After finishing my ten day marathon tour of German wineries with importer Rudi Wiest and seven other peers in August of 2008, I set off on my own by auto from Frankfort to France. After a brief visit in Alsace and the Macon/Beaujolais regions of Burgundy, I advanced to my primary destinations in the Touraine region of the Loire Valley.
The first of my three visits to Loire vignerons would be at Clos Roche Blanche in the small village of Mareuil sur Cher and run by Catherine Roussel. The winery is named after the house built by her great-great grandfather in 1901. Wine making at Clos Roche Blanche was merely a pastime until Catherine’s father took over. Catherine now works with her partner, Didier Barrouillet, who handles the winemaking and vineyard affairs.
The day of my arrival in late August, 2008, was a sunny and mild summer day kissed with comforting breezes. The materials used to make their house gives you an indication of what lies beneath the clay and flint specked soil. It is an impressive structure of white limestone.
The one and only Clos Roche Blanche.
After greeting the host, Catherine introduces me to her border collie, Maggie and Maggie's offspring, Pif. As Catherine, Pif and myself begin the walk up the knob of a hill behind the house and to the vineyards we are joined by an uninvited kitten. She’s never seen the stray feline before, but the cat follows us around like a dog. I found out later that she named the cat Seccotine after a popular brand of glue.
Pif leading the way in the vineyard.
Roussel’s twelve hectare plot contains sauvignon, gamay, cab franc,
côt (malbec) and small lots of cabernet sauvignon and pineau d’aunis. Clos Roche Blanche looks to grow organically and make wines with minimal intervention. These are some of my favorite wines on the market for being so pure and true to their varietal and terroir. These are the kinds of wine that rule with food and are a pleasure to drink on there own and I try my best to show these to customers.
The then un-named Seccotine trying to keep up in the vineyard.
Because I’m always looking to try new wines, I infrequently drink the same wine twice in a year. However, in 2009, their Cuvee Gamay had dinner me at least five times. Delicious red berry fruit with an irresistible mineral tang that you can’t put down.
Back in the vineyards, Catherine explains that while doing some vine maintenance, she’ll come across a sea creature fossil embedded in limestone debris. There are also wild mushrooms on occasion that she will bring home to the kitchen.
Maggie and Pif with Catherine at the entrance to the cave.
Above and behind the house is an access to the cave in the hillside where they will dump the harvested grapes to the presses and begin the winemaking process.
Inside the cave, with Pif and Seccotine still in tow, she shows me all the equipment and stored cases from past vintages. Here we take time to taste the sauvignon, cot, cabernet and pineau d’aunis with Didier, who is clearly taking a liking to the new cat.
Pif and Seccotine in the cave.
Le caveau.
Before I leave, Catherine presents me with a couple of limestone fossils imprinted with former sea life to take home and makes a phone call for a reservation for me at the terrific four star hotel and restaurant Auberge du Bon Laboureur in the enchanting village of Chenonceaux, a mere stroll to Chateau de Chenonceaux.
A view from the room. A section of the hotel
on the left and the village of Chenonceaux.
The hotel oozed old world charm and the restaurant offered an outstanding six course €85 Menu Gourmand dining experience that started in the gorgeous courtyard with a glass of sparkling Touraine served with an amuse bouche before being escorted and seated in the main dining room. The hotel’s fee at €125 was certainly more than the normal two star tourist hotel I would typically stay at, but was first class all the way and really, about the same price as a modest chain hotel in an average American city.
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| Chateau Chenonceax on the Cher river. |
It was a luxurious night and offered needed rest before moving on to my next destination in Chitenay with Olivier Lemasson and his winery, Vin Contes.
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