Aside of tasting great wines this summer, I also had the chance to join Thomas Meunier (http://www.authentiquevin.com/) and his wife (http://caffedriade.com/) in their quest for the best organic Loire Valley wines. We met amazing winemakers and made wonderful wines tastings which definitely challenged my 6 senses!
Winemakers are among the few people on earth dedicating their whole life for the sake of sharing with us the fruit of their passion: their wines.
I would like to deeply thanks all the winemakers who gently opened their domain for us.
Here below are the winemakers we visited:
Domaine Clos Saint Fiacre (check pictures below)
Production classification : Orléans and Orléans-Cléry
http://www.clossaintfiacre.fr/
Wines : red, rosé, white
Grapes - White : Chardonnay
Grapes (either blended or alone) - Red : Pinot Meunier, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc
Josh Adler (wine importer) on Clos Saint Fiacre
My pick (white) : Clos Saint-Fiacre, L'Excellence Blanc
Domaine de la Charmoise (check pictures below)
Geopraphic classification : Touraine, Romorantin
http://www.henry-marionnet.com/
Wines : red, white
Grapes - white : Sauvignon, Chenin, Romorantin
Grapes - red : Gamay, Cot (also known as Malbec), Gamay de Bouze
Chris Kissack (thewinedoctor.com) on Domaine de la Charmoise
My pick (white) : Provignage
Wine searcher on Provignage
Important facts : Domaine de la Charmoise and more especially, Mr. Henry Marionnet has become a reference within the wine industry by introducing new vinification technics and by taking high risks growing ungrafted vines (99% of all vines in France are grafted on american vines as most of them were killed because of phylloxera in the mid-19th century). Awarded best Sauvignon in the world (Cuvée M); ungrafted vines (Vinifera Chenin, Vinifera Sauvignon, Vinifera Gamay, Vinifera Cot). Some of the vines are even dated pre phylloxera (Provignage made of Romorantin vines dating from 1850!).
Domaine Grosbois
Geographic classification : Chinon
http://www.domainegrosbois.fr/fr/editorial/1/un-lieu-une-histoire.html
Wines : red
Grapes : Cabernet Franc
Paul M. Young on Domaine Grosbois
My pick (red) : La Cuisine de ma Mère
Wine searcher on La Cuisine de ma Mère
Nicolas Grosbois who led us through his wines and domaine took over the domaine from his father in 2005.
I would like to thank Nicolas and his family for gently hosting us in their wonderful domaine.
I have had a great time listening to Nicolas passion for his domaine, tasting his "babies" and sharing a wonderful diner with his friends and family. Big-up Nicolas!
Château de Villeneuve
Geographic classification : Saumur Champigny, Saumur Blanc
http://www.chateau-de-villeneuve.com/
Wines : red, white, sweet
Grapes : Cabernet Franc, Chenin
My pick (white) : Château de Villeneuve Saumur Blanc
Geographic classification : Saumur Champigny, Saumur Blanc
http://chateau-yvonne.ardoneo.com/
Clos Saint Fiacre - Visit and tasting by Hubert Piel
Domaine de la Charmoise - Visit and tasting by Jean-Sébastien Marionnet
Château Yvonne - Visit and tasting by Mathieu Vallée