In my fourth and final article on Loire wines I cover the western end of the Loire Valley - Anjou, the Pays Nantais and the Vendée. Anjou is frequently linked with Saumur but as Anjou and the Nantais share the same geological structure it makes equal sense to link these two adjacent areas. Both are part of the hard, igneous rock of Brittany - very different from the clay and limestone of the Paris Basin that runs eastward from just beyond the small town of Doué la Fontaine.

Here in Anjou you will find slate, schist, phyllite and various carboniferous rocks. Unlike Saumur and Touraine there are very few underground cellars as the rock is just too hard to quarry out - just the opposite of the limestone of further east where they are commonplace.

Anjou is famous for its gentle climate - la douceur Angevin. Spring often starts early here and is coupled with a frequently dry, sunny autumn. This makes it well suited to Chenin Blanc, which buds relatively early but ripens late in the season, so it’s little surprise that Anjou might have been its birthplace. The earliest recorded mention of Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley is in Anjou in the middle of the 9th century AD at Bouchemaine, where the Maine meets the Loire (parts of the commune are now within the Savennières appellation).

Anjou is also the only place in the valley where Cabernet Sauvignon ripens sufficiently to make consistently successful red wine. And even here, it is only in especially good sites that pure (or nearly so) Cabernet Sauvignon can be made successfully. Cabernet Sauvignon performs best on schist rather than the few limestone vineyards in Anjou. Good examples include Clos de la Mission (Domaine des Rochelles), Clos de la Houssaye (Domaine Ogereau), La Chevalerie (Château Varière) and Rocca Negra (Domaine de Bablut). Unfortunately, there was a period at the end of the 20th Century when some growers planted Cabernet Sauvignon in zones prone to frost, as it buds later than Cabernet Franc. Although they may have avoided the frost, the grapes rarely ripened properly.

Overall, however, it is difficult for the reds of Anjou to have the same easy charm as those from Saumur-Champigny, Chinon and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil. Almost invariably the tannins are more present and more angular. It is very important that the grapes are picked when ripe, and extraction is carefully handled, otherwise the resulting wine will be tough and charmless, likely never softening or losing its tannic grip. Some of the most quality-oriented producers will harvest their red grapes selectively in two passes through the vineyard.

Apart from Savennières, Anjou's greatest vinous contribution must be the sweet wines of the Layon. Unlike Vouvray and Montlouis much further east it is possible to make sweet wines in almost every vintage in both the Coteaux du Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance.

Bonnezeaux, Quarts de Chaume and Savennières

These three appellations have long been the most highly reputed wines of Anjou – certainly by reputation if not always by quality. Of the three, Quarts de Chaume and Savennières are the most dynamic, with both appellations benefitting from an influx of newcomers over the past 15 years, which has re-energized them and raised quality.

The two appellations have witnessed improvements in the raising the quality at individual domaines – existing and newcomers – and through the tightening of regulations. The Quarts de Chaume has led the way here with firmer regulations, including raising the minimum potential alcohol of grapes at the time of harvest, and restrictions on the yield per vine as well as the yield per hectare.  The French government approved these stricter rules as well as the elevation of the Quarts de Chaume to the status of the Loire’s first Grand Cru in November 2011. Now that the rules are in place they have to be strictly enforced to be credible. Unfortunately the Grand Cru now faces a dubious legal challenge before France’s Supreme Court from Domaine des Baumard – more on that below.

In Savennières the tightening of regulations has so far been restricted to Savennières La Roche aux Moines (22 hectares) where both the use of weed killers and insecticides are banned as well as a reduction in yields.

It is very difficult to characterize Savennières as having a single style, although the wines do generally need time to show their best and have the ability to age. A tasting of nearly 50 Savennières in April highlighted diversity rather than common factors.

Although there are some fine producers in Bonnezeaux, my impression is that this appellation is less dynamic than Savennières and Quarts de Chaume. 

Top recommended Anjou producers

Most Anjou producers will offer a considerable range of wines. A dozen or more is not unusual, with all three colors represented, including whites from dry to very sweet (depending upon the vintage) and sparkling wines - often labeled Crémant de Loire. 

  
Left: Christophe Daviau (Domaine de Bablut); Right: Vincent and Catherine Ogereau (Domaine Ogereau)

Domaine de Bablut, Christophe Daviau (Brissac- Quincé)

The Daviau family has lived in Brissac-Quincé since 1546. For much of the time they have been millers as well as farmers. It is only relatively recently that they have concentrated solely on viticulture. Christophe Daviau, now in his early 50s, is an example of a modern Loire vigneron. After studying at Montreuil-Bellay and Bordeaux University, Christophe spent 18 months working in Australia, so his experience is much wider than that of the previous generation. At the time Christophe was unusually well travelled, but his experience is commonplace now, as many young Loire vignerons gain experience by working in several countries before returning to take over the family domaine.

The estate (now 55 ha) is biodynamic and Christophe’s particular forte is in sweet wines – Coteaux de l’Aubance. Depending upon the quality of the vintage he makes a generic Coteaux de l’Aubance , a single vineyard wine called Grandpierre, and Vin Noble from a high proportion of botrytized grapes. Also notable are his two top Anjou Villages reds – Petra Alba (100% Cabernet Franc planted on limestone) and Rocca Nigra (100% Cabernet Sauvignon planted on schist).   

JYH Lebreton, Domaine des Rochelles (Saint-Jean-de-Mauvrets)

The Lebreton family is one of the very few producers in Anjou to consistently make high quality Anjou Villages from 100%, or virtually 100%, Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate is now run by Jean-Yves Lebreton and his son Jean-Hubert, with Jean-Hubert increasingly playing the major role. It was Hubert, Jean-Yves' father, who in 1962 had the foresight to plant Cabernet Sauvignon on a parcel of yellow schist called La Croix de la Mission. This warmth of the schist soil brings an early bud break, and Cabernet Sauvignon has an extended possibility of ripening, thus avoiding the greenness and astringency present in Anjou Cabernet from less-favored sites.

Prior to Jean-Hubert's return to the domaine, the whites - both dry and sweet Chenin Blanc - had under-performed. These are now much improved.

Domaine Ogereau (Saint Lambert-du-Lattay)

Vincent and Catherine Ogereau are meticulous in the way they run their 20-hectare estate, which is based around the small town of Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay on the south side of the Layon Valley, facing Beaulieu-sur-Layon.  

Their most successful wines include a Rosé de Loire, En Chenin (Anjou Blanc – 100% Chenin), Savennières Clos le Grand Beaupréau, Anjou Villages Côte de la Houssaye (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) and single-vineyard Coteaux du Layon Saint-Lambert from the Clos des Bonnes Blanches. The Côte de la Houssaye and the Clos des Bonnes Blanches are only made in good vintages.     

Château Pierre-Bise, Claude, Joëlle, René Papin (Beaulieu-sur-Layon)

Claude Papin is a philosopher of a wine producer, and a great expert on the varied terroir of the Layon Valley. It is not unusual for a producer to strive to continually better their wines but it is the depth of the analysis that singles out Claude. Unlike Nicolas Joly at the Coulée de Serrant, Claude’s thinking is in tandem with his work in the vineyard and his winemaking. The Papins work very closely with Catherine and Vincent Ogereau (Domaine Ogereau) and Yves and Marie-Annick Guégniard (Domaine de la Bergerie). The three share a vineyard (Clos le Grand Beaupréau) in Savennières. They are among the relatively recent influx of new producers into Savennières, who have revitalized this appellation. 

The range of single vineyard Coteaux du Layons, including a Chume and a Quarts de Chaume, are probably the most memorable of the Pierre-Bise wines, although a deep-colored and concentrated Gamay shows the potential of this grape when the yields are drastically reduced. 

Domaine Richou – Didier and Damien Richou (Moze-sur-Louet)

This is a long-established family domaine now run by brothers Didier and Damien. They produce a very successful range; standouts include Les Rogeries, a barrel-fermented Anjou Blanc from 100% Chenin Blanc, an Anjou Villages Vieilles Vignes, and a Coteaux de l'Aubance Les Trois Demoisselles.

Château Soucherie and Château de Breuil

Both properties are part of what I like to call as the Layon's "Petit Médoc" that runs along the north side of the valley. Not in the sense of topography, as these properties are mostly situated along the top of the ridge overlooking the Layon, quite unlike the flat Médoc. Rather, similarity comes from grandeur of the properties in this short section of the Layon. With the exception of a number of properties in Savennières, there isn’t a similar grouping of imposing domaine buildings anywhere else in Anjou, as vignerons’ properties tend to be more modest.  

The two properties share a similar recent history: Roger Beguinot bought Soucherie in 2007 when Pierre-Yves Tijou retired, while Michel Petitbois bought Breuil in May 2006 from Marc Morgat. In both instances Beguinot and Petitbois had made their money from outside the world of wine, although both are keen amateurs. Beguinot’s business is baby food and the food-processing sector, while Petitbois was in the car industry. Both men have brought fresh investment to the area. Tijou and Morgat were well-established producers and ran their properties. All in all there are a number of similarities here. 

Both estates have acquired fresh impetus under their new owners. I have recently been impressed by the quality of their sweet wines – the 2010 Chaume from Soucherie and the 2007 Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu from Château du Breuil. Sweet wines from 2007 and 2010 have a marvelous purity and balance, and show what an important role balancing acidity plays here. Château du Breuil makes a wonderfully drinkable Grolleau – a wine to enjoy, to share with friends rather than analyze.

Both estates told me of the difficulties they had experienced in the 2012 vintage, with over 200 mm (approx. 8 in.) of rainfall during the month of October. Soucherie made just 5000 bottles of their basic Coteaux du Layon and none of their prestige cuvées. Neither did they make their Anjou Villages Champ aux Loups because of the conditions, instead opting to make Cabernet d’Anjou with their Cabernet Franc, which is usually destined for this cuvée. Château du Breuil managed to make 6500 bottles of generic Coteaux du Layon with 65 g/l of residual sugar. In a more normal year they would expected to make 13,000 bottles.

Château Soucherie

Domaine Closel/Château des Vaults (Savennières)

This is one of the rare estates in Anjou run by a succession of women. Evelyne de Pontbriand is now in charge, having taken over from her mother, Michelle de Jessey.  The estate is now organic and the wines are increasingly impressive, especially Le Clos du Papillon, and in particular the 2006 and 2008 vintages.

Some other recommended producers in Anjou

Domaine Patrick Baudouin (Chaudefonds-sur-Layon)

Patrick made his name, along with Jo Pithon, during the 1990s making some exceptionally concentrated and sweet Layon wines. Patrick still makes fine sweet Coteaux du Layon, but also some interesting, dry Anjou Blanc from 100% Chenin.

Yves, Marie-Annick and Anne Guegniard, Domaine de la Bergerie (Champ-sur-Layon)

The Guegniards make a consistently good range of Anjou wines. Standouts includes Clos de la Beaupréau (Savennières), Quarts de Chaume and Evanescence, an Anjou Villages made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. The domaine is one of the very few that has a restaurant on site, La Table de la Bergerie. It is excellent and is run by David Guitton, their son-in-law, whose resumé includes stints with Alain Ducasse and Joël Robuchon.

Domaine de Juchepie (Faye d'Anjou)

Eddy and Mileine Oosterlinck-Bracke specialise in making wonderful sweet Layon. They have a number of different cuvées of varying sweetness and concentration culminating in Quintessence de Juchepie. They manage to make sweet wines in almost every vintage except 2012 when the heavy rain in October defeated them as it did many other producers in Anjou. 

Damien Laureau (Savennières)

Damien is a relative newcomer to Savennières and makes very attractive wines in a modern style: Les Gênets from lighter, sandy soils and the more structured Le Bel Ouvrage from clay and schist, as well as a fine Roche aux Moines. 

Richard Leroy (Rablay-sur-Layon) - Vin de France

Given the quality of his dry Chenin, now sold as Vin de France, it is rather a shame that Richard’s domaine is so small, just a tiny handful of hectares. Richard makes two wines: Clos des Rouliers and Les Noëls de Montbenault with Les Noëls as his best wine. He could be making sweet wine but chooses not to as his true interest is in producing fine dry Chenins.

Victor and Vincent Lebreton, Domaine de Montgilet (Juigné-sur-Loire)

Good range of wines, especially Coteaux de L'Aubance.

Pithon-Paille (Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay)

This partnership between Jo Pithon and Joseph Paille is the latest episode in the topsy-turvy career of Jo Pithon. This is a small boutique négociant operation, and includes some of their own vineyards, like Les Treilles on very steep slopes overlooking the Layon from which they make very fine Anjou Blanc. The portfolio includes Savennières and Quarts de Chaume.

A note on Domaine des Baumard, Rochefort-sur-Loire

The Baumard family, in particular Jean and Florent, are certainly controversial figures in Anjou and I have to declare an interest here as I have played a part recently in this controversy, especially in the Quarts de Chaume. In particular I doubt if they have followed the appellation rules in making their 2012 Quarts de Chaume. They are only Quarts de Chaume producer to have declared a substantial quantity in 2012. They picked their grapes during the October when over 200 mm of rain fell – a record amount of precipitation. Jean Baumard has stated that they were able to make Quarts de Chaume in 2012 grace à la cryoselection. It is highly unlikely that the grapes for their 2012 Quarts de Chaume met the minimum requirement of averaging 18% on the vine. 

The Baumards - father Jean and his son Florent - have championed methods that are atypical of the region such as the vignes larges and the use of cryoselection or cryoextraction in the production of sweet wine. I'm not necessarily against les vignes larges. However, it is clear that their vines in the Quarts de Chaume and, quite probably in also in Savennières, often carry a very generous crop.

The Baumard wines are well made; however, I find that their Quarts de Chaume has a vibrant, lifted quality that may well reflect the use of cryoextraction. 

I prefer not to buy or recommend any Baumard wines until they have mended their viticultural and vinification practices. It is also highly regrettable that the Baumards have mounted a legal challenge to Quarts de Chaume's Grand Cru status, largely because the use of cryoselection will eventually be  banned.    

Heavily laden Chenin Blanc vines at Domaine des Baumard

The Pays Nantais: Muscadet

Muscadet remains a widely misunderstood wine and one that still suffers from its period of popularity in the 1980s, which came to a sudden halt with the severe frost of April 1991. This disrupted supplies as the crop was only a third of normal and pushed up the price, so buyers looked elsewhere. Unfortunately, in the UK, Muscadet's major export market, this coincided with the breakthrough of Australian wines, giving trade buyers plenty of options to source elsewhere and to select wines that were then new and exciting.

Muscadet is popularly imagined to be just a light, crisp wine to be drunk young with shellfish. Plenty of Muscadet fills this role but now there is a much wider range of styles, and the best wines have a far greater ability to age than is often recognized.

The Sèvre et Maine is overwhelmingly the dominant regional sub-appellation in Muscadet, with 3,500 hectares in comparison to just 300 for the Côtes de Grandlieu and even less for Muscadet Coteaux du Loire. 

Although I’m far from sure that I could pick out a Côtes du Grandlieu from a Sèvre-et-Maine in a blind tasting, the wines from Grandlieu tend to be a little more forward and more floral than those of the Sèvre-et-Maine. Certainly the most famous quality producers with the most ageworthy wines come from the Sèvre-et-Maine.  

Crus communaux

The crus communaux are the most recently recognised Muscadet appellation. In 2011 the first three communes so recognized were Clisson, Gorges, and Le Pallet.  More are expected to follow soon, including Château Thébaud, Goulaine, Monineres-St-Fiacre, and Mouzillon-Tillières.

These wines have undergone long aging on their lees. A minimum of at least two years is required (and in some cases considerably more) yielding wines of greater richness and complexity than one normally associates with Muscadet. These are not wines you would consider pairing with oysters or a plateau fruits de mer. Rather they are wines for fine fish dishes, roast chicken or a poulet à la crème. Due to a mad anomaly these wines cannot include sur lie on the label despite the fact that they are indeed aged on the lees for two years and more. The current Muscadet rules only allow sur lie to be used on the label if the wines have been bottled between 1st March following the vintage and the 30th November. Although I can see good reason why there should be an insistence on a minimum time that the wine remains on its lees, there appears to be very little reason why there should be a maximum time. Instead it ought to be left open. Thus we have the absurd situation where Muscadet's most prestigious wines can't advertise that they are sur lie. Whether this will be rectified some day remains to be seen.

Muscadet from good producers in all its styles and denominations now represents great value for money. However, if this was Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, all Muscadet - or virtually all - would be closed with a screwcap. Unfortunately many producers continue to use cork, and as Muscadet is a delicate white the instance of detectable cork taint can be quite high.

Gros Plant (or Folle Blanche)

This is the second white variety of the Pays Nantais. It often makes quite tart, citric wine, but from good producers like Luneau-Papin the wines have more weight. The amount planted has declined sharply in recent years. Figures. Gros Plant is an ideal match with oysters. It is also used to make sparkling wine, sold as vin mousseux de qualité. 

Red Wines of Pays Nantais

There is also a small amount of red made from several grape varieties including Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Merlot and Pinot Noir. The majority of the reds here are thin and of little interest.  With the exception of the Coteaux d’Ancenis (Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Gamay) these reds are sold as IGP wines.  

Top recommended producers in Pays Nantais

 
Left: Pierre Luneau (Domaine Luneau-Papin); Right: Éric Chevalier

Domaine Luneau-Papin (Le Landreau)

Pierre and Monique Luneau have now been joined by their son, Pierre-Marie, and his wife, Marie. The best parcels are picked by hand and vinified separately by individual terroir. One of my favourite Luneau-Papin wines is their wonderfully vibrant Clos des Allées from vines planted on mica-schist. They also make a very good Gros Plant.

There are also the impressive cuvées with long aging on their lees – Pueri Solis and Excelsior, which is from the Goulaine terroir. Along with other top examples of Muscadet, these have a marvelous ability to age well, while keeping their freshness.   

Guy Bossard, Domaine de l’Ecu (Le Landreau)

Guy Bossard has long been a leading organic and biodynamic producer in the Pays Nantais. The 22-hectare domaine was certified as organic back in 1975 and biodynamic in 1988.  Nearing retirement Guy has gone into partnership with Fred Niger Van Herck, with Fred starting work with Guy in 2009. The emphasis is on the different soil types with three very pure cuvées – Gneiss, Orthogneiss and Granite – and Taurus, which is aged for 16 months on its lees, and needs time in bottle to show its best. 

Bernard Chereau-Carré, Chereau-Carré (Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine)

Chereau-Carré has 140 hectares of vines split amongst four domaines, with Château de Chassloir and its parcel of over 100-year-old vines as the jewel in the crown – Cuvée des Ceps Centenaire. 

Bruno Cormerais (Saint Luminé-de-Clisson)

Bruno is one of the true characters of the Pays Nantais. He has 28 hectares of vines, with 22 planted to Melon de Bourgogne on the granite soils around Clisson. His top Muscadet wines spend a long time on the lees – the Maxime 2003 aged on lees for 40 months. Bruno’s wines age very well – the 1989 I tasted at this year’s Salon des Vins de Loire was superb.     

Joseph Landron, Domaines Landron (La Haye Fouassière)

There is no doubt that Joseph Landron would be the clear winner in any moustache competition involving Muscadet producers! He farms organically with (once again) emphasis placed on the different soil types. Top wines are Le Fief du Breil and Haute Tradition, both coming from Domaine de la Louvertrie and both  ageworthy.

Domaine Louis Métaireau: Grand Mouton (Saint-Fiacre-sur-Maine)  

Although Louis Métaireau, the patriarch of this top-quality Muscadet estate, has long since retired to Corsica, the estate is now under the management of his daughter, Marie-Louise, and her husband, Jean-François, and remains a reference for Muscadet. Louis was a forceful character and was passionately committed to showing that Muscadet sur lie was a serious wine and not just for washing down fruits de mer. The estate's stylish packaging clearly reflects this ambition. Cuvée One and Cuvée LM are the top wines.

Marc Ollivier and Rémi Branger, Domaine de la Pépière

Organic vineyard where everything is harvested by hand. This is one of the top Muscadet estates. The wines include a Clisson, one of the new crus communaux.

Éric Chevalier (Saint Philbert de Grand Lieu)

Eric Chevalier was a winemaker for the Loire négociant Vinval until he returned to the family domaine in Saint Philbert, just to the south of the Lac de Grandlieu. As well as making fine Muscadet, he also has an excellent IGP Fie Gris, the local name for Sauvignon Gris/Sauvignon Rose.   

Jérôme Choblet (Bouaye)

The Choblet family, based in the town of Bouaye on the north-west side of the Lac de Grandlieu, is the largest producer in the Muscadet Côtes de Granlieu with some 100 hectares. The domaine is now run by Jérôme Choblet. He has opted to put their wines into screwcap. Top wines are Clos De La Sénaigerie, Clos de la Fine and Château de la Pierre.

Les Fiefs Vendéens

Les Fiefs Vendéens lies to the south of the Pays Nantais between Nantes and La Rochelle, in five quite scattered, non-contiguous zones: Brem, Chatonnay Mareuil, Pissotte and Vix.  

Long-time a VDQS, the Fiefs Vendéens were promoted to AOC in February 2011. There is an interesting mix of grape varieties here including Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir – often remarkably successful – and Negrette, which is a real curiosity. Negrette, the grape variety of Fronton AOC in Southwest France, isn’t planted anywhere else in the Loire (that I know of) and it is quite surprising that it has turned up here in the Fiefs Vendéens, where it is also called Ragoutant.  

Recommended producers of Les Fiefs Vendéens

There are two leading estates on the export market.

Domaine Saint-Nicolas – Thierry Michon

Thierry Michon is a tireless ambassador for his domaine and for Les Fiefs Vendéens. He is a familiar figure at all sorts of trade fairs, especially but not exclusively those devoted to natural and biodynamic wines. The estate has 32 hectares of vines at Ile d’Olonne, which is close to the Atlantic coast. There is a range of fascinating and fine wines. Le Haut des Clous (100% Chenin) and La Grande Pièce (100% Pinot Noir) are particularly good. Le Poiré is made from 100% Negrette (see note of grape varieties above). Here in the Vendée is the only place in the Loire where you will find this unusual grape that makes a deep-coloured, soft red.

http://www.domainesaintnicolas.com/ 

Mourat –  Château Marie du Fou

The Mourat family has owned Château Marie du Fou since 1880. The Mourats are very substantial producers with 127 hectares of vines. The estate is now run by the dynamic Jérémie Mourat and makes a wide range of wines. These includes the Château Marie du Fou red (50% Pinot Noir, 25% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Negrette) and the white version made from 70% Chenin Blanc and 30% Chardonnay.    

http://www.mourat.com/