The New Appellation of Saumur-Puy Notre Dame

At last, after 35 years of effort the first vineyards have been accepted for the first wine in the new appellation “Saumur- Puy Notre Dame. The initial parcels of vines are all marked with the logo of the “regalade” and the grapes are now fermenting away to be bottled next year with the label of the 69th. wine appellation of the Loire Valley.

The "regalade" is affixed to all qualifying vineyards

The first bottles will be launched in which seems to be, on all accounts, a superb year as all of 2009 has been hot and sunny with just a few showers in September to relieve much of the Cabernet Franc which appeared to be showing definite signs of heat stress.   Vines love hot, dry weather – but only to a point.

The Chenin, our main white grape has, on the other hand, been luxuriating in the sunshine and will undoubtedly produce wines of such depth and complexity that the vintage will assuredly be ranked amonst the best over the last 15 years.

Here is a link to find out more about the creation of this landmark appellation.

à plus

Brian

Le Concours des Vins de Loire

Le Concours  des Vin de Loire is one of the most prestigious wine events in the region mainly because it consists of local wines from Anjou/Saumur and the Touraine being judged by local winemakers and people who work in the wine industry thus, obviously, the judges know the wines very well and look at them with an insiders knowledge.  I therefore felt rather  proud and somewhat humbled when I was asked to be one of the judges and, I must admit, more than a little aprehensive.

A friend, a retired winemaker, who was also going, saw I was a rather worried and reassured me with the words, “Don’t worry about it, you know the wines very well, you drink enough of them”! -  I think that was a compliment. 

Anyway, the day arrived and 140 of us assembled at the Parc des Expositions in Angers.  On the glass door was  a large printed sheet of paper with everyones names alongside which were the wines we  were allocated to taste.  Until this moment no-one has a clue which wine they will be judging.  Now ,I love the wines of Anjou/Saumur from the stickies of The Coteau de Layon/Saumur through all the reds, rosés, whites, sparkling etc.  There is, however, just one wine with which I have always had a problem and that is the rosé, Cabernet d’Anjou, to me it always tastes of sugar and green peppers and, despite the fact that many people love it, I have always struggled with it ever since I was first introduced to it many, many years ago.  So, when I eventually fought my way through the crush and read the Allocation List I found my name, “Mr. Barcroft Brian”, alongside the words, you’ve guessed it, “Cabernet d’Anjou”.  Bloody wonderful I though, another confirmation of the existence of, “Sod’s Law”. 

Each tasting, “Jury”, consists of three people and each group of three has thirty wines to consider, (555 wines were entered from Anjou/Saumur alone).  Wines are given points out of 30, these points, themselves being given for individual characteristics like colour, nose,taste, balance etc.  On completion of each judge’s card the wines given the highest scores go into a sort of play-of and, in the event of wines with the same score, another tasting is done and eventual the winners emerge.  We never know the name of the winemaker who has entered the wine, each bottle simply having a number.  In our tasting panel the winner was No. 28 which was later revealed to be the cuvée, “Iris”, 2007, from Joseph Verdier at Montreuil-Bellay , this wine later received a special award from La Fédération viticole de l’Anjou.  For me one of the most pleasing things was that my tasting notes and points awarded hardly differed at all from the two life-long, local, professionals who were my associates.  And, I must admit that, having been forced into giving the Cabernet d’Anjou my full and undivided concentration, out of respect for the winemakers who had entered their wines, it has gone up greatly in my estimation and, although I don’t think it will never be one of my personal favourites, on a professional level, I have to admit that almost all the thirty wines submitted were very well done indeed with subtle levels of acidity and, in some cases tannin, helping to blend the sugar and fruit into a balanced whole.   

After the morning tasting came, the thank you, in the form of a gargantuan lunch, several tables heaving with sea food, cooked meats, cheese, assorted salads, saussisons, desserts and of course, as much wine as the myriad appellations of the Loire could supply.  Old friends were well met, the merits of individual wines argued over.  (After your particular tasting is over it is customary to go and plonk yourself at any of the tables where decisions have been made and to sample the wines yourself, it is even more customary to then disagree with the final decisions!).  Some of the tables where the most complex wines were being judged took much longer than normal and discussions were becoming quite heated.  However the proximity of lunch had the wonderful effect of concentrating minds and, before long, the winners emerged.  Perhaps this is the answer to resolving all the world trouble spots.  Lock, for example, the Israelis and the Palestinians into a room and tell them there will be no food until they come to an agreement.  It certainly worked in Angers.

à plus Brian

Wine tours in the Loire Valley.

LE CAFE DES MARINS(au garage)!

 

We have been to see Zandra and Jacques today. Zandra, celebrated her 70th birthday and they had both turned their home into a theme of the sea for the day, because she likes anything to do with it, and so the setting for her party planned to immitate quayside café, “Le Café des Marins”.

 

On arrival, after the short drive to Louzy in les Deux-Sêvre, we found all her family and friends dressed in marine attire of various outfits looking like, Sailors, Captain Birds-Eye, Swashbucklers and even Buccaneers. Others were wearing blue and white striped naval collars and anything else simply blue and white which looked appropriate. Little children were showing off wearing blue berets with red pom poms playing with paper boats made by aunties and uncles to keep them amused! Brian went along in his old sailing clobber and I had spent a couple of weeks searching for a nautical looking tee-shirt.

 

The garage had indeed been cleverly been transformed into a little Quayside Café!  Over recent months, murals of the sea had been painted onto wall hangings, fishermen’s nets draped from the ceiling and sea shells scattered onto the blue table cloths to create an ambiance.  It certainly felt very real and we imagined ourselves transported inside a little port somewhere, it was magic! In fact it felt somewhat odd that the view was of Jacque’s vegetable garden and not of colourful little boats bobbing up and down with the waves but it didn’t matter. 

 

And so, after many, many home-made aperitifs, mainly Pineau, a boson’s whistle was sounded by Jacque and we were slowly ushered from the garage through the house and into the dining room where 30 odd people were to sit around in a “U” shape. Our names had been carefully placed on the tables decorated with blue linen tablecloths and, again, scattered everywhere were sea shells. Another giant mural with exactly the same view of  tiny boats bobbing up and down on the sea, which we saw in the garage, covered all of one wall this time, and we were told it had been hand painted over recent months by Zandra’s friends specially for  her big day.  There were bouquets of flowers and gifts scattered on a side table.

 

After settling down into position, large, decorative, boat shaped dishes, around a metre long, were brought in (one to about every four guests), completely overflowing with Fruit de Mer.  Everyone started to help themselves and much skill was demonstrated with little sharp pointed knives opening the Oysters of varying sizes.  Actually, I felt more comfortable with the, Crevettes and Bulots. Brian and our neighbour, Robert, were doing most of the damage besides helping themselves liberally to the bottles of chilled, fresh, Muscadet which had suddenly appeared on the table.  And when, by some mysterious, magnetic force all the partly emptied boats floated down to our end of the table, they were quickly and efficiently unloaded by our two heroic dock-workers.  The dishes were then removed, kilos of empty shells disposed of, plates wiped clean with huge chunks of baguette and then immediately refilled by poisson sauced with beurre blanc and, when we thought that was going to be it, there was a short pause, mainly used to sample the bottles of Vin de Thouarsais, (this wine is a VDQS, a sort of country cousin of the better known Anjou or Saumur Rouge), but was hearty, rich and  fruity, being ideal for the large helpings of  braised lamb aromatized in a rich, brown sauce which was plonked on the tables in huge cast-iron stew pots accompanied by kilos of delectable, young haricot beans. Following that were wooden boards of fresh cheeses of various shapes, to be accompanied by the Thouarsais Rouge but with delicious Coteaux du Layon, to be drunk with the Blue d’Avergne. Just when we thought that was the end, le glace enrobed in Poire William spirit appeared and spooned into tiny glasses. The climax, of course, was the ‘Grande Gateaux’,  and the popping of many bottles of Saumur Sparkling Brut for the toast and a hearty chorus of ‘Bonne Anniversaire’ then a short silence as I think everyone was wondering how they were ever going to be able to move from the table afterwards!

 

The many hours of eating and drinking  were interspersed with the telling of jokes or a tuneful song! Each contribution was introduced by Zandra’s husband Jacques or his “frere”, mimicking a trumpet fanfare to introduce each song or joke with a, ‘d d d d dah’ before the respective person stood up. Each person spoke or sung simply but movingly and on completion, a courteous bow was given to gracefully accept the many bravo’s  and encore’s which were despatched from the audience.  Then a strange clapping game would ensue in a kind of two slow claps and three quick ones kind of rhythm, at ever increasing speed, no-one quite knowing when to stop and,  of course, it was important to concentrate because if  one didn’t finish on time and you accidentally continued with one too many, then the dreaded forfeit was to perform a  song!!!  Brian  got caught out! His brave contribution? A rendition of ‘’La Mere’’! But he had not come unprepared and had actually learned the song, en Francaise, and,  soon after starting, he had the whole room singing along to this wonderful evocative song.

 

The words are below but, if you want to hear it sung in its original version by Charles Trénet, then clich here .

(Brian reckons it isn’t as good as his version but he is rather biased).

Here’s the words if you fancy singing along: 

“La mere,

Qu’on voit danser le long des golfes clairs
A des reflets d’argent
La mer
Des reflets changeants
Sous la pluie
La mer
Au ciel d’été confond
Ses blancs moutons
Avec les anges si purs
La mer,
bergère d’azur infinie.
Voyez
Près des étangs
Ces grands roseaux mouillés.
Voyez
Ces oiseaux blancs
Et ces maisons rouillées.
La mer
Les a bercés
Le long des golfes clairs
Et d’une chanson d’amour
La mer
A bercé mon cœur pour la vie’’.

Or, in English, (although it doesn’t scan)

”The sea
which we see dancing along the clear gulfs
has silver reflections.
The sea
has changing reflections
Under the rain.
The sea
To the summer sky’s confuses her white sheep
With angels so pure.
The sea,
Shepherdess of infinite blue.
See
Next to the ponds
Those tall wet reeds.
See
Those white birds
And those rusty houses.
The sea
Has rocked them
Along the clear gulfs
And with a love song
The sea
Has rocked my heart for life”.-

 

It is indeed a very emotional song, now deeply engrained in the French physic and there was a silence afterwards for a few seconds of contemplation, quickly followed by loud applauds and cheers ‘Vous chante bien Francaise  Monsieur Brian’, tres tres bien, bravo!!! More like ‘brave oh’, I thought…..  My heart had been pounding for him as I was aware thirty French people were concentrating on his accent Française !!!, (On the other hand Brian may as well have been in the Rose and Crown, in our little village back in the Staffordshire Moorlands, for all the concern that he showed.  I don’t know whether it was the copious amounts of wine or simply confidence)!  However, he appeared to have passed the test and Zandra, our host, was truly enchanted by his effort, and came over to give us both a big hug and for some strange reason awarded Brian with a blue cushion to take home afterwards! (Apparently the awarding of a cushion shows appreciation when there is nothing else to give as a “cadeau”)!  I have to say though, that I thought his ever more flowery bows were a little over the top.  I am sure he was envisaging himself milking the applause at La Scala!

 

The hearty singing continued and after several ‘unknown’ French songs ……which we did our best to keep up with, came an old favourite, the Beatle’s, “Yellow Submarine”, which caused us a bit of a puzzle because the words were ‘Nous somme habite sur a Submarine Vert! (a green “vert”submarine was because yellow -“jaune” submarine simply doesn’t scan).  We tried to explain, ‘’No, no, it has always been jaune’’!! Brian, being a bit of a Beatles anorak, insisted that Lennon and McCartney never envisaged a green submarine and it had to be yellow.  At which point he sang it in English, word for word, with everyone joining in manfully with the chorus which, to tell the, “véritié”, they managed very well indeed ‘’Zee all  liffe  on a yellow soobmarenne!!  Well, there you go …..it’s probably a lot better than my French accent!  Apparently the rather confused, elderly gentleman sitting near to Brian afterwards asked, “Et la sous-marin vert, il va où”? (And the green submarine, it went where)?

 

It was late now in the afternoon and time for the customary promenade around the village to stretch ones legs for those who felt up to it. Alternatively, a quick game of Belote for those not so energetic or, just a leisurely viewing of the television for the journal and a quick shuteye!

 

It was maybe a couple of hours afterwards, we had another whistle call from the boson for a second aperitif in the Café de la Marine au Garage, followed by a second sitting at  the tables to continue with yet more plates of food, this time of charcuterie, jambon, rillauds, more cheese, baskets of pomme, and yet more bottles of wine. This took us up to well past midnight, (we had been there since midday)! The evening finally culminated with rich, black coffee which Jacques enhanced by retrieving bottles of his special Eaux-de-Vie from his wine cave, pouring it with great expertise and pride into the tiny glasses!   Zandra gave out little sachets of sea salt tied in white net parcels and pretty ribbons to take home as a little memento of this jolly day, which, for us had been a wonderful phenomenon both gastronomically and culturally!  

 

On looking around I fear at this late hour, sailors and captains who had looked so elegant at the start of the day, were now beginning to look a wee bit worse for wear I thought, although many were obviously living the part or, at least, they were wobbling about on sea-legs. It had been a tough day at Zandra and Jacque’s Café!

 

After thanking our hosts, we say bonne nuit with endless bisous and walking out down the tiny rue, we found the sky peppered with stars. We slowed our pace to enjoy the milky-way, a  broad, sparkling highway crossing the clear sky, but we were not too worn out to appreciate the beauty of it.  Sometimes, after days like this we have to stand back and absorb how privileged we have been.  We forget that we are guests in this country and perhaps we now take it too much for granted; the sociability of everyone towards us, making new friends and enjoying this warm and welcoming culture.  It had been a truly fabulous day for Zandra (and Jacques who had worked so hard behind the scenes for her), but we too had taken away something with us that will stay in our minds for a long time to come.  It had been a “Hard Days Night” indeed! 

 

Viva La Mer!!

Sheila and Brian

The Wine of Anjou – Les Rouges

To cover all of the 26 Appellations of Anjou in one blog would simply be too much.  Thus I will cover just the Reds here and the Blancs, Rosés Sparkling and ’Sweeties’ in separate postings.          

 

The basic appellation is, of course, Anjou and, (for the reds), they are divided into the following sub-appellations.

Reds

Anjou Rouge

Anjou Village

Anjou-Village-Brissac

Anjou-Gamay

 

Commercial production of red wine in Anjou is, (in French terms) in its infancy.  The Anjou appellation was only granted in 1936 and Anjou-Village not until 1987. California has produced reds longer than Anjou!!   In 1955 red production was only accounting for 1% of overall production and, as the market for rosés slowly declined, increasing amounts of red took their place. Vignerons turned to the variety they had continually used for the production of their sweet rosés, Cabernet Franc.  Having spent the 70’s and 80’s learning the ropes of red production, rouge now accounts for about 30% of overall production.

 

Anjou Rouge is designed for drinking within three years and is a gusty, fruity quaffer, brimming over with red berry flavours. It is a wine meant for socialising with your friends whilst you sit round discussing the day’s events.

Anjou Village is the next step up.  A serious wine, production is limited to 56 communes within Anjou.  Maceration is from two to four weeks as opposed to the ten to fifteen days usual for Anjou Rouge. As I said earlier, red production is very young in the region and perhaps, because of this, it is difficult to define exactly what a good Anjou Village should taste like. Producers are creating everything from huge new world look-alikes to elegant Saumur-Champigny like “taffeta” wines. The use of Cabernet Sauvignon is much more common than in Saumur and the chunkier more foursquare taste lends itself more readily to oak ageing.  Compared to the elegance of Saumur and of Champigny,  AnjouVillage often seems a more rustic, plainer wine. However, this is certainly not the case now and serious, hand crafted Cabernets are easy to find. The best have intense, red berry, cherry flavours, noticeable tannins and are supremely adaptable, being able to accompany almost any meat based course from steak to game.

Anjou-Village-Brissac is a very recent appellation given to the producers around Brissac-Quince in Le Coteaux l’Aubance who were the prime movers in obtaining the Anjou-Village appellation. The appellation covers ten communes sloping down towards the Loire.  I have to say that, whilst I have tasted some supreme examples of Brissac, I cannot say, hand on heart, that I have not tasted equally good wines from producers in the Layon.  Still, it is early days and time will tell. That is not to say that they are not great wines, dense, complex, full bodied and with robust tannins. It is just that other producers are doing the same thing elsewhere in Anjou.  Perhaps the difference is that, at least in theory, you should have an easier time discovering an excellent wine in the limited area of Brissac as opposed to searching the whole of Anjou.

 

The final red appellation is Anjou-Gamay, the grape of Beaujolais. There are examples made by Maceration Carbonique, the same method used in Beaujolais production.  But most is made by standard methods which produces, like
Beaujolais is supposed to do, a purple, vibrant, fruity wine, made to drink quickly and with gusto.

 

Finally we should mention Grolleau. This is a local grape, long the mainstay of rosé production.  It is occasionally bottled as a red Vin de Pays by certain producers led, surprisingly enough, by the estate of the famous French actor Geraud Dépardieu at Chateau Tigné near Vihiers.  It produces a rustic, fruity quaffer best drunk slightly chilled and is none the worse for that.

 

There are literally 100’s of producers in Anjou and space, together with numerous different styles prevents me listing my favourites.  My advice would be to base yourself in the area for a week or two and try as many as you can!!  Probably the biggest problem is that I do not think that the range of Red Anjou available in the UK  (for instance) is at all representative of the quality and diversity which one can find in the region.  If anyone would like any advice on bottles they find on their local shelves I would be happy to help if I can.  

 

Bon dégustation!

Brian           Accommodation in Loire Valley

Wines of the Loire (2) – Saumur

This is the second of my posts on the wines of the Loire Valley and covers the appellation of Saumur.

Saumur is part of the larger Anjou appellation and growers can decide whether to name their wines Anjou or Saumur, although in practice Saumur is the name of choice.

There are appellations for red, white, rosé, sweet and sparkling. These are respectively Saumur Rouge, Saumur Blanc, Cabinet de Saumur, Coteaux de Saumur and Saumur Brut. Although all these appellations, “mirror”, the appellations of Anjou, nevertheless, the wines are distinctly different, this is primarily because of the different soils, almost purely limestone in Saumur and a much more varied, “terroir”, in Anjou. The result being that Saumur wines are, like limestone wines everywhere, more elegant when compared to the chunkier, more forsquare wines of Anjou. In addition to these appellations there is also the lieu-dit of Saumur-Champigny and our  village has just been awarded its own appellation of Saumur-Puy Notre Dame. Both of these appellations are for red wine only.   

Almost all wine is made from Chenin for the whites, Cabinet Franc for the reds plus a little Chardonnay for the sparkling.

So what are the wines like? Like all Anjou, Saumur has often suffered a bad press, surprisingly often from well known winewriters who really should know better. The impression is often given that the reds are very light, almost like super rosés.  This is simply not true. It may have been, about twenty years ago when, shall we say, there was a lot of unfufilled potential, but not now.  The normal colour of a good Saumur is a rich, deep ruby red with a typically Cabernet nose of  crushed red fruits becoming more complex over about three years, like most French red wine a good Saumur should have noticeable tannin in the mouth and a good vibrant length. Many winemakers make two or three different “cépage”, for example, one of my favourite domains in Le Puy, Le Domaine de la Paliene, will make three in a normal year.  The first has a maceration period of about ten days, is from youngish vines and produces a light, simple wine ideal for barbeques etc., like Beaujolais even being capable of taking a little chilling. The second cuvée is maceratied for fifteen days and therefore has an increasing depths of intensity and complexity.  The top level of wine has a maceration period of four weeks and is produced from aged vines from a separate parcel of vineyard. This is serious wine; elegant, complex and of superb length which will continue to mature for a least the next five years. 

Oak is usually used very sparingly for the red wines and surprisingly less and less winemakers are using it, believing that the quality of Saumur Red is quite good enough to stand alone and that oak fundamentally changes the nature of the wine. One vigneron put it to me in this way:-

“Why should we use oak in our wines, what faults do we want to hide?”

Therebye, perhaps revealing the reason for much, (but of course not all), of heavy oak usage. It should also be noted that, with the perhaps less elegant reds of Anjou, a judicious use of oak is often used in the better cuveés to the obvious enhancement of the wines.

Saumur-Champigny has long been the “cru” of Saumur.  The appellation is young only being granted in 1957. In the 1970’s light almost Beaujolais type Champigny swept the wine bars of Paris and the appellation took off.  As with all famous appellations over production is an ever present danger and the appellation should, in my opinion, be producing a much greater level of quality than it does.  But, as elsewhere, more and more wines of distinction are being produced and often producers will make their Champigny in the old light style and also a much better, more serious bottling. However, it has to be said that, even with a lot still to do, the wines are still very tasty and can only become even better. Several vignerons in the area are leading the way especially Filliatreau. 

Saumur-Puy Notre Dame has never had the problem of over-production and its newly awarded appellation is a reward for over 30 years production of good, stylish red wine.    

Whilst red wine is perhaps the better known of Saumurs’ still wine with currently about 60% of the production being red. I think that the appellation is capable of producing some of the best whites to be produced anywhere. More and more winemakers are starting to concentrate on the white variety and certainly almost all those I know well are starting to produce more whites at the expense of the reds. Perhaps this is a case of a region returning to its roots, as, for centuries, Saumur was reknown for its classic Chenin whites, particularly its Coteaux.

As with all wine there are both good and bad producers and different levels of quality. The trick is to know the former and to avoid the latter.  Chenin is a notably capricious grape both to cultivate and to use as a base material for making excellent wine. It tends to do both mediocre and superb very well indeed but it is not quite so easy to persuade it to do average. In addition, some years can go, “dumb”, after two or three years in bottle and then, suddenly, does a Lazarus and returns from the dead with additional layers of depth and complexity.  In the hands of a sympathetic winemaker, who understands its capricious nature, it can make truly great wine.  It can combine aromas of pineapple, apricot and grapefruit packaged in waxy honey together with a golden hue and zingy acidity.  Mouth filling wine that deceives with its silkiness and then leaves your tastebuds in a state of shock and which lingers in the mouth like a latter day Frank Sinatra, refusing to go away.  

This is what Decanter Magazine said about the Domaine de la Paliene 2003, which it chose as ,”Wine of the Month”, in December 2005:-

“Very stylish wine. Fine Chenin Blanc typicity with aromas of dried apricot and a hint of honey. Zesty acidity, fine balance and length”.

But, personally I think that the 2004 is much more elegant and a better indication of typicity than the 2003 which, because of the incredible summer temperatures in that year, was decidedly NOT typical.

Although Saumur produces the full array of both Loire and Anjou Rosés, the only one I am going to talk about is Cabernet de Saumur.  We will discuss the others when we come onto Anjou.

Cabernet, as its name suggests, is 100% Cabernet Franc, macerated overnight or sometimes just for a few hours just to leach some colour from the black skins. I must confess that I never tried it until fairly recently because I always thought that it was the Saumur version of Cabernet d’Anjou. This latter wine, to me, has always been an oddball and even though many people love it, the strange combination of sugary sweetness and green peppers has always defeated my understanding. You can therefore imagine my delight when I politely accepted a glass from the retired father of Christian the existing winemaker at the Domaine du Vieux Tuffeaux and found it delicious, dry, fresh, well balanced and a delight to drink, highly chilled, (8C) on a hot sticky day rarely, and somewhat surprisingly, for a rosé it also had a hint of rose on the nose and a distinct touch of mint on the finish.  The only problem, of which you should be aware is that, because of the continual series of good warm years, the winemakers are finding it increasingly difficult to keep down the alcohol levels, the 2005 coming in at a staggering 14%.  A real trap for those who think that drinking, what appears to be a very light wine, will relieve them of a possible hangover!!!!  Cabernet de Saumur is also one of the rarest of Rosés, the appelation only allowing about 50 hectares to be cultivated within the Saumurois producing a maximum of 400 hltrs.  Minute in commercial terms. 

In most of the Loire, sparkling wine is almost an afterthought, (which is not to say that there is not many, many excellent Cremant de Loire around).  But, in Saumur it is a major part of wine production. Saumur is Frances’ second largest sparkling wine producer after Champagne, albeit a distance second in terms of quantity.  The same geographical conditions which lead to the sparkling wine industry in Champagne also apply in the Saumurois. ie., limestone soils and masses of underground galleries which made storing and elevating the wine easy. Both regions share a fairly northerly position which lent itself to a secondary fermentation restarting in bottles of still wine after the cold winters were over. It should, however, be noted that in Saumur the grapes are always ripe whilst in Champagne it is almost always necessary to add sugar before the first fermentation, which is why young Champagne, released too early often has a green, unripe feel to it.  

Winemakers in the region will argue that sparkling wine was made in the region before the industry started in the Champagnois. It is certainly true that the girropallete, the machine that can turn hundreds of bottles at the same time and now universally used throught the world, was invented here.  It is also undeniably true that, until the appellation laws were tightened up, tanker loads of Saumur Brut, used to leave the region en route for Champagne. Even now disgruntled winemakers will occasionally mumble about certain unscrupulous individuals putting Champagne labels on Saumur bottles!

On the outskirts of Saumur, particularly at St. Hilaire, one will find the big sparkling houses, Bouvet-Laduby, Ackerman, Veuve Amiot and Gratien-Meyer.  Most of these are owned by Champagne houses, the  first three above, being owned by:- Taittinger, Rémy-Pannier and Martini-Rossi respectively. All provide both excellent wine and and excellent tours for the visitor. Bouvet-Ladurby is normally regarded as the foremost producer and its Cuvée Trésor is a very serious wine indeed – with a price to match.

The appellation allows up to eight grape varieties into the cépage but a typical mix would be 60% Chenin, 20% Chardonnay and the rest small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Grolleau Gris. There is also a Rosé and even a red both based on Cabernet Franc.  The red sparkling was originally introduced by Bouvet-Ladurby and is said to go particularly well with chocolate.  

Many smaller producers do not have the capital to supply all the equipment needed to make sparkling wine and, hence, tend to send their wine off to the Cooperative, the big houses or Langlois-Chateau for finishing. They will then send back three or four samples of the finished wine each topped up with a dosage of varying  sweetness after disgorgement. The winemaker will then choose his preference and the sparkling specialist will then convert the rest of the wine into that choice. I have been fortunate to be asked to sit on several “tasting panels’ to help decide this choice and it is really amazing the difference that 0.05% of sugar will make to a wine.

Locally both the Domaine de la Paliene and the Domaine du Vieux Tuffeau make excellent sparkling wine. The former on the premises, whilst the latter makes my favourite Rosé sparkler. Le Domaine de Gloriette is very highly regarded concentrating almost exclusively on sparkling wine, which is not surprising as its owner, Sébastien Crépaux is from the Champagne Region and still has the family vineyard in that region.

Finally we come to Saumur’s rarest wine, Le Coteaux de Saumur. This is a sweet wine made from 100% Chenin, it tends to be less sweet and less alcoholic than its Anjou brother, Le Coteaux du Layon, but is very refined and elegant, a little leaner and racier.  It has the reputation of being rare  because very little is made in bad years, (In 1983 only 23 hectolitres were made and I suspect that 2006 will be much the same).  Having said that, up to the unseasonal rain in 2006 we have not had a bad year for a long, long time and certainly since 2000, every vintage has been praiseworthy. Because of this the wine is probably more common now than it has ever been. It is priced on the expensive side, (for here!), which reflects the work that goes into it. We use a system of “tris” which can mean anything between three and five passes through the vineyard collecting only over-ripe grapes or those affected by noble rot. It is still a lot cheaper than wine of the equivalent quality from, for example Sauterne and, for me, the price does not reflect the huge amount of work that goes into it.  In fact I would stick my head out and say that, whist not denying the fact that both Champagne and Sauterne undoubtedly make the best wine in their catorgeries, (that is if you can afford to buy Chateau d’Yquem and the handful of top vintage champagnes!), the overall standard of both Saumur Brut and Coteaux de Saumur is higher than that of Champagne or Sauterne.  Although, of course, I am totally and unashamedly biased!   

Many people refer to Coteaux as, “Pudding Wine”, personally, I would never eat anything other than the lightest fruit based desserts with this wine.  It makes a superb pairing with fois gras, makes  an excellent aperitif and best of all, in my opinion, it is a culinery experience when taken with such French blue cheeses as Roquefort, St. Agur and Bleu d’Auvergne with the salt of the cheese and the sweetness of the wine making a superb combination. Locally, a very good Coteaux is also often taken as a “pause” between cheese and dessert at a formal dinner.  

Wines of the Loire Valley(1)

This is intended to be the first of a series of postings on Loire Valley Wines. This, the first, hopes to set the scene and position the Loire in the complexity of French Wine Production and then each successive posting will deal with its appellations gathered into five convenient groupings, examining the characters of their wines, their grapes and the dishes which will show them at their best.

Many years ago when I was buying wine for various outlets in the UK, I came across a sweet wine I had never heard of before, “Le Coteaux du Layon” brimming over with flavour, complexity and, unlike many other sweeties, with a distinct acidity which perfectly balanced the intense sweetness. This wine was the revelation which began my never ending love affair with the Loire Valley. I must confess that, up to that point, I had regarded wines from the Loire as a bit of a “shelf-filler” consisting mainly of over-sulphured Anjou Blancs, cheap Roses and Sparklers,with,perhaps, the Sauvignon Blancs of the Central Vineyards and the elegant reds of Saumur-Champiny getting an honourable mention.

What I actually discovered was a cornucopia of over 60 appellations covering the whole range of wine from intensely sweet to searingly dry. Huge, new-world look-alikes to elegant, “taffeta” reds and delightful, rustic curiosities cheek by jowl with wines of worldwide renown.I rediscovered wines which I had previously treated with scant respect and found new ones which took my breath away. Of course, living in the region, as we have done for five years, has enabled us to delve deep into the hidden Loire to discover both the best wines and the best producers.

But, I have also found myself enthralled by the region itself, a timeless land where the Loire winds its majestic way through centuries of history, epitomised by the magnificent Chateaux sited throughout the Valley and standing guard over every major town, (and often village), and, not least, but perhaps most importantly, we have grown the love and respect the people themselves.

In France, when people think of the Loire, and particularly Anjou, they think of the “Douceur”, which translates as the sweetness of life. This applies both to the land and the inhabitants. Neither are dramatic and both are gentle and welcoming, the countryside is picturesque and rolling and the locals have an healthy respect for the good things in life, not just for enjoying their wine and cuisine but also taking the time to do it properly and to pay it due respect, there is no hurried sandwich taken on the run, this is a land of two hour lunch breaks with three hours on Sundays. An invitation to lunch in a wine village will almost always find Monsieur disappearing for half an hour only to emerge from a dusty cellar with a 1945 Coteaux de Saumur, a 1936 Layon or some other treat. Which he will proceed to pour with due homage but with no pretension. Vignerons are proud of their wines and unlike the more famous wineries of Bordeaux or Burgundy the problem is not getting in for a tasting it will be getting out again afterwards! Many is the time I have taken people into a chais when the sun is high in the heavens and the temperature is in the 40’s only for them to stagger out again in the pitch darkness of a warm Anjou, summer night!!

So, back to the nitty-gritty, having waxed lyrical on the attractions of the Loire, just why is the region so important in French wine making?

One reason is its sheer size, not only is The Loire 635mls.long, but, more importantly, the land mass of the river and its tributaries account for 20% of the land mass of France. These tributaries are exceedingly important as almost all the great appellations are based around rivers like the Cher, the Thouet, the Layon and, rather confusingly, La Loire’s little brother, Le Loir. The reason for this is quite simple; the Loire itself is simply too big, too self important, to leave dinky little slopes which can be used for planting vines, the valley is too wide and flat and vines do not do well on flat, fertile plains, instead this is used for market gardening, giving the region another source of fame as the provider of much of France’s produce. This is reflected in the name chosen for the wine of its Vins de Pays; the evocative “Le Jardin de France,” (The Garden of France). This huge area encompasses a vast change in micro climate and terroir from the harsh slopes of the Massif Central to the flat coastal plains of the Nantais and this is, of course, reflected in the wines. The climate is Oceanic in the West with hot summers and mild winters, becoming more continental as we progress eastwards with winters progressively becoming much harder. Another reason why the Loire has become France’s second largest producer of appellation wines is the experience of its winemakers, almost genetically engineered to cope with that most capricious of grapes, the Chenin, and the vagrancies of the climate, which, in parts, is on the limit of commercial wine production. Most of its grape varieties are grown throughout the world, but to see and taste them at their best The Loire sets the benchmark, whether they are Chenins from Anjou, Sauvignons from Touraine or Cabernet Francs from either. It is true that the region lost its way somewhat in the 60’s and 70’s, having been seduced by the easy money to be made from the great Rosé boom. Old winemakers shook there heads in disbelieve as vineyards of aged Chenin were ripped out, to be replaced with the ubiquitous Grolleau, the mainstay of Rosé. However, after the bottom dropped out of the Rosé market, the old values re-emerged and, because of the realisation that quality would be the one thing that would sell the wines, a great drive commenced to improve them and this has made the Loire one of the most exiting wine regions in the country. Further, In Anjou, much of the Grolleau was ripped out and replaced by Cabinet Franc, leading to the renaissance of that area not just as a producer of great whites but as also as the home of ever improving reds. (It should be noted that the production of red wine in Anjou is a quite recent phenomenon and that California has produced reds commercially for a much longer period. In fact the first red wine appellation in Anjou was only granted in 1936, and it is still in a state of flux, for example my own village will be awarded its own appellation, Saumur-Puy Notre Dame as from this year.) We are now seeing a generational change as the current group hand over to their sons and daughters. Many of the new “Patrons” are college trained and have worked in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Australia and the New World, thus we can expect another leap forward in quality as they build on the advances made by their parents.

Having now set the scene, I hope that we have succeeded in exiting your taste buds and that you will stay with us as we proceed to examine each appellation in detail.

For the purposes of study I normally divide the Loire into five main regions. These are;

1. The group of vineyards nearest to the source of the Loire. Eg. Le Coté d’Auvergne

2. The Central Vineyards around Pouilly Fuisse and Sancerre.

3. The Touraine

4. Anjou/Saumur

5. The Nantaise

And these will be the subjects of the next five postings.

Thus the next posting will be a detailed look at the first group of vineyards stretching from the Côtes du Forez to the Côte Ronnaise, the most southerly of the Loire.