Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Friday 14 November 2008

Two more vintage reports from happy Loire producers:

Bertrand Couly: Domaine Pierre and Bertrand Couly, Chinon


'2008 nous a révélé une très belle surprise, après un été maussade, les superbes mois de Septembre et Octobre avec vent asséchant d’Est et Nord Est ont concentré la récolte.

Le revers de la médaille : une toute petite récolte 30 à 35 hl/ha mais de très belle qualité. Les premières dégustations avant malo révèle des vins surprenants très droits et gourmands.'

The 2008 harvest was a wonderful surprise: after a miserable summer we had a superb September and October with a drying wind from the east – north-east, which concentrated the grapes.

The reverse of the coin is that we have a very small harvest of between 30-35 hl/ha but of very good quality. First impressions before the malo is that the wines are surprising – very precise and delicious.

Web: www.pb-couly.com

Frédéric Mabileau, St Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Bourgueil and Anjou

Thomas Meunier: February 2008

Thomas Meunier (commercial director): “The fine weather held right to the end of the harvest and the grapes were properly mature. We are very happy, although it is a small harvest. Overall the average yield is 37 hl/ha. This compares to 47 hl/ha last year. Unfortunately we will only have a third of normal of Les Rouillères.

The reds already taste round though they have yet to go through the malo and the press wine is delicious. We expect that this will be the first year since 2005 that we have made L’Éclipse, which has just gone into barrel.

As last year we picked the Chenin for the Saumur Blanc in two sweeps through the vineyard. During the first on Saturday 11th October we picked the golden coloured grapes that were around 13% potential. Then we picked again two weeks later we had about 30% with noble rot and between 14.2%-14.5% potential. We are vinifying the same way as last year with 25% in new wood and the rest in tank.”

Web: www.fredericmabileau.com

2 comments:

Michael D. said...

Jim:

As much as I enjoy reading bloggers reviews....there ain't nothing like hearing it from the source.

Jim's Loire said...

Mike, Many thanks for this. Glad you are finding the reports interesting. Another Chinon report due shortly.