THE LOIRE VALLEY – FRANCES BEST KEPT SECRET

If there is one region that I have spent more time in than any other it would be the Loire Valley. That miles long river stretching all of the way from the centre of France, past Sancerre & Pouilly Fume, through the centre regions of the Loire; Touraine, Saumur & Anjou to name a few, finally ending at the Atlantic Ocean with the Muscadet region; which specialises in their “sur-lie” Muscadet’s.

My love affair with the Loire Valley began a few years ago with a trip in February with my dad. On a cold winters evening when we had been driving through several feet of snow, we ended up in a small restaurant near Chinon and asked the owner what do the locals drink around here? She suggested two wines for us – being on holiday we didn’t feel this was an issue obviously. She recommended 2 bottles that turned out be “game-changers” in my path of exploration during my Sommelier career. The first was from a winery called Château de Fosse Seche. I’d like to point out at this point that their Chenin Blanc’s are world class – truly special and one of a kind. So anyway --- we ordered a bottle of the Fosse Seche Arcane Chenin Blanc and settled down for dinner. When it came around to ordering the red however our lovely hostess suggested a wine that neither of us had heard of before; Clos Rougeard! (I look back on this moment with amusement and delight), but anyway – we ordered a bottle and became quite transfixed by this winery that neither of us had ever heard of before and (which back then) cost around 80 euro’s a bottle. We enjoyed this rather lovely experience with some locally caught duck, served with an accompaniment of fresh vegetables and the richest sauce known to man --- heaven!!! Upon finalising the bill for our splendid meal, the lady offered to assist us with an introduction to the team at Fosse Seche – who coincidentally were at the Anjou Wine Fair the following day.

Upon arrival at the Anjou Wine Fair we made our way to the Fosse Seche stand where we were greeted by a man with a blonde pony-tail who turned out to be Guillaume Pire (winemaker of Fosse-Seche) – he introduced us to the rest of the family and after tasting his wines we were invited round for dinner that evening which we gladly accepted.

Chateau de Fosse Seche was founded by Guillaume’s father when he brought the entire family over from Madagascar and set about creating a small & unique biodynamic vineyard specialising in Chenin Blanc & Cabernet Franc. There is evidence to show that winemaking has been on this site since the 1200’s, with the vines ageing from 5 to 60 years old. I was in awe of their hospitality and obviously their wines – spellbindingly beautiful with a real sense of place and terroir and full of character. They have recently introduced beehives and goats into the vineyards to encourage the growth of the perfect eco-system. My favourite wine of theirs is Saumur Rouge "Eolithe" A.O.C. 100% Cabernet Franc, grown on a Jurassic plateau of flint with gravel and some clay, with low yields of about 20hL/ha. Aged on the lees in old beer transportation tank for about 21 months. This is a wine of sheer depth, exuberance and flavour that cannot be found elsewhere in my opinion.

(Winemakers & Brothers – Guillaume & Adrien – photo above)

The following day we found ourselves in Saumur-Champigny wondering around the small French village looking for a cheeky winery that we could possibly visit, we found an open gate, and being 2 very curious Englishman decided to make our way through and inside a small cobbled sloping winery, where (upon arrival at the bottom), found that not only had we gate-crashed somebody else’s tasting, but that we had arrived at Clos Rougeard. Very kindly instead of being hustled out we were offered a glass of Chenin Blanc from a nearby barrel by an old bearded man (who we later found out was Charly Foucault – winemaker), and I became entranced by the entire experience that followed. Now remember this was back in the day before the idea that Clos Rougeard would become this “cult-wine” amongst Sommeliers and wine collectors. I certainly was in awe of the whole operation, the sheer simplicity of the way in which the wines were made – the minimalistic approach to the vineyards and the final grape juice was incredible to witness. It is a moment that I shall remember for a very long time. Unfortunately getting into Clos Rougeard these days is near impossible. Charly Foucault passed away a few years ago and soon after the estate was sold; “Clos Rougeard, has was sold to the Bouygues brothers, regulars on the France rich-list and current owners of Château Montrose in Bordeaux. After months of rumours, the purchase of Loire legend Clos Rougeard by billionaire brothers Martin and Olivier Bouygues was officially confirmed today (23 June)” - Decanter Magazine. I really hope they stick to their bio-dynamic and minimalist principles that make Clos Rougeard so special.

The top cuvee is the “Le Bourg” which is 100% Cabernet Franc taken from a 1ha vineyard, located directly behind the winery with vines aged on average 95 years in some places. This wine is one of the benchmarks of France. Truly eponymous of what Cabernet Franc should be. Rustic, with charm, elegance, grace and tenacity, they make around 4000 bottles in a year. The same family (up till the day the estate was sold) has farmed this land since 1664. This truly is one of the greatest estates in France, if not the world.

One of the joys of being a Sommelier currently is the discovery of hidden gems that nobody has ever heard of and relishing the moment that you are one of few who know about these wines before anybody else. It has happened a few times over my career now, and I hope will continue to happen over the coming months and years as I continue to discover. Being able to share my stories with guests and other Sommeliers is what makes my position so worthwhile.

If you ever get the chance to taste wines from either of these extraordinary vineyards please do – they are full of character, life, energy and represent what this small part of France is all about. No, they are not “at the cheaper end of the scale” but do represent excellent value for money and are truly worth seeking out if you can.

Thank you,

Until next time,

Charles

This article was published in www.chefpublishing.com