WTN: The Beautiful Grape (Pineau d' Aunis)

I love the Loire, for the quality, ability to match lots of foods, and also for the great value compared with some other regions. While my first thought is often the whites from Loire, the reds have a lot to offer also. I have been exploring some reds made from Pineau d'Aunis the last few weeks.


2006 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine L'Arpent Rouge
Hey, Alice Feiring named this her wine of the year. My experience with CRB is usually the wines show purity and an unadulterated expression of the grape. This wine didn't disappoint in that regard. This is 100 % Pd'A. Slightly cloudy reddish color, with a very expressive nose of sweet strawberry and pomegranate fruit. Wet fir needles and some other earthy forest floor flavors are also prominent. Soft and very ripe, with lowish acidity. There is a freshness to the fruit even without apparent acidity that makes this wine seem alive and transparent. $15. 13% abv. Plastic cork seal. Nice match with roasted chicken, and some roasted kale and sweet potatoes. The wine really sings with the sweet potatoes.



The next two are from Domaine Le Briseau, Coteaux-du-Loir. They are both blends of Pineau d'Aunis with other grapes. The negoce arm of Briseau is labeled Nana Vins et Cie.


2006 Nana Vins et Cie Coteaux du Loir You Are So Beautiful
A silly name and a crazy stick figure cartoon drawing on the label, but the wine inside is just fine. A blend of 50% Cot and 50% Pineau d'Aunis. Dark garnet purple color. Smells mostly of the Pd'A component with cracked black peppercorns and strawberry fruit. The Cot adds structure and tannin, and probably some color to the blend. Lovely nose, decent acidity and some chunky tannins, quite easy drinker that went well with cheese and crackers and hummus dip, and even was serviceable with pasta with white clam sauce. Plastic cork.
Fun wine, I would buy again. 12.5%abv. About $15.


N.V. Domaine de Briseau Vin de Table Français La Pangée
50% Gamay, 50% Pd'A. Darkish red translucent color. Fresh wild strawberry, tart and racy, a light wet pine needle green note. Fun wine, not as much structure as the Pineau d'Aunis/Cot blend from these guys. Easy drinker. Not as complex as the 06 PdA from CRB, but lots of fun.

A second bottle from last night. This was similar to the previous bottle, a green agave flavor seemed a little more prominent than the strawberry fruit in this bottle. Lots of flavor for a wine so weightless. Leaves an impression of black pepper on the tip of the tongue. Incredible match with a stew made from tomatoes, sauteed onion, green pepper, potatoes, Spanish paprika, fresh thyme, and some chunks of fresh tuna. The food brought out the fruit in the wine and the green pepper accentuated the pine needle agave thing. Neocork. $13. 12.5% abv.

These wines are different and affordable, and match up well with a variety of foods. I think I like the Pineau d' Aunis and Gamay blend for it seems to bring out some of the best features of both grapes. The wild berry gamay matched with the peppery, herbal earthiness of the Pineau d' Aunis is a great combination. The CRB though, has the most complexity of the three, but doesn't have the snappy acidity of the Briseau wines.


Best,
Marc

[Robin Garr]

I have been exploring some reds made from Pineau d'Aunis the last few weeks.

Mary and I bot LOVE P d'A! Puzelat's Les Tesnières and Clos Roche Blanche in particular. I'm always happy to pull a cork; I think she would declare it her No. 1 favorite wine above all others.

Are these Dressner's imports, Marc? I'd better hustle over to Chambers Street and see what I can find.

All from Dressner, I believe Robin.

I found the Clos Roche Blanche from K and L wines in CA, but the Briseau wines were from Astor NYC. I don't know if Chambers St has them in stock or not.

What I find really interesting is the style difference between Briseau and Clos Roche Blanche compared to what Eric Nicolas does with the grape at Domaine de Belliviere. Nicolas' version, Le Rouge Gorge, is much more concentrated and tannic, at least in 2005. It was one of the richest red wines from the Loire that I can remember trying, with 15% abv! The 2006 CRB L' Arpent Rouge, while fully ripe, is lighter and more feminine. I like and bought both, but find the Clos Roche Blanche easier to match with a variety of food. The Rouge Gorge is good with grilled steak and barbecue.

Thanks for the great notes, as always, and especially for the intriguing comparisons. It's fascinating to me that an obscure grape grown only in one small region can be vinified in such a range of styles. I've had the Belliviere and CRB l'Arpent rouge, albeit in their 2004 and earlier incarnations, and enjoyed them both. I've also had a 2004 Coteaux du Vendomois made from Pineau d'Aunis that I liked but was a bit lighter; now I've got to get my hands on some Briseau/Nana.

I wouldn't ascribe the differences between the Loir and the Cher wines to a stylistic choice as much as to terroir. CRB, for instance, has an unusual amount of limestone that gives a signature across all their wines, IMO.

I think this is all very interesting. Only wish I could add something but nothing around up here....forget it!! I think an Open Mike is needed here.

I wouldn't ascribe the differences between the Loir and the Cher wines to a stylistic choice as much as to terroir. CRB, for instance, has an unusual amount of limestone that gives a signature across all their wines, IMO.

Thanks for the info. One day I would love to visit the winery along the Cher. Last time I was there we were concentrating on the Chateaus.

2006 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine L'Arpent RougeThe wine really sings with the sweet potatoes.

Yet another reason why these are The Thanksgiving Wines.

I have been exploring some reds made from Pineau d'Aunis the last few weeks.

Mary and I bot LOVE P d'A! Puzelat's Les Tesnières and Clos Roche Blanche in particular. I'm always happy to pull a cork; I think she would declare it her No. 1 favorite wine above all others.

Are these Dressner's imports, Marc? I'd better hustle over to Chambers Street and see what I can find.

I have been hearing so much here about Chambers Street, . Visited their website, very good selection in some areas mentioned here on WLDG. See Pepiere is going organic.