The last two years haven’t been easy for these producers, particularly 2013 which saw many crops destroyed by hail, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Some domaines performed well, others were disappointing.
Domaine Jérémie Mourat
An ambitious producer with a large, well-placed stand. I only tried the whites.
I enjoyed all of them, there are some interesting blends of chenin with chardonnay and even pinot noir (as a white) but the two most worthy of mention are:
Clos Saint André Fiefs Vendéens Mareuil 2012
10% Chardonnay (90% chenin): Fresh honey and lemon aromas, with an interestingly buttery touch. Crisp yet ample first sip of apple, then the honey flavours dominate before a salty, buttery middle section and a complex finale that comes in waves of all three dominants. 88 pts
Terre Quarts VDP Vendée 2013
Just an embryo at this stage, the colour is like thick pear juice, rather suitably as it turned out. Unquestionably the nose of the fair for me, with incredibly expressive aromas of fresh pear. I just stood there sniffing happily for a good three or four minutes before sipping, under the amused gaze of Monsieur Moreau. Unsurprisingly the flavours are very pear dominated too, a really strong, concentrated essence of fermented pear juice. It’s a sweet wine which will probably develop more complex flavours in due course, but I would be interested to see how it turns out. 88-90 pts
ANJOU
Patrick Baudouin - Effusion 2012 14€
Fresh, vibrant citrus fruit aromas, with a similarly chirpy attack of the same, before a long, complex middle section of honey and hints of peach. The finish is crisp, pure and dry. 88 pts
Domaine FL - Les Bergères 2011
Lime and gooseberry aromas, then a lively mixture of citrus fruits and peach, before a satisfyingly dry finish 88 pts
Château du Breuil - Anjou - Clos du Frère Etienne 2010 12€
Honey aromas leading into a crisp attack of lemon, then the honey seeps in, before a flinty section, then a pure finish. 88 pts
Domaine du Bois Mozé - Terre de Haut 2011 6,50€
Grapefruit and pear aromas, a very dry attack, before more complex flavours of flinty honey and lemon, with a decent finish. Good value. 87 pts
Domaine Vincent Ogereau 2012
Lemon and pear aromas, with a fresh, rounded mouthful of the same, fruity and tender, quite a rich middle section, with a long and complex finish 88 pts
Domaine de Montgilet - Anjou 2013 8,50€
Probably the best value of the Anjous, this tasted similar to the Ogereau but with more minerality and more fruit. Wonderfully complex and long. 89 pts
MONTLOUIS + VOUVRAY
François Chidaine
I was expecting to move up a gear after the Anjous, so I was a little disappointed, especially by the dry wines from 2012 which were too dry and lacking expression at this stage. There were some highlights, though:
Les Bournais Montlouis 2011 20€ approx.
Wonderfully expressive nose of slightly cooked apples, honey and quince, then a peachy attack, a complex second wave of butterscotch, honey and pear, before a finish where the minerality comes in to put a stop to all the sweet hedonism. Very enjoyable. 91 pts
There is also a version which is Franc de Pied, i.e. planted directly and not greffed onto American rootstock. Such planting is pretty rare in France as it’s very dangerously open to phylloxera attack. I preferred the greffed version, especially since the price of the other is prohibitive (around 60€).
Les Tuffeaux 2011 14€
Officially a demi-sec, although with less than 1g of sugar per litre, this is a classic Chidaine. The nose begins with crisp notes of pear, before elements of peach blossom, then a wave of honey. The first taste is of pear, before hints of lemon, then a strong wave of honey and a finish combining all three. Complex, elegant and immensely enjoyable. 91 pts
The Montlouis Les Lys and Vouvray sweet 2009s are also very good, but I find their prices far too expensive at 57€ a bottle to deserve a mention.
So apart from the two I’ve mentioned, not a great showing. Prices have risen to around 15€ for the basic dry cuvées which did not compare favourably with others at similar prices.
Bernard Fouquet - Domaine des Aubuisières
Like Chidaine, he lost 60% of his harvest to the hail storm of July, but I was really impressed with what he had saved:
Cuvée Silex 2013 (1/2 sec)
7g/L sugar. White peach and honey aromas, then an attack that has hints of melon, quite an exotic middle section, before a crisp, pure and dry finish. Exquisite. 92 pts
Cuvée Les Girardières 2013 (1/2 sec)
25g/L sugar but not as sweet as one would think because of the acidity. Strong, intense aromas of pears, plus quince and a touch of lemon. The pears are forward on the palate too, with honey and lemon backing them up. The middle section is much sweeter than the Silex, but the finish is just as crisp. 92 pts but I preferred the Silex.
Jacky Blot
Like François Chidaine’s wines, I wanted to like these more than I actually did, because he’s a thoroughly nice man and a pioneer who has done wonders for the international reputation of Montlouis. I think in different circumstances I might have been more keen, but when you go from one tasting to another, with the memory of other wines still very clear, comparisons are inevitable and the conclusions inescapable.
The only white I really enjoyed was
Clos de Vénise Vouvray 2012 20€
Not quite as bone dry as the other 2012s, which I’m sure helps. Brightish lemon and quince, with honey and daisy aromas, before a pure but soft mouthful of peach, honey and a smattering of exotic fruit. The complexity will develop further in two or three years, but the finish is already remarkably long and persistent. There’s a charming roundness to this which isn’t present in the other more angular wines presented. 93 pts
Xavier Weisskopf - Rocher des Violettes - Montlouis 2012 12€
I’d heard great things about this young winemaker who I made a point of seeking out. He wasn’t the most forthcoming of hosts, but a wine fair is hard work by the third day. Of the three wines I tried, only this one passed muster: quite a pure, crisp nose of apples, quince and lemon, which feature in the first sip, then a second wave of sweet pear, before a honey and lemon finale. It’s good but lacking in intensity compared to the very best. 88 pts
I kept the undisputed king until last:
Domaine Huet
If anything, I approached the stand with a certain reluctance. I love Huet but it’s like a Bruce Springsteen new album - you know it’ll be good but there’s nothing terribly original to be discovered. Well, I was wrong, class and quality don’t need to be original, they’re merely timeless, the gold standard others can only aspire to.
Pétillant 2009 15€
I didn’t taste many sparkling wines through lack of time at Angers but I’m glad I tried this one. Aromas of ripe lychees and white peach, with pear flavours at first, then typical Vouvray honey. It doesn’t taste at all like champagne, but there is the same depth of character a good champagne has. With the stagnation of entry level champagne prices, it’s not easy to find value in sparkling Loire wines, but this is excellent value. 91 pts
Le Haut Lieu 2013 unreleased but probably around 15€
A sample which hasn’t lost the haziness of the embryonic colour, but you can see clearly where it will go. Slightly chalky aromas of lime and wet stone, with initially frisky tastes of lemon and pear, the middle section is a bit blured but the fine, pure finish promises great things to come. 90-92 pts
Le Mont 2012 (sec) 19€
Quince and lime nose, with a fascinating oscillation between orchard and citrus fruit flavours, all done with extreme finesse and elegance, before a complex but mineral finish. Superb. 94 pts
Le Mont 2007 (1/2 sec) 20€
Very similar in taste, but with the greater complexity five more years can give, this starts off quite sweet (24g/L), with exotic fruit and burnt honey, but finishes as dry as a bone, with a saline, flinty but pure finale. Fascinating to taste, I had to stand there sipping it repeatedly, such was the pleasure, before we could move on to the next. Like a top notch Puligny. Anyone doubting the potential of Vouvrays to challenge Burgundy should try this outstanding wine. 95 pts
Clos du Bourg Moelleux 2007 25€
In spite of the 46g/L, this is neither cloying nor tarty, unlike many other sweet wines I tasted. The aromas are of caramel and honey, with hints of peach. On the palate, much the same, but the acidity gives it flavours of lemon, lime and a flintiness that lift the middle section to the top of the mouth, before a glorious finale where the sweetness and purity do battle. 95 pts
Le Haut Lieu Moelleux 2008 22€
Completely different, this is far peachier in taste, much more forward on the palate. It wraps itself around the front of the tongue, giving almost tingly sensations, but again, unlike all the Côteaux d’Aubance I tried, for example, it doesn’t stop there, there’s an acidic middle section that lifts the wine away from stodginess into the air, with a salty touch that clears the palate, before a crescendo finish that remains crisp. 94 pts
Clos du Bourg 1ère Trie 2008 38€
Dollops of honey this time on nose and palate, this is just oozing with it at first, before the acidity kicks in, but I wasn’t quite so impressed by the finish, somehow less complex. 90 pts
Le Mont 1ère Trie 2008 30€ (I think)
Straw, cut grass even and pear rather than honey on the nose, with pear and grape juice prominent at first on the palate, before a rich second wave of honey, then once more the saline, citrus fruit flavours that lift the wine away from stodginess. Excellent. 94 pts
A remarkable line-up of wines, that made me just want to bow away muttering “I am unworthy”. This is what all Vouvray producers should aim at. Luckily, I did actually leave it to the end of my Montlouis and Vouvray tastings, because anything after this would clearly have been a disappointment. I just called it a day in fact and headed back to the hotel on the high the tasting had created.