (Loire, France)
15.5/20
Brick red on the rim with a light core. Open nose akin to a lightweight mature Bordeaux. Soft, round palate, with light red fruits. This is fully mature and very enjoyable, but drink up now.

Domaine Vacheron - Sancerre (ROUGE) "Les Cailleries" 2007 (Loire, France)
16/20
Light Pinot-coloured in the glass. Open nose of young Pinot fruit - strawberry. Attractive. Palate a little high in alcohol without the body to match it to my mind. Medium finish. I'd be interested to see if this could age, but to my immediate impression I'm not sure this has much more to offer in future. Perhaps a little lean in this vintage? I have tasted better Sancerre Rouge, although this is a perfectly decent example - certainly no under-ripe vegetal character here. However, I would perhaps pay the extra for their "Belle Dame" bottling (the best Sancerre Rouge in previous tastings).

In conclusion, this tasting showed the variety, consistency and tremendous value (all these wines were £10-£30) that the Loire offers. Time to re-visit I think...

Odds and Ends

La Chablisienne Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume 2003 (Chablis, France)

16+/20

Pale gold, maturing nose of earth mushroom and hints of citrus. Aggressive, generous mineralic palate, with alcohol coming through. Big lasting, finish. Impressive wine. Bold, but not over-blown despite the baked 2003 vintage. A great Premier Cru. Drink now.

Chateau les Eydins 'Cuvee des Consuls' 2005 (Cotes du Luberon, France)

15(+?)/20

Deep but not opaque, nose rather closed. Some red forest fruits. Palate quite firm, tannic and structured with little background hints of red fruit. Not sure what to make of this. Decanted ~2 hours in advance. I recall a great 'garrigue' wine when originally tasted at the winery but it seems a little confused now. perhaps its going through a closed period? Matched well with venison sausages in a red wine casserole - needs something hearty to balance it.

Domaine d'Aupilhac 'Le Carignan' 2000 (Montpeyroux, France)

16.5/20

Despite hailing from the vineyards of one of my favourite wine villages in France, this is sold as a humble Vin de Pays due to the 100% Carignan blend, forbidden under the appellation rules. Deep core, only just lightening on the rim. Very open, enticing nose of mature leather and game with some beneficial Brett coming through. Palate is expansive, with tannin nicely balanced against a deep, mature fruit. Meaty with some rusticity. Medium finish. This is a great wine, no too dissimilar from a mature middle ranking Chateauneuf. Just shows what old vine Carignan can do in the right hands. Should keep another ~5 years, but probably not going to improve any further now.