After busting out the Bordeaux a couple of weeks ago, I thought it time for something completely different - but still French of course. Where whites are concerned, this is one of my go to regions - the magnificent Loire Valley.
The enchanting troglodyte dwellings at Saumur.
Unlike Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne, the Loire has not traditionally been considered one of France’s prestige wine regions. The upside of this is that while the quality of Loire wines has improved significantly in the last few decades, the traditional view of the region is slow to change in the French psyche. Generally, prices have remained modest, which while tough for producers, is great for astute wine lovers.
The Loire is often divided into 3 areas: the Upper, Middle and Lower Loire. The Middle Loire has some of the most stunning landscapes in France and while there are several varieties found here it’s really all about chenin blanc (white) and cabernet franc (red). The area’s well-known appellations include Anjou, Savennières, Touraine, Vouvray, Chinon, Bourgueil and Saumur.
Chenin blanc is not well known in Australia but Jancis Robinson MW describes it as “probably the world’s most versatile grape” and I’d have to agree. It’s a wonderful variety, enjoyed dry through to sweet, as well as in sparkling form. In her tome, Wine Grapes, Jancis Robinson refers to “the real chenin flavours of honey, straw and apples.” She classifies grapes of the world as classic, major or other, with chenin achieving classic status. One of Chenin’s distinctive characteristics is firm acidity, a quality I love as it brings freshness and vivacity. The firm acidity also means that, along with riesling, chenin is one of the few white varieties that can genuinely age.
I reckon chenin’s one of the most overlooked and undervalued varieties. In the right place, and right hands, it’s capable of producing terrific wines at reasonable prices, like these three I’m pleased to offer you from the Middle Loire. One is from Anjou, one from Saumur and one from Vouvray, all offering great value.
Anjou sits around the lively university town of Angers, home to the Cointreau distillery as well as the imposing Château d’Angers, which houses one of France’s most monumental medieval works, the 103m long Apocalypse tapestry. Within Anjou you’ll find many sub-appellations; red, white and rosé, and it can get quite complicated. So I’m keeping it simple with just one of Anjou’s wines, Anjou Blanc, the most common dry white from Anjou and made for everyday drinking. It must contain at least 80% chenin blanc, with chardonnay and sauvignon blanc also permitted.
Anjou is a region undergoing a renaissance - The Oxford Companion to Wine already describes it as “revitalised.” This delicious entry level wine epitomises the new quality of Anjou.
CEP by CEP is a recent-ish collaboration between brothers Thierry and Philipe Germain.
Thierry Germain is a big name in the Loire. He got his start in Bordeaux before relocating to the Loire in the early 90s and starting Domaine des Roches Neuves. Of particular note is his pursuit of biodynamic cultivation, in which he has become one of France’s leading authorities. His estate focuses only on chenin from Saumur, and cab franc from Saumur-Champigny, and according to US wine guru Kermit Lynch, produces “some of the most exciting wine in the Loire Valley today.” In terms of prestige, the estate is second in Saumur only to the exclusive Clos Rougeard. Not surprisingly wines of this quality are not cheap and Roches Neuves wines in Australia start at $60 and head north.
Thierry Germain has become one of France’s leading authorities on biodynamics.
Thierry has teamed up with his brother Philipe Germain, who owns Château de la Roulerie in Anjou and is a top grower in his own right, with a view to producing more affordable (but still good quality) Anjou wines. The brothers have chosen to stick with the mainstays of the region, chenin blanc and cabernet franc, and it’s this focus on just two varieties that’s behind the name of their collaboration. Cepage is the French term for grape variety and with much of the wine sold into the UK market, there’s also the intentional resemblance to ‘step by step.’
The brothers don’t own any vineyards together for the project, instead Thierry makes sure the growers they work with are all in step with his way of thinking. The vineyards are farmed using organic principles and utilise techniques such as minimal intervention and handpicking.
CEP by CEP Anjou Blanc 2020
This wine is made from 100% chenin blanc, organically grown and handpicked. The wine did see some oak, but in old and larger format barrels, so the effect is subtle.
The wine is a clear pale gold. The nose, clean and aromatic - you’ll find lime, white blossom and lush dairy aromas before it opens up with fresh hay and gooseberry. On the palate sherbety lemons and limes overlay softer honeydew notes. Crisp and dry with a lovely mineral finish.
“Picking up where last year’s wine left off, this vintage is generous, racy, tangy and bright, with plenty of orchard fruits, yellow apples and lemon pith complemented by orange blossom and lanolin notes. It’s fleshy without being honeyed, and driven by coiled acidity with a saline splash to finish. Good, clean fun!” Bibendum Wine Co.
If you’re eating out, you’ll find it at Porteño in Surry Hills for $109 a bottle. At home, CEP by CEP is fantastic mid-week drinking and outstanding value.
I can offer it for $33 a bottle.
The historic town of Saumur sits astride the Loire River, surrounded by the appellation of the same name. The geography is a bit complicated here, but Saumur is upstream from Savennières and surrounded by bits of Anjou. The town is home to France’s national equestrian school and its famous elite riding squad, the Cadre Noir. It was also the birth place of Coco Chanel in 1883, and presiding over the town is the magnificent Château Saumur.
The appellation is best known for and a significant producer of sparkling wine, made using the same technique as Champagne. Saumur also produces white wine predominantly from chenin blanc, as well as red from cabernet franc.
Within Saumur there are several sub-appellations, one of which is Saumur Blanc, its white wine made from at least 80% chenin blanc, with the balance usually chardonnay or sometimes sauvignon blanc. Made well, Saumur Blanc offers fresh dry wines that are great value - one producer making such wines is Maison Langlois-Chateau.
The House of Langlois-Chateau was created in 1912 by Edouard Langlois and his wife Jeanne Chateau, with the house specialising in sparkling wines. Edouard was tragically killed in 1915 during WWI and subsequently awarded the Military Cross. Jeanne took over the running of the estate, aided later by her son and son-in-law.
In the 1970s, the estate’s well positioned vineyards and quality wines caught the eye of Champagne heavyweight Bollinger, who at the time was wisely looking to expand its empire beyond Champagne. In 1973 Bollinger acquired majority ownership of Langlois-Chateau and since then has invested heavily to improve the estate. These days the winery boasts all the bells and whistles, with state-of-the-art pneumatic presses, temperature-controlled tanks and high quality oak. There have also been significant changes and improvements made to the vineyards, with Langlois-Chateau one of the first estates to obtain the Terra Vitis label, a French benchmark for sustainable vineyard practices. The estate has 95 ha of its own vineyards, located in Saumur and Samur-Champigny, both of which were certified organic in 2020, as well as Sancerre.
The house’s reputation still rests predominantly on sparkling wine, but it also produces an excellent range of red and white still wines from several Loire appellations. In the Oxford Companion to Wine, Langlois-Chateau is one of only three estates referred to by name in Saumur.
Maison Langlois-Chateau Saumur Blanc 2021
The wine is 100% chenin blanc, sourced from the estate’s own organically certified vineyards. The fruit was handpicked and pressed - the juice then fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with cool ferments to protect delicate aromas/flavours. After ferment, the wine spent around 4-6 months on fine lees (the dead yeast cells that sink to the bottom of the tank), stirred occasionally to add a little extra weight, texture and complexity. The finished wine is certified organic, is sealed with a screw cap and is 13% alcohol.
“Light yellow colour. Intense nose, with aromas of white flowers and exotic fruit. Sharp at first, fruity and full-bodied on the palate. A citrus fruit finish.” Winemaker’s notes.
The wine is a clear, light greeny-gold. On the nose and palate you'll find fresh melon, green apples, citrus and tropical fruit. A subtle hay/grassy character makes it just a touch like a Hunter Semillon. Medium-to-light-bodied with crisp tart green apples on the finish and a hint of Euro savouriness and minerality.
This is why many regard the Loire as the home of great value drinking. Perfect mid-week French tipple. You’ll find it at Merivale’s Felix for $85 a bottle.
I can offer it for $35 a bottle.
Vouvray is a staple at my place and if you like whites, it should be at yours too. I love its contradictory nature - aromatic and light, yet when left to open up, it gains weight and texture. It’s an appealing combination.
Vouvray is a wine, a town and a region. The town of Vouvray sits about 10km east of the city of Tours, on the north bank of the Loire River, in the Touraine district. Oxford Companion: “the most important Loire region centred on the town of Tours. This is ‘the garden of France’, and Loire château country par excellence, a series of playgrounds for France’s pre-revolutionary aristocrats, and now the Parisian weekender’s rural paradise.”
The Pichot family is one of the oldest in Vouvray with origins going back to 1739. Three generations: Christophe, Jean-Claude and Louis.
I visited the region several years ago, marvelling at its topography, with most of the vineyards sitting on a plateau several metres above the town. While the topsoil of the plateau is made up of various soils including clay and gravel, the subsoil is a form of local limestone known as tuffeau. This wonderful material is not only ideal ideal for growing grapes, it’s also a terrific building material and was quarried extensively to build many of the splendid Loire chateaux. Most of the local cellars and even a few houses have been tunnelled into the plateau.
The Vouvray appellation was created in 1936 and these days is about 2,000ha. It’s planted almost entirely with chenin blanc, which is sometimes referred to locally as ‘Pineau de la Loire.’ It's amazing that chenin from Vouvray produces such a wide range of styles from dry right through to sweet, still wine, as well as sparkling.
Acidity is the backbone of Vouvray. Chenin has little problem achieving good richness and texture, however its naturally high acidity gives Vouvray finesse and length, and an ability to age for decades.
What amazes me about Vouvray is that it’s still such an underestimated wine. Its lack of profile here means it remains under-priced. I think it’s some of the best value drinking, if you know the right producers of course.
Domaine Pichot Coteau de la Biche Vouvray Sec 2022
The Pichot family has a long history in Vouvray, dating back to 1739. Currently at the helm are Jean-Claude (retired) and his son Christophe. They have about 28ha of vineyards located throughout the appellation, most in the prime sites of Le Mont and Haut Lieu at the top of the village. They are currently Certified HVE3 (High Value Environmental, Level 3) and are Certified Organic-In-Conversion. They are also In-Conversion to Biodynamics.
Coteau de la Biche is the only vineyard of the estate, planted on silex layered over limestone slopes, and unlike the top sweet wine sites that face full south, it faces southeast. The combination of soil and aspect make it particularly suited to the production of great dry whites.
The wine sees a combination of ferments, with 90% in stainless steel, and the other 10% in 400 litre wooden vats. It is aged on lees to give more complexity, before being bottled.
This is what classic, young, dry Vouvray is all about. It starts off with an austere and flinty old-world dryness, rather like a Chablis (but much cheaper), however it opens up with time in the glass. How enjoyable to have a fresh, young wine driven predominantly by structure not fruit. You'll love the clean, crisp mouthful.
There are no reviews as yet for the just-released 2022 and as there was no 2021 in Australia due to the loss of 98% of the crop by hail, here’s a review for the 2020.
“A charming, welcoming, very suave 2020 Vouvray Sec Coteau de la Biche with no edges. This expands in the mouth; there’s good concentration and fine tannic structure that provides a gentle chalky finish. Very satisfying and succulent with a lovely smoky note at the end. The 7g/L of residual sugar keeps things juicy and succulent rather than adding overt sweetness.” 90 points, Vinous Media, March 2021.
“2022 is an exceptional vintage for Vouvray yielding wines of perfume, finesse and lip-smacking freshness. Aromas of pear candied fruit and spice with hints of honey and that distinctive chalkiness that is so typical of great Vouvray. Fine, brilliantly focused flavours with exceptional texture and length this shows the tension typical of great dry Vouvray and is showing well from its earliest days even tasted from tank just after ferment in early November 2022.” David Burkitt, Vintage and Vine.
“Clear, light colour with bright highlights. Aromas of citrus, pink grapefruit and mandarin orange are found on the nose, while the palate offers a wonderfully round and full-bodied structure that brings perfect balance to the wine’s freshness. Mineral overtones make for a straightforward wine, culminating in a long and deeply elegant finish. A joy to drink now…”
Winemaker’s notes.
I can't think of too many whites around $35 that drink so well now and have the genuine ability to age 15+ years. Super value and a favourite.
I can offer it for $33 a bottle.
