Author Archives: richardgore1200

Wine GB wine tour – Loire Valley 2019 – Day 3 wine and mushrooms

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Langlois Chateau, owned by Bollinger since1973 and it makes 1.2 to 1.5 million bottles a year. We did the tour of the caves and winery and then tasted some of the wines.
24 pallet gyro pallet for riddling the sparkling wine

24 pallet gyro pallet for riddling the sparkling wine

Wine having a little rest

Wine having a little rest

L’Extra par Langlois, blanc de blanc. Fresh with fruit drive flavours and aroma’s. The Langlois Brut. 60% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin and 20% Cab Franc is drier, less fruit driven but has higher acidity coming through on the tasting. The Brut is a more traditional sparkling wine.
The 2013 reserve millesime Brut is drier with greener notes and is aged another year (3 years), There is more going on but not sure it’s worth the extra Eur5 a bottle.
The quadrille Extra Brut is yeasty, very dry and more champagne and at Eur20 a bottle reasonable if you like champagne.
The Langlois Brut Rose is light, with subtle flavours of red fruit and good acidity, not to high. At Eur11 a bottle it’s good value.
The Saumur blanc is 100% Chenin and is light, clean, fresh flavours. It’s a soft wine perfect for summer, sitting in the garden and at Eur11 a bottle ok value given you’ll drink a bottle at a time.
Quadrille and Saumur white

Quadrille and Saumur white

The other whites I tried crept up the flavours ranking with oakey notes but with the need of food to go with them and priced higher.
The red Saumur Champigny is Cab Franc, served slightly chilled there are lovely red fruit flavours and very smooth. At under Eur10 a bottle good value.
The mushroom museum was next.
The mushroom museum is located in caves and this is where the mushrooms are grown.
Mushrooms growing in the caves

Mushrooms growing in the caves

Mushrooms growing in the caves 2

Mushrooms growing in the caves 2

The lunch at the museum was stuff mushrooms, what else.
Charles Joguet, in the Chinon area was the next stop.
They only grow Cab Franc but uses the different parcels of land with different sold and aspects to create wines that are simpler, red fruit driven flavour based to one’s which are more complex with black fruit and more tannins. These are not cheap wines but they are excellent. The La Cure 2015 is silky smooth, with lots of red and black fruits and a refined texture. At Eur21 a bottle its worth it.
Charles Joguet Cab Franc

Charles Joguet Cab Franc

Wine GB wine tour – Loire Valley 2019 – Day 2 – Research Station and Tasting

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Day 2 of the trip took us to the Loire vine research station – lycee Edgard Pisano et C.F.A.A 49.

Loire vine research station - lycee Edgard Pisano et C.F.A.A 49

Loire vine research station – lycee Edgard Pisano et C.F.A.A 49

The reseach station is one of many in France. Part finder by the state and part by industry, they are looking at a number of vine growing issues.
How reduce the inputs to make vine growing more efficient.
How to to control pests and disease’s
Come up with new varieties of vines.
The picture below is where the rootstock was grafted onto experimental variety that did not work, they then grafted a second varietal onto the rootstock as that was already established.
Loire root stock

Loire root stock

When it comes to disease resistant they have found the 4 genes that relate to issues with mildrew and have bred a variety that is resistant. They are now trying to cross this with a varietal that actually has taste, as the original is very neutral. They tried GM vines but they found that these were sabotaged, people did not like them being grown and tried out.

One of the main areas they are looking at is how to reduce the inputs to make vine growing more efficient. This includes different mulching and if you should replace individual vines in rows that have died, probably not.

Loire research replacing vines

Loire research replacing vines

The bags are where they have hand pollinated disease resistant and taste verietals. These are white varietal ones because the red varietal are done in Bordeaux.
Loire hand pollination

Loire research replacing vines

Plastic around the base of the vine is where they have grafted a new cane (branch) onto the European top to create a new cane where one has died, the plastic is there to protect the new cane.
Loire new cane replacement

Loire new cane replacement

The white strips on the vines are anti hale netting, they’ve not had hale yet.
Loire anti hale netting

Loire anti hale netting

Also looking at trying to set up eco system that will help look after the vines from powdery mildew by planting vegetation that has have the mildrew and the predators of powdery mildew they hope these established predators will help the vine.
Their sparkling wine is made from Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cab Franc. It is made from grapes grown at the research station at a local co operative. There are aroma’s and flavours of peach, green apple, lemon and with high acidity.
Next on day 2 was tasting and lunch at
Chateau De Fesles.
Chateau De Fesles, Loire Valley

Chateau De Fesles, Loire Valley

whites included – Chenin Sec 2016. Aromas of melon and lemon with freshness and mineral notes. Light creaminess to the taste with slight vanilla coming through. The fresh acidity helps mask the 13.5% alcohol. Easy drinking summer wine.
The 2012 version has honey notes and a smoky Oak undertone. The acidity is there there but it’s masked by the honey and not to my taste.
Rose Anjou 2018. Aromas of strawberry raspberry, red fruit and bubblegum. The only downside is this is a sweeter wine and that really comes through. Love the smell, just  couldn’t drink lots of this.
There were several red wines, Cab Franc’s were good to excellent, usual red fruit and black cherry aromas and flavours. Well worth the visit. Wines ranged from Eur6-Eur30 a bottle. Decent value.
The next tasting was at Domaine Filliatreau. The tasting rooms are in the caves on a side of a hill.
Domaine Filliatreau, Loire Valley

Domaine Filliatreau, Loire Valley

The white wine was full of flavour, with richness and and urge to have food with them. The Cab Franc red wines were excellent. Lots of red fruit, black cherry and light to medium tannins. At Eur 9-Eur25 per bottle, they are not cheap but pretty good value. We got 4 bottles to have when we get home.

Wine GB wine tour – Loire Valley 2019 – Day 1 – Bouvet Ladubay

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This is a favourite of mine. It’s a big producer, with 6 million bottles produced each year.

The evening started with a tour of the old caves which were used to store the wine, only a small amount is stored here now. The caves are limestone and the limestone was used for the local buildings over the last thousand years.

The wines are varied, sparkling wine is excellent with rounded aromas and flavours of the underlying grapes and good value at Eur10 or less for the majority of the range.

Bouvet Ladubay tasting in the Loire Valley, France

Bouvet Ladubay tasting in the Loire Valley, France

 

Bouvet Ladubay line up in the Loire Valley, France

Bouvet Ladubay line up in the Loire Valley, France

 

Jean Giner -Cinsault from South of France

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Not a standard grape for a supermarket but well planted in the South of France, it has lovely aromas of strawberry and red fruits and these come through in the taste.

Light and fruity this a lovely easy drinking rose that can’t be criticised, exactly what you expect from southern French rose.

Jean Giner -Cinsault from South of France

Jean Giner -Cinsault from South of France

 

Donna Patrizia – Buccia Nero from Tuscany

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Made with 3 different grapes, Trebbiano 40%, Malvasia 40%, Grechetto 20% this is not you average white wine people would buy, unless you go for Italian wine. Consumers often buy single varietal grape wine but there are some interesting wines out there. The first time you pour the wine the deep gold colour stands out. There are flora aromas and also ripe peach, the flavours are mineral, pear and citrus but the main elements that stands out is the length and high alcohol. 14% is high and you do notice it. This is a Tuscan white with quite a bit. To much for the cat!

Donna Patrizia - Buccia Nero from Tuscany

Donna Patrizia – Buccia Nero from Tuscany

Grasa De Cortinari – Romanian sweet wine

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Asda won a gold medal for its very cheap,    £5.25, Romanian Wine Atlas Fetească Regală at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, so Romania can produce excellent wine. The bottle states aromas of dried apricots and beeswax and flavours of raisins and almonds. A wine made with noble rot, that can age and has unique style. Aromas are off with the bees, flavours as big as a bee and sweetness the size of Mount Olympus. You just get sweetness. Passable with a Chinese takeaway but avoid is the best I can say.

Grasa Cortinari - Romanian sweet wine

Grasa De Cortinari – Romanian sweet wine

Alta vista Torrontes 2007 desert wine

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Argentina desert wine can be extremely delish. Salta in the north is the  the home Torrontes and this is a fine example of what is produced by a first class outfit. There are aromas of peach, melon and honey. The same comes through in the taste although more melon and honey.

Personally I prefer it on its own, just lovely.

vista Torrontes 2007 desert wine

Alta Vista Torrontes 2007 desert wine

La Cave d’Augustin Florent 2018, Buzet, Bordeaux rose

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As a Bordeaux rose this Cave d’Augustin Florent is made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. It’s got more flavours than a Provence rose, peach, pear and strawberry but the flavours blend into each other and it takes time to taste these. There is not much on the aroma side, some aromas but difficult to pin these down. A master of wine would have no problem but the average accidental drinker would.

As a cheap rose for the summer it’s ok, have it with a salad or fish to help take your mind off the wine personal I prefer Provence rose.

La Cave d'Augustin Florent 2018, Buzet, Bordeaux rose

La Cave d’Augustin Florent 2018, Buzet, Bordeaux rose

Champagne Guilleminot NV Brut

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The Guilleminot family are a relatively small producer, the benefit of this to us is that they have a wonderfully unique style. This is made with Pinot Noir and although you get the yeasty bready aromas the flavour is more fruit driven. Sure this will still go with seafood but it also goes very well with homemade pizza.

Champagne Guilleminot NV Brut

Champagne Guilleminot NV Brut

First Cape Special Cuvee Chenin Blanc

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Even the bulk producers are making premium ranges that are far removed from their normal offerings these days. This is not one of them. “Special Cuvee Chenin Blanc made with bush wines” means hot day with a glass or 2 of white wine. There are subtle aromas and flavours of citrus and peach but not much compared to other Chenin Blanc’s. That said at under £6 a bottle what do you expect!

 

First Cape Chenin Blanc

First Cape Chenin Blanc