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Chateau de Villeneuve Update, February 2009

More than fifteen years elapsed between my first taste of the wine of Chateau de Villeneuve, a Saumur-Champigny from the early 1990s ( I can't be any more specific than that), and the addition of my Villeneuve profile to this site. Happily this long interlude is one that won't be repeated; only a month or so on from that addition I met Jean-Pierre and his wife during the 2009 Salon des Vins de Loire to look at the latest releases from the 2008, 2007 and 2006 vintages.

This mini-tasting provided a useful snapshot of the three vintages in Saumur-Champigny, although comparisons between them must be made with extreme caution due to the different nature of the wines on show. In the case of 2006 these are finished wines, in bottle, and the quality was deemed sufficient by Chevallier to make all three cuvées, his entry-level Saumur-Champigny, the Vieilles Vignes cuvée and Le Grand Clos. In 2007, however, there was only one wine, the domaine Saumur-Champigny, as Chevallier did not think the quality of the wines merited the superior labels; thus the 2007 Saumur-Champigny includes fruit normally destined for Le Grand Clos, and so it is hardly the same wine as the 2006. Nevertheless, on reflection, the 2006 was the superior of the two, which certainly supports Chevallier's view of the vintage. Lastly came the 2008 which was a step up from the 2007 but in this case was brut de cuve, a somewhat curious term essentially meaning tank sample (although I have noted some also use it to refer to barrel samples). Thus this is a very unfinished wine and comparisons are not necessarily valid; on this showing, though, the quality was very good.

As for the white Saumur there was a touch more success in 2007, with the entry-level domaine wine showing very well indeed, as did the 2008. Both were overshadowed, however, by the 2006 Les Cormiers. This is a very good wine indeed, with excellent potential for the cellar. (25/3/09)

Chateau de Villeneuve, February 2009 - Tasting Notes

The wines below were tasted in Angers at the Salon des Vins de Loire in February 2009. All my notes on the wines of Chateau de Villeneuve, including those below, are collated under my Chateau de Villeneuve profile. Click to locate stockists.

Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur Blanc 2008: This sample is brut de cuve - an unfinished, unblended sample - so needs to be viewed in that light. From limestone and clay-limestone terroirs, fermented in a mix of stainless steel and 3, 4 and 5-year-old barrels. Still cloudy. A brilliant nose, so lively and full of fresh of fresh pear and stone fruit, although no doubt these most primary of aromas will change. The palate is elegant and rich in fresh fruit, primary like the nose, pretty and very juicy. If these characteristics can be preserved this could be very good indeed. 15.5-16.5+/20

Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny 2008: This sample is brut de cuve - an unfinished, unblended sample - so needs to be viewed in that light. The nose shows some fresh fruit, with a delightful cranberry and blackcurrant character, and a pure and creamy definition. The palate is soft, creamy, with a light touch of grip. There is a nice core of acid, and a chewy tannic grip. This has a very appealing composition and purity for this level of cuvée. 15.5-16.5+/20

Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur Blanc 2007: Very, very stony and minerally on the nose - this is one of those wines that leads to the suggestion that terroir can be directly transplanted into the wine. It is pungent and certainly appealing. The palate is beautiful, elegant, but with lovely depth; it is gentle, pure and well defined. There is substance and balance here, in this wine which gives bags of pleasure and which is a superb success for the vintage. I wonder if this wine benefitted from fruit usually destined for Les Cormiers? 17+/20

Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny 2007: This was a difficult vintage, and this is reflected in Chevallier's decision to forego the Vieilles Vignes and Grand Clos cuvées and to blend them all into the generic Saumur-Champigny cuvée. The nose has some pleasant fruit, which is certainly fresh, but not as explosive as some of the other wines. The fruit is pure, dark, and actually fairly dense on the palate, with a good, rounded, mouth-filling texture with some good grip underneath. Slightly hard tannins, and yet a little unfocused and soft too. Still a very good effort for this vintage though. 16/20

Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur Blanc Les Cormiers 2006: Limestone soils, harvested at 40 hl/ha, fermented in wood, 50% new and 50% 1-year-old. This has a beautiful mineral quality, but also a generous and rounded character. This is really fine. The palate is elegant, reveals very little trace of oak, and has a pure, defined and very minerally character. There is lots of good acidity, a broad and grippy structure, and lots of style. Great minerally finish too. Super wine. 17.5+/20

Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny 2006: This is interesting on the nose, quite well developed, with a rather wild and savage character. Good maturity, really attractive style. The palate is lovely, starting off fruit-rich and pure before little notes of iron-tinged maturity come in. It has a very hard composition beneath though, with lots of grip and tannin. In fact it is very grippy on the palate. This will need food, but it should be very good with it. 16.5/20

Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny Vieilles Vignes 2006: This wine has a less mature hue than the straight Saumur-Champigny in this vintage, and it is not so expressive on the nose. The palate has a lovely texture though, rich and showing good extract and substance, backed up by firm tannins and good acidity. This is an impressive wine, substantial in character, but one that also at the moment needs food to show its best. 16.5+/20

Chateau de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny Le Grand Clos 2006: A rather appealing meaty edge to the fruit here, and a dense and stylish character. Delightful, pure and rich, yet well defined on the palate. Lots of grip and tannin, lots of structure, with good firm acids but the fruit and texture to cope. A really good, savoury finish too. This is very good wine, just brimming with potential. 17+/20