|
The Loire is the longest river in France. To the tourist it is probably more famous for its captivating châteaux than for its highly individualistic wines, but if one takes time and effort it's easy to discover vinous gems. One such is René-Hugues Gay, established in 1631. René is a vigneron, not a jeweller, but his Saumur reds are vinous rubies and his whites exude vinous golds. Located just south of Saumur - an exquisite town of Châteaux and churches encircled by a tiara of glinting vines - one is astonished by the fruity suppleness and complexity of his whites and the
structure and complexity of his reds.
The red wines of the Loire are derived principally from the Cabernet Franc grape, which Cardinal Richelieu is supposed to have introduced to the Loire from Bordeaux. Apparently, his Eminence disliked white wine because it clashed with his ecclesiastical purple!
The Chenin Blanc grape dominates in the western Loire and the Sauvignon in the eastern Loire:
the latter renowned for Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. One is often asked if there is a distinct sensory difference between the creations of the sparring hill-top hawks of Sancerre and the fluttering finches of lowland Pouilly. Well, if you compare the Sancerre of Christian Thirot with the Pouilly-Fumé of Guy Saget, you really will detect a difference. The Sancerre is silveresque to the Pouilly's greeny-gold; it has a higher level of tongue-tingling acidity and lacks the persistence and intensity of Saget’s Pouilly flavours.
The Loire produces some of France's greatest sweet white wines. It is difficult to create a sweet white in such a northerly climate and as a local sage once pithily declared .......'running an estate in the Coteaux-du-Layon is as expensive as keeping a danseuse .... only more moral!'
We list the Coteaux-du-Layons of the illustrious Domaine Touchais with vintages from 1982.
| Muscadet 2006 (Drouet) |
1.95 |
| This is not the acid rain style you find in the local bars – it’s actually so unpolluted that you can observe ‘les petits poissons, mais pas les moules!’ |
|
|
| Sauvignon de la Loire 2005 (Desiré François) | 2.95 |
| Crisp, clean and fresh with a frisson of citric fruit. | |
|
| Touraine Sauvignon 'Les Barbottes' 2006 | 3.95 |
| This wine has all the high energy acidity of a first-night theatre critic subtly balanced by wafer layers of scintillating gooseberry fruit. Outclasses a lot of Sancerres. | |
|
| Touraine Sauvignon ‘Les Buttelières’ 2006 (Guy Saget) |
4.95 |
| A top’flight Sauvignon from Guy Saget, one of the Loire’s greatest expressionists. This wine conveys a more gentle and subtle style with delectable nuances of tangy fruit flavours. |
|
|
| Coteaux-du-Giennois 2005 (Joseph Balland-Chapuis) |
5.95 |
| A cascade ofzingy and zesty lemons, grapefruit and gooseberries. Absolutely delicious! This wine emanates from just north of Sancerre and Pouilly and is the equal of many. |
|
|
| Saumur Blanc 'Alliance' 2004 (René-Hugues Gay) | 6.95 |
René-Hugues Gay's ancestor, of the same name, established the cellars in 1631. Pure Chenin, this wine has an exquisite golden colour; is full, rounded and unctuous on the palate with seductive layers of brioche and honey, and an intriguing and stimulating finale of subtle 'gout de terroir'. The latter sensation is derived from the Turonien sub-soil thus displaying the effects of terroir upon the vine. A fascinating drop!
We also list the 2005 vintage at the same price. This wine has been awarded a gold medal at the Concours Général Paris and also a Lys d'Or at the Concours Inter-Loire. | |
|
| Saumur Blanc 'Authentique' 2002 (René-Hugues Gay) | 8.95 |
| This wine has the bouquet of a top Savennières - rusticity suffused with ripe fruit. It is 14 degrees and is therefore weighty on the palate, and a fractional sweetness lingers. Robert Parker, the American wine critic, rates this style of wine very highly. |
|
|
| Pouilly-Fumé ‘Les Charmes’ 2006 (Drouet) |
8.95 |
| This is a really charming drop of green-tinged gold with a captivating and stylish finish. |
|
|
| Savennières ‘Château de la Mulonnière’ 2004 |
9.50 |
| The vineyards of Savennières are located on the northern banks of the Loire near Angers.Robert Parker, the world famous wine critic, rates these wines as the best value dry whites in the world! Pure Chenin Blanc, they are characterised by intense honeyed flavours and earthy ‘goût de terroir’ minerality. |
|
|
| Pouilly-Fumé ‘Les Logeres’ 2005 (Guy Saget) |
9.95 |
| Lots of vivacious and grassy aromas, and surprising weight and intensity on the palate, with a shimmering and flinty finish. |
|
|
| Sancerre ‘Domaine de Vieux Pruniers’ 2006 (Christian Thirot-Fournier) | 9.95 |
'Christian Thirot produces a delightful Sauvignon with elegant fruit. Any Sancerre that is this easy to drink deserves recognition, but this wine is also made in a genuinely dry, classic Sancerre style'.
(Tom Stevenson. Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia 2001) | |
|
| Pouilly-Fumé 2004 (Domaine Chatelain) | 10.75 |
| 'Domaine Chatelain is an outstanding producer' (Robert Parker. 'The Wine Buyer's Guide').
Lots of vivacious grassy and citric aromas, and surprising weight and intensity on the palate with a shimmering fruity and flinty finish. |
|
|
| Saumur Rouge Vieilles Vignes, 'Clos de la Cérisaie' 2005 (René-Hugues Gay) | 6.95 |
| A 'cérisaie' is a cherry orchard and it's probably psychological but cherries seem to waft from the rim of the glass, together with the aromas of blackberries and blackcurrants. Celestial! The taste is divine too with lots of crunchy, freshly squeezed fruit flavours and an exquisite long finish which exudes Cabernet Franc. This is a superb wine, totally ethnic, with tremendous definition of fruit. | |
|
| Saumur Champigny 'Clos des Cordeliers' 2002 | 6.95 |
| This is a surprisingly generous, full-bodied wine with lots of stylish flavours. | |
|
| Domaine Touchais (Réserve des Caveaux) Coteaux-du-Layon. |
6.95 |
| ‘Some of the best kept secrets in the wine world are the sweet wines produced in Anjou. These are, without doubt, the finest values to be found in French sweet wines.’ (Robert Parker ‘The Wine Buyer’s Guide’ 2002.) |
|
Coteaux –du- Layon ‘Cuvée Prestige’ 2001(half-bottles)
Domaine Touchais 1996 (75 cl. Bottles)
Domaine Touchais 1995 (75 cl. Bottles)
Domaine Touchais 1994 (75 cl. Bottles)
Domaine Touchais 1990 (75 cl. Bottles)
Domaine Touchais 1986 (75 cl. Bottles)
Domaine Touchais 1982 (75 cl. Bottles)
|
4.95
16.95
17.95
12.95
25.00
18.95
25.00 |
|
| 
