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




Wednesday 30 September 2015

#2015Loire – Sancerre further photos – Matthieu Delaporte and Pascal Joulin

 The only Pinot Noir on the Cul de Beaujeu
Domaine Vincent Delaporte
(above and below)



My last visit last Thursday was to Domaine Vincent Delaporte with Matthieu Delaporte. I had been impressed when I met Matthieu in London in early September at the Lea & Sandeman tasting

First we visited the cave of Alain Delaporte, Matthieu's uncle now retired, which Matthieu promised to restore. Here we tasted from barrel the Delaporte 2014 Monts Damnés, Sancerre Blanc and the 2014 Cul de Beaujeu – both brilliant! The Monts Damnés wonderfully tense and mineral, while the Cul de Beaujeu has tremendous silky fruit. 

Then we headed to the top of the Cul de Beaujeu above La Croix de Jacko, which commemorates the death of Jacques Delaporte on the Cul tragically hit by lightning in 1957. The Delaporte Pinot Noir, the only to be planted on the Cul, which is otherwise exclusively Sauvignon Blanc, are at the top of this fearsome slope just above the Croix. Here the soil is slightly more red unlike the white clay limestone of the rest of the slope. 

This is obviously a magic place for Matthieu for new girlfriends are expected to like this place high above Chavignol. The Pinot was due to be picked next day by Delaporte's team of Bulgarian pickers

 Matthieu Delaporte in the Cul de Beaujeu 
Pinot Noir high above Chavignol
(above and below)
    
 Renovated chai of Alain Delaporte created by Alain's father in the 
1950s shortly before his death since when it has remained virtually unused

The cellar's fine ceiling
Part of the cellar that is in 
the process of being renovated

 
••

Next morning (Friday 25th September) started with a visit to Pascal Joulin (Domaine Michel Vattan) in Maimbray. Unlike all the other producers I saw during my two day visit, who were either finished harvesting or would be shortly, Pascal was only a third of the way through his picking as he wanted to make sure the fruit was ripe. 

 Pascal Joulin, Domaine Michel Vattan, Maimbray


 

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