It’s easy to see the effects of climate change here in the Loire valley. Over the past 20 years we’ve had more heat and more frost.
If you look at the degrees of heat over a growing season (which is a measurement used in the wine world), you can see that little by little, the temperature has been rising.
It looks subtle but when you add up those tiny increases, the effect is quite remarkable.
Did you know that today, we have the same amount of heat that the Northern Rhone had 50 years ago? Incredible isn’t it!
One of the positives of climate change has been the ability to produce lovely, ripe Malbecs.
Malbec or Côt as we call it here in the Loire, can be tricky to vinify but in recent years good growers have been making some fabulous wines.
Rich and ripe, full of black fruits with just a hint of violet and with lovely ripe tannins that are fully integrated. Balanced, delicious, velvety, fruity reds!
The Touraine-Amboise appellation changed its ‘cahier de charges’ and from now on red wines from this appellation are always 100% Côt. Testament to the changes and a show of confidence that these wines now represent some of the best and most interesting reds in Touraine today.
My picture shows the Touraine-Amboise from Chateau de Montdomaine. It’s a delightful example that we’ve enjoyed hugely over the past months.
Other wines to look out for are Jean-François Merieau’s Cent Visages and Geule de Boa and Xavier Weisskopf’s old vine Malbec. Delicious wines!
