by Richard Harvey
Though somewhat sad and lugubrious in mood, the first lines of Arthur Rimbaud’s poem could possibly be given a positive spin when applied to France’s Loire Valley. There are truly lovely seasons here, as well as an abundance of phenomenal chateaux to add to the beauty of the experience.
It can be a facile, all-too-tempting, flower-strewn path to traipse down this lovely valley of the Loire River. The breathtaking chateaux are certainly worthy of attention and appreciation, and the riot of gardens can be positively paradisiacal (in season). BUT, when it comes to weather and wine, this region of France reminds us of the challenges of agriculture, especially in an era of wildly unpredictable climate change.
The 2021 vintage here in the Loire is a positive throwback to the wines of long ago: taut, lean, energetic and fresh. They have the verve and chutzpah that conjures up an image of Claudia Cardinale slapping the sneering, impudent face of Lee van Cleef! Masterful, dynamic, full of attitude and more than a little exciting!
After many years of warm (if not hot) early harvests in this previously cool climate region, 2021 saw a surfeit of agricultural challenges. Frosts, hail and disease pressure all reduced the quantity of the crop to a shadow of “normal” production. Quel dommage, as the small quantity of grapes that survived have provided a very exciting vintage for wine lovers who hanker for a bit of pizzazz in their wine. After all the vicissitudes of the year, the wines are not abundant in quantity, but are definitely full of interest.
If you’re seeking stimulation and a proverbial breath of freshness (in a wine), the challenging growing season of 2021 gave us a vintage that is truly compelling. These wines demand that you wake up and deal with them—they will not kiss your ass, and you’ll thank them for this awakening. If you’re looking for ripe, corpulent and “well-endowed” wines (sadly bereft of excitement and satisfaction despite this description), then you’ll want to avoid the 2021 Loire wines. This is NOT a vintage for fans of monster trucks and those who get off on repeat viewings of Fight Club. This is a vintage more for those edgy skiers launching off snowy cornices or Tom Pidcock riding his bike at 100km/hr in a descent in the Tour de France 2022.
The bucolic side of the “Garden of France” was entirely missing as I met with three new producers in March 2022, but the welcome was always warm and promising. The weather, however, was bone-chilling, with cold, fierce winds and even a dusting of snow to welcome me to the appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. But it was not solely the shiver of crisp temperatures that set the stage here. What I was about to taste banished concerns of comfort and warmth and replaced them with pure excitement.
Domaine Régis Minet, Pouilly-Fumé
Lucia Mineur is just in the process of buying her family’s estate from her parents. Her dad, Régis, is transitioning into retirement after 44 years of intense devotion to this estate.
Lucia and Régis both sported thick parkas due to the cold on the day of my March visit. Régis—even more bundled up and looking very much the farmhand—was clearing brush from a small extension of their vineyards by hand and chainsaw. So much for the myth of the country club look and a daily routine of hedonism and luxury found in the imaginary world of the winemaker.
The first taste of their 2021 Pouilly-Fumé Vieilles Vignes tripped my switch and sparked my mind into a focus not recently experienced from this grape. The beautiful verbena greenness allied with the stimulating popping of poplar buds in Spring, full of vigour and the promise of warm days immediately transforms this wine from a simple Sauvignon Blanc to a wine that positively shouts out its Pouilly-Fumé origins! This single modest taste held the promise of Spring and Summer to come, and I have not been so excited by a Loire wine made of this grape for a very long time… but then it happened again the next day!
Domaine Thomas Labaille, Sancerre
That day, I met with M. Jean-Paul Labaille of Domaine Thomas Labaille in the Sancerre appellation. To be more precise, his vineyards are all around the lovely hamlet of Chavignol, a name familiar to cheese lovers in the form of the local goat’s cheese.
Chavignol is also home to one of Sancerre’s most famous vineyards, Le Mont Damné (perhaps named by an early worker of this steep and difficult-to-farm piece of land). M. et Madame Labaille farm 11 hectares of vines mainly in Chavignol, and possess a small piece of the “Damned Mountain”. Their “Authentique” cuvée of Sancerre blanc is another example of a delightfully high-tension wine that crackles with energy. The fanciful descriptions of “mineral” and “chalky” dance around your mind like sassy, tempting imps, but these are tricky words. Instead, let’s just celebrate a quintessential example of Sancerre blanc that I like to call “nervy” and “tonic”. Even without the March snow, the white limestone soils speak of freshness and austerity—but this is a form of discipline you will enjoy!
If you’ve been reading carefully, my precision of Sancerre blanc is intentional and indeed necessary. In this part of the Loire Valley, Burgundy and Champagne are not far away, and Pinot Noir is the second-most planted grape. While of the more sunny 2019 vintage, the Thomas-Labaille Sancerre rouge still poses in a ballerina’s en pointe position with succulent, elegant, tart-cherry fruit and reviving acidity.
Domaine Serge & Bruno Sourdais, Chinon
The next day, the sun took the edge off the chill as I traveled further west to the region of Touraine, specifically on the track of Domaine Serge & Bruno Sourdais in Chinon. My mate Richard Kelley (who is both the world’s English-language expert on Loire wines and owner of UK wine importing company Dreyfus Ashby) had slipped me this address, so I was excited to meet the proprietors.
Perhaps it was the fact that I offered a respite from many months of Covid isolation, or the effect of the bright Spring sunshine, but Bruno was all smiles and pleased to greet this stranger. We toured the cellars, always a good indication of the vigneron’s feelings about what he wants his wines to express. Ancient barrels turned dark brown with age (the much larger foudres as well) made me think of the cellars of some of my wine heroes like Michel Lafarge or Gaston Huet, and a tingle of excitement juddered through me as I anticipated actually tasting some of these wines.
We started by tasting some 2021’s which did not fail to express this vintage in its fit n’ ripped fashion. Colours are light and pretty, the Cabernet Franc free of the unwelcome weediness that poor examples show when made by less demanding winegrowers. These are exciting wines that are modest in colour and alcohol, but full of flavour. Remember, we drink wine for the pleasure and interest that it gives—not for the ethanol effect alone. These 2021 Chinon are simply delightful, inviting sip after sip (dare I say, bottle after bottle?).
As we tasted the current vintages of some of his more age-worthy cuvées, Bruno frequently interrupted his running commentary only long enough to zip back to the cellar to find OLD vintages of these single-vineyard wines to show me how they blossom with age. (I had not expressed any doubt of their age-worthiness whatsoever while tasting the younger vintages, but who was I to try to stop him???). In the end, we had worked our way back to 1989 (if only I could time travel like this!) and although I was spitting, not drinking (due to further driving responsibility), we were both smiling and now new best mates.
At the bottom of Bruno’s price list, I saw the magical words “ask about older vintages”. The prospect of seizing one of these incredible older wines in a perfect state of maturity made my head spin as if I had actually guzzled them! I shyly asked if I could buy a dozen bottles of the 1996 Chinon Les Cornuelles, a wine that made me note “Bordeaux has forgotten how to make wines like this…”. Bruno looked serious for a second, and then asked: "would you like FIVE cases?” Mais oui, oui, oui, Bruno! This gem, 25 years in its home cellar, transported 8,000 km directly to Metrovino is nothing short of a revelation. I consider myself very, very lucky (we will share this wine with you) to have been offered these precious bottles!
I always recommend visiting the Loire Valley if you are into wine but your traveling companion does not share your interest. Perhaps they like gardens, history or fanciful, beautiful chateaux? The added lure of lovely food like obscenely delicious Rillettes de Tours (porky goodness), the aforementioned Crottin de Chavignol (ubiquitous en salade de chèvre chaud) and not to forget the fact that this “Garden of France” offers so much fresh fruit and vegetable pleasures as it does in floral, visual delights.
But for you, the wine lover, you and your companion will somehow always, (magically) be tripping over some wine fair or dégustation on your travels and you’ll find yourself saying to your partner in an offhand, almost accidental fashion: “Oh let’s just stop here for a sip or two…do you mind?”.
Good places to stay in these spots?
Sancerre (Chavignol):
Hotel La Cote des Monts Damnés
Nicely set in the heart of the hamlet, and run by a family of vignerons. Comfy with a nice bar and restaurant in-house. Good Sancerre? F-yes.
Chinon:
Hotel Diderot
Calm and comfy rooms, serene gardens abound, lovely hosts and one of the best petit déjeuners possible,all accompanied by a vast array of house-made confitures. Usually a friendly cat roams the gardens as your greeter. No restaurant but Chinon has lots of options. Try Au Local; a short, invigorating walk up towards the chateau (a helpful elevator exists).
