Day 36 – Bordeaux begins...

After a four hour drive, with a little break for lunch, I arrived in the ‘Bordeaux’ wine region, more specifically the town of Blaye (pronounced ‘Bligh’), situated right on the Gironde river. I went straight to the little port, as tomorrow I intended to take the 20 minute ferry ride across the Gironde to LaMarque in the Haut-Médoc.

Across the Gironde to Médoc

Unfortunately, when I arrived to confirm the sailing times, there was a notice to tell me that the ferries were striking tomorrow! So, I will have to take the 2 hour long way round by road... A little frustrating with the short notice, but there’s nothing to be done, so best to make the most of it.

I decided, therefore, to ease my frustration by tasting a few wines from the local appellations at the Maison du Vin. They really must choose their staff based on friendliness and helpfulness, as the lady was delighted to facilitate a little tasting, so I tried 4 wines, 2 whites, then 2 reds:


1. AOC Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux – Château Monconseil Gazin 2009 (white) – A 90/10 Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon blend with a flinty, citrus nose (slightly floral) and grapefruit and floral on the palate with a mineral aftertaste.


2. AOC Premières Côtes de Blaye 2008 - Château du Grand Barreil - «La Révélation» Des Vignobles Denis Lafon – This 90/10 Sauvignon Blanc/Muscatel had a raisin and vanilla nose and to be honest a little planky (not subtle wood!), but to taste a rounder citrus fruit flavour with a very subtle smokiness.


3. AOC Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux (Grand Vin de Bordeaux) - Château des Matards 2008 – This 80/15/5 blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc had a nose of red and black cherries, hints of blackberry and cinnamon and on the palate, cherries and currants, with tannins and the heat of the alcohol. For me, it was too young, the parts hadn’t yet integrated, but another 2 or 3 years and I think this would be very nice indeed.


4. AOC Blaye – Château Montfollet 2007 – Aromas of rich dark fruits; blackcurrant, black cherry, plums even, as well as dark chocolate. In the mouth the dark cherries, more like conserve with good tannins, ooh and a little note of coffee!

I took the opportunity to walk around the citadel at Blaye, built as a defence on the estuary against the English; beautifully preserved with quaint cobblestone streets and wonderful views across the estuary to Médoc on the other side.

I made my way the few kms to Pontet, my resting-place for the night and was warmly welcomed by the owner, who, when I explained what I was doing in France, asked if I would be interested in accompanying 2 of her other guests to a tasting at a local vineyard that evening... Oh course, I said “Yes, please!”

I was told the couple were American, but when I met them, while they now live in Washington DC, only the wife, Jennifer, is American, hailing from Ohio, while her husband, Adrien, is in fact French from the Auvergne.

We enjoyed a two and a half hour visit to La Bretonnière vineyard, where the owner, Stéphane Heurlier, took us through the whole winemaking process... He was absolutely passionate about his craft and his product, even so far as to source different barrels to age the different wine types, before blending, to find the wood most sympathetic to the individual grape variety.

Once again, a superbly warm welcome and a joy to listen to someone just so enthusiastic about what they do. Surprisingly, he had only started making wine in 1992 when he returned to France from working in New York. His family background is one of crop farming in Northern France, but he had always had an interest in wine and decided to do this.

So, to his wines – M. Heurlier has two vineyards, one here and one further south near Bourg, which falls within the Côtes du Bourg appellation:


1. AOC Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux – Château La Bretonnière 2009 (white) – A 20/50/30 blend of Sauvignon Blanc/Sauvignon Gris/Sémillon with a citrus/yellow grapefruit nose and an elegant fine citrus flavour on the palate – a subtle floral note as well.


2. Now, for this one, no AOC just yet... this was a very special white wine made by literally going through the vines, grape by individual grape and selecting the best to make a blend in the same proportion as before and fermenting in barrels. On the nose, the vanilla and a slight hazelnut aroma were detectable, but to taste... an elegant raisin, apricot blossom just off-dry wine. It was stunning. Unfortunately not for sale!


3. Château La Bretonnière 2009 – Clairet – This is not strictly a rosé wine, but it is certainly not red… It’s just the saignée process has been extended to give a rich deep pink wine, which is served chilled like a rosé. The blend was 95/5 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon and when you smelled the wine, it was just like strawberry jam and similarly strawberries to taste. There were slight tannins, but this added to the wine. The finish was long and just a fabulous alternative to those rosés that make you wince...this was beautiful.


4. AOC Premières Côtes de Blaye – Château La Bretonnière 2006 (red) – An 85/15 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon, which he explained, was made up of 10 to 15% of wine aged in barrels, the rest in the stainless steel tanks. On the nose, this was cherries and blackberry and to taste: quite a light red fruity wine, with hints of blackberry and mild tannins.


5. AOC Côtes du Bourg – Château Tour de Guiet 2007 (red) – A 70/30 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend, which smelled of red cherries and hints of strawberries. To taste, it was very fruity, notes of plum jam and integrated tannins which gave a nicely rounded wine.


6. AOC Premières Côtes de Blaye – Château La Bretonnière 2006 (red) – the difference between this and ‘4.’ is that this wine was completely aged in oak, which was immediately obvious on the nose, alongside the cherry and plum aromas. To taste, a very structured wine, where the oak gave a smoky quality to the ripe plum and cherry flavours. There were more tannins, but they were integrated into the wine perfectly.


7. AOC Côtes du Bourg – Château Tour de Guiet 2002 (red) – A 70/30 Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend which had been aged in oak. Deep rich plum aromas filled the nose and these were repeated in the flavours in the mouth along with a sweet spiciness and from the oak, hints of coffee.


M. Heurlier’s passion and attention to detail are definitely paying dividends as he is producing some excellent wines. For those drinking wine, it is lucky he is situated in the not so well known Côtes de Blaye, because if he had a reputed AOC, I think these wines would be much more expensive.... and deservedly so! One to look out for!

We bid farewell to the vineyard and headed back to the château... Jennifer and Adrien kindly invited me to join them for dinner at a local restaurant, L’Escale (I think.... it doesn’t matter, as I wouldn’t ever recommend it!!)


The three of us walked up the road to the restaurant and I went through the usual rigmarole of explaining I was vegetarian. Well, we had a really grumpy waitress who really wanted to be as unhelpful as possible... Even Adrien, a French chef, was quite surprised (unpleasantly) at the attitude, but it wasn’t just directed at me... Jennifer’s tuna was overcooked and there was a distinct lack of care to the table... wrong size glasses, no glasses, missing cutlery.


BUT... even the worst of service and the most mediocre of food can be made up for with good company... and that I did have. Jennifer and Adrian are a really lovely couple; we talked easily and I felt completely comfortable in their company for knowing them only a few hours. We ended up just laughing and thoroughly enjoying the evening, even when we got soaked in a heavy shower of rain on the walk home!

Day 35 - Another quiet day

Not much to report... The end of my weekend of rest started badly after a disturbed night's sleep.... A party in the hotel till 2.30am under my window which also included the setting off of the fire alarm at 2 am... My trip through France in general has completely broken down the french stereotype as I have met people of kindness and helpfulness... only too pleased to be of assistance. Last night, I encountered the French "who gives a sh*t" shrug! Well, those of you who know me know that there are 2 main things that will make me incredibly and insanely hopping mad 1) Being deprived of sleep (prepare to die!) and 2) Discourtesy, particularly in the realms of the service sector..... So being shrugged at having pulled on clothes to come stumbling down stairs at 2 am to be told the smoking at the party had set off the fire alarm (in the totally non-smoking hotel!) And when I asked when the noise would stop - 3am was the answer and a look of disgust when I told her I couldn't sleep because of it.
So yes, at breakfast, I did have a go.... in very bad french, because crossness and language fluency for me are mutually exclusive (even in English, there is a baser instinct that just wants to snarl and growl, rather than trying to articulate in words my displeasure). Again, I encountered the 'shrug' and that expellation of air through the lips that only the French can do, but I was not to be trifled with and demanded to see the manager.... Naturally, she was unavailable!
Anyway, off I went to church, still gnawing at my bitter little pill of displeasure, acutely aware of entering God's house with a very far from holy or graceful attitude, so a prayer duly went up to release me of my attitude.
And yes, I did leave feeling better. When I returned to the hotel, I did not flounce in like a sulky teenager, I smiled, was charming and when I came down again to go for a walk, I was informed that the management were very sorry and were offering me my night's stay for free. That was not the object of the exercise.... To be honest, had they expressed concern and regret from the get go, they would not have had to buy me off with a free night's stay... A heartfelt apology does wonders with me.... My fury had been unleashed more by their attitude than by the actual events of the night before.
So, to my walk.... I wandered up to the country house mentioned before and well, not much to speak of, other than it was very pretty and was very Italian in a French setting...

I also walked back around the villa

before returning to spend a couple of hours by the pool watching the canoeists negotiating the weir.
Tonight, I dined at the "Auberge du Château" just on the other side of the bridge at the foot of the château. Beautifully created and presented food, wonderful service and ambience... A 100% recommendation!
http://aubergeduchateau.skyrock.com/

And so to bed... Tomorrow a drive to Blaye on the Gironde estuary before I embark upon Bordeaux. I'm not sure of my access to wifi next week, so apologies if there is a delay in service for this blog! ;-)

Day 34 - A relaxed day

First and foremost, we must bid the very lovely Diane, Mrs W, a very Happy Birthday!
Today was a very relaxed day, with very little done, except a brief drive to Le Pallet... I say brief as I hoped to visit the wine museum today (it is advertised as open every day), but it is closed on saturdays! So I continued on to closeby Vallet known as the "Capital of Muscadet" and headed to the Maison du Muscadet for a little tasting. A lovely young man let me taste 5 wines.... he did suggest that as this 'Maison' represented the interests of 25 wine producers, I could taste at least that number of wines, but even I in my quest of wine discovery couldn't face that many wines!

1. AOC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie 2009 - Le Clos du Chaillou - Most of the wines which are within the Appellation 'Muscadet Sèvre et Maine' are made 'sur Lie', that is 'on lees' or the remnants of the spent yeast. In most cases, the wine is made and bottled very soon after harvest in September and is left on the lees till March. The nose on this wine was surprisingly citrus and floral and the taste, refreshing - citrus, white peach, a little floral and a little bread from the lees.
2. AOC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie 2009 - Alain Olivier - On the nose, much more yeasty, also flinty and then in the background citrus. The taste was of subtle peach flavours.
3. Vin de Table Cuvée Saveurs - This is a 100% Muscadet, left on the lees, but also barrel aged, but because it has achieved an alcohol content of more than 12%, it falls outside the very strict criteria for the 'Muscadet Sèvre et Maine' appellation. The nose was of brioche, peach and a little honey with a very subtle peach flavour, hints of blossom with overtones of flint.
4. AOC Muscadet Sèvre et Maine sur Lie 2007 - Château de la Grupière. Again, aged in oak barrels, the nose was more raisins, with a little tobacco. On the palate, peach, grapefruit with a hint of flintiness.
5. Vin de Table Cuvée Saveurs - Again, the 13% alcohol means this 'late harvest' "Vendange Tardive" wine cannot claim appellation status. Its nose was raisin and apricot and to taste honey and apricot. It was elegantly sweet, not luscious like the Coteaux du Layon or Alsace sweet wines... and also retained a little heat from the alcohol content. This is a rarity for Muscadet, something the wine producers are trying out... and for my money... doing a great job!

I've been very impressed by the Muscadet wines and they will definitely be a wine I will consider drinking in the future.
Anyway, tasting complete, it was into the car and back to Clisson.

Day 33 - Clisson

Today was a day off from wine-tasting.... Actually, it was to be a day off from everything, to lie by the pool, given the glorious sunshine, but it turns out that the constant moving around is a harder habit to break, so I decided I would explore the town before maybe lying by the pool in the afternoon.
As I crossed the cobble bridge from the Trinity area to the château side, I really was struck by how beautiful a part of the world this is.

My room is the top-right of the 4 arched windows overlooking the weir

Friday is market day, so I wandered up to the stalls in both a covered area "Halles" dating back to the Middle Ages

and those out on the cobbled streets just beneath the château...

After enjoying all the sights, sounds and aromas of the market, I made my way into the château for a tour round. I was a little surprised at some of the questions put to us by the tour guide.... and even more surprised by the lack of answers from the french tourists of why they thought the castle was situated where it was? what some of the various openings in the walls were for? Maybe growing up in Ireland where we are surrounded by castles, (granted, in greater disrepair than many of these), but you know that putting a castle on top of a rock by a river immediately aids defence by making the most of the landscape and it gives you the views to see your enemy approaching from a great distance. Slits for arrows, openings above gates to drop stones on invaders..... these all seemed to be new concepts to my fellow tourists, which really shocked me.

Note the Italian style villa in the distance

That aside, this castle sits within Brittany but on the historic border with France, so was a vital defence in years gone by and it is this history that really brings Clisson's castle to life. Its most famous owner was Olivier V, Duc de Clisson, who fought for the English, and Brittany and then France during the 14th century.

And the aqueduct...

The strategic location now represents a position yielding panoramic views of the countryside, the river Sèvre, the town, both back across to the Trinity side with its Italian style Villa and country house, the aqueduct and of course down onto the market below.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I wasn't quite ready for the pool, so I decided to walk along the river bank and around and up to the Italian Villa perched on the hill, seen from the château earlier. This large expanse of land was bought in the early 1800s by an artist, who along with another artist friend transformed it into a little piece of Italy, with a villa, a large rustic farmhouse, little follies dotted around with statues of the Roman gods and goddesses, even a tiny mock temple to Vesta.
 

You can see from the pictures that the town itself has embraced this idea, as Clisson could easily be found in the countryside of Italy, with its terracotta colours and its orange roofs.

From the Villa back to the château

I have seen many beautiful towns on my tour of France, some quaint, some floral, some chocolate-boxy, some fairytalish..... this is by far and away my favourite.

The Villa had an exhibition of comtemporary art which I viewed and was very impressed by, but I decided to leave the exploration of the farmhouse to another day... The pool was calling, so bikini on and a couple of hours of sunbathing.... I felt like I was properly on holiday!

So, no wine-tasting today, but maybe tomorrow??

Day 32 - More Anjou-Saumur and a stop in Angers

Today is the 2nd of September... exactly a month since I departed from London to start this adventure... In some ways, it seems like yesterday I was bidding my friends "Au revoir", but yet looking at the blog and my pics... I've done a lot.

Today I wanted to drive through the Coteaux du Layon Appellation and hopefully have a taste of the various wines.... Well, I did the drive through Thouarcé, Bonnezeaux, Rablay sur Layon, Beaulieu sur Layon..... Ordinary little villages, yes surrounded by vines, but not a lot of invitations to taste. I ended up at St-Lambert du Lattay, where I visited another wine museum; this one was very educational.... a good place for a school visit, starting with the biology of vines, the geology of the terroir, before the real business of wine-making, with some very impressive old machines and tools used in wine production:

Rotating press

There was also a Maison du Vin, supposedly open every day in July, August and September.... but they changed their minds about September!!
So I drove north to the city of Angers..... A little hairy finding my way into the city centre, but made it in the end.

Angers is located on the Maine river, and... who would have thought it??? has a château...

View from the ramparts

I took the time to tour the castle, and while in disrepair in comparison to Amboise, was nevertheless impressive in stature, location and history. Within the walls was a beautiful garden

and a building housing the largest surviving tapestry in the world. Even if it had been quite tiny, I would have been impressed, given my sewing skills amount to button recovery..... Even hems are wonder-webbed! Sorry! This was amazing... Commissioned by Louis the 1st of Angers, a Duke, it depicts the Book of Revelations, the Apocalypse. As a delicate piece of art history and material of religious significance, it is housed in a temperature and light-controlled building, with photography forbidden, so I'm afraid I've no examples to show you, but it was enthralling... a little challenging, but ultimately beautiful. I want to read the Book of Revelations again just to link it to the disturbingly beautiful tableaux presented. I have to comment that while a tapestry commission was a sign of wealth, the subject of this one speaks to me of a man of integrity and depth... it is not the easiest or most palatable of subject matter, but he chose to have a reminder of it as his legacy. I am so pleased I decided to go into this castle and visit.

But, my mission to Angers was to taste wine... and La Maison du Vin d'Angers had been recommended, so off I trotted - it was just beside the château, so easy to reach. I was fortunate to encounter one of the newer staff, who was keen to display her knowledge and really could not have been more helpful. We had an enthusiastic wine-tasting trip around the immediate region, including many of the wines I had hoped to taste that morning. I tasted 12 wines with her... and quite honestly it would have been closer to twice that if she had had her way, so keen was she to show off her local wines. It is a joy to meet people passionate in their work... one can't help but get swept away with them in their enthusiasm!

1. 
   
   AOC Savennières - Château La Franchaie 2008 (white) - 100% Chenin Blanc with a floral nose of apricots; on the palate, very floral, but also apples and white peach.
2. 
   
   AOC Savennières Roche aux Moines - Domaine aux Moines 2008 (white) - 100% Chenin Blanc. A really intense nose of apricots, raisins and blossom, with a taste of sweet apples and peaches and good acidity.
3. 
   
   AOC Rosé de Loire 2009 - Caves de la Loire "Château de Maunay" - This rosé was made from 100% Grolleau grape (native to the Loire) giving it an almost artificially pink colour (though no added colourings!!). A strawberry/raspberry nose with a strawberry and slight redcurrant flavour to taste.
4. 
   
   AOC Cabernet d'Anjou 2009 - Domaine de Noёls (rosé) - A 60/40 blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon made for a more salmon pink coloured wine. Subtle aromas of black cherry gave way to fresh cherry and strawberry flavours.
5. 
   
   AOC Cabernet d'Anjou 2009 - Domaine des Trottières (rosé) - A 100%Cabernet Franc wine with subtle strawberry nose and strawberry flavours to taste.
6. 
   
   AOC Rosé d'Anjou 2009 - Château de Bois-Brinçon "Escapade" - a demi-sec wine of 90/10 Gamay/Pineau d'Aunis (aka Chenin Noir - another Loire native). A wild strawberry/red cherry nose and the same strawberry/red cherry flavours to taste.

The next 6 wines are all sweet whites made from 100% Chenin Blancs, harvested late and generally having been exposed to a greater or lesser extent to Botrytis (noble rot). This fungus sucks the water out of the grape leaving more residual sugars and adding apricot/honey flavours.

1. 
   
   AOC Coteaux du Layon 2009 - Château de Piéguё "Les Varennes" - On the nose, peach blossom. To taste, quite tropical - pineapple, papaya and peaches.
2. 
   
   AOC Coteaux du Layon Faye 2009 - Château de Fresne "Grande Selection" - An apricot nose with a hint of sweet apple and to taste intense apricots and honey.
3. 
   
   AOC Coteaux du Layon St. Aubin 2007 - Domaine du Petit Métris "Clos des Treize Vents" - On the nose, apricot, honey and even a touch of paraffin (though not unpleasant). In the mouth luscious peaches, honey, baked apples... You can taste the sun, the over-ripe grapes.
4. 
   
   AOC Bonnezeaux 2009 - Domaine les Grandes Vignes "Le Malabé" - Once again an Apricot nose, though with notes of blossom. The taste is also apricot, with raisin, and once more the hint of paraffin.
5. 
   
   AOC Chaume 2005 - Château de Bellevue "Cuvée Carla" - Apricot and honey on the nose and rich fruity apricot and honey flavours to taste, with the slightest hint of paraffin.
6. 
   
   AOC Quarts de Chaume 2007 - Domaine des Baumard - While a nose of apricot, the aroma is finer and enhanced by floral notes, and a teeny bit of paraffin. Similarly, to taste, a much finer flavour of apricot and baked fruits. This wine was exceptional, and just perfect for Christmas pudding, though it can be kept for up to 20 years!

So, after a dozen wines, I bid farewell to Angers and made my way, via Savennières, to my bed for the night in Clisson, west along the Loire almost to Nantes.

I had to take a snap out of my bedroom window as it was gorgeous looking across the river Sèvre to the castle... and on the weir, the ducks were having a grand old time playing and bathing and quacking. It looked like heaven.

So, I am stopping here till Monday, for a little break - I will have a little excursion one day to taste some Muscadets, but other than that a little pause in the journey.

Day 31 - Into Anjou-Saumur...

Today I continued exploring Touraine before moving into the 'Anjou-Saumur' area... I started my day in Chinon..... Another day, another town, another château...

And very beautiful it was too.... as was the view over the town and the Loire...

The town itself was a beautiful example of Mediaeval architecture and really quite a buzzing little place... In some ways I regretted not travelling just a little further and staying here last night, but hey ho, we live and learn.

There is a wine and cooperage museum, which I decided to visit....Well, I arrived and was directed through a door, down some steps (on my own) and into a dark room with life size puppets.... a bit spooky really. Anyway, I made my way round the quite informative presentation until the last room, which was back on ground level, which was a man and his wife supposedly sitting in front of the fire chatting about the wine, but it was really rather rude, a little lewd and quite unexpected. Then the owner of the museum arrived offered me wine and had a jolly old chat before his chum arrived and in turns pawed at me and, well I can only describe it as leering really..... Not good. I mean, well, my advice would be not to visit if (a) female and (b) travelling on your own. Do I think they realised? Probably not..... They were just dancing over the line between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, but I'm a great one for trusting your instincts and I felt uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, I did taste a petit rouge:
AOC Chinon 2009 (rouge) - Domaine Sourdais-Taveau - This 100% Cabernet Franc smelled of sunny red fruits and tasted of red and black fruits with tannins, though not overwhelming.
As I walked past one of the local bars, I was invited in to taste a rosé
AOC Chinon 2009 (rosé) - Domaine de la Commanderie - Again 100% Cabernet Franc and made in the saignée way with a light cherry nose and a subtle taste of red fruits with a tannic aftertaste. The colour was offputting as it was very bubblegum pink!

Bourgueil was my next stop, home of an abbey this time:

I drove out to the neighbouring Restigné to the Cave des vins de Bourgueil, where the very lovely hostess offered me 6 wines.

These are all 100% Cabernet Franc, though it is not unknown for up to 10% of Cabernet Sauvignon to be blended:

1. AOC Bourgueil 2008 - Pierre 1er Dupin (rosé) - A nose of wild strawberries and similar taste, but with distinct tannins, (Saignée method).
2. AOC Bougueil 2008 - Marie Dupin (red) - Nose of raspberry, cherry and violet and tastes of wild strawberry and deliberate tannins.
3. AOC Bourgueil 2008 - "Cuvée Signée" par Romain Parasis Maître de Chai (red) - Aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, cherry, strawberry and violet and on the palate strong red fruits, particularly redcurrant, but with high tannins.
4. AOC Bourgueil 2007 - Philippe de Valois (red) - a wine very characteristic of the appellation - Scents of deep plum jam and flavours of red and black fruits, slightly spicey with more integrated tannins.
5. AOC Bourgueil 2006 - Domaine de Matabrune - this time the nose was sweeter, cherry jam and notes of cinnamon; while on the palate the same red fruits with more peppery spice and tannic notes.
6. AOC St. Nicolas de Bourgueil 2008 - "Cuvée Signée" par Romain Parasis Maître de Chai (red) - An offering from the neighbouring appellation with similar sandy terroir as the 2nd wine above. The nose was red fruit and a bit leathery, but the red fruit and blackcurrant flavours were more roundly integrated with the tannins..... For my individual taste, the best of the reds.

The Bourgueils became stronger and more intensely aromatic from 2 to 5 with both age and the change in terroir from sand to schist, but for me Cabernet Franc just doesn't deliver enough acidity to produce an exceptional wine. These were nice, the St Nicolas the best, but the tannins were difficult to get over..... Maybe with food, particularly red meat, these wines would come more into their own. As the list progresses (2-5), the length of time that one can keep these wines increases from 3 to 12 years!.

St Nicolas de Bourgueil

I passed through St Nicolas de Bourgueil on my way to Saumur, and the start of the 3rd quarter of the Loire Valley, where golly... gosh... gee... there was a château!

Another very attractive town.... what can I say, it's like touring the houses of fairytale characters... Yesterday Sleeping Beauty..... Today Cinderella - the 'castles' are stunning, but they tend to be much of a muchness inside. As a tactical site, again it sits high overlooking the river, but the town itself is right on the banks...

And is filled with beautifully designed architecture in every street...

Hôtel de Ville, Saumur

I stopped at the Maison du vin de Saumur for a tasting. Again all 100% Cabernet Franc reds:

1. AOC Saumur 2009 - Domaine de la Girardine - "Cuvée Instinct" - A nose of rich red fruits; cherries and ripe plums with vegetal notes and similarly to taste cherry and plum flavours, but with a pepperiness and distinct tannins.
2. AOC Saumur Champigny 2009 - Château de Parnery - Aromas of red fruits, blackcurrant and violets with the same flavours on the palate, but for the addition of spice - less tannins than the first.
3. AOC Saumur Champigny 2008 - Domaine des Coutures - although red, this wine should be served chilled! The nose was damson and black cherries and the taste, again cherries, red and black, a hint of vegetal and the now expected tannins.
4. AOC Saumur Puy Notre Dame 2008 - Domaine de la Paleine - Scents of violets, raisins and red and black currants give way to smooth, but intense spiced cherry flavours with tannins.
5. AOC Saumur Champigny 2008 - Domaine des Sanzay "Vielles Vignes" - the 30-35 year old vines have produced a wine that has been aged for up to 12 months in oak barrels giving the nose a smokiness over red plums with a more cherry flavoured taste with the same tobacco smokiness and of course tannins.

Again, for me these wines really suffer from the lack of acidity to compliment the tannins, and as a result are somewhat unbalanced...... but again, this is personal opinion and could well be rectified by enjoying these wines with a steak or other red meat.

After all the wines tasted today, it was time to head to Gennes for tonight's repose..... Not a luxurious hotel, but a real haven. Very lovely hosts, home cooked, fresh produce meals and a beautiful setting..... and somewhere to stop for more than one night - a good base if you would like to explore this part of the Loire. I also enjoyed a glass of white with my meal:
AOC Saumur 2009 - Domaine de Nerleux "Cuvée des Nerleux" - Floral apple and white peach aromas and a sweet apple and peach flavour with only hints of blossom.

Day 30 - Touraine...

Well, today has been a pretty good day.... except for one small niggly thing... I've had the theme tune of Quincy MD going around and around and around my head all day.... Only because I decided to visit the village of Quincy this morning..... I decided to visit it and Reuilly before moving on to the 'Touraine' section of the Loire Valley.

Quincy

Quincy does have a wine centre, the Villa Quincy, but without communication, it closes on Tuesdays, so I had a brief wander round the village and then hopped in the car for the short drive to Reuilly.







I didn't manage to taste any wines in Reuilly either, though I did have the opportunity to view their little wine museum and also an exhibition of local artists...

It seems to be a town which very much encourages the talents of its sons and daughters, one in particular, Paul Surtel was particularly impressive. Though born in Reuilly, he spent much of his adult life in and around Orange.

The museum, while small..... and not a patch on the sophisticated offerings of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé was obviously put together with love and pride...

Outside Reuilly museum

Map of the Loire valley (Reuilly on right (east))

Back in the car, and although a sunny day, there was a very fresh breeze, so the top stayed up, which was a shame, but I had timed it that I would drive west to Touraine, Amboise in particular, over the lunch break (when everything is shut!). By the time I reached Amboise, the breeze had died down and it was just sunny and warm, so perfect to explore the very beautiful town:

And as I looked up... that's what I saw!




I did go up to see the Château Royal d'Amboise because I had read that it was where Leonardo da Vinci was buried and had spent his last years....

Bust of Leonardo da Vinci, with Cedar of Lebanon in the background.

The château itself was big, and only a fifth of its original size, and they had installed some furnishings to represent those used by the owners in bygone years...

I was hoping for some spiel on Leo.... none, so for my part, it was a very beautiful castle, but its most spectacular feature was its location, and the associated views over the Loire and the surrounding countryside.

West along the Loire

And eastwards...

At the foot of the château was the Caveau des Vignerons d'Amboise, so I stopped to taste some wine:

1. AOC Touraine Amboise 2007 - Domaine de la Prevôté (white) - This 100% Chenin Blanc wine had a floral, slightly raisin, slightly elderflower nose and similarly a blossomy, elderflower with a hint of citrus flavour on the palate.
2. AOC Touraine Amboise 2009 - Domaine de la Prevôté (white) - This time Sauvignon Blanc - a bit minerally, a bit floral, more citrus than the 1st on the nose with very subtle citrus flavours..... maybe a tad herbaceous.
3. AOC Touraine Amboise 2009 - Domaine Mesliand (rosé) - This was a Cabernet Franc, Cot (aka Malbec), Gamay blend made by the saignée method to give a slightly salmon pink wine with aromas of raspberries and a little strawberry and a taste of raspberries, strawberries and maybe very sweet pink grapefruit.
4. AOC Touraine Amboise 2009 - Catroux Bernard (red) - Another Cabernet Franc/Cot/Gamay blend with a nose of cherries and slight sweetness, like strawberry jam. On the palate it was 'red fruit' and then tannins - for me, it was just too young.
5. AOC Touraine Amboise 2008 - Domaine des Poupelines - Cuvée François 1er (red) - Nose of red and black cherries, plum jam even and to taste the same red fruit flavours with tannins. For me, better than the last, but still a little young to be drinking.
6. AOC Touraine Amboise 2008 - Domaine Mesliand - "La Besaudière" (red) - This time just a Cabernet Franc/Cot blend giving a slightly leathery black fruit aroma and similarly black fruits flavours in the mouth, and again tannins.

I was very impressed by the white Chenin Blanc..... It's a grape I don't tend to like as it's usually very perfumey, but this is the white grape of this area and they know how to treat it, so I wouldn't say no in the future to Chenin Blancs from here.
I left Amboise and made the short journey to Vouvray, this time with the top down as it had become very sunny. I stopped off at the Caves des Producteurs de Vouvray to have a little more wine....

1. AOC Vouvray 2009 - Le Javeline - An off-dry STILL 100% Chenin Blanc white with a peach blossom nose and flavours of white peach, sweet apples and slightly floral.
2. AOC Vouvray 2007 - Lieu Dit "Les Fosses d'Hareng" (white Chenin Blanc, still) - Floral and Pear aromas, slight minerality with a really fresh pear flavour, with slight blossom notes.
3. AOC Vouvray 2008 - Confidence - This 100% Chenin Blanc white was aged in oak for 10 months and represents a still, sweet Vouvray. On the nose, peaches, honey and a touch of vanilla. To taste, lush peaches and baked apples.
4. AOC Vouvray 2007 - Tête de Cuvée Millésimée Brut - A sparkling wine made in the traditional way like Champagne although from Chenin Blanc grapes, giving it the same floral white peach aromas, though with the yeastiness characteristic of sparkling wines and similarly to taste: floral, nectarine flavours with yeast. The bubbles were a mite too pin-prickly on the tongue for my liking.
5. AOC Vouvray 2007 - Tête de Cuvée Millésimée Demi Sec - On the nose, subtle elderflower and briôche aromas and to taste apricots, a little blossom and yeastiness, but with much more pleasant moussey bubbles.

Well, after all that wine, it was time to call it a night..... A really stunning drive with the Loire beside me took me to my bed for the night.... A little disappointing, so wouldn't recommend.