Day 10
It was hard saying goodbye to the super-comfortable chateau this morning and as the rain started pouring down in the French heartland, so too did our memories of the relaxing weekend wash away and the reality of five more gruelling days of tasting fine and exquisite wines dawned upon us…what a hard life indeed.
The destination for the day was the finesse and elegance of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, the home of Sauvignon blanc. The small village of Sancerre is to be found on a hilltop overlooking the Loire River and staring at it neighbouring Pouilly-Fume on the other side of the river. It still remains a mystery to my feeble mind that the wines that are grown and cultivated so close to each other can have such a vast different character. The people claim that the variation in micro-climate is the explanation. The one having more wind with vines planted on the sloped hillside and thus yielding colder more steely and mineral driven wines. Where the other has vines in the lower levels closer to the river with more humid conditions and therefore more aromatic and saline characters. But if you walk in the vineyards it is still difficult to comprehend this phenomenon. Also, your nose and palate has to be on song if you want to identify these fine differences. So that was exactly what we did – we put ourselves to the test…
First cellar we stopped does not really deserve to be mentioned. The wines were ordinary and the experience was mediocre. Probably the first cellar’s lack of staff and our wine minds still tilted towards weekend mode can be blamed for the latter. But from there things heated up swiftly and the good fortunes we have had returned.
Next stop was at Domaine Vincent Pinard in Bue – a village a stone’s through from Sancerre. As you can probably notice the connection between the name of the cellar and mine? So it felt like a small home coming. And when I mentioned this to the proprietor he just laughed and the ice was broken. We had such a relaxed experience and the conversation was stimulating. The wines were good, balanced and intriguing. It made me ask questions about the origin and techniques. There was something distinctive about these wines and I could not quite place it. I find it a good thing when a wine makes you scrape your brain like that. After all, this is work! The wines (Sauvignon = WHITE) had lots of mineral and flinty complexity lined with lemon and citrus fruit. But the surprise of this package was the complex mouth feel. Something completely unexpected. After our visit we said our goodbyes of what felt like leaving a family reunion.
Last stop of the day was in the village perhaps more famous for its crottin (cheese) than its wine. The petite village of Chavignol. And the well-know Domaine Henri Bourgeois. The stylish and modern tasting room was a warm welcome after a quick stroll through the village towards the big doors at the end of the chemin . Here we were received as kings once again. We ended tasting over 20 different wines – all Sauvignons. Different slopes, different origins and parcels. You name it – we tasted it. Fabulous! To explore the versatility of one variety like that – and that in Sancerre – is a privilege. We tasted young wines and older Sauvignons, of which the latter pleased me more - for the simple reason that not many other wines can age that well. It was here that the Sancerre vs Pouilly-Fume dispute that raged in my head was finally settled. The difference is indeed enormous! The sweeter passion fruit notes combined with saline characters is the image of Pouilly-Fume printed in my brain… opposed by my preferred choice – the mineral and steely wines of the Sancerre (and specifically Chavignol) slopes have stolen a special place in my coeur-du-vin.
It was hard saying goodbye to the super-comfortable chateau this morning and as the rain started pouring down in the French heartland, so too did our memories of the relaxing weekend wash away and the reality of five more gruelling days of tasting fine and exquisite wines dawned upon us…what a hard life indeed.
The destination for the day was the finesse and elegance of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, the home of Sauvignon blanc. The small village of Sancerre is to be found on a hilltop overlooking the Loire River and staring at it neighbouring Pouilly-Fume on the other side of the river. It still remains a mystery to my feeble mind that the wines that are grown and cultivated so close to each other can have such a vast different character. The people claim that the variation in micro-climate is the explanation. The one having more wind with vines planted on the sloped hillside and thus yielding colder more steely and mineral driven wines. Where the other has vines in the lower levels closer to the river with more humid conditions and therefore more aromatic and saline characters. But if you walk in the vineyards it is still difficult to comprehend this phenomenon. Also, your nose and palate has to be on song if you want to identify these fine differences. So that was exactly what we did – we put ourselves to the test…
First cellar we stopped does not really deserve to be mentioned. The wines were ordinary and the experience was mediocre. Probably the first cellar’s lack of staff and our wine minds still tilted towards weekend mode can be blamed for the latter. But from there things heated up swiftly and the good fortunes we have had returned.
Next stop was at Domaine Vincent Pinard in Bue – a village a stone’s through from Sancerre. As you can probably notice the connection between the name of the cellar and mine? So it felt like a small home coming. And when I mentioned this to the proprietor he just laughed and the ice was broken. We had such a relaxed experience and the conversation was stimulating. The wines were good, balanced and intriguing. It made me ask questions about the origin and techniques. There was something distinctive about these wines and I could not quite place it. I find it a good thing when a wine makes you scrape your brain like that. After all, this is work! The wines (Sauvignon = WHITE) had lots of mineral and flinty complexity lined with lemon and citrus fruit. But the surprise of this package was the complex mouth feel. Something completely unexpected. After our visit we said our goodbyes of what felt like leaving a family reunion.
Last stop of the day was in the village perhaps more famous for its crottin (cheese) than its wine. The petite village of Chavignol. And the well-know Domaine Henri Bourgeois. The stylish and modern tasting room was a warm welcome after a quick stroll through the village towards the big doors at the end of the chemin . Here we were received as kings once again. We ended tasting over 20 different wines – all Sauvignons. Different slopes, different origins and parcels. You name it – we tasted it. Fabulous! To explore the versatility of one variety like that – and that in Sancerre – is a privilege. We tasted young wines and older Sauvignons, of which the latter pleased me more - for the simple reason that not many other wines can age that well. It was here that the Sancerre vs Pouilly-Fume dispute that raged in my head was finally settled. The difference is indeed enormous! The sweeter passion fruit notes combined with saline characters is the image of Pouilly-Fume printed in my brain… opposed by my preferred choice – the mineral and steely wines of the Sancerre (and specifically Chavignol) slopes have stolen a special place in my coeur-du-vin.
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