The Tasting Panel magazine

Oct 09

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72 / the tasting panel / october 2009 72 / the tasting panel / october 2009 with a concentrated mid-palate of strawberry and a long mineral-driv- en finish. Directly across the Loire to the north lies the Bourgueil AOC, and in the commune of Restigné, the Caslot family has grown wine at Domaine de la Chevalerie for fourteen genera- tions. Since 2004, Stéphanie Caslot has managed the estate's four bio- dynamic vineyards. Her wines are predominately single-vineyard Cab- ernet Francs with the ability to age impeccably. Her 2006 Busardières is the deepest, showing red and black fruit, balanced acidity and silky tannins; the 2006 Galichets is the most perfumed and complex, with floral, spicy aromas of cumin and youthful, grapy tannins. Moving east up the Loire to the city of Tours where the AOCs of Vouvray and Montlouis lie across the river from one another, there is a distinct shift in terroir from a composite soil of clay and gravel to chalky tuffeau. Chenin Blanc, the only variety allowed in Vouvray, is made in a broad range of styles from still to sparkling and dry to sweet. At Domaine Huet L'Echansonne, a biodynamic estate well known for founder Gaston Huet having been a prisoner during the Second World War, a unique four-cordon trellising system called gobelet etaillé is used to manage yields and improve venti- lation. Huet's 2001 Vouvray Pétillant offers creamy, lively mousse, aromas of caramel, biscuit and youthful acidity on a rounded palate and long, nutty finish. The 2007 Clos du Bourg expresses white flowers and pear with precise, focused acidity and a lengthy concentrated fin- ish. Le Mont 2007 shows lemon zest, pear and wet stone on a very lean mid- palate with focused minerality on the finish. Vouvray is home to dozens of young sustain- able winegrowers such as Vincent and Tania Carême of Domaine Vincent Carême, whose balanced demi-sec 2006 Vouvray Le Peu Morier exudes ripe apricot and pear. The 2008 Château de la Roche Sauvignon Blanc delivers pro- nounced aromas of gooseberries developing to grassy and mineral notes on the palate, with crisp acid- ity. Gamay and Malbec join Cab- ernet Franc here for a red blend in addition to a rosé of Grolleau and Gamay. Chainier produces dozens of cuvees from a total of six estates in the Vouvray and Touraine AOCs. Central Loire: Complexity from the ground up From Touraine the Loire strays northeast in a broad arc. Only when it turns south, with Sancerre and Menetou-Salon on its western bank and Pouilly-Fumé to the east, is the journey complete. At Domaine Michel Redde in Pouilly-sur-Loire, Thierry Redde produces six cuvées from the six different soil types on the estate—wines that are complex, expressive and elegant. These soils are the most diverse in all of the Loire Valley and they include flint that lends a smoky quality to Sauvi- gnon Blanc from Pouilly-Fumé. Redde's 2008 Le Cornets. from a site of marl and Kimmeridgian clay, shows gooseberry and a very slick texture, while the Domaine's sig- nature Cuvée Majorum has distinct gun-flint aromas, a concentrated mid-palate and opulent body. In the Menetou-Salon village of Morogues, Paul-Henry Pellé produces Pinot Noir from 50-year-old vines, as in the 2007 Les Cris, a balanced wine that fully demonstrates the terroir. Pellé's 2008 Clos de Blanchais Sauvi- gnon Blanc also hails from old vines, with white flower and coconut aro- mas, pineapple and tropical notes on a very lean mid-palate. Selected Current Releases from the Loire Valley Château du Cléray 2008 Châ- teau du Cléray, 2008 Jardins Secrets Brut W. J. DEUTSCH &SONS Baumard 2005 Clos du Papillon EXCELLARS WINE AGENCY Cave de Saumur 2008 Les Vignoles Raffault 2008 Le Puy, 2008 Chinon Rosé V.O.S. SELECTIONS Domaine Huet L'Echansonne 2001 Vouvray Pétillant, 2007 Clos du Bourg, 2007 Le Mont ROBERT CHADDERDON SELECTION Domaine Vincent Carême 2006 Vouvray Le Peu Morier MARTINE'S WINES Domaine Chainier 2008 Château de la Roche AVENUE WINES Domaine Michel Redde 2008 Le Cornets, 2005 Cuvée Majorum KORBRAND Paul-Henry Pellé 2007 Les Cris, 2008 Clos de Blanchais BEAUNE IMPORTS Thierry Redde, Domaine Michel Redde in Pouilly-sur-Loire.

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