A couple of weeks ago, Rob (@LuckyRobb99) and Anne (@annecathelineau) from our London Trade team headed off to sunnier settings: the Val de Loire. With suppliers from the coastal Muscadet to the continental Pouilly-Fumé 240 miles east, they were spoilt for choice. They opted to explore the road less traveled and found themselves in the land of eggs, Cabernet and windmills.
"We headed off to the arguably less well known end of the Loire, to the Appellations of Anjou, Saumur and Vendeé to see, first-hand, how our relatively new growers work and are set up. We started with Jeremie Mourat in the Vendée and it soon became obvious that he is a big fish in a small AC pond. Very forward thinking, experimental and rigorous in the way he works, crafting high quality wines across his estate. His unusual but very drinkable white Pinot Noir was universally enjoyed, matured in clay eggs to allow similar slow oxidation / development as oak barrels but with no woody flavour impact.
"We headed off to the arguably less well known end of the Loire, to the Appellations of Anjou, Saumur and Vendeé to see, first-hand, how our relatively new growers work and are set up. We started with Jeremie Mourat in the Vendée and it soon became obvious that he is a big fish in a small AC pond. Very forward thinking, experimental and rigorous in the way he works, crafting high quality wines across his estate. His unusual but very drinkable white Pinot Noir was universally enjoyed, matured in clay eggs to allow similar slow oxidation / development as oak barrels but with no woody flavour impact.
