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

A Tale of Terroir

For our May Tongham Tasters’ evening we had a more specialised theme than normal – we were to taste five French Sauvignon Blanc white wines. Our reward was to be a mature red at the end of the evening. After eight months, I was at last going to be allowed to choose the wines – the pressure was on. Surely after all my practice of drinking wines from Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, this would be a veritable doddle! Alas, the budget was just fifty pounds for six bottles; I was going to have to very thrifty and search a wider area of France for value. After much diligent research I got together what I thought were 5 pretty good value Sauvignon Blanc white wines and a cracking red as well. But how would our eight man tasting team perceive them?.... and would they be able to spot the Sauvignon Blanc that was blended with something else as well?

The evening started well enough, as I explained how New Zealand wines shouted at me whereas French wines talked to me and occasionally sung to me, and then someone mentioned that dreaded word…….”terroir”!

In order of preference after voting, here are my wines and our collective views on them. Scores are in the order: John E, Steve S, Sheila, Jane, Clive, John S and Ian.

1. Domaine de Salvard Cheverny Le Vieux Clos “Delaille” 2009, Majestic Wines, £7.99
Three of our intrepid team of eight tasters voted this their top wine and another four had it as their runner up. However, nobody realised that this was a blended wine as it tasted like pure Sauvignon Blanc. It in fact had 15% Chardonnay as well. Many thought it tasted quite New World compared to the other French wines that we were tasting. It certainly had a nice bouquet and taste that perhaps came from maturing the wine on its lees. The scores out of 20 were 15, 14.5, 11, 18, 17, 15, and 13. This was another winner from Majestic Wine Warehouse.

A really nice red!

2. Altos D’Oliva Gran Reserva Catalunya 2000 Spain, FromVineyardsDirect, £7.95
With four of our judges putting this at No.1 and another as runner up, our red wine of the evening did rather well. Everybody’s first guess was that this was an Australian Rhone blend – but no it was from near the Priorat region of Spain. It was the oldest wine we had yet had at a Tongham Tasters evening and everyone thought this would go well with a BBQ. Many including Kathyrn got the liquorice taste of this Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranilla, Garnacha, Shiraz blend and John S thought it chunky with a hint of sweetness. Sheila thought that it not only sung to her but did the whole Karaioke repertoire! Scores were 15.5, 14, 14, 14, 12, 15, and 14.5. This is a wine that represents great value for money.

3. Domaine Octavie Touraine Sauvignon 2009, FromVineyardsDirect, £8.75
One top vote, three seconds and two thirds gave this wine our bronze medal of the evening. A few like Steve S thought this was a blend as it wasn’t particularly Sauvignon Blanc like and had more sweetness and less acidity than normal. Clive thought he detected a little spritz. Scores were 13, 13, 10.5, 16, 16, 13, and 9.5. Worth adding to your list if you are trying to make up a mixed case of twelve wines, I enjoyed it more when I tasted it on its own with a meal rather than part of a tasting flight.

Jane expounds on Teroir!

4. Vallee Blanche Sauvignon Blanc Cotes de Gascogne 2009, Majestic, £5.99
The cheapest wine of the evening, it did rather well in the scoring with two third places and four fourth places.. Variously described as quite minerally and quite fruity, some thought it very dry and, some like Jane, quite sweet! It was certainly fruity, perhaps apple-like with some citrus and lychee, and was another with a touch of the New World rather than the Loire about it – in fact it comes from the South West of France. Scores were 14.5, 11.5, 10, 13, 15, 12, and 10.5. This is a very good value nice wine from Majestic. Don’t be put off by the cheap looking label as Steve has been in the past.

5. Clothilde Davenne Saint-Bris Sauvignon 2009, FromVineyardsDirect. £9.75.
The most expensive wine of the evening did rather disappointingly with just two top three votes and not much else. A nice wine it is perhaps not very Sauvignon Blanc like. It was interesting that it had a much darker colour than the other wines. Clive was not sure of the aftertaste but It went well the spicy aubergine dip that Jane made. Scores were 12.5, 12, 6.5, 13, 10, 11, and 12. An interesting wine that frankly is better based on previous tastings than these scores would indicate but on this tasting perhaps not worth the price. Whenever, I have bought wines from this small Burgundy appellation before, they have been cheaper and better value.

6. Domaine Henri Beurdin et Fils, Reuily 2009, Majestic £7.99.
This wine should have been OK based on previous tastings but when served too cold has a bitterness and grittiness that is unpleasant. However, once it warms up and you have some food with it, then these bad characteristics disappear. It was an interesting lesson in serving wine at the right temperature and how food can improve wine. For the wine nearest to the traditional Loire Sauvignon Blanc area it was not so good. Scores were 11.5, 9, 4, 8, 13, 9, and 6.5. A real spread of scores for this one, depending on whether it was scored based on first or last impressions. This was a tricky wine to serve correctly; interestingly, enough it says on the bottle to serve it fresh and not too iced – should have read the label!

It was an interesting mix of wines and showed how the different terroir from the different areas of France allied with the different wine makers’ skills and techniques can turn out quite different tasting wines. The 2 different goats cheeses, aubergine dip, brandade and crudités all went down well with the home made rolls and pitta bread. We had a great crowd along and the conversation flowed on many topics as well as wine.  Did we really talk about the Eurovision Song Contest?  It was great to have Kathryn along for the first time and hope we see her again at future evenings. Cost of the evening per person was just £7.30 – good value I think. It was good to try wines from yet another interesting inline retailer – FromVineyardsDirect.

The table is set for a great evening

Next month we will be having another Friday evening event and the theme is BBQ wines and if the weather is good we will be having a BBQ as well. The date for your diary is Friday June 3rd. Click on Wine Circle at the top of the page for more details – all are welcome. Location will be somewhere in Grange Road, Tongham.

For our July evening we are celebrating French National day on Thursday July 14th - this evening will be a bit special as we are doubling the budget for the evening and having some rather nice French wines and food.  As usual contact John via email at tonghamtaster@gmail.com or ring him on 07717 876743.

Our August evening will be another Friday evening event and the theme will be Old World versus New World wines.  Venue will be in Tongham.    For our Farnborough fans good news as the Setmber event will be in Farnborough on Thursday September 15th.

TonghamTaster’s French Wine Tasting Course – week 9 Loire Sauvignon Blanc Whites

The 12 month on-line course to help you learn about French wines - Top tips on how to get value when buying them - Reasonably priced up-to-date recommendations of what to buy and try in the UK - Bringing you the best of Tongham Village Hall wine tastings.

INTRODUCTION
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the top grape varieties in the world because of the wines produced with this varietal in the Loire Valley. This week we cover these great wines which are still amongst the best, despite the efforts of New Zealand and others to topple them.

Tongham Taster in Sancerre 2008

LOCALITY
The upper Loire, sometimes called Le Berry or the Central Vineyrads, around Vierzon and Sancerre produces the most famous Sauvignon Blanc wines of the Loire. Vierzon has the reputation of being one of the ugliest towns in France but Sancerre is one of those beautiful hilltop towns they seem to have everywhere in France. This area is also famous for goats cheese such as Chavignol, so no surprise that this is one of the top food pairings with this wine. The area of Touraine near Tours also produces some good value Sauvignon Blanc wines.


The vineyards and town of Sancerre

VARIETALS
The grape we are covering this week is just the Sauvignon Blanc varietal, apart from a few notes about the roses from the area which are produced from red grapes. Sauvignon Blanc produces a direct, easy to appreciate style of wine that is always dry– hence its popularity.

THE WINES
There is really just one main style of Sauvignon Blanc in the Loire; a very dry, fruity white without any oak. The world famous AOCs producing this style are of course Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. These two wines are produced almost opposite each other on each side of the Loire. The latter is not to be confused with Pouilly Fuisse which is a wine produced from Chardonnay grapes from relatively nearby Macon in Burgundy. The Sancerres of Pouilly Fume can be the greatest expressions of Sauvignon Blanc in the world when from a top producer in a good year. One of the joys of tasting Sancerre in the region is to discover that they do not all taste the same and experiencing the subtly different tastes that come from thev slightly different soils – different combinations of clay and limestone and different amounts of flint. Over the years I have grown to love the wines from Alphonse Mellot, Serge Laporte, Didier Dagueneau and may others. The best are wonderfully complex but still refreshing. I first visited Sancerre in 1981 and have been back many times over the years.

The other AOCS in the upper Loire that produce this style of Sauvignon Blanc wine are Menetou Salon which is next door to Sancerre to the west, plus Quincy and Reuilly which are even further west clustered just south of Vierzon. Their wines are often good value but expect to pay high prices for good Menetou Salon producers like Domaine Philippe Gilbert or Henri Pelle. Over the years I have grown vary fond of the wines from Quincy with their often vary grapefruity taste.

Way to the west of Sancerre, in the middle Loire, is the AOC of Touraine and this area also produces some good value Sauvignon Blanc but with a subtly different taste due to the terroir. I would have to admit that I tend to be disappointed in them but suspect that is just me.

Inside the winery of Domaine Philippe Gilbert

A more unusual style of Sauvignon Blanc that some producers have experimented with is an oaked style. Examples are Domaine Philippe Gilbert’s Les Renardieres wines in Menetou Salon and Alphonse Mellots Cuvee Edmond in Sancerre. If you are a serious wine drinker, you really should try these and I have seen both available in the UK over the years.

Although nothing to do with Sauvignon Blanc I wish to mention the Roses of the region. I tend to think that Pinot Noir can produce some of the best Roses in the world and although some of the Sancerre Roses can be disappointing, the rose from Domaine Philippe Gilbert in Menetou can be really excellent. I also enjoy the Gris de Gris that Valerie Renaudat produces in Reuilly. It is a Vin Gris (something which we would call a blush wine) from Pinot Gris grapes and again is rather pleasant.

Sancerre Town Square

THE TASTE
Loire Sauvignon Blanc wines tend to have a dry, crisp taste with notes of gooseberry, citrus, grass and even cats pee! There is often also a distint flinty minerally taste that comes from the terroir.

TOP TIPS
• The wines of Menetou Salon, Quincy and Reuilly can be good value alternatives to Sancerre and Pouilly Fume.
• Look out for one of the oaked Sauvignon Blancs if you want to impress a wine buff!
• Don’t buy cheap Sancerre or Pouilly Fume, ie under £12 a bottle – it is almost always a disappointment.

HOMEWORK
For your homework this week you need to buy and try any Loire Sauvignon Blanc. You might want to try one of my recommendations below:

Waitrose – Domaine Naudet 2008, Sancerre – about £13.

The hilltip town of Sancerre, August 2003

Or if feeling flush, Waitrose - Domaine Henry Pellé, Clos des Blanchais 2007 Menetou-Salon – about £16.
or Sainsburys – Alphonse Mellot La Moussierre, Sancerre, about £16.
Or if on a budget – Majestic, La Grille Touraine Sauvignon 2009 Paul Buisse, about £7. Majestic always have an interesting selection of more expensive Loire whites so you might wish to try some of theirs such as the Domaune Vacheron at about £17
You might also consider a trip down to Les Caves des Pyrenes in Guildord to see their selection. It normally includes Henri Pelle from Menetou.

A good reference guide

FOOD PAIRINGS
The Loire Sauvignon Blancs make a great aperitif wine for drinking on their own. After a hard day I like nothing better than a glass of good Sancerre, Pouilly or Menetou. Very refreshing!
The classic food pairing is goats cheese.
Other food pairings would include sea food and fish but don’t stop there, try chicken dishes such as lemon chicken or chicken Marengo as well.

COMING SOON
Next week we move on to the Languedoc-Roussillon area of Southern France and some of its great value red wines.

If you missed the early weeks of this course, it is not too late to catch up. Just click on the French Wine Course link at the top of this page.

Buying wines in French Supermarkets

It is well known that Jane and myself tend to make wine runs twice a year to the French supermarkets during their Foire aux Vins. Recently, our wine group has been talking of joining us for the run in March 2011. So what wines might they find and what quality and price. Below is a selection of the last six wines under ten euros that we have drunk in the last month and that were purchased during our last two trips:

Comte de Calayrac, Pecharmant, 2006, Union de Vinicole, Bergerac Le Fleix. €6.07 Auchan. Scored 15/20. This is not an appelation well known in England and not one I buy often either. However, this oaked red Bordeaux blend from next door in Bergerac proved rather a gem. It had good balance and nice earthiness and spice. This is obviously one of those cooperative wines worth looking out for and 2006 seems a pretty good year. I found this to be a joy and good value. An example of our picking something you might not buy in the UK that gives one a pleasant surprise when opening.

Grande Reserve d’Or, Madiran, 2007, Cave de Crouseilles. €4.99 Auchan. Scored 14.5/20. This is an old favourite and I always try to keep some Madiran in the house to have with dishes from the South West of France (Cassoulet, Magret de Canard or Ossau Iraty sheeps cheese from the Pyrenees). This redwine is made from the Tannat grape with some Cabernet Franc. This is another cooperative produced wine and is an example of a more fruity style Madiran that can be drunk young.

Chateau Tour Leognan, Pessac-Leognan, 2007. €9.90 Intermarche. Scored 13.5/20. I love the red wines of the Graves region of Bordeaux and always look to buy some in all price ranges when in France. This is the second label of the well known Graves property Chateaux Carbonnieux and is made from their youngest vines. It is quite typical of wines from this Chateaux but probably needs to be kept a few more years to be at its best but some aeration makes it drinkable now. It is a 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot blend and has good cassis fruit and tannins with a hint of vanilla oak. Perhaps very slightly thin.

Apremont, 2008, Vin de Savoie, Les Adrets. €4.50 Auchan.  Scored 13/20. This is an interesting white wine that many from the UK, unless they have skiied in the area, will never have heard of.  It is made from 100% Jacquere grapes and so is interestingly different from the normal Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio wines.  Relatively subtle and pale, we enjoyed this wine with a raclette (a cheese dish from the area.

Reuilly White, Domaine Bigonneau, 2008. €6.99 Auchan. Scored 12.5/20. The Sauvignon Blanc whites from the Loire Valley, especially Sancerre, Menetou-salon, Quincy and Reuilly, are amongst my favourite white wines. After a hard day at the office they make a great aperitif! This is another small not so known appellation and thus better value than say Sancerre. This is a small family run estate in Brinay where the father and daughter make the wines. I was slightly disappointed in this wine but at the price still represents value for a dry white wine from the Berry.

Roquebrun Languedoc 2009

Combe de Brescou, Saint Chinian, Cave de Roquebrun, 2008. €6.50 Auchan. Scored 12.5/20. For me the Languedoc is the place for value red wines in France and I love the wines of Saint Chinian and this cooperative. This is 60% Syrah (Shiraz), 20% Grenache, 20% Mouvedre which makes it a big wine. For me there is too much tannin so perhaps needs leaving a few years but it is still drinkable now.

So overall a good value bunch of wines with not a dud amonst them. Look out for those good cooperatives and less known appellations when buying wine in France.  Hopefully, this might tempt you along to our group and to join us on our next trip to France.