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Guide
to the Loire regions
Chinon
Grower
Profiles

Jean-Max
Manceau
Domaine de Noiré
For
such a small and modest man, Jean-Max Manceau commands a huge amount of
respect from his fellow vignerons, having maintained the position
of President of the local grower syndicate since 1999 (Manceau claims that
no one else wants the job). In addition to this, he also held one of the
most prestigious roles within the appellation. Starting with the Gosset
family in 1981, he was the oenologist at Château de la Grille for a total
of 28 years, he only finally left the position in July 2009 after Grille
was sold to Baudry-Dutour (see separate entries for both Château de la
Grille and Baudry-Dutour). The opportunity to leave Grille meant that more
time could now be devoted to his own venture. In 2002, Jean-Max and his
wife, Odile took control of her family domaine located on the slope
between Chinon and Cravant. Prior to this time, the wines of Domaine de
Noiré had simply been sold off to the négociants.
Now full time at Noiré, Manceau works the ten hectares owned by the
family along with a further 5ha that are in location; the vineyards
spanning across the slopes and plains between Chinon and Panzoult.
Everything is planted to Cabernet Franc, although Jean-Max has just
established first hectare of Chenin Blanc. The vineyards are worked
organically and Manceau is expecting to receive certification with his
2015 harvest.
There are four wines produced on the domaine. Firstly, an intense and
concentrated rosé is made by systematically drawing off
juice from each cuvée - its depth is astonishing for a saignée.
The 2010 vintage was probably the best single example of Chinon rosé I
tasted on my research (in April 2011). The generic red carries the rather
clichéd name of Soif
de Tendresse although the
wine, a tank fermented early drinking style, is again one of the best
early bottled Chinon's I have come across (the drawing off of juice for
the rosé clearly aids the concentration of this cuvée, whilst
maintaining the purity of fruit and freshness). The other two red wines
are more controversial since both are raised in 400 litre oak barrels. Elégance
is sourced from six hectares of 40 to 50 year old vines on the gravel
plains of Cravant and Panzoult. Following fermentation in tank (and an 18
day maceration), the wine is committed to older barrels for ten months and
then held back a further year before release. Caractère in
contrast, comes from two hectares of sixty year old vines on the limestone
slopes. The other difference being this sees a combination of newer oak;
around 25% first-fill with the balance second and third year wood.
Having tasted the wines at Noiré for the first time in April 2011, I now
know that I can't personally hold Manceau responsible for the succession
of poor wines produced during his tenure at Château de la Grille, since
he was 'under orders' to produce a certain style of wine which relied on
over-long maturation in wood. The wines he is producing on his own domaine
are clearly the work of a man who understands what he is doing, although
the most impressive wines I tasted were the rosé and the generic red;
both very pure and true to type. The two oak aged reds, whilst
well-handled, are simply lost behind the wood, which is a shame since they
are very good wines in their own right - just out of place. There was just
a hint of brettanomyces on one of the wines tasted, but otherwise these
are all clean and pure. For me, Manceau would be one of my first
ports-of-call to stock up on good generic Chinon red and rosé; the
oak-aged wines I can live without.
Jean-Max
Manceau
Domaine de Noiré
160 Rue de l'Olive
Noiré
CHINON
T:
+ 33 2 47 93 44 89
P:
+ 33 6 76 81 91 29
F: + 33 2 47 98 44 13
domaine.de.noire@orange.fr
www.domainedenoire.com
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