WTN: Loire SB, Loire CF, Cal Chard

Back in NY, Betsy went for something different than we'd had in South, she made cockles, squid, and shrimp in a tomato sauce over pasta, with some chard with raisins and pinenuts. Wine was the 2005 Boulay "Les Monts Damnes" Sancerre , a lovely bigger styled SB. Ripe fruit but clean acidity, citrus and gooseberry, flinty mineral notes, a little oregano. B+

Sunday Betsy performed a bit of magic on some leftovers (turkey and dressing we transported back was enlivened by fresh sage, some pancetta enlived pasta, etc), wine was the 2006 Breton "Franc de Pied"
Bourgueil. Man, this is a good week. Another lovely wine, clean bright black plums and cherries, just a hint of herbs on the nose. On the palate black cherries, berries, and earth; good length, fresh acidity, moderate tannins. Nice on Sunday, even better on Monday. B++

Tonight a roast chicken with brown rice and salad, not enough Cab Franc to make it through dinner, so we opened a bottle my brother had given me, the 2006 The Landing Chardonnay (California). I think this is a private label bottling especially for a restaurant in Bahamas that my brother's friend is involved with. My expectations are quite low.And on first opening I get a blast of slightly rancid butter, I think "this is gonna really suck." But whatever that was quickly blew off. Turns out to be a pretty decent Chardonnay, light oak notes, just a hint of (non-rancid) butter, fresh pear fruit. B/B-

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.
 

Is the Franc de Pied made from ungrafted rootstocks? That's what the terms sounds like...

Is the Franc de Pied made from ungrafted rootstocks? That's what the terms sounds like...

Yes.

Joguet has just had to grub up its ungrafted vines in Chinon Varennes du Grand Clos due to an onset of phylloxera. I hope it will not cross la Loire to attack Breton's vines. Baudry's, also in Chinon, are closer and more vulnerable.

Is the Franc de Pied made from ungrafted rootstocks? That's what the terms sounds like...

Yes.

Joguet has just had to grub up its ungrafted vines in Chinon Varennes du Grand Clos due to an onset of phylloxera. I hope it will not cross la Loire to attack Breton's vines. Baudry's, also in Chinon, are closer and more vulnerable.

I read a fascinating interview with Luis Pato in which he suggests that the move to grafted rootstocks since the onset of phylloxera, while for the most part necessary for the survival of most vineyards, has impacted wine negatively in incalculable ways by, paradoxically, producing healthier and larger grapes. He says that the fruit of his ungrafted vines is smaller and scrawnier and makes much more intense wines.

[David M. Bueker]

I read a fascinating interview with Luis Pato in which he suggests that the move to grafted rootstocks since the onset of phylloxera, while for the most part necessary for the survival of most vineyards, has impacted wine negatively in incalculable ways by, paradoxically, producing healthier and larger grapes. He says that the fruit of his ungrafted vines is smaller and scrawnier and makes much more intense wines.

Of course his ungrafted vines are likely also very, very old & thus would produce smaller berries with higher concentration. It's all they can do.

I read a fascinating interview with Luis Pato in which he suggests that the move to grafted rootstocks since the onset of phylloxera, while for the most part necessary for the survival of most vineyards, has impacted wine negatively in incalculable ways by, paradoxically, producing healthier and larger grapes. He says that the fruit of his ungrafted vines is smaller and scrawnier and makes much more intense wines.

Of course his ungrafted vines are likely also very, very old & thus would produce smaller berries with higher concentration. It's all they can do.

Wine writers from the 1930s through to the 50s used to claim that Bordeaux and Burgundy from great post-phylloxera vintages were inferior to their predecessors of equivalent quality - 1899, 1900, 20, 21, 28, 29, 45, 47, 49 versus 1858, 64, 69, 70, 75, 78. In the 30s and 40s there must have been quite a few bottles left of those pre-phylloxera vintages in good condition.

There are two factors to bear in mind which dilute the value of such a claim -

- young average age of the grafted vines in the famous 1899 and 1900 Bordeaux vintages which would weigh against these wines when 30-40 years old in comparison with surviving bottles from the pre-phylloxera vintages.
- the distorting mists of time and nostalgia in older men and women comparing the wines of the 20s, 30s, and 40s with their memories of the 1860s and 70s at a similar stage of maturity.

There were ungrafted vines in la Romanée-Conti until 1945 and the first vintage from grafted vines was, I think, 1952. I remember voices then unfairly complaining about the inferiority of grafted vines on the basis of some of the young vine vintages in the 50s.

[David M. Bueker]

Indeed it is very difficult, if not downright impossible to do the grafted/ungrafted comparison on any kind of level playing field.

And as always, romance rules the day in many cases.

I read a fascinating interview with Luis Pato in which he suggests that the move to grafted rootstocks since the onset of phylloxera, while for the most part necessary for the survival of most vineyards, has impacted wine negatively in incalculable ways by, paradoxically, producing healthier and larger grapes. He says that the fruit of his ungrafted vines is smaller and scrawnier and makes much more intense wines.

Of course his ungrafted vines are likely also very, very old & thus would produce smaller berries with higher concentration. It's all they can do.

If I can find his email, I'll write to ask if the comparison was between grafted and ungrafted vines of similar age.

There are two factors to bear in mind which dilute the value of such a claim -

- young average age of the grafted vines in the famous 1899 and 1900 Bordeaux vintages which would weigh against these wines when 30-40 years old in comparison with surviving bottles from the pre-phylloxera vintages.
- the distorting mists of time and nostalgia in older men and women comparing the wines of the 20s, 30s, and 40s with their memories of the 1860s and 70s at a similar stage of maturity.

Tim,
Your point is well taken, yet I recall Joe Dressner quoting a few Loire vignerons a few years back to the effect that head-to-head comparisons of (young) ungrafted and grafted vines showed that the ungrafted were, in general, less vigorous than their grafted counterparts. It may be that some of the vineyard tricks used to reduce vigor in modern times might not be necessary were we still able to use ungrafted vines.

Mark Lipton