de Ladoucette...

In 1787, the Comte Lafond, ancestor to Baron Patrick de Ladoucette traveled down the Loire valley towards the Atlantic to sell his harvest of Burgundy and Beaujolais wines. Once there, he made a timely stop in Pouilly-sur-Loire where he tasted the wines of the region. As a connoisseur and négociant, of wines he made enquiries in the region as to potential properties for sale.

It was during this time that he learnt of the largest wine-growing estate in the region, known as the Chateau du Nozet. This Chateau belonged to an illegitimate daughter of the then French King, Louis XV, and at that time was for sale. Comte Lafond negotiated the sale in 1788 and the family of de Ladoucette took over the production of wine at the Chateau, a tradition that has been seen at Nozet stretching back over 600 years.

As the Revolution swept through France, winemaking continued at the Chateau though hampered by instability and upheaval. Napoleon finally took the Imperial Crown and a period of some stability followed, albeit short-lived. The Comte Lafond set about the reorganisation of the cellars at Nozet and was soon producing a far superior Pouilly-Fumé than had previously been seen. Such was its success gained a reputation for great quality, so much so it found favour at the Imperial Court as Napoleon’s favourite white wine, as Chambertin was his favourite red. Letters from Russia written by Napoleon to his secretary at that time complain bitterly that his barrels of Pouilly-Fumé have still not yet arrived.

The Chateau enjoyed progress during the next 100 years with a period of relative stability. The vines flourished and progressed. Then, as for all other vineyards in France, a deadlier menace appeared, Phylloxera Vastatrix. This virtually destroyed the vineyard toward the end of the nineteenth century. Baron Patrick de Ladoucette’s grandfather began a programme of replanting using different strains and grafting techniques. His efforts were hampered by two world wars and it was a virtually impossible task to restore the vineyard to its former size.

It was Baron Patrick’s father who finally completed the work at Nozet after 1945 and restored its vineyards to their former glory. It now stands at 165 hectares, the largest and most famous vineyard in the region.

Pouilly Fumé 2005

Bin No

PARA/160

Size

1 x 75cl

Price

£18.15

Ladoucette’s Pouilly-Fumé is elegant and classic in style sourced from the 165 acres of estate vines. No plot lies more than six minutes from the winery so the grapes are always picked and pressed at optimum quality.
Grapes were harvested from 25-35 year old vines, destemmed and deleafed. They were pressed by three gentle presses, designed to give 80% ‘free run juice’ (most presses only allow 40% to run off).

A unique feature of the wines of de Ladoucette is that unlike the majority of wineries in the world they only use free run juice. This juice is squeezed from the grapes by gravity alone, no pressure is needed, just the sheer weight of the grapes. This process avoids any harshness or stalkiness that can come when skins and pips are crushed during normal pressing methods. A long, cool fermentation follows in stainless steel to preserve freshness and aroma.

Keeping the wine in contact with its lees for nine months, combined with stirring the wine each month for a short period, imparts great flavour and body into the wine, and no oak aging is needed at any stage.

After blending the wine is stored in glass vats and bottled just prior to shipment to retain all the freshness of the herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc. The result is the essence of the finest quality Pouilly Fumé.

Tasting Note: This wine is pale gold in colour with hints of green. On the nose it demonstrates the classic aromas of Sauvignon Blanc such as lemon, grapefruit and pear balanced against a mineral and flint background noted in quality Loire wines. The palate has crisp fresh acidity with ample citrus- lemon characters and a lingering mineral finish. This wine is drinking well now and will accompany a variety of foods, particularly fish and seafood dishes. It has the capacity to age and improve for another 4-5 years.

Sancerre Blanc 2005

Bin No

PARA/170

Size

1 x 75cl

Price

£17.15

Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc grapes were harvested from 25-35 year old vines, destemmed and deleafed. They are pressed by three gentle presses, designed to give 80% ‘free run juice’ (most presses only allow 40% to run off). The selection of the fruit is rigorous to create the finest expression of Sancerre possible.

Vinification:- A unique feature of the wines of Comte Lafond is that they only use a very high percentage of free run juice. This juice is squeezed from the by gravity alone, no pressure is needed just the sheer weight of the grapes. This process avoids any harshness or stalkiness that can come when skins and pips are crushed during normal pressing methods. Then a long, cool frementation follows in stainless steel to preserve freshness and aroma.

Tasting Note: This wine is pale gold in colour with green highlights. It has aromas of wild flowers and nettles combined with a flinty mineral edge. The palate shows crisp acidity with fresh, herbaceous flavours. Still in relative youth it has the potential to age for 5-6 years.

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