First wine event after lockdown

Christian Venier pouring

Candé-sur-Beuvron, Loir-et-Cher (Loire), Christian Venier's wine farm
Historic restart ! possibly first tasting worldwide...
Imagine, it's been two months that everybody's been locked at home, seeing no one beyond close family, the winemakers and growers shared the same historic pause, no wine fairs (there are quite a few in spring on a normal year), no visits to clients or sales trip. But unlike so many people who were stuck in their appartment in town, they were lucky to live in the quiet setting of their farm, with all the time they wanted to tend their vineyards which was allowed for them. The weather in march, april and may was just so beautiful, they did enjoy the season. But now as the lockdown was being lifted there was a need to get back to normalcy and Christian Venier's open doors which usually takes place at this time of the year was on the brink to be cancelled when he decided to host it on a minimalist version, with visitors asked to bring their own glass. This was last saturday (30 may), a couple days before the 100 km limit was lifted so the visitors were people staying in the area, but Christian's Portes Ouvertes have also been designed for the locals including people from the nearby city of Blois. Instead of staging the event in the farms' courtyard, it took place in an open warehouse on the other side of the street (pic on right)

Reminder on the lockdown rules in France :
__ 17 march to 10 may, strict stay-at-home order with just (mostly) a few authorized exits, for essential groceries, exercise (one hour/day, no more than 1 km from home) with printed self declaration
__ 11 may to 1 june : free movements up to 100 km from residence, no more self declaration needed
__ 2 june : Freedom of movement beyond 100 km of residence,

Thierry Puzelat

I heard Thierry Puzelat at the door, he was speaking to a few visitors about this lockdown period, saying that they spent lots of time working quietly in the vineyard with no other distraction (like wine fairs or commercial work), and he says that until now the vintage 2020 seems very promising, no frost, beautiful weather all along with the flower stage unfolding without accident, and this is well in advance compared to "normal" with the picking that could take place on the very first days of september. He says this is a relief after years of problems, actually the first good year since 2011 as in 2012 they had frost and then mildew, 2013 had lots of rain and rot on the grapes, 2014 frost, 2015 heat wave, 20116 & 2017 frost, 2018 was not that bad but not very generous in volume, and in 2019 he lost 60 % of grapes because of frost...

In the open outbuilding

No need to say I enjoyed every minute of this tasting, it was so good to speak to these winemakers again and have their wines... in your own glass. there were fewer participating vignerons than the usual yearly event, about 5, among whom 2 were on their way (certainly arrived in the early afternoon but I had left by then), namely Laurent Saillard and Jeff Coutelou, the latter having had torrential rains (160 mm in one day) in his region and had to rush for a spraying.

Cédric Bernard

The tasting barrel of Christian Venier being busy when I walked in, I went to the one of Cédric Bernard who is located a mere 5 kilometers away. Cédric says that as he thought the tasting would be cancelled for good he hadn't bottled anything or prepared the labels, so these wines are samples, which is fine for me. He had brought only 3 of his cuvées, all without sulfites at this stages, and there's a good chance they will remain as such at bottling.

__ Tata Suzanne, vin de France 2019, Chardonnay, vines some 20 + years old. Very nice nose with white flowers, nice drinkability, love that. 9 €, he says to the visitors that he didn't bring bottles, just samples, but he can deliver in the area in the next few days.
__ Marcello, vin de France 2019, Gamay Teinturier & Pinot Noir. Normally he uses the Teinturiers for the Cabane à Marcel (direct press) and the Pinot (of which he has few) would go in the Roche cuvée but in 2019 the whole volume was low and he put everything together. Very nice rosé, you must try that, light sweet feel, gorgeous fruit, delicious, very easy drinking, with a grenadine style. 9 €.
__ Robert Herbin, Vin de France 2019, Cabernet Franc, vinified whole clustered, with a bit more pigeage than usual because the stems were well ripen. A cuvée named from the recently-deceased (april 2020) soccer star Robert Herbin, this is a small-volume cuvée, 300 bottles. Nice nose, lovely mouth. 9 €.

Tasting Christian Venier

__ Les Carteries, vin de France (2019 I presume)
__ Les Perrières, vin de France 2018, 100 % Menu Pineau, bottled november 2019. On the market in spring. Looks unfiltered but it is indeed filtered, I'm told, must be very light I guess. A bit of residual sugar in there, I'm told, makes for a very enjoyable wine indeed, feels like glycerin richness, not sweetness. 1 gram/hectoliter SO2. Price here was 10 € tax included, very good value. Christian Venier said at one point that what happened recently proved that it was possible to stop the economy, stop using our cars, stop travelling and this was not the end of the world as predicted by doomsayers in the past. Speaking of the vintage he says that the vines blossomming in may is incredible, his father Eugène says he never saw that... This translates into lots of advance in the maturation process, with picking probably at the end of august, but he hopes it rains a bit to avoid drought induced damage.

__ Les Hauts de Madon 2019, a red blend, Pinot Noir and Gamay, bottled in march 2020, not yet delivered to the buyers. Very enjoyable red even though it's powerful. 9,5 € tax included, 8000 bottles total.

Noëlla Morantin

With her chai and cellar at only about 20 kilometers, Noëlla Morantin was there too with Philippe to pour a few of her wines (4 of them, from a total of 8 or 9). She said also that until now the situation looked great in the vineyard for 2020, so far, so good, but the year is not over until the harvest. She brought 2018 wines or older, nothing from 2019 being bottled.
__ Stella Maris 2018, a new cuvée of Sauvignon made from grapes purchased to Mikaël Bouges, this started with the frost of 2017. The name comes from the motto of her hometown of Pornic, "Maris stella sit nobis propicia" which can translate from Latin like "may the starfish favor us". Same terroir than her own, with silex clay. Vinified in fiber tank. Very nice mouth with fruit and welcome richness.
__ Les Pichiaux 2018, Sauvignon (poured from a magnum). Wine temperature not very cold but it's a good way to get a wine's quality straight. Vinous Sauvignon with an acidulous side but round and rich at the same time, love it.
__ LBL 2017, another Sauvignon, from the vineyard formerly part of Les Bois Lucas. Bottled in 2019. More pure, more classy wine, another type of Sauvignon, you feel the long keep sauvignon.
__ Tango Atlantico, vin de France 2017, I love this red, such a fruit.

Eugène chatting with Cédric

Comments

[Norm]

So bummed I missed this event due to the confinement... I will be driving down there next week, what is the best way to go about a wine tasting/tour?

[Jack in Santa Rosa]

Seems very weird people aren't wearing masks (except when tasting).