Postcards from Reuilly

A beautiful Chateau near Reuilly on the wine route

Reuilly is a small appellation in the Loire Valley where most of the wine is drunk locally, but a little is exported and it is possible to buy some at Majestic and other specialist UKwine shops.  We have had them at our Tongham Tasters' wine evenings on at least one occasion.  If you are wondering what Reuilly looks like here are a few pictures I took when visiting there is April 2012. 

Reuilly is west of the Cathedral town of Bourges and South of Vierzon and close to its sister appellation of Quincy   Although relatively far from the Loire it is considered as a Loire valley appellation.  The soil can be gravelly sand, clay or sand and silt, all of which are on top of the limestone base.

Reuilly is quite unusual for such a small appellation in that it produces red, white and rosé wines and grows three different varietals - Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. 

A vineyard in the Reuilly AOC

The white wines are normally the best and in good years, from good producers (such as Claude Lafonde), can compete with the other better Loire appellations.  I also like the pale rosé wines that some of the producers produce and on a hot summers day a glass of Gris de Pinot Gris (such as that by Valerie Renaudat) can be very pleasant and are unique to this appellation in France.  The reds can also on occasion be good and are a good value easy drinking Pinot Noir at worst.  Last year I tried a particularly good 2009 Reuilly red from Domaine Pascal Desroches, who has his wines made at the local co-operative.  2009 was apparently a good year in the region.  The co-operative, Le Chai de Reuilly, is unusual in that the producers' grapes are not mixed but just vinified at the co-op and then sold under the growers' label.  Many of the top growers have joined this venture which helps keep costs down and quality up. Sometimes the reds and rosés are a blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris but I prefer them to to be 100% Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris respectively. 

April 2012 vine bud in Reuilly

Go tasting at Valery Renaudat

Look out for wines by:
Domaine Bigonneau
Domaine Claude Lafonde
Domaine Jacques Vincent
Domaine Jean-Michel Sorbe
Domaine Henri Beurdin (the white is available in Majestic and is good value)
Domaine Valery Renaudat (often available in the past in French supermarkets)
Domaine Jacques Vincent

Public building in Reuilly

With many of the Reuilly whites it is best not too over-chill as you will kill the good flavours and emphasize the poor characteristics.

In the town of Reuilly on an April day 2012

In terms of food pairings, why not try some of the following:
White - Goats cheese (of course), seafood
Rosé - Foire Gras, local potato pastries,
Red - Game, Roast Chicken

A vineyard on the wine route in Reuilly

QUINCY

The tasting room at Villa Quincy

Although nearby Sancerre gets many wine visitors each year, most people drive past Quincy without a second thought, which is a shame as it is worth at least a quick visit and a tasting.   Quincy has been one of my favourite white wines for about ten years but I too had never visited it until last month.   With a weekend to kill in Bourges, I at last made the 20 km trip on the D2076 road.

Quincy was, surprisingly considering its status today, the second ever appellation created after Chateauneuf-du-Pape, in 1936.  Apparently it has been known as a wine area since the twelfth century.  The soil is mainly sandy gravel with some flint on top of clay and chalk.   It only produces white wines and it only uses one varietal – Sauvignon Blanc.  It is in the Loire Valley just west of the cathedral city of Bourges and south of Vierzon.  It has another small neighbouring appellation in Reuilly which you can visit on the same trip.

The centre of Quincy village

A chateau in Quincy

The village itself is small but does boast a relatively new small wine museum and tasting room at the Villa Quincy in the centre of the village and open from April to December except on Tuesdays.   There is a small fee of three euros for the museum and tasting.  This is well worth a visit, although the first wine they offered us was the one by Jean-Charles Borgnat that is available in the UK at Majestic!   There is a great selection of wines to buy including those by the better producers such as Tatin and Wilk.    The tasting room won’t tell you the best wines but they will point out those that are minerally or fruity or floral according to your taste.   It is interesting to try and buy a few different ones and understand the difference that subtly different terroir and wine making can bring to the taste of wine.  The Villa Quincy also sells the wines of neighbouring Reuilly and local products such as honey.

Bruno Lecomte quincy

Quincy wines vary from rather basic Sauvignon Plonk to some that rival the more famous Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, but are usually cheaper at under ten euro.  They are always very dry and often taste of refreshing grapefruit to my taste buds, but you might recognize this as gooseberry.  Overall I find the above average Quincy as very appealing and it makes a nice aperitif wine or something to go with Rabbit Terrine, Chicken, Fish or Goat Cheese.  An earlier blog post describes even how I enjoyed one with a steak!

The Bruno Lecomte wine pictured here is one of the ones I bought at Villa Quincy. Tasted it the other night and it was rather good – lovely bouquet and taste with grapefruit to the fore with a hint of rustic goats cheese in the background.  Fruity but some complexity and high refreshment factor – a good Sauvignon Blanc.  

A fine bottle of Quincy

An attractive bottle of Quincy

Museum Exhibit