A fascinating and moving appointment in Rabelais’ land took place on last September 15 and 16 with “A historical Grand Cru from the Loire that knows how to show all its flavours to surprise, nourish the connoisseurs, hedonists and curious!”. 
he AOC Chinon’s slogan sets the tone. This encounter initiated by the Chinon Wines Union, presided over by Jean-Max Manceau, and Interloire, the interprofession of the Loire wines, took place in the 15th century setting of Château du Rivau, 10 minutes from Chinon.
Patricia Laigneau, the owner of this beautiful building classed Historical Monument, lead the guests into the impressive Trophy Room for a tasting dinner concocted by Chef Hervé Lussault, from the restaurant Charles Barrier in Tours. Each dish was accompanied by three wines that the wine growers commented on with ease. The 19 journalists that participated in this feast appreciated this first overview in 12 cuvees illustrating the richness of the terroir of Chinon: Gérard and David Chauvau’s bled wines from the Domaine de Beauséjour, an organic 2010 white from Jérôme Billard’s Domaine de la Noblaie, the Chenin from the cuvée “Blanche” of the Domaine Charles Pain, a Cabernet Franc cuvée “Les Galuches” by Wilfried Rousse, the “Réserve de Satis” 2007 red by Jean-Christophe Pelletier from the Domaine des Beguineries, the cuvée “Graviers” 2006 red from Johann Spelty’s domain to accompany the Duck Pie, or the cuvée “Danaé” from the Domaine Les Chesnaies and signed by Pascal Lambert on the Strawberry and Spices Dessert, beautiful pairings with regional flavours, suggested by the sommelier Simon Cottanceau.The highlight of this jaunt in Gargantua and Pantagruel’s steps started the next morning, as from 9 o’clock, in the Curiosity Lounge. The wine growers from Chinon did not submit as many rare bottles for tasting for about 15 years. This ceremony was worth this exceptional place in the heart of the Kings of France’s Valley to go back in time with 48 wines from the 1934 to the 2005 vintages.
Pierre Couly, the Grand Master of the Brotherhood of Rabelais’s Good Bottlers, commented on each cuvee thanks to a calendar filled in every day, indicating the flowering date, the picking period, giving the hydrometry, pluviometry, the Easter—cold and dry—or Southern—warm and humid—wind, and other influential details of the year of harvest.
Laure Dozon, at the head of the family domain since the 1999 harvest, enthusiastically commented on the cuvee “Clos du Saut Loup” 1964, Gold Medal at the Concours Agricole and produced by her grandfather Paul Dozon. In the same vintage, we compared Pierre Couly’s wine given by his father-in-law for his wedding. Average vintage 1966 because of the rain; difficult year 1967 with austere wines but interesting on the palate; beautiful worth keeping wine for Château de Ligré in 1969; a lack of roundness but a good 1975 vintage for the Cuvée Tradition of Domaine Spelty which will also give in 1977 a harsh and tannic wine because of the frost. An aromatic 1978; small volumes at the Domaine Gouron in 1981 with tannic wines but a vivid colour for the 1982s. A sweet pepper year par excellence in 1985 at Serge and Bruno Sourdais’ Domaine de la Bouchardière; Jérôme Billard’s childhood memory for summer 1989 with a 600-liter vat; barrels that just start to confide at the Domaine de la
Noblaie; “Les Vieilles Vignes”, solid worth keeping wine from 1996 signed by Nicolas Paget. A heat wave in 1998 that can be felt in Eric Hérault’s wine; a charming “Chêne Vert” from the Domaine Charles Joguet, until a happy 2003 “Croix Boissée” from the Domaine Bernard Baudry. We learned that none of the wine growers loves his 2004; and to finish with, the vintage 2005 was marked by the 32 floods of the Loire, discernible in the Charles Pain’s Prestige Cuvée or the Domaine Charles Joguet “Les Varennes du Grand Clos”.
“Give me a good grape and I will make you a good wine” Bertrand Couly gladly said. Alain Chameyrat, manager of the guide Bettane et Desseauve, summed up this unique moment as follows: “Among all the terroirs of the Loire, Chinon is the appellation in red that gives the best ageing potential. The House Couly really surpassed the others. The vintages 1947 were really powerful and the 1969s had balance and fineness.”
Wine from the moon or wine from the sun, these red Chinon definitely keep vivid colours for a long time. After having been very concentrated for hours, it was good to appreciate in a convivial spirit other cuvees of the three colours during the lunch that closed this discovery of the hidden treasures of the cellars from the appellation Chinon, in Christophe Duguin’s restaurant Le Chapeau Rouge.
Sarah CanongeLe syndicat des vins de Chinon
Impasse des Caves Painctes - 37500 CHINON
Tél. : +33 (0) 2.47.93.30.44 - Fax: +33 (0) 2 47 93 36 36
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