Domaine de la Tuffiere

On the front of a promotional leaflet from the Domaine de la Tuffiere is a stamp from the Vignoble de Loire Cave Touristique organisation with the words underneath "Certificated Accueil d'excellence". Now I don't know what the exact translation is but it suggests to me that you get a very friendly welcome when you visit the Domaine. The welcome we got from the sisters in law who run the Domaine with their husbands certainly exceeded expectations. This really comes across a welcoming family run operation where the visitor is made to feel special.

We were a small group of UK wine bloggers on a trip organised by London City Airport, British Airways and the Angers Tourism Authority to promote the inauguration of regular flights from City Airport to Angers. Our trip showed how easy it is to have a few days in the Loire and, when you visit a Domaine such as this, it brings to life the passion that goes into winemaking.

Clarisse and Stephanie showed us around their amazing cellars carved out of the tuffeau and walked us around their vineyard. This was followed by lunch (with the vineyard dog ever present- see picture) at a trestle table in the courtyard with the opportunity to taste their wines.

They make wine according to both the Vin de Pays and AOC regulations and they have another more unusual product - wine jam! Unusually, and compared to the other producers we visited, they are neither organic nor biodynamic but follow the "lutte raisonne" approach for the ten grape varieties they grow.

Their Anjou Blanc carries its sugar well. I wouldn't call it off dry but it has a lovely weight with ripe fruit with a touch of spice, the acidity giving balance. The 2011 Cabernet d'Anjou Rose was a fabulous colour probably as a result of the day's maceration on the skins. Strawberries and raspberries came bursting out the glass and whilst this is noticeably off dry it's a very good example of a drinkable off dry rose, perfect for sitting outside on warm summer's day. They also showed us a Chenin "liquorose" 2010 a very good example of what the Chenin Blanc grape can do in a dessert style. And great value at 8.90 euros at the cellar door for a 50cl bottle.

The Domaine is very close to Angers Airport. If you can find it - as it does appear to be in the middle of nowhere - it is well worth a visit either when you arrive or on the way back to the airport.

Domaine de Bablut

I remember two very clear things from the visit to Domaine de Bablut with a group of UK wine bloggers.

The first is that the Domaine sits between two completely different soil types.

To the West there is slate and to the East there is limestone. As cabernet franc doesn't like drought it is planted on the East of the property. Cabernet sauvignon however doesn't mind dry conditions so is planted in the West. This then lends itself to the naming of the wines with the cabernet franc wines being the ones named Petra Alba where the Alba refers to the white of the limestone soil. The Rocca Nigra wines are so named because they come from the Nigra or darker soils.


All the reds we tasted were of a high quality with a fair degree of noticeable tannins. I'll pick out the Rocca Nigra 2006 as it stood out from the rest for me with it's ribena like blackcurrant fruit intense nose, great fruit on the palate and a lingering finish


The second thing I recall was the quality of the dessert wines.

All are made from chenin grapes that had some level of botrytis and we tasted the Grandpierre 2005 and the Noble 2005, 2002 and 1997. They all had that wonderful orange peel and marmalade richness but without being overly sweet and cloying. The Noble 2002 was for me the standout wine with aromas of caramel, mandarin and tangerine,  great balance with a fair degree of acidity still after 10 years in order to counteract the sweetness.

Clearly the Domaine has made the different soil conditions work to its benefit with the range and quality of wines it produces.

Two South African syrahs

It hadn't been my intention to compare two syrahs from South Africa - it just sort of happened. I got sent a sample of Seven Springs Vineyard latest release, a 2010 syrah from Overberg. Whilst sorting through my wine rack later in the week I came across a 2006 from Swartland produced by TMV so thought it would be interesting to compare.


 


The noticeable difference for me was in the fruit, the Seven Springs having a lot of ripe sweet black fruit with the fruit on the TMV being much less intense but with an interesting savoury edge to it. The Seven Springs had a more rounded and full bodied texture with the TMV being quite fresh. Both had softish tannins and - for me - just the right amount of peppery spice, that is a hint and not an overdose. They had just the right amount of acidity to make them beautifully balanced. 


How much of the difference was due to the four years difference in age and how much the region? I've no idea.


Which was my favourite? I'm going to say both and that's not me sitting on the fence. They were quality wines and I'd be happy to have them on the table with a Sunday roast as they both express the grape type and South Africa extremely well.

The wines of Savennieres

Savennieres lies 15 km to the south of Angers and was the first stop on a recent Wine Bloggers trip to the region. And what a place to start! These wines have a reputation for their high quality and minerality but with lots of ageing potential when they develop a range of aromas including honey, acacia and old apple.


We were met at the Chateau des Vaults by Mme Evelyne de Pontbriand who as well as being the owner of Domaine du Closel is also the President of the Savennieres Appellation. She had arranged for us to meet and taste the wines of a number of other producers from the appellation.

She explained that it was the soil and the climate that made the production of white wines in Savennieres based on Chenin Blanc grapes so special. The soil is complex and warm consisting of schist and sandstone with an ideal South to South West exposure.


We tasted all the wines in the beautiful Chateau des Vaults, a perfect setting for such a stunning range of wines. What follows is only a selection of what was tasted.


Domaine du Closel


Evelyne explained that she is in the process of becoming biodynamic. Whilst they will respect the lunar cycles in the what they do she is already convinced that doing batonnage on certain days does make a difference. We tasted a number of her wines the Les Caillardieres 2010 having a lovely honeyed nose and rounded palate. Although described as off dry the sugar is hardly noticeable simply adding a roundness to the palate of dried fruit and nuts.


I really enjoyed both the Clos du Papillon from 2010 and 2006 the 2010 perfectly illustrating the mineral nature that everyone talks about with the wines from Savennieres whereas the 2006 with its burnished gold colour apricots and apples on the nose showed how well these wines can age.


Domaine FL


Domaine FL is a relatively new creation out of two existing estates.


I loved the Chamboreau 2007 with its honeyed nose and rounded rich palate but with great acidity to add balance to the whole effect.


Pithon-Paille


Much like Domaine FL this is a young venture. They are “negociant eleveurs”, purchasing organic grapes for the most part and personally vinifying them but they also maintain some organic vineyards.


Their approach is very much hands off, doing nothing to the wine. Although not biodynamically certified they respect the lunar cycles. Their 2010 was an amazingly fresh wine with no hint of the oak they use for 30% of the production. Lovely fresh purity with great fruit on the nose.


Vignobles Alain Chateau


The Savennieres from this group comes from the vineyards surrounding the Chateau de Varennes. We tasted both the 2010 and 2008 the 2010 being a bit young at present but the 2008 showing a lovely honeyed development with the acidity building on the palate.


Patrick Badouin


Vincent Badouin and Domaine de Closel share the same oenologist. His 2009 was a complex, fresh and rounded wine but showing some honeyed development


Domaine Ogereau


The Clos le Grand Beaupreau for the 2010 vintage was all green apple fruit with acidity that made it quite a lean style whereas the 2009 was already showing signs of development into a rounded and richer style of wine that lingered and was altogether more complex.


How would I sum up Savennieres after this tasting of wines from six producers? What surprised me given the fact everyone seems to associate Savennieres with minerality is the development on the wines after only a short period. I loved the complexity, richness and weight that comes jumping out the glass after only a years or two but beautifully balanced by the trademark acidity of the Chenin Blanc grape.


It was real pleasure to meet the producers and to feel the passion they have for their wines and the terroir that produces them.

Tesco's Spectacular Summer Entertaining mixed case

So what's in this case that Tesco have offered to give to the winner of my competition?

It's quite an eclectic mix with everything from the Marques de Monistrol Vintage Rosé Cava 2008 through to a Château Laroche Viella Madiran 1996. The Cava is a gorgeous colour with lots of red berry fruit. The Madiran is a wine I would have chosen for a Winter Entertaining case rather than drink in the summer as it would pair well with a hearty stew. 


The Old Renwick Road Sauvignon Blanc 2010 was interesting. Imagine a nectarine wrapped up in nettle leaves then you'll get the aromas coming out of the glass in this wine. There is a nice weight to the palate which is fresh and tingly. 


There's a Swingbridge Margaret River Chardonnay 2010 and a very interesting Nero d'Avola.  Open and drink it right away and it is perfectly drinkable if a bit uninspiring. Leave it a while and it does develops some pleasing complexity which comes from the fact that a small number of dried grapes are used during fermentation.  It's the Colpasso Nero d'Avola 2010.

Finally I guess no case would be complete with a Rioja, Here it's a Faustino Rivero Rioja Reserva 2005 from one of the oldest wineproducing families in the Rioja. This will be perfect with Sunday lunch roast lamb.

So who's going to win this selection?

How to run a wine blogger trip

I remember reading a blog post some ago about how to run a successful press trip to a wine region. Having just been to Angers in The Loire with a small group of wine bloggers the groups behind this trip certainly got the organisation just right.


We tasted lots of wine and met a number of producers, the most important constituent of any trip as far as wine bloggers are concerned. We got a good introduction to the region to set the scene and remind us of the variety in Anjou. We ate well and also got some cultural input with visits to a couple of chateaus, and we had time to use Twitter and update Facebook.


The travel was easy with the new British Airways route from London City Airport to Angers proving it really is very easy to spend a couple of days in and around Angers. London City Airport is easy to get to and given its size and facilities is a pleasure to use. It's how air travel used to be before airports just got too big and busy.


So hats off to the Angers Loire Tourism Authority and London City Airport for putting together such a successful event.