Guide
to the Loire regions
Val du
Loir
Producer
profiles - Jasnières and Coteaux du
Loir
Domaine
les Maisons Rouges (1994)
The
Jardins are indicative of the interest in the appellation of Jasnières
and Coteaux du Loir, their arrival in the region coinciding with the start
of the regeneration of the wines of Savennières further south. Neither
has a wine background. Benoît originates from Flers in Normandy, whilst Elisabeth is a Parisienne by birth. For the first ten years of
his working life, Benoît was in telecommunications in
Paris
which is where he made some money, but had always wanted to be closer to
the soil. In his career, he has also been an artisan
potter, and glass blower. He studied in
Tours
as an agronomist, where he helped to raise horses, and it was during this
period that his love of wine developed, spending three seasons between
1975 and 1977 working the vintage in Vouvray. In preparation for life as vignerons,
Benoît went back to college at the Lycée
Viticole at Blanquefort in the Médoc, whilst Elisabeth did a stage
with Bénédicte de Rycke. They bought Les Maisons Rouge, a mixed farm
which dates from the 19th Century, in 1994 and began to build up their
domaine. Their decision to start at this time was lucky, but courageous
nonetheless. The two appellations were at the nadir of their decline,
coming on the back of four dismal vintages, but land was cheap and old
vineyards could be acquired for comparatively little money.
Wine Overview :
As of 2009,
they farm ten hectares of vineyards including eight of Chenin, having
acquired a further three hectares in the past year. Their objective is to
own all their own vines, although for the moment they rent 1.7 hectares,
split between four different growers in both appellations, including a
parcel lease from the uncle of Jean-Marie Renvoisé. Of the vines they
own, a total of 60% of the vines are more than fifty years old.
In Jasnières, they have parcels in le
Clos des Jasnières itself, plus le
Clos des Molières at the western edge,
les Blettes, le Clos de la Gidonière and les
Barrières which is partly planted, at the foot of the slope, with
Pineau d’Aunis. The majority of their Coteaux du Loir vineyard holdings
are centred on Lhomme and Ruillé-sur-Loir and are a natural extension of
those within the Jasnières appellation. In Ruillé-sur-Loir they have
parcels in la Fontanelle which
is planted to Chenin and has large amounts of silex, la
Bonnotière planted to very old vine Pineau d’Aunis at the top of
the slope, and la Cailleterre
which is also planted to Pineau d’Aunis. The three parcels in Lhomme are
la Pierre Beurre, a very highly respected site for Pineau d’Aunis
which contains quartz and silex, and les
Blettes and l’Etre Pucelle which
are both planted to Chenin. Across the river in Marçon, they have two
plots, la Bossière, of which
half is Pineau d’Aunis planted in 1904, and les
Possiers, although this is being grubbed up and prepared for more
Pineau d’Aunis. In Chahaignes, they have two parcels; les
Forges which is planted to Chenin and les
Nicassières, planted to Pineau d’Aunis. The vineyards are all
farmed organically and everything here is harvested by hand.
In the cellar, the red wines are all aged in stainless steel, whilst all
the whites are raised in barrel. Their preference has been for second hand
white
Bordeaux
barriques, but they plan to move to larger 400 to 600 litre oak fûts in future. Where possible, their parcels are vinified apart,
but with two small harvests in 2006 and 2007 it meant co-fermenting was
the only viable option. Malolactic fermentation is not systematic,
although they found that it occurred naturally for the 2005 and 2006
wines. The whites remain in wood for between 12 and 18 months.
The Wines :
I haven’t
had an opportunity to taste too many of their older wines, which is
unfortunate based on the current releases, below. These are very serious
wines, although all are in need of time to show at their best. I certainly
recommend that you buy them at any opportunity. The 2007 white wines
tasted here were barrel samples and my notes should be read with this in
mind. They are due to be bottled in April 2009.
2007 Jasnières ‘Clos des Molières’
Mid depth
yellow. Clean on the nose but pretty closed. There is a hint of caramel.
The palate is less rounded than the nose suggests, with green fig flavours.
Good grip and a striking minerality. Stony. This is bone dry. Good
structure and length. A true Jasnières. I expect it will be pretty closed
on release and will need time to show itself. (12/08)
2007
Jasnières ‘Clos des Jasnières’
From 70 year
old vines. Yellow/straw with green hints. Closed nose. Deep and
concentrated on the palate with great structure, weight and presence. Bone
dry and mineral, but is full of flesh. Very clean and linear. Fine acidity
– more tartaric than malic in the makeup – which flows through the
wine. Very good austerity to the finish. Excellent potential. (12/08)
2006 Jasnières ‘Clos des Molières’
Polished.
Mid depth, straw. Some evidence of the botrytis that defines this vintage
is present on the nose. Round, soft and approachable. Slightly
‘wilder’ expression. Bone dry, austere and lean on the palate. Very
taut and mineral, yet backward. Orange skin like flavours from the
botrytis. There are some phenolic hints here (the skins were very fragile
in 2006). Concentrated, but typically dumb Chenin. It remains nascent and
demands time. Persistent
finish. (12/08)
2006 Jasnières ‘Sur le Nez’
A blend of Clos des
Jasnières and Clos de la Gidonière.
Polished. Deep
yellow/gold. Clean and refined. Dull and faintly oxidative in style with a
profile similar to some modern Savennières. Evidence of oak with a faint
whiff of vanilla. Good structure and concentration. Taut and mineral with
good grip. Less phenolic and more complete. Quite firm and austere with a
chalky texture and firm acidity. Will be good, but needs time. (12/08)
2005 Jasnières ‘Clos des Jasnières’
Polished.
Mid full yellow-gold. Clean, but very closed up. Mineral and very fine. It
shows weight and roundness and its future potential. The palate is more
intense and expressive. Powerful with linear acidity. Very clean and pure
showing a serious sense of place. Rounded, but strict. Impressive, but
still very immature. (12/08)
2005 Jasnières ‘Inclinaison’
Picked in
early November, this is a triage
of grapes from both Clos des Jasnières
and Clos des Molières. Mid
depth. Clear but not bright. Yellow/gold. Rich on the nose but pretty
closed at present. Honey, coconut and acacia behind. Rich and showing some
sweetness (29g/l). Open and more expressive on the palate. The alcohol
shows a little. Firm, mineral and stony. Quite chalky and phenolic in
texture. Concentrated with a firm finish. Some Chenin pithy-bitterness on
the finish. Very closed. (12/08)
2003 Jasnières ‘Clos des Jasnières’
A Moëlleux,
with 70g/l residual sugar, although the style is not marked on the label.
Polished. Deep appearance. Straw/yellow/gold. Quite closed on the nose.
Richly textured. Rounded, soft and approachable. Very good structure.
Builds well. Flavours of quince and coconut. A little hot on the finish.
Powerful and grippy and shows the heat of the vintage. Drinking now, but
should evolve further. (12/08)
2007 Coteaux du Loir Rouge ‘Les Vieilles Vignes d’Aunis’
Polished.
Youthful mid-full appearance with a purple rim. Excellent and very pure
expression of the variety. More black pepper on the nose than white.
Concentrated and very attractive. Taut, but with supple tannins on entry.
Juicy, rich and concentrated. Lovely balance. Very pure on the palate too.
Still quite grippy and will need time to settle. Persistent and very fresh
with lovely acidity to the finish. Excellent. (12/08)
2005
Coteaux du Loir Rouge ‘Les Vieilles Vignes d’Aunis’
Dull, ruby centre. Mid depth. Youthful purple rim. Round, soft and pure on the
nose. Very clean and shows some evolution, but still could do with more
time. Tannins are firmer and more backward. Less obviously Pineau
d’Aunis at this stage. Ripe and shows very good potential. (12/08)
Elisabeth & Benoît Jardin
Domaine les Maisons Rouges
Les
Chaudieres
Ruillé-sur-Loir
T: + 33 2 43 79 50 09
P: + 33 6 87 14
45 51
F: + 33 2 43
79
50 09
benoitjardin@free.fr
www.maisonsrouges.fr
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