Along the length of the Loire, from Nantes to Tours, the vintage is magnificent. It combines high quality and high volume. Loire 2009 has everything it needs. It seems that the magic of years ending in “9” continues.
Information from the Vineyard:
Muscadet harvesting got underway on 14 September, the classic start-date and after two low-yielding harvests (in 2007 and 2008) happier times have returned. “The vintage is of exceptionally good quality,” commented Denis Rolandeau, Vice President of InterLoire.
These superb results are thanks to favourable weather conditions. Spring was warm without any untimely frosts, meaning that grape bunches were able to develop well by the end of May/ beginning of June. After a few worrying moments in July when the condition of the vines was threatened by heavy rain, very welcome sunshine returned at the end of the month and continued into August.
“Overall we benefited from a beautiful Indian summer in September, when there was lots of sunshine without excessive heat. This meant that the acidity in the grapes was held at 4 grams but fruit could also develop a high sugar level,” commented Joël Forgeau, president of SDAOC (Syndicat de Défense des AOC Muscadet). Rain on 17 September even allowed the most patient pickers to catch up with any water deficit and to harvest grapes at top quality.
As fruit is extremely mature, its skin has developed golden glints. Wines are characterised by aromas of pears and citrus fruit, they have good body, minerality and long length. “Balanced” and “round” are the key words of the season. Already very supple, they will be ready to drink on their release during December. “We will also have some excellent wines for ageing, similar to those from the 1989 vintage,” said Denis Rolandeau. “2009 is the third beautiful wine of the decade, the other two being the good but atypical 2003 and the high ranking 2005.”
After the difficult economic period of the last two years this positive news is very welcome. In Muscadet, the principal appellation in the Pays Nantais, the low volume harvest in 2007 and especially in 2008 meant that there was a reduction in stock and an increase in price which caused an in-balance. Thanks to this year’s favourable conditions, Muscadet will be back in the shops with top quality wines and an attractive price of at least 4.50 euros for Muscadet and Muscadet sur Lie and around 7-9 euros for more precise terroirs e.g Gorgeois, granite from Clisson, rubis from Sanguèze, schist from Goulaine. InterLoire President, Patrice Laurendeau is confident: “In France the appellation should regain 90% of its market share this year,” he said.
Water stress, due to prolonged sunshine, meant that red grapes have thick skins and marked tannins. In order to obtain perfect maturity, winemakers had to be patient until the end of September before harvesting Grolleau and until 2 October for Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc also achieved good maturity, particularly from clay soils, where wines are very supple with red fruit notes (strawberries, redcurrants and cherries) and black fruits (blackberries) and pungent aromas such as liquorice and violet.
In Anjou, rosé wines are very fruity and have the beautiful citrus fruit notes that are indispensable for this type of lively, fresh wine. The soft rosés, like Cabernet d’Anjou, are reminiscent of citrus fruits (grapefruit) and red fruits (strawberries). The majority were vinified by pressing rather than the saignée method in order to conserve fruit aromas.
Chardonnays and Chenins particularly benefited from a good end of season. They are very pure, without synthetic flavours and have a marked mineral note.
For the sweet Layon wines, the first pickings are underway and suggest this will be a very beautiful vintage.
Vice President of InterLoire, Benoît Gautier, declares: “During the last 29 years of my working life I have never seen such high quality! The acidity is perfect, there isn’t any trace of rot and no berries are split. It’s miraculous!”
The weather was good throughout the season, the only dampeners being two hail-storms in the Cher Valley which damaged 300ha of vines. The Sauvignons in other areas benefited from more clement weather than in 2007 and 2008, resulting in high quality, fruity wines without heavy alcohol. Many have the intense aromas of mango.
Importantly the 2009 vintage was particularly favourable for Chenins. In Vouvray and Montlouis, all types of wines – sparkling, dry and sweet – have volume and finesse and many have developed very exotic pineapple notes. Winemakers were able to take their time and pass through the vines a number of times carrying out several tries in order to pick grapes at their apogee. These excellent conditions meant that sweet wines are being made from higher quality shrivelled, rather than botrytis affected, grapes. Already the wines are evoking the glorious years of the 1990s.
Sparkling wines are nearing maximum production levels but have kept their quality. “The organoleptic profile is close to 2005, but with the fruit flavours of 2006 and a mineral quality as well,” explained Benoît Gautier.
Gamays are also promising to be spectacular. There were some concerns due to a rainy period at the beginning of September, however winemakers were reassured by the fruitiness and the roundness of the first wines produced.
In the Cher, the Côts promise to be well coloured, round, seductive and meaty with a higher than average alcoholic potential and a good balance between elegance and freshness.
Only the Cabernet Sauvignons grown on gravel soils slightly suffered from a lack of water, but they also made the grade at the end as high afternoon temperatures helped fruit slowly evolve and ripen fully. Wines have a profile close to that of 1990 which was a textbook vintage.
Fresh, fruity and delicious, rosé wines are a particular triumph.
Economically prices are stable and releases are progressing in Vouvray and Montlouis. These wines must build on their existing good reputation in their established foreign markets, namely Great Britain and the United States.
Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine must continue on its road to greater consistency of quality. There has already been significant progress thanks to the work carried about by consultant and Master of Wine, Sam Harrop.
The red wine market appears to be stable although primeur wines are slowly disappearing.
In conclusion
The vintage 2009 and the year 2010 are full of promise for Loire wines. However the strong euro is a disadvantage for exports to countries with pounds sterling and the dollar. In these markets InterLoire is emphasising Touraine Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé d’Anjou and Muscadet. The immense bonus for the region is they can offer wines with exceptional quality at less than 10 euros, across all segments: whites, reds, roses, sparkling and sweet wines. No doubt in this exceptional vintage they will all be showing their best!