Confirmation this morning that Guy Bossard, one of Muscadet's top quality producers, has put his Domaine de l'Ecu up for sale. Guy is now in his late 50s and with no one from his family to take over has decided that it is time to sell. Two disastrously small harvests in 2007 and 2008 may have contributed to his decision. In 2007 Guy made 9 hl/ha due to mildew, while in 2008 frost reduced his crop to 17 hl/ha.

Domaine de l'Ecu has around 17 ha of vines and Guy was one of the first in the Loire to embrace biodynamics – converting in 1986.

I hope that whoever takes over will work to maintain the high quality of Guy's wine and not trade on his reputation with inferior wine.

Photo from Pierre, Monique and Pierre-Marie Luneau
(Domaine Luneau-Papin) taken during the 2008 harvest.
Pierre is the young man on the left of the photo

"Surely I must have some more 2008!" Pierre Luneau.

(24 September 2008)
To be posted: tasting with Pierre Luneau including a vertical of Excelsior, his Muscadet troisième niveau, from 2008 through to 2002. Also a brief visit to Guy Bossard as well as a view of Castel's new factory.........

Sign at Guy Bossard's office and tasting room.

A recent edition of La Revue du Vins de France has an article on Guy Bossard of Domaine de l’Ecu and Joseph Landron of Domaines Landron in La Haye Fouassière. The article’s theme or conceit is that it was Guy Bossard alone who made quality Muscadet during the late 1970s and 1980s. It was Guy, who bravely swam against the tidal wave of mediocre Muscadet. Now Joseph Landron is a worthy disciple/successor to Guy.

Without taking anything away from the work and wines of Guy and Joseph, this strikes me as a gross simplification. My first visit to the Pays Nantais was at the end of 1989. It was clear that there were producers other than Guy, who unfortunately wasn’t in my programme of visits, who were passionate and dedicated to making top quality Muscadet.

Louis Métaireau most comes to mind. I still remember after nearly 20 years the gleam in Louis’ eye and the relish in his voice as he described the tasting hurdles the Muscadets made by his vignerons d’art had to surmount to prove they were good enough to be part of the Métaireau range. And spending an evening with Jean-Ernest Sauvion, who was determined that this novice wine journalist properly understood sur lie, its importance and why it was a nonsense at that time to allow people to transport Muscadet sur lie in bulk and bottle it away from where it had been made. Fortunately the rules were subsequently tightened up and now sur lie has to be bottled sur place. Taste Pierre Luneau’s 1979, his 1982 or other vintages from the period – obviously quality Muscadets. There may have been more poor Muscadet then but there were also quality producers – fortunately Guy was not alone.

Coming shortly.....

(24 September 2008)

Last November La Maison Sauvion, which includes Château du Cléray near Vallet, was sold to Grands Chais de France. This is part of the recent strategy of Grand Chais de France to build a range of luxury wine brands. As part of this strategy they bought Château de Fesles in Anjou earlier on this year. Pierre Sauvion, the nephew of Jean-Ernest Sauvion who previously ran the company, remains in charge of the company’s affairs.

Pierre Sauvion in the cellars of Château du Cléray

“We made a small test on Monday 15 September and then started properly on Thursday (18 September) and we’ll finish either today or tomorrow. With the frost of 7 April we lost 60% of the crop. Before we started harvesting we thought that yields would be around 24/25 hl/ha but the actual average yield is 20 hl/ha. However, this is not as bad as 1991 when it was just 10 hl/ha. However, even without the frost, I don’t think we would have had a big harvest this year because of the difficult flowering last year. We’d probably have had around 40 hl/ha.”

The Loire as well as other parts of Western France including Bordeaux was very badly hit by frost on 21/22 April 1991. Just as happened on 7 April this year much of the damage in 1991 was apparently caused by the heat of the early morning sun being magnified by the ice droplets encasing the tender young vine shoots.

“I’m quite optimistic about the quality of 2008, which I think may be similar to 2000 and 2001, perhaps especially 2001 which was a good vintage that has kept well. There are no wrong tastes in the 2008 musts, although the acidity is quite high and I may do a malo on some vats to soften the acidity. I was pessimistic about 2008 at the beginning of August but, leaving aside today, we have now had two and half weeks of good weather with the wind from the east.”

Pierre Sauvion@Château du Cléray with a glass of 2008 Muscadet juice

Pierre hopes that that the short 2008 harvest will lead to a repositioning of Muscadet. “The price will have to go up. We cannot cover our costs of production on this year’s yields. I hope that bad Muscadet sold at too low a piece will disappear and that the Muscadet will be sold at a price that reflects its true value. Muscadet should be the top wine from the area and any wine that isn’t good enough should be sold under a second label and not be called Muscadet.” Pierre explains that to cover costs this year the price would have to double. “Of course this isn’t possible but the price of Muscadet needs to rise to a level that will allow youngsters to start and for producers to gain a proper margin.”

Château du Cléray - Sauvion en Eolie
BP 79453, 44194 Vallet Cedex
Tel : 02.40.36.22.55
GPS : 47°09'590"N 01°14'686"W
Email : sauvion@sauvion.fr
Web: www.sauvion.fr

Melon de Bourgogne 2008

Due to the severe frost in early April the volume of the 2008 vintage is well below normal. Overall the estimate is that the frost destroyed 50% of the crop. However, this varies from sector to sector. “We lost between 20%-70% of the crop depending on the parcel,” said Monique Luneau of Domaine Luneau-Papin, Le Landreau in the Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine. “Overall we will make 40% of normal,” added Pierre. Pierre says that Joseph Landron has only made 12 hl/ha. Across in the Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu Jérome Choblet of Domaine des Herbauges says: “Before we started picking we had hoped for 25 hl/ha but now we have started we will be lucky to get 20 hl/ha. With around 130 ha – 105 of Melon – Herbauges is the largest producer in the Grandlieu appellation.

One of Pierre Luneau's pickers with grapes destined for Cuvée Excelsior

Fortunately the weather is good here: sunny but not very hot – the maximum temperature yesterday was just over 20˚C and the nights are decidedly fresh. Here and elsewhere in the Loire it seems a lot drier than during August – the grass is less green and the ground in the vineyards is dry and dusty.

“We started picking yesterday,” says Jérôme. “We checked the grapes on Monday a week ago (15 September) but they weren’t properly ripe ¬ only 9˚ alc but 8.2 acidity. Now we have 10.5˚-11˚ depending upon the parcel and 5.7 acidity. Waiting a week was very stressful as most of the producers around here were picking. 80% of all Muscadet has now been picked.” Assuming that their neighbours’ grapes were similarly barely ripe, it will be a good year for the bettravistes – sugar beet farmers of northern France. However, the high levels of acidity will be a problem.

Jérome Choblet with 2008 Muscadet juice

At Luneau-Papin they are finishing the hand picking – yesterday was the last day – and the rest of the grapes will be picked by machine. Pierre Luneau was very relaxed yesterday – his main concern appears to be trying to get his new mobile phone to work properly.

"Hello! Hello!" Pierre Luneau struggling with his mobile

Someone has to work: Pierre-Marie Luneau checks the harvest

Pierre Luneau admiring grapes destined for Excelsior

Monique Luneau: la vendangeuse en chef

One of the givens of the harvest is that machines will break down – usually at the most inconvenient time. While we talked to Jérôme, his father Luc was busy repairing the picking machine, so that it would be ready to go next morning.

Luc Choblet: "I think it goes this way..............."

"That's better – cracked it!"

(25 September 2008)

Unfortunately the sky is grey this morning and it’s raining – a complete contrast to yesterday.

11 September was the official ban des vendanges in Muscadet. This is when the wine authorities fire the starting pistol for the harvest, although if your grapes are sufficient ripe it is possible to get a dispensation to allow you to start before.

Pierre-Luneau of Domaine Luneau Papin (Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine): “We started on Tuesday (16 September) with the section of the vineyard that is harvested manually with a team of 50 pickers (very carefully selected by Pierre). Although the summer has been bien moyenne, there is too much of a rush to pick and we aren’t picking today – due to restart Monday. I expects that the harvest will last another 10 days or so.

Pierre Luneau at the Salon des Vins de Loire 2006

Jérôme Choblet, Domaine des Herbauges, Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu: “We haven't started yet. We did a little trial last Monday (15th) but the grapes are properly ripe yet – around 10.5% pot alc but between 6-7 g/l acidity. We are waiting for the grapes to be phonologically ripe and will start next Monday. Waiting is very stressful for us as many of our neighbours are busy picking. However, our grapes are healthy and we know we will make better wine if we wait. Once we start we will be picking quickly and I expect the harvest will be over in 10-15 days."

Catherine Roussel of Clos Roche Blanche, Touraine: “We will be starting Monday (22nd) with a parcel of Sauvignon Blanc. We’ll see how it goes. We are happy with the alcohol degrees but the acidities last weekend were still quite high – 6-7 gram per litre. If they are still high we’ll stop and wait.”

Jean-Marie Bourgeois, Henri Bourgeois: “We expect to start around 29 September in Sancerre. We are not in a rush. The weather is fine and the nights are very cool. It’s a bit like the Marlborough (NZ) climate – the acidity levels don’t drop. With climate change we are more worried by declining acidity rather than whether the grapes we will be able to get the grapes properly ripe. The grapes are very healthy and are ripening gently.”

Ban des Vendanges dates:
Reuilly – Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Monday 22 September
Reuilly – Pinot Noir Wednesday 24 September
Quincy – Friday 26 September

The dates for Sancerre, Menetou-Salon and Pouilly have yet to be fixed, although a reliable source indicates that it may well be Monday 29 September.

I understand that the Sauvignon Blanc is looking promising, although the acidity needs to drop a little. The Pinot Noir, however, is more delicate with a question mark over the amount of colour in the skins. Fortunately the forecast for the Loire over the weekend and for next week is good.

Saumur – Le Puy-Notre-Dame
Two messages from Micaela Frow (www.lagrandemaison.net)

Wednesday 17th: Good sunny conditions for the last week and into next so fingers crossed. Some due to start harvesting for the Crémant next week has been a tricky season with rot and coulure. A couple of weeks ago we had very misty mornings cleared by sun in the afternoon but way too early for Coteaux du Layon type weather very odd!
Friday 19th: Hand harvest started today around Le Puy area for the Crémant.

Christophe Daviau

Anjou – Brissac
Christophe Daviau, Domaine de Bablut: “I’m planning to start the Chardonnay for the Crémant on Tuesday (23rd) and then a parcel of Grolleau for Topette (Christophe’s easy drinking screwcapped red using macération carbonique). Both will be picked by hand. The Sauvignon, which is about 11.5% potential now, will either be Friday or the beginning of the following week. The Cabernet and the Chenin are coming along, although they are about a degree lower in potential alcohol than they were at this stage last year."