Our recent annual foray into the wines of the Loire and Beaujolais was a huge success, with a great turn-out from both the members and the growers.

On the face of it, this tasting seemed beset by adversity: Bernard and Anne Chéreau managed to make it to the London leg of the tastings with moments to spare, in spite of a cancelled flight out of Nantes; Pascaline Mabillot had to step in at the last moment when her husband Mathieu realised his passport was out of date, whilst Jean-Marc Darbon (of Beaujolais négociant Jacques Depagneux) left his suitcase on the tube – you’ll be pleased to hear they were reunited against all odds the following day!

The focus of the tasting being the Loire and Beaujolais, many members expected the wines to be limited to sauvignon blanc and light red wines, but the reality couldn’t have been more different.

Whilst indeed there were some fantastic sauvignon blanc such as Mathieu Mabillot’s pungent Reuilly, La Ferté, 2010 or the soft and delicate Menetou Salon Morogues Pelle 2010 from Anne Pellé, there was also much else besides on offer from the Loire. Evelyne de Pontbriand’s lovely Savennières, Domaine du Closel, 2009 really stood out as did Domaine Huet’s Vouvray, Le Mont, Sec, 2002. Olivier Mouraud of Domaine Bougrier had produced a Rosé d’Anjou 2010, which would be perfect in combination with a patio and some sunshine – both of which were on offer on Monday night at our London venue, RIBA. Christine Laloue’s Sancerre Rouge Domaine Serge Laloue, 2009 was complex and elegant, and would give many a Burgundy a run for its money.

We were delighted to be joined by Jean-Marc Darbon (he of the missing suitcase, mentioned above) and Gilles Meimoun of Maison Trenel, whose wines showcased beautifully what Beaujolais can offer. Here we had the light, fruity styles displayed so well by The Society’s Beaujolais-Villages 2009, through to much denser, more complex reds such as the Beaujolais-Perreon Château du Ringuet, 2010 or Moulin-à-Vent, Domaine de la Tour du Bief, Tirage Limite, 2005. Proof, if it were needed that whilst the wines of the Beaujolais region are never going to be in the Australian “blockbuster” category, they have a concentration and depth that belie their image as light red wines.

To see the wines available for tasting in London and Newcastle please click here.

Emma Howat
Tastings & Events Co-ordinator