Moulin Touchais: A retrospective tasing conducted by Frederik Wilbrenninck and Richard Kelley MW
The Institute of Masters of Wine, London SW11
Tasted Tuesday, June 26, 2018 - Wednesday, June 27, 2018 by VinoVeloVinyl with 1,308 views
Introduction
Opening remarks
Richard Kelley MW:
My first experience with Moulin Touchais came in summer 1988 in Doue la Fontaine in a Texaco garage. At the back of which there was a shop which had huge array of old vintages. And for not very much money. It was only later that I found out that the Touchais family owed the garage. In 2012 or 2013 Fred approached me to talk about UK distribution.
Frederik Wilbrenninck:
Our estate is based in Anjou. It's a 150ha estate but only 35ha of Coteaux du Layon. We make a lot of base wine for Saumur brut as well as other wines for Anjou rouge and rosé.
Joseph Touchais took over in mid-1930s and ran the estate until 1987. To protect the cellar from the Germans in World War 2 he built a wall in the cellar. The economic conditions post-war were not good so the wine remained there. The Touchais wine trading business is built on Cuisse de Bergère rosé (15 million bottles per year). Finally at the end of the 1950s prices begin to improve and the wines tasted better too. Hence the decision to wait 10 years before releasing any wines to this day.
Moulin Touchais is 100% Chenin Blanc, hand harvested in 3-5 picks. The 1st pick is for acidity, the other picks are for maturity. The blend brings balance and is the traditional method of the Layon. (in opposition to the sugar hunter style of the 1990s). The upper Layon has less botrytis than the lower Layon valley (Bonnezeaux and Quarts du Charme). The fogs burn off earlier in our region. 9 years out of 10 will be passrillage harvests rather than botrytis.
Residual sugar is 80-90g/l in general, the vintage doesn’t really affect that. What you have today is like 35 brothers and sisters, you really only taste the vintage.
Fermentation is done in concrete tanks, no oak is used. Each trie is fermented in separate tanks. Wild yeast ferments only. Fermentations are carried out through until mid-January when SO2 is added if the process has not stopped by that point. Sedimentation of the tartrates relies on the cold of the winter and the wine is then bottled after 3 months. The winter period is crucial to cold stabilisation. (The 2005 showed lots of tartaric crystals because the winter of 2005/2006 was not especially cold).
Re-corking is done after 20 years in cellar. Cork quality has improved dramatically since the 1990s, due to lack of pressure on cork producers.
If the cork has the vintage on it then it has not been re-corked. If it has been re-corked the vintage is not printed on the cork. Re-corking is done only at the point of the wine being ordered and leaving the cellar.
95% of the wine is sold as export. If the bottle needs topping up we use the same vintage to do that with. Scandinavia is the biggest market with The Netherlands and US not far behind.
Flight 1 - Recent releases (4 Notes)
A pretty interesting set of young wines which bode well.
Flight 2 - Early noughties (5 Notes)
Quite a mixed bag of styles here.
Flight 3 - The 1990s (6 Notes)
One very obvious highlight and a few decent surprises.
Flight 4 - The 1980s part one (4 Notes)
Generally positive and in a good place for drinking right now.
Flight 5 - The 1980s part two (4 Notes)
A touch less excitement, but mature wines ready to drink.
Flight 6 - 1979 - 1964 (6 Notes)
Several not commercially available vintages here. Good qualities in most of these and tasting notes will be heavily bottles dependent.
Flight 7 - The Mystic Phase (5 Notes)
Older, older and oldest. Wise, wiser and wisest.
Closing
A true 'warts and all' retrospective. Moulin Touchais plows its own path and deserves respect for having never deviated and holding true to the traditional style of the Layon.
Not every wine here was great but the peaks were high and the low points notably sparse. No especial mention was made in reference to any particularly brilliant terroir and I guess the fame of the estate resides in that fortunate decision to be a late release specialist and a bastion of tradition.
These are wines of freshness and elegance rather than outright sweetness. A style which the world has generally disregarded. Wine lovers with open minds and eclectic tastes will be well rewarded by tucking in and trying these bottles.
Huge thanks to Fred and Richard for bringing this together.
2016 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon
(6/27/2018)
‘This is a massive surprise to me’ says Richard Kelly MW, 'as the wine is usually only released at 10 years old.' The estate is very protective of young vintages. Estate manager Frederick Wilbrenninck added, ‘it’s a mistake it is here today’.
Very little frost here in 2016, 5% at most compared to the northern Anjou sector which saw 25-35% of the harvest affected.
Lots of sweetness in the mouth, tense acids, firm backbone, mellows in the finish. Flavours of golden peach and tangerine with a slight green plum sourness. Lovely length and freshness. This has good potential. See you again in 2026 I hope.
92-95
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon 95 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon
(6/27/2018)
The current release as no Moulin Touchais was made in 2008.
‘A nice vintage’ opines Frederick Wilbrenninck. 'I divide the wines into warm or cool vintages. This was a warm vintage.'
Golden hue, rich fatty palate. Evident ‘burnt caramel’ botrytis. Mouth-watering acidity and long rich golden raisins in brandy finish.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2006 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon 91 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon
(6/27/2018)
3000 bottles produced, a small harvest by the estate's standards.
A much more muted nose, warm honey and acacia notes perhaps?. Burnt toffee apple finish. Mouth scorching acidity. Sour plum finish. Oh hang on, is this a bit corky?
2nd bottle poured: This is better. A vivid, pineapple and red apple fruit palate. Dancing and lighter bodied, a refreshing style, not very sweet more a mellow richness with tense acids.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon 95 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon
(6/27/2018)
35,000 bottles produced. Generally considered to be the best of 21st century so far (2010 and 2017 waiting in the wings for that title though).
Again a reticent nose. The palate has an aged mellowness, a wistful kind of poetry about it. Feels like this is in a deep sleep for now. Marrowbone creaminess and cold butter texture. Fruit characters are golden, mellow and this recalls autumn. Quince and honey. The colour of squashes and turning leaves. Warmth through to the end, a gentle hug from an old friend.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue