La Manche Wine Circle - Loire Reds #3

Being far too long since our last group tasting in September last year, here was a trip up the Loire with, this time, five men in the boat (and no dog). To get a rough comparison of the main Loire red sub-regions from recent vintages (2005 to 2009), wines from Anjou Brissac, Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Bourgueil, Saumur Champigny and Chinon - plus an 'intrus' from Cheverny - were chosen. Once again Chateau de la Varière was the panel's coup de coeur (winning Mr. Humphreys the tasters' cup) closely followed by Christophe Baudry's Chinon - Domaine de la Morandiere. Bronze goes to the '05 Bourgueil - Domaine du Carroi. Congratulations to IH for choosing the winning wine and great thanks to Cath for providing such a splendid dinner.

• 2006 Château la Varière Anjou-Villages Brissac 84 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou-Villages Brissac

  Black red sombre robe with crystal clear highlights - no signs of ageing. Ripe, rich, sweet black fruit - far more complex and concentrated than the others in the flight with hints of cherry tobacco, vanilla, pepper and confiture. Velvety smooth on the well-balanced palate with a pleasant bitterness on a medium-long finish. Great food wine with the potential to age well - a real Bordeaux-beater! IH

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• 2008 Domaine de la Morandière Chinon 80 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  Very dark red, ruby rim and good legs. Tingly 'bonbons' aromas at first then sweet, ripe fruit. Almost a Burgundy-style nose. Nice balanced palate, good acidity; refreshing and clean. One to keep 2-3 years. PH

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• 2005 Domaine du Carroi Bourgueil Cuvée Tradition 78 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil

  Darkest of all the wines in the flight - viscous. Concentrated, ripe blackcurrant fruit with cedar and fresh coltsfoot. An easy-drinker with soft tannins. Another good BBQ wine with enough weight to go well with char-grilled meats and spicy marinades. Drinking well now. DG

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• 2009 Sylvain Bruneau Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil La Croix Blanche 75 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

  Very young, dark black cherry with big legs. Black fruit and white pepper over a robust alcohol giving pleasant amylic and menthol aromas and a hint of cedar. Very juicy acidity - one to keep 1-2 years to reveal its potential. IH

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• 2007 François Cazin (Le Petit Chambord) Cheverny Rouge 71 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Cheverny

  Ruby robe with a bright rim. Lovely, perfumed red fruit on the nose with a hint of the spice cupboard. Green, herbal, feminine. Pleasing crushed redcurrants and greengage on a medium palate. A very pleasant summer BBQ wine to drink now - the scoring was probably brought down 5-10 points by putting this pinot/gamay blend in a flight of cabernets. DA

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• 2008 les hauts buits Saumur-Champigny 70 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny

  Mid-red robe, thin. Nice blackcurrant fruit on the nose like weak Ribena but a tad one-dimensional. Very soft palate - a passable breakfast wine! GT

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No surprise to find the 100% cabernet sauvignon Brissac at the top of list for a panel with 'Bordeaux' tastes. A first time for a Cheverny for most of the panel and this pinot/gamay wine was easily identified as the odd one out - its relatively low score reflects this but it’s not a bad little wine at all and it went very well with the Thai-style marinated prawns in chilli. The bigger wines from Chinon and Anjou were perfect accompaniments to a hearty Catalan lamb casserole.

Next outing in May at Tovey Towers – GT to confirm the details…