Touraine
Touraine is famous for the Cabernet Francs of Bourgueil, Chinon and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, as well as for the dry, sweet and sparkling Chenin Blanc wines of Vouvray and Montlouis. The bulk of the region's wines are produced under the Sauvignon de Touraine appellation, a good-value Loire Sauvignon Blanc produced on sandy, undulating clay flats between the Cher and Indre tributaries.
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Jean-Christophe Mandard, Touraine,
Drink now,
A must-try for all devotees of Sauvignon Blanc, this is an exceptional wine at £11.95 – in fact, it’s an exceptional wine full stop. The nose is complex, its smoky and grassy notes intermingling with aromas of green apple and gooseberry. The 2018 vintage was warm, and potentially troublesome here, but you wouldn’t know it from the palate’s shimmering acidity and long, mineral finish. Try it tonight as an apéritif, or an accompaniment to vegetarian or spicy fish dishes. Drink now to 2020.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Domaine Bellevue,
Drink now,
This Touraine Sauvignon from our friend Raphaël Midoir combines crunchy acidity with peachy and tropical notes indicative of the warm, sunny 2018 vintage. The vines here are on limestone with pockets of flint – soils not dissimilar to nearby Pouilly-Fumé. The wine is raised exclusively in stainless steel to lock in its bright and breezy primary fruit character. Raphaël suggests pairing it with goat’s cheese or grilled fish in beurre blanc sauce. Drink now to 2021.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Domaine Bellevue,
Drink now,
Fifth-generation winemaker Raphaël oversees 27 hectares, planted primarily with Sauvignon Blanc. His holdings include a parcel in the littleknown appellation of Touraine Oisly, but Touraine Sauvignon is his bread and butter. The domaine is located in Chémery, some 65 kilometres east of the historic city of Tours.
Raphaël adds no sulphur to this fabulously fruity, aromatic Gamay – a wine that blew us away on a recent visit to the domaine. Its bouquet of red berries and violets is one to savour. The palate is exceptionally supple, pointing to 2018’s warm, dry growing season. It is named after Raphaël’s grandfather, Jean, who was a Gamay devotee. Drink now to 2020.
Raphaël adds no sulphur to this fabulously fruity, aromatic Gamay – a wine that blew us away on a recent visit to the domaine. Its bouquet of red berries and violets is one to savour. The palate is exceptionally supple, pointing to 2018’s warm, dry growing season. It is named after Raphaël’s grandfather, Jean, who was a Gamay devotee. Drink now to 2020.
Vincent Careme, Vouvray,
Drink now,
Spring is the perfect name for this exceptionally fresh, limpid cuvée made from grapes grown by friends of Vincent and Tania – many of them former pupils of Vincent at the viticultural college in Amboise. It’s characterised by green apple and citrus aromas, with a steely mineral character on the palate. Bottled with very little sulphur, it’s a wine to enjoy over the next couple of years as an apéritif or, better still, with an assortment of shellfish. Drink now to 2021.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Vincent Careme, Vouvray,
Ready, but will keep,
This fabulous, bone-dry Vouvray is from one of the appellation’s brightest stars. On the nose, expect aromas of orchard fruit, lanolin and a seductive hint of peach (indicative of the warm 2018 vintage). The palate is textured and generous, in part thanks to the time this cuvée spent in oak. At the same time, there’s no mistaking the shimmering acidity and mineral core that are hallmarks of Vincent’s wines, and which make this age-worthy, yet hugely enjoyable now with shellfish or as an apéritif. Drink now to 2023.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (autumn 2019)
Vincent Careme, Vouvray,
Ready, but will keep,
This is an outstanding traditional-method sparkler from the wonderful Vincent and Tania Carême, standard-bearers for the appellation of Vouvray. Made from 100% Chenin Blanc (from parcels certified organic), it’s aged for 18 months on its lees prior to disgorgement. Trim and tense in its youth, the ’15 has acquired extra body and complexity with time in the bottle – the complex nose now includes aromas of honey, ripe citrus and freshly baked apple turnovers. A delicious and original apéritif. Drink now to 2021.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)
Vincent Careme, Vouvray,
Ready, but will keep,
Vincent is a young producer, and he’s going places. This sparkling Chenin Blanc is made in the méthode ancestrale. Partly fermented in tank, the wine is then put into bottle with some residual sugar, where the fermentation continues, with no further yeast or sugar added. Unlike some producers, Vincent does disgorge the wine – meaning it is clearer than many of its trendy Pét Nat counterparts. The results are delicious: an apple-and-honey nose leads to a nervy palate with a line of citrus and minerality, softened by a hint of sweetness. Try it as an apéritif or with Asian cuisine.
Domaine Gaston Huet,
Ready, but will keep,
Gaston Huet and his wife built up a domaine with a formidable reputation over the years following its creation by Victor Huet, his father, in 1928. Gaston, war hero and one-time mayor of Vouvray, managed the family domaine from 1947 until his death in 2002. This wine comes from the original vineyard, Le Haut-Lieu (literally meaning “the high place”) which surrounds the house and extends for some nine hectares. Its wines are opulent and approachable when young but are genuine vins de garde and benefit from long-term ageing.
Burnished gold in colour, the nose is full of spiced orange, cloves, a touch of quince and lemon rind, and hints of anise. This wine is lovely and mouth-filling and yet has surprisingly high acidity and a dryness that gives the wine a beautiful mouth-watering snap.
Burnished gold in colour, the nose is full of spiced orange, cloves, a touch of quince and lemon rind, and hints of anise. This wine is lovely and mouth-filling and yet has surprisingly high acidity and a dryness that gives the wine a beautiful mouth-watering snap.
Domaine Gaston Huet,
Ready, but will keep,
An intriguing nose that draws you in, Caramel, honey, straw and wet wool are all here. Sweet, even luscious on the palate, but with great acidity that stops it being cloying. Full-bodied and rich, notes of toffee and sugar cane honey are balanced by that wonderful acidity, making it clean on the finish. Truly exceptional.
Chris Pollington, Account Manager
First things first – 1989 is a stunning vintage, one of the best in the 20th Century for the Huet wines. Essai relates to a 1ha vineyard parcel of Le Clos du Bourg which the Huet family decided to apply biodynamic principles. There is a distinctly greater level of development and general largesse to the palate here over the ‘usual’ 1989 Moelleux. This is an expansive and mouth filling wine, lusciously sweet and tropical this has decades of age ahead of it but perfectly balanced meaning it can be enjoyed now. .
Gary Owen, Account Manager
Chris Pollington, Account Manager
First things first – 1989 is a stunning vintage, one of the best in the 20th Century for the Huet wines. Essai relates to a 1ha vineyard parcel of Le Clos du Bourg which the Huet family decided to apply biodynamic principles. There is a distinctly greater level of development and general largesse to the palate here over the ‘usual’ 1989 Moelleux. This is an expansive and mouth filling wine, lusciously sweet and tropical this has decades of age ahead of it but perfectly balanced meaning it can be enjoyed now. .
Gary Owen, Account Manager
Domaine Gaston Huet,
Ready, but will keep,
Gaston Huet and his wife built up a domaine with a formidable reputation over the years following its creation by Victor Huet, his father, in 1928. Gaston, war hero and one-time mayor of Vouvray, managed the family domaine from 1947 until his death in 2002. This wine comes from the original vineyard, Le Haut-Lieu (literally meaning “the high place”) which surrounds the house and extends for some nine hectares. Its wines are opulent and approachable when young but are genuine vins de garde and benefit from long-term ageing.
A big, deep, rich honeyed bouquet leaps from the glass. The palate is, unsurprisingly, youthful, but is also wonderfully luscious. There’s plenty of sweet, mouth-filling fruit and enough acidity to make one involuntarily drool. Drink it now or tuck away for decades.
A big, deep, rich honeyed bouquet leaps from the glass. The palate is, unsurprisingly, youthful, but is also wonderfully luscious. There’s plenty of sweet, mouth-filling fruit and enough acidity to make one involuntarily drool. Drink it now or tuck away for decades.
Domaine Gaston Huet,
Ready, but will keep,
Gaston Huet and his wife built up a domaine with a formidable reputation over the years following its creation by Victor Huet, his father, in 1928. Gaston, war hero and one-time mayor of Vouvray, managed the family domaine from 1947 until his death in 2002. This wine comes from Huet’s most famous vineyard, Le Mont. It is from this site’s green-tinged soils and late-harvesting vines which Gaston produced his longest-lived and arguably most famous wines.
This is a jam-packed glassful with waxy lemons and fresh orange peel on the nose, then a bitter toffee character. The combination of ripe nectarine sweetness with refreshing acidity delivers a perfectly judged and beautifully balanced wine. Quite simply, you can taste the care taken in producing this wine.
This is a jam-packed glassful with waxy lemons and fresh orange peel on the nose, then a bitter toffee character. The combination of ripe nectarine sweetness with refreshing acidity delivers a perfectly judged and beautifully balanced wine. Quite simply, you can taste the care taken in producing this wine.
Domaine Gaston Huet,
Ready, but will keep,
Gaston Huet and his wife built up a domaine with a formidable reputation over the years following its creation by Victor Huet, his father, in 1928. Gaston, war hero and one-time mayor of Vouvray, managed the family domaine from 1947 until his death in 2002. This wine comes from the Clos du Bourg, a vineyard purchased by Gaston in 1953. It is the oldest site in Vouvray, dating back to the eighth century. The allure of this vineyard is not entirely contained within its neat and historic walls, but moreover its reputation for producing formidable sweet wines.
An intense gold colour, there is plenty on offer on the nose: lanolin, caramel and apple crumble to name but a few notes. Gloriously honeyed on the palate, there is a streak of vibrant freshness that stops any cloying sweetness. The finish is incredibly long and persistent. Wonderful!
An intense gold colour, there is plenty on offer on the nose: lanolin, caramel and apple crumble to name but a few notes. Gloriously honeyed on the palate, there is a streak of vibrant freshness that stops any cloying sweetness. The finish is incredibly long and persistent. Wonderful!
Domaine de la Chevalerie, Bourgueil,
Drink now,
Compared to the cooler 2010s, vintage 2011 was all together warmer, characterised by a hot September prior to harvesting that give the Cabernets a soft, sunny feel and early drinkability. That said, here we're talking about Bourgueil's finest vineyard, Grandmont, which in the hands of the Caslot family has been raised to 'Grand Cru' level.
Tasting it from bottle in early March 2014 it possesses an implacable, rich feel and sense of 'fond'/undercarriage that in my view is the mark of a top wine. The new oak used for their inugural 2009 vintage has been relaced by something far more refined, supporting the wine's intrinsic red cherry kirsch richness. Still a baby, but a pretty one at that. Look forward to watching it grow. Best tucked away for a couple of years yet before broaching.
David Berry Green
Tasting it from bottle in early March 2014 it possesses an implacable, rich feel and sense of 'fond'/undercarriage that in my view is the mark of a top wine. The new oak used for their inugural 2009 vintage has been relaced by something far more refined, supporting the wine's intrinsic red cherry kirsch richness. Still a baby, but a pretty one at that. Look forward to watching it grow. Best tucked away for a couple of years yet before broaching.
David Berry Green
Domaine Gaston Huet,
Ready, but will improve,
1989 Vouvray, Le Clos du Bourg, Moelleux Première Trie, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Le Haut-Lieu, Moelleux, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Le Mont Moelleux, Première Trie, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Le Mont, Moelleux, Fin Pressée, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Le Clos du Bourg, Moelleux Essai, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Haut Lieu, Moelleux, Première Trie, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Le Haut-Lieu, Moelleux, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Le Mont Moelleux, Première Trie, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Le Mont, Moelleux, Fin Pressée, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Le Clos du Bourg, Moelleux Essai, Domaine Huet
1989 Vouvray, Haut Lieu, Moelleux, Première Trie, Domaine Huet
This wine is a bin-end, discounted by 20%.
Bright, fresh and varietal, this red from Domaine de la Semellerie can't fail to entice. Expect aromas of red berries, flowers and pencil shavings. Winemaker/proprietor Fabrice Delalande assembles a blend of fruit from parcels on low-lying clay soils and limestone soils on a southeast-facing slope: the former terroir contributes structure – although this remains light-bodied – while the latter accounts for those fabulous aromatics. Drink now to 2020.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (spring 2019)