The Loire is France's third-largest wine region. Edgy whites used to dominate, followed by raw reds. Not now, though. The quest for ripe fruit has given way to a new generation of flavour-punching dry whites and deeper, more structured reds - and don't sommeliers know it, as the Loire listings continue to creep up.
On the white front, Chenin Blanc rules (with a handful of producers capable of turning out some of the world's greatest white wines with it), while Sauvignon Blanc is at its most pungent here. Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon reign among the reds - currently hot stuff on top restaurant wine lists.
But isn't the Loire pretty far north for ripening the Cabernets? Yup, and it's a challenge to say the least, but when the climate conspires, and winemakers keep a steady head, you've got something to shout about, as a Caterer panel discovered.
The Tasters
Alan Holmes, head sommelier and wine buyer at Chewton Glen, New Milton, Hampshire (AH); Johnny Walker, wine director, Malmaison Hotels (JoW); Jeremy Willcock, co-proprietor, the George, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight (JeW); Jake Watkin, chef-proprietor, JSW, Petersfield, Hampshire (JW); Nick Scade, proprietor, the New Mill, Eversley, Hampshire (NS); Fiona Sims, freelance food and wine writer (FS).
What we thought
Loire reds aren't the cheapest, as we discovered later, when the wraps came off - but hey, they're not easy wines to make. And when they're good, they're really good, as we found out. And they get better each year, agreed those in the know, as picking practices now focus on only the ripest fruit. They make great restaurant wines, too - you don't see too many Loire reds in your local high street, we observed. And they provide real interest on the palate, as the Caterer panel found out.
All singled out the Saumur-Champigny La Marginale from Domaine des Roches Neuves as the their top wine, giving it one of the highest scores ever awarded in a Caterer tasting - and all felt that it deserved its £14.15 price tag, making it the most expensive wine in our 17-bottle tasting. Prices started at 4.95 (per bottle ex-VAT), with most wines hovering around the £7 mark
"I was very impressed," declared Johnny Walker. "These are really grown-up wines. I kept thinking, as I went through the wines - 'wow, look at these textures, they have such a great mouthfeel'. I think my favourites were the Chinons. Would I put them on my list? Yes, easily - I'm thinking of at least three of them.
However the huge variation in styles threw certain members of the panel. "They lurched from little fruit to loads of fruit, from chewy tannins to fine tannins," worried Jeremy Willcock. Nick Scade agreed. "A few were mean and miserable, while others were really fruit-driven."
Not that this fazed Alan Holmes, who found them stimulating. "There was a very clear-cut definition in styles - from dry and spicy to richer, softer, plumier fruit. I found that exciting," he said. "Some of the softer, more fruit-driven styles sometimes didn't quite get the balance right, and a few of the drier more savoury styles overdid the tannins and were a little bitter, but generally the quality was good," he sums up.
And yes, Holmes does already have a few Loire reds on his list. "And I will be putting on more after this - I do think the wines are generally much underrated." Praise indeed.
Chef Jake Watkins was also a fan. "I have to admit that Loire reds are not a big thing on my list at the moment but these tasted wonderful - there were such intense flavours.
I could really sell these - if the price is right," Watkins concluded.
With special thanks to the George, Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, for hosting the event.
Get to know your Loire reds: the key appellations
Chinon
Where: There are 19 towns and villages on either side of the Vienne river that make up the Chinon appellation in the district of Touraine, with names such as Savigny, Avoine, Tavant, Cravant and Panzoult. At its heart is Chinon itself, sitting near the tip of a triangle formed by the meeting of the Loire and Vienne rivers.
Soil: We’re talking limestone-clay, siliceous-clay or gravelly sandy soils, all supported by a chalk-limestone sub-layer. The wines vary in weight and depth, with those planted in gravelly sand the lightest, while those made from grapes grown on the limestone slopes have more character and weight.
Taste: A hundred years ago Chinon’s wine was rated on a par with Margaux, and in terms of charm they can come surprisingly close today. Youngsters are a cross between a juicy Beaujolais and a young claret, while an older Chinon will boast earthy, chocolaty, even truffley, gamey notes.
Saumur
Where: Saumur is the largest centre of wine production in the Loire, situated 30 miles upstream from Angers. Like Chinon, it has a corker of a castle. And Saumur is the Loire’s Epernay and Reims rolled into one – about half the grapes from the 39 Saumur communes, which run down from the river towards Montreuil-Bellay and beyond, are used for mousseux, the region’s flirty fizz.
Soil: A mixed bag – sandier than Touraine to the east and less clayey than Muscadet to the west: a combination of shale, marl, sand, limestone and gravel.
Taste: The reds are refreshing, relatively light fruity wines.
Saumur-Champigny
Where: At the heart of Saumur is this red-wine-only AOC – aka the jewel in the Anjou crown. Roughly ringed by the forest of Fontevraud, the Loire and the river Thouet, the pretty wine-producing village of Champigny produces riper grapes than its neighbours. Saumur-Champigny first made an entrance in the late 1970s; its succulent Cabernets, served lightly chilled, were (and still are) lapped up by restaurants and bars from Montmartre to Mayfair.
Taste: It’s quite different from Anjou-Villages, and different again to the wines of Bourgueil and Chinon. It’s generally lighter, fresher and even more fruity than these three, relatively low in alcohol, yet high in acidity, very plummy and light on the tannins. Though these days the pendulum is swinging the other way, in favour of beefier Champignys that can age.
Soil: The meatier wines come from densely planted vineyards on the cliff facing the Loire, where soils are chalk covered with alluvial silt; the silkier ones from soils of sand, clay and gravel.
Bourgueil
Where: Found on the north bank of the Loire in the west of the Touraine region, Bourgueil and its communes make some of Loire’s most celebrated red wines. And we can thank monks for that. The town’s abbey, founded in the 10th century by the Benedictines, was responsible for planting the first Cabernet Franc in the area back in 1089.
Soil: Most of the vineyards are on a plateau of sand, gravel and limestone about three miles north of the Loire and benefit from a gentle climate that is light on the rain.
Taste: If you like raspberries, this is your thing – though a whiff of pencil shavings has also been noted on occasion. While the tannins are slightly more noticeable in Bourgueil wines, in an average year, the wine is fabulous drunk cool, within a few months of the vintage. Though in a really ripe vintage, these babies will go five years or more.
St Nicholas de Bourgueil
Where: The vineyards in the Touraine province are south-facing, well sheltered by forests from the icy north wind, and well-sited to take full advantage of the mild Atlantic-influenced microclimate – it’s not unusual to see palm trees and banana plants growing around here.
Soil: The soils are pretty similar to Bourgueil, but generally speaking, wines from gravely soils are fragrant and easy-drinking; while grapes grown in the chalkier soils produce wines that are denser and slower to mature
Taste: Both Bourgueil and St Nicholas de Bourgueil will tell you that their wine tastes best, but both produce fine, fruity reds – though the latter is produced on marginally lighter soils, producing slightly lighter wines that mature a tad earlier. The difference between these wines and, say, a Chinon? Some folks can detect a whiff of violet in the Bourgueils, while Chinon sticks to its trademark raspberries.
Ratings from the caterer tasters
Caterer’s rating system:
* * * Knock-out
* * Must-have
* Good-glugger
The Wines...
* * *
2002 La Marginale, Domaine des Roches Neuves, Saumur-Champigny (£14.15, Les Caves de Pyrene, 01483 538820)
“Dense, sweet black fruits, warm and spicy – very appealing” (JoW)
* *
2003 Alain Lorieux, Chinon (£6.50, Les Caves de Pyrene)
“Dense crunchy pepper and black cherries with smoky overtones” (AH)
2003 Château Pierre-Bise, Anjou-Villages (£8.95, Stone, Vine & Sun, 01962 712351)
“Intense nose, rounded black fruits and great depth, with nice supple tannins” (JW)
2003 Château du Hureau, Saumur-Champigny, Philippe and Georges Vatan (£7.24, Lay and Wheeler 0845 3301855)
“Savoury, saucisson nose, with clean fruit and a crisp finish” (FS)
2003 Vignerons de Saumur, Saumur (£4.95, Yapp, 01747 860423)
“Lovely wine – well-balanced with great fruit” (JeW)
2002 Frederic Mabileau, Cuvée Eclipse, St Nicholas de Bourgueil (£9.10, RSJ, 020 7928 4554)
“Rich fruit, well-balanced, good structure, great finish” (NS)
*
2003 Domaine Pierre Sourdais, Chinon (£5.72, Enotria Winecellars, 020 8961 4411)
2004 Domaine Ogereau Anjou (£5.50, Les Caves de Pyrene)
2003 Domaine des Hauts de Sanziers, Tessier, Saumur (£4.95, RSJ)
2003 Domaine Filliatreau, Vielles Vignes, Saumur-Champigny (£6.75, Yapp)
2002 Le Grand Clos, Yannick Amirault, Bourgueil (£11.95, Berry Bros & Rudd, 020 7396 9600)
All prices quoted are per bottle ex-VAT, and all the wines were tasted blind.