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MAIN
GRAPE VARIETIES
Chenin Blanc (Pineau de Loire) Indigenous
variety - range from dry through demi-
sec to remarkable sweets. Great years
will live for 100 years +. Often goes through a dumb period between ages of 2
and 10 years. AOCS: Vouvray, Coteaux
du Layon, Coteaux de l'Aubance, Bonnezeaux, Quarts
de Chaume, Savennieres
and Jasnieres (usually dry). Suggestions: aperitif, fish, chicken, pork,
veal, fruit desserts, blue cheese and after dinner sipping. (sweet) Muscadet (Melon de
Bourgogne) The
grape variety of Nantes. Fresh,
delicate white wine, excellent with fish.
Can age well. Look for the 'sur lie' - bottled on the lees – finer wines in general. Sauvignon
Blanc Fashionable
variety. Distinctive aroma - grassy,
gooseberry, cats' pee even, especially when unripe. When fully ripe tends towards grapefruit flavours and some light exotic fruits. Names: Menetou-Salon,
Quincy, Pouilly Fume, Reuilly,
Sancerre, Touraine. Cabernet
Franc Related
to Cabernet Sauvignon but ripens earlier and is lighter and more
aromatic. Makes fruity reds, sometimes
grassy - hints of lead pencil on the nose.
Ages well, often developing gamey flavours. Cabernet-Sauvignon Well
known variety, frowned on in Touraine but now quite widely planted in
Anjou. Soft & supple in good
years, ripens later than Cabernet Franc, so less popular. Gamay Fruity
reds like Anjou Gamay, Touraine and all the upper
Loire vineyards with some real blockbusters. Top= |
RECENT
LOIRE VINTAGES
2013
–
Another difficult year and another small vintage in quantity. Spring was very
cold so flowering didn’t happen until late June. August and September were
good whilst October was patchy. The reds are light, while the there are some
nice surprises in dry whites. Layon sweets are
better than 2012 in a light aperitif style. 2012 A challenging year for the vignerons with difficult weather conditions throughout. Small
vintages with low yields but some attractive dry whites, particularly Sauvingons. Vey little sweet
wine made – all light in style. 2011 A very dry hot until June, followed by a wet
July and August and then a dry September – attractive dry whites and reds
though not as long lasting as the 2001’s and 2009’s. Fine sweet wines 2010
- A curate’s egg Cool June but
hot dry summer, especially in western half of the valley. Fine start to
vintage but rain late September caused problems in Montlouis
and Vouvray. Attractively fruity reds – top wines
potentially very good with lower yields than 2009. Dry whites are leaner,
fresher and more precise than 2009. Some very good sweet wines in Anjou. 2009
- Opulent whites Hot summer and fine autumn
until late October. However, eastern part of the valley badly hit by
successive hail storms, especially Menetou-Salon
and parts of Sancerre. Opulent dry whites, some lacking acidity. and fine but quite tannic reds Sweet whites richer than
2008 but not the same level as 2007. 2008
– Saved by Autumn Frost affected,
especially in Muscadet. Another cool summer,
particularly August, but with less rain than in 2007. Another fine autumn
until late October saved the day. Very good dry whites – a little richer than
2007 but also precise and vivid. Attractive reds with more weight than 2007
but less opulent than either 2009 or 2010. Light sweet wines. 2007
– A late start A hot
April gave way to a cool and wet summer. Once again vintage saved by a fine
autumn. Fine but quite austere dry whites. Superb sweet wines – very precise
with a wonderful balance of richness and acidity. Should age magnificently.
Reds on the whole light with many best drunk young. 2006 “A question of the Vigneron” A very hot
July and a decent August
- but rain started falling in mid September in the west of the
region and by late September in the east. Muscadet
bore the brunt of the rainy conditions and Pierre Luneau
picked his grapes quickly but in good condition. Generally Sauvignon was picked before or
just as the rain started and is of very good quality. There were some good
Cabernet Francs and Chenin Blancs
made but the input of the Vigneron was, as always,
all important. 2005 “A
Great Vintage”
The
Loire was blessed with perfect weather conditions throughout this year and
unlike 2003 the acidity levels were much better. As a result some wonderfully
balanced wines have been produced. The grapes were harvested in ideal
conditions and the vignerons have never known such
an easy time. 2004 “A
fine vintage”
A
lovely September resulted in the grapes in most regions being ripe and well
balanced with a good acidity. It was a prolific vintage and many of the
lesser producers in the region didn’t reduce their yields, but the good vignerons produced some consistently lovely wines with
very good concentrations. 2003 “Fabulous
Summer”
This
year will be remembered as one of the hottest summers on record with picking
starting two to three weeks earlier than normal in most regions. Frosts in
April did however cause some damage and yields were subsequently lower. It
was by general consensus a truly outstanding year for red wines, which have a
wonderful concentration and lovely ripe fruit. White wines generally have a
lower acidity than normal but have tremendously ripe fruit and attractive
floral characteristics. 2002 “Plenty of attractive fruit” The
exceptionally sunny September transformed what could have been a depressing
vintage into a generally very good one. After the cool July and wet August
this was a very welcome change to recent Septembers and altered the outlook
totally. The wines of 2002 have an exceptional purity of fruit - partly due
to yields being down as much as 20% - more for Sauvignon Blanc. Good reports
have come in from all the regions from Muscadet to
Sancerre and overall the vintage was a good one. 2001
“From one extreme to another” This
year turned out to be one of decidedly mixed fortunes. Muscadet
had yet another very good vintage, whilst Sancerre & Pouilly
had a rough time. The frosts in April reduced the size of the crop - the
rains of late September and early October ruined the hopes of a great
vintage, although most growers are fairly happy. The favourable
weather in late October ensured that the sweet wines of Anjou were excellent.
Very little wine was made in Eastern Touraine due to the frosts and stem rot.
Anjou certainly had its’ best harvest since 1997 - the growers are content
and some of the sweet wines were a revelation. As always, rely on the
foremost growers to produce the goods. 2000
“Not to be confused with the great
vintage in Bordeaux” After a miserable July, mildew reared its
ugly head although the fine autumn made some amends. The weather broke with
disastrous results on the 16th October - with continuous rain for
weeks on end. Those that harvested earlier made fine wines (as in Bordeaux) -
Muscadet was good as were Sancerre & Pouilly. The red wines in general have good colour but not the structure for long maturation. Despite
the downpour - there are some reasonable Chenin Blancs - including some small quantities of sweet wines
picked early December! - a tribute to the nerve of
intrepid growers. 1999 “It came close - but it was not to be” As a vintage
however, it sorted out the good from the indifferent growers. A large harvest
loomed during July - serious producers cut off excess
bunches. The idle and greedy did not. When the rains came in September
- those with over laden vines (and unripe grapes) suffered - the prudent did
not. Muscadet yet again avoided the rains and made
good wines. This is a year where the selection of producer is vital -
some - such as J P Chevallier in Saumur have
made exceptional wines - many have not!
1998 “A commercial success - but not
exceptional” Late
September rains dashed the hopes of growers for another classic. Nevertheless
the best vignerons, as usual, made fine wines -
albeit lacking the structure of previous vintages. Most of the rains occurred
after the grapes had reached a phenolic maturity
ensuring the dilution was not exaggerated. In general, one for current
drinking. 1997 “A great success”- Huge,
fat & rich wines were made in Anjou & Touraine. Many with amazing
alcoholic degrees - 15% was not unusual for dry
whites in Anjou - even Gamay could be found with
similar percentages. Some would argue that these wines are unbalanced -
others would demur with delight. This all stems from the balmy weather of
September and early October, which resulted in high, natural, sugar levels.
Have they got the acidity and balance to be long lived? Ask some concerned
experts. “Who cares?” say aficionados.
1996 “Overall, ‘96 is
probably superior to ’95” Especially for reds. A very dry summer
produced the second of a trio of good to excellent vintages. For anyone
looking to lay down some red wine - this is definitely the vintage to choose
- many put it just below 1989. Dry whites, from Muscadet
to Sancerre, are also very successful. Fine weather in September and October
allowed growers to leave their Chenin until it was
properly mature. Because of the drought, the sweet wines have less botrytis.
Nevertheless rich and concentrated wines were made. 1995 “The best vintage
since 1990”
For once, frost was not so devastating, though Muscadet,
parts of Anjou and Saumur together with Bourgueil,
experienced isolated problems. A hot summer was followed by some September
rains but, except in Vouvray and Montlouis, not enough to mar the harvest. Dry whites are
successful from Muscadet to Sancerre. The reds have
concentration and charm and a long dry autumn produced some very fine sweet
wines. The wines have a good balance of fruit and acidity. 1994 “A
difficult year”
- good for reds in Saumur - some fine sweet wines made in Anjou but the spectre of grey rot was ever-present in much of the
vineyard area. Treat with caution. 1993 “A
good commercial vintage” Drinking well at the moment - fine sweet
wines. 1990 “A
great classic”
- Lots of charm - the reds are lasting well but are now hard to find. 1989 “One of the true
vintages of the century” - Many wines have yet to reach their optimum
maturity still - superb sweet wines, great red wines. Compares with 64, 59
& 47 Top= |
LOIRE
SWEET WINES
Unfortunately
we have this funny idea that a sweet wine is automatically one to drink with
desserts. Many merchants, who ought to know better, only increase the
confusion by lumping all sweet styles together under the heading 'Dessert Wines'.
This is as nonsensical as listing all dry whites as fish wines. Actually, few
sweet Loire wines match puddings well. Fruit tarts and other light fruit
dishes work but most other desserts, especially if they are strong flavoured and sweet are a disaster. The wine's acidity is emphasised,
while the fruit disappears. Much better to enjoy a Loire moelleux
as an aperitif with blue cheese, a rich pate or a very rich fish dish -
sauced lobster, for instance. They can also be matched to rich pork dishes,
sauced chicken recipes and pheasant dishes such as a la Normande
(with Calvados, cream and apple). Top= |