Tagged with "Cabernet Franc"
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A little more Anjou harvest news 2014
After the 40mm of rain that fell on Monday I thought that would be it for those hanging on in there for a final pass through the vineyard.
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Loire valley grape varieties
17 different grapes grown in the Loire valley. One photo of each one, all grown on the same plot taken on August 30th 2014.
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Domaine de la Cotelleraie
The vineyards of St Nicolas are more often than not seen as a lighter option than Bougueil. In fact the truth of the matter is that the vineyards of both these appellations cross over at the limits so one can find vineyards within the Bourgueil appellation close to the river on the sandy soils and likewise, one can find vineyards in the St Nicolas de Bougueil appellation higher up on the slopes where there is more clay in the soil and therefore more structure in the wines.
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Simple summer salads
A delightful summer salad of sweet, salty, creamy, peppery ingredients. Perfect for a hot day and lovely served with a glass of chilled Chinon rosé from the Loire.
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Favourite producers in the Loire – Chateau Yvonne, Parnay, Saumur Champigny
Mathieu Vallée has 11 hectares in the Saumur region. 28 tiny parcels dotted around the Saumur Champigny villages keep him on his toes and it’s always difficult to pin him down for a tasting. He makes a small range of wines (3 reds and 2 whites) and we popped in to pick up some stock and catch up on his news.
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L’Alliance des generations – a top Cabernet Franc/Malbec blend from Touraine
This wine is (as it says on the label), L’alliance des générations – a wine made by 2 generations of the Merieau family. Jean-François, his sister Patricia and their father Jacky.
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Chateau du Petit Thouars
Sebastien du Petit Thouars was on fine form at the Salon des Vins de Loire this week. I dropped by to taste a couple of his Cabernet Francs.
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Flowering in the vines at last
At last – after all the recent bad weather and a distinct lack of sunshine we thought it would never happen. Flowering is an important stage in the life cycle of the vine and weather conditions during this time will have an impact upon the quality of the bunches that follow. In an ideal world we hope for warm sunny days and a light breeze.
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Cabernet Franc in Anjou
It’s interesting to see how the vintage year has such an impact upon vine development. In 2011 the Cabernet Franc sprung into action early and by the end of May they were in full flower. In 2012 you can see that the vines have not reached that point and this year we are even further behind with the lack of sunshine throughout May. We count 100 days from flowering to harvest so it looks like we’ll be picking considerably later this year.