Eric
Morgat, Clos Ferrand (1995)
Eric
Morgat exemplifies all the characters of a true Angevin;
considerate, thoughtful and most of all, modest. His family have been vignerons
in the Layon for more than two centuries, but, it was Eric’s grandfather
who bought Château de Breuil in the Coteaux du Layon in 1959. The mode at
the time was for varietal wines, and in the early 1960s much of the Chenin
was pulled out in preference for Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Eric, who was
born in 1969, arrived back at Breuil after his studies in the early 1990s,
but realised early on that, although he was committed to a life as a vigneron,
there was no future for him here. His father, Marc, was a good friend of
Madame Laroche of Domaine aux Moines, and it was she who made the initial
contact for Eric to buy 1.5 hectares of vines and a tiny house and cellar
at the foot of La Roche aux Moines in 1994. The owner, M. Gillier was a
polyculturalist with vines, cereals and cattle. Domaine de la Monnaie was
founded and Eric became the first ever Morgat to traverse the river. From
this initial purchase he has since increased holdings, buying around the
Moulin de Beaupréau and renting land in Epiré which he planted in 2002.
He was also one of four vignerons
to take up the invitation to rent land in La Roche aux Moines in 2004,
although to date the wine produced from there has been blended into ‘L’Enclos’
although the three 400 litre barrels he produced in 2010 may see
themselves in bottle as a stand-alone release for the first time.
Eric sold Domaine de la Monnaie in 2007 and relocated to Clos Ferrand on the road to La Possonnière. In selling the house, Eric also lost access to the cellar, so from the 2007 vintage he rented the old earth floor cave at the Clos de Coulaine which had last been used in 1991.
His
plans are to replant part of the old clos at Ferrand have come to fruition
with 0.7 hectares established in 2010 and a further half an hectare of
plantings planned. Although Eric is one of the many Layon growers that
have now crossed the
Wine
Overview:
Eric
commenced in 1995 and for the first seven vintages the wine was released
under the Domaine de la Monnaie label. However, during this period he was
conducting various experiments which saw the occasional release of a cuvée
called ‘L’Enclos’. By 2002, Eric had started to change his views on
the viticultural and vinification methods he had employed until that time;
these essentially revolved around his encouraging botrytis in the bunches
and combining small oak with batonnage and malolactic fermentation in the
cellar. He believes now that botrytis and malolactic fermentation is not a
happy marriage for Savennières. Once comfortable with the manner and
style of wines he was looking for, ‘L’Enclos’ became the single
release. His label carries an illustration by the painter Marcel Hasquin.
The
Wines:
Firstly,
a declaration of interest; Richards Walford are Eric Morgat’s UK
importers. With a dozen vintages under his belt, one can clearly see the
thought, understanding and progression that Morgat has achieved with each
subsequent vintage. Every wine here demonstrates a sense of origin as well
as vintage character. However, with the change in winemaking style the
wines reach a different level of quality from the 2002 vintage onwards and
there is no doubt that today Eric Morgat is recognised as one of the
bright young stars of the appellation. The majority of the notes below
come from a single retrospective tasting conducted at the domaine in
February 2008.
2009
L'Enclos'
Eric had to invest in new wood this vintage due to the perils of having
less of a crop in 2008. It's simply too risky to have empty barrels in the
cellar for a year. As a result, one-third of the wine saw new oak. Obvious
oak on the nose but there is an underlying minerality. Very clean and
linear on the palate with less of the pithy phenolic edge of previous
vintages. This is very clean, pure and fresh but will need time to settle.
(01/11)
2008
'L'Enclos'
Faint maritime nose displaying some old fashioned Chenin notes. Complex,
honeyed and faintly exotic. The palate is currently closed but clearly has
more to give. Typical pithy to the finish. (01/11)
2007
‘L’Enclos’
2006
'L'Enclos'
No malolactic fermentation. Harvested at 25hl/ha. Lovely nose. Very pure,
rich and rounded, but shows class and potential. Great structure and
weight. Multi-layered. Rich, taut and mineral on the palate. The oak is
present but well integrated. Very powerful, concentrated and long. Waxy,
with hints of botrytis. Already approachable, but will age and evolve
more. (12/08)
2005
‘L’Enclos’
Bright.
Quite pale straw/yellow appearance. Rich nose of cloves and apricot with a
hint of reduction that appears to add to the overall complexity. Full and
rich on entry, but shows delicacy as well. Flavours of honey or honeycomb.
Very ripe and well textured. Builds well to a powerful but fresh mineral
finish. The alcohol shows just a little. Very good length with a chalky,
pithy-Chenin edge. Very open and attractive now, but deserves more time in
bottle. (02/08)
2004
‘L’Enclos’
Polished.
Mid-pale straw/yellow appearance. Attractive, open and very fresh on the
nose. The oak is evident, but harmonious. Very slight and gentle on entry,
but builds well with good tension and structure. Powerful to the finish
with some ripe exotic, stone fruit flavours. Faint Chenin bitterness to
the finish. This would really benefit with more time in bottle. (02/08)
2003
‘L’Enclos’
Mid
depth. Youthful yellow/straw appearance. Ripe and exotic on the nose.
Confit fruits. Attractive on entry, but shows the ripeness of the year
(Eric describes this as his ‘Châteauneuf-du-Pape vintage’). Delicate,
with flavours of apricots or apricot confit and a waxy texture. There is
good acid balance despite the heat and is surprisingly delicate, although
the finish does show some heat. Good length. This is drinking now, but
could evolve a little more. (02/08)
2002
‘L’Enclos’
Polished.
Deep orange/gold. Exotic, floral nose. Almost Viognier-like, with apricots
combined with dill. The wood shows a little here still. Tight and mineral
on entry with very good structure. Broad flavours with a ‘dry’
botrytis flavour. A little hot and ripe, but still has proper acid
balance. Apricot confit to finish. Drinking well now, but will develop
further. (02/08)
2001
‘L’Enclos’
Polished.
Deep orange/bronze appearance. Rich and ripe nose with some citrus. It
shows none of the oxidative characters that defines this vintage. Delicate
and complex with a hint of caramel. Ripe on entry with very good focus.
Powerful, with a good, stony, mineral structure through to the finish.
Flavours of acacia, honey and cloves. This is drinking now, but should
hold and possibly evolve. (02/08)
2000
Domaine de la Monnaie
Polished.
Deep yellow/gold. Broad, rich nose and still quite youthful. There is
evidence of botrytis here. Excellent palate weight. Broad, but with good
minerality behind. This is still quite closed and somewhat unevolved. A
touch tropical and a bit hot on the finish. This is probably at its best
now, but should hold although unlikely to improve. (02/08)
1999
Domaine de la Monnaie
Polished.
Mid-full appearance. Yellow/gold. Quiet and delicate on the nose, but
quite rich behind. No real evidence of any real development here. Mid
weight on entry. A bit shallow on the palate. Broad, but lacks direction
and the wine falls a bit flat. There is a sense of minerality, but lacks
fruit, freshness and acidity. Has body but no soul. Some maritime, iodine
flavours to the finish. Needs drinking (02/08)
1998
‘L’Enclos’
Polished.
Deep appearance with good variation of yellow/gold with some green hints
to the rim. Lovely nose. Complex, rich and creamy. ‘Green’ tones
underneath. Slightly lactic edge, but still shows some quince-like fruit.
Solid on entry. Broad and still quite youthful with not much evolution.
Well focused palate with good balance and texture. Quite creamy. Just
falls a bit short. Drinking well now. Unlikely to improve. (02/08)
1997
Domaine de la Monnaie
Polished.
Deep appearance. Yellow/gold. Still quite closed on the nose, but mineral
behind. Fresh acidity to the palate with no obvious sign of ageing.
Delicate and attractive. Good weight on entry. Builds well. This is still
quite taut and unevolved with a lean, chalky textured palate. Good length.
Just a touch hot on the finish. Faintly reductive, this is why it’s been
so well preserved. Drinking now, but should hold. (02/08)
1995
Domaine de la Monnaie
Some
advanced characters to the nose; white flowers with some apricots and
almond behind. Attractive palate, although somewhat restrained. Well
structured, but in a traditional lean style. Austere with a mineral edge.
More almond and apricot kernels to the palate. Well textured, but needs
drinking. (09/02)
Eric
Morgat
Clos
Ferrand
Savennières
T:
+33 2 41 72 22 51
www.ericmorgat.com
ericmorgat@wanadoo.fr