Anjou and Saumur Sweet Wine

March 31, 2011

About Dessert Sweet Wine

Best wine supplier in Philippines discusses wine related topics

This diverse viticultural region is possibly the most difficult of all in the Loire to get to grips with; here there are stunning white wines from Savennières, delicious reds from Saumur and particularly Saumur-Champigny, and a glut of stupendous sweet wines, ranging from regional appellations such as Coteaux du Layon and Coteaux de l’Aubance, up to the cru designations of Quarts de Chaume and Bonnezeaux. This is the Loire at its most dynamic; a melting pot of viticultural excitement, led by such superstars as <a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsprofile/pierrebise.shtml”>Claude Papin</a>, <a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/forges.shtml”>Stéphane Branchereau</a> and <a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/jopithon.shtml”>Jo Pithon</a>.

My first experience of Angers and Saumur was touring the region in my trusty (or should that be rusty?) Fiat Uno, staying not far north of Angers in a beautiful riverside hotel, the name of which sadly now escapes me. Angers has much to offer beyond wine; the imposing chateau, with its seventeen towers of black slate and white granite, and ornamental gardens, is well worth a visit. If towers and gardens aren’t enough, the fabulous 14th Century Apocalypse Tapestry housed within is close to breath-taking. As for Saumur, a simple walk around the 14th/15th Century chateau that sits on the hillside overlooking the town might be enough; if not, I suggest wandering inside to the restaurant, Les Délices du Chateau. The tapestry on the wall may not be so impressive, but the traditional Loire fare served within, and the wine list, is more than passable.

<h1>The Coteaux du Layon and its Crus</h1>

With such a myriad of wines, it is extremely difficult to know just where to start. But if there are any wines here which stake a claim to greatness, it is those of the Coteaux du Layon and its crus (although Savennières is a modern-day dry challenger to this crown). And so we should start with this, one of the Loire’s great sweet wine appellations.

The Coteaux du Layon appellation was delimited in 1950, and covers 27 communes that line the Layon as it flows at first northeast, and then northwest, towards the Loire. To my palate this is a region that produces simply fabulous wines. Here Chenin Blanc, grown on primarily schistous soils and aided by the Layon which promotes the development of Noble Rot, produces lusciously sweet wines that display a captivating array of aromas both in youth and in their dotage. Maximum permitted yields under INAO regulations for this appellation are 35 hl/ha, and the must requires a minimum 204 g/l of sugar, leaving at least 34 g/l residual sugar after fermentation. Wines produced from six of the Coteaux du Layon communes are entitled to append their name to that of the appellation on the label provided the wines also meet more stringent criteria, including a reduction to 30 hl/ha and a must concentration of 221 g/l of sugar. Four of these communes, namely Faye-d’Anjou, Rablay-sur-Layon, Beaulieu-sur-Layon and St-Aubin-de-Luigné (one of the more commonly seen on labels, often abbreviated to just St-Aubin), lie right on the Layon as it flows northwest.

Top Winedoctor Domaines

Coteaux du Layon

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsprofile/pierrebise.shtml”>Pierre-Bise</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/baumard.shtml”>Domaines des Baumard</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/juchepie.shtml”>Domaine de Juchepie</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/jopithon.shtml”>Jo Pithon</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/delesvaux.shtml”>Philippe Delesvaux</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/forges.shtml”>Domaine des Forges</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/patrickbaudoin.shtml”>Patrick Baudoin</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/ogereau.shtml”>Domaine Ogereau</a>

Chateau Soucherie

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsprofile/genaiserie.shtml”>Chateau de la Genaiserie</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsprofile/cady.shtml”>Domaine Cady</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/roulerie.shtml”>Chateau de la Roulerie</a>

The remaining two, St-Lambert-du-Lattay and Rochefort-sur-Loire, flank the river as it approaches the Loire. These names are worth looking out for, as is Chaume, a small hamlet located close to St-Aubin-de-Luigné. The wines of Chaume have always been restricted to 25 hl/ha, a lower rendement than the rest of the Layon communes, although there was little to indicate this, the appellation being the rather straightforward Coteaux du Layon Chaume, the village name appended to Coteaux du Layon as it is for the other six communes. The wines themselves also met more stringent criteria, including a minimum concentration of sugar in the must of 272 g/l, significantly higher than that demanded of other wines of the Coteaux du Layon (regardless of the name under which they are labelled!), and when finished an alcoholic strength of at least 12% and at least 68 g/l of residual sugar.

Following a decree in September 2003 the wines enjoyed a brief period under the grand title of Chaume, Premier Cru des Coteaux du Layon. This was repealed in July 2005 (I can imagine the special treatment put more than a few Layon noses put out of joint, although it was the producers of Quarts de Chaume, the nearby Layon cru, who objected), returning the appellation name to its original. The INAO-Chaume seesaw continued into late 2006, where the village was once again awarded its own appellation, simply Chaume, based on the unique character of the wine which depends on passerillage as much as botrytis. The result? Predictably, objection from the syndicat of Quarts de Chaume again. The Conseil d’Etat came down in favour of the Quarts de Chaume, and in 2009 this fine appellation once more reverted to Coteaux du Layon Chaume. What next? Coteaux du Chaume?

Not quite. In late 2009 the INAO announced a new solution, a reclassification not only of Chaume but of Quarts de Chaume too, in an agreement resulting from negotiations led by Claude Papin of <a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsprofile/pierrebise.shtml”>Chateau Pierre-Bise</a>. Under this newly tabled resolution, Quarts de Chaume would see a new and elevated ranking as grand cru, and Chaume would regain its previously short-lived status as premier cru. It is a solution which I suspect will work for the two appellations in question, after all who would refuse an elevation in status of the vineyards in their possession? But what it will mean to those working the vineyards of Bonnezeaux, a cru usually seen as being on a level footing with Quarts de Chaume, remains to be seen. And downstream at <a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/loireanjousaumur2.shtml”>Savennières</a>, another Loire appellation with a good case for an equally grand elevation in status, there are perhaps likely to be rumblings of discontent.

<h1>Bonnezeaux and Quarts de Chaume</h1>

The two Coteaux du Layon cru appellations also lie along the path of the river. Approaching along the N160 from the southwest, turn right onto the D55 and head for Beaulieu-sur-Layon where incidentally there is a good syndicat d’initiative; the staff here will be able to point you in the direction of many of the local domaines. Continue through Beaulieu and the Layon will be on your right, and after a few miles you will come to the small hamlet of Bonnezeaux. The vineyards here, covering just 104 hectares, are located on three hills, La Montagne, Fesles and Beauregard, the slopes of which run down from Bonnezeaux towards Thouarcé, which lies on the Layon just to the southwest. These vineyards, on their schistous soils with seams of quartz, silex (flint) and phthanites (Palezoic silica) were granted AOC status in 1951, following persistent lobbying from Jean Boivin, then proprietor of <a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/fesles.shtml”>Chateau de Fesles</a>, with a total of 152 hectares of land marked up as eligible for the appellation. Boivin was a key figure in not only how Bonnezeaux developed, but how wines were made in much of this region; for example, it was Boivin that introduced harvesting in tries, the practice of passing through the vineyard in order to pick only the ripest and botrytised grapes, something he had learnt at <a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/bordeaux/yquem.shtml”>Chateau d’Yquem</a>. The wines of Bonnezeaux, harvested at a typical 22 hl/ha, with a minimum requirement of 230 g/l sugar in the must – the highest in all the Layon appellations – have a rich yet nervously excited character about them as a result.

Top Winedoctor Domaines

Quarts de Chaume

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsprofile/pierrebise.shtml”>Pierre-Bise</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/baumard.shtml”>Domaines des Baumard</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/bellerive.shtml”>Chateau Bellerive</a>

Bonnezeaux

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/fesles.shtml”>Chateau de Fesles</a>

For a slightly different view of what the region can produce, instead of turning right for Beaulieu-sur-Layon, turn left along the D54. After a very short distance you will pass by the hamlet of Pierre-Bise, dominated by the tower, with its pitched roof and weather vane atop, of Claude Papin’s house. Sometime thereafter, a turning to the left will take you down a narrow road towards Chaume and here, stretching out in four sections on the slopes down from the village, are the vineyards of the Quarts de Chaume. This cru appellation followed on from Bonnezeaux, having been legally defined in 1954. The slopes (an example is pictured above) enjoy a particular mesoclimate, running right down to the Layon as it meanders past, encouraging mists to cling to the hillside and the consequent development of botrytis, and the soils are a complex mix, thanks to hillside erosion, of carboniferous and schistous types. The name does not refer to quartz, but rather relates to share-cropping; at one time the owners of the slopes rented the land to the monks of Ronceray, the payment being one quarter of the harvest, hence Quarts de Chaume. Nowadays no such payment is necessary; there are 41 hectares of vineyards, out of a possible 48, under cultivation, owned and tended by leading winemakers such as Claude Papin and Florent Baumard, and the product of the land is a fabulous, rich, marrowy wine which ages beautifully. The fruit is typically harvested at 17 hl/ha in several tries, so it is perhaps no surprise that in favourable vintages these are some of the greatest wines of the whole Loire vignoble.

<h1>The Coteaux de l’Aubance and Anjou-Coteaux</h1>

In the shadow of their more illustrious neighbour lie the vineyards along the Aubance, a tiny tributary of the Loire, and also those of the Anjou-Coteaux de la Loire. They are worth considering here, as both turn out white wines in a similar sweet style to those of the Coteaux du Layon, although rarely do they reach the level of quality that the Layon frequently offers.

The Aubance runs in a northwards direction, until it turns to the northwest heading for the Brissac-Quincé. From here it continues, turning slowly west at Mûrs-Erigne, before draining into the Louet, an arm of the Loire that runs from Angers down to Chalonnes-sur-Loire. The river’s erosion has not created a long string of southerly slopes like those found along the Layon; the topography here is more varied, a series of small slopes and hills with many different aspects. These are in many places planted with Chenin, and with the help of botrytis, encouraged by the mists of the Aubance, there is the potential here for producing some attractive sweet wines, as recognised by the Coteaux de l’Aubance appellation, delimited in 1950. There are ten eligible communes along the riverside, the delimited regions reflecting those with favourable exposure and where there is a predilection for the formation of botrytis, typically on schistous Silurian and Ordovicien soils. There are currently about 150 hectares under cultivation (although the appellation boundaries encompass a much larger area), and the fruit is harvested at just over 30 hl/ha, in a similar fashion to that from the Layon. Nevertheless, this tiny region has a very low profile, despite my observation that there are a very small number of good wines produced here.

Top Winedoctor Domaines

Coteaux de l’Aubance

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/bablut.shtml”>Domaine de Bablut</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/montgilet.shtml”>Domaine de Montgilet</a>

<a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/loire/rochelles.shtml”>Domaine des Rochelles</a>Anjou-Coteaux

Domaine du Fresche

Domaine Musset-Rouillier

It is the Anjou-Coteaux de la Loire that wraps

Source: <a href=”http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/loireanjousaumur1.shtml”>http://www.thewinedoctor.com/regionalguides/loireanjousaumur1.shtml</a>

Recent opinion survey of frequent travelers heading north towards Subic and Clark Pampanga revealed that the number one most frequently visited fine dining restaurant in Pampanga is Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar located in Clark Philippines.

Hong Kong-based Yats International built this restaurant in 2000 to provide a world-class cozy fine dining restaurant, as well as business meeting facilities and venues for private dinners and social functions in Philippines Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone. North Luzon Pampanga Angeles City Clark Philippines was selected for this restaurant because of safety, clean air, absence of traffic and proximity to Manila and Subic. Clark Freeport is located near Manila and Subic. Diners from Manila and Subic can travel north along North Expressway and arrive in Clark in about 70 minutes without having to go through city driving, making this fine dining restaurant very convenient and accessible for guests from Manila.

Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar is general regarded in the Philippines as the best fine dining establishment in the country. Wine Spectator Magazine’s gave out Restaurant Wine List Best of Award of Excellence to 788 restaurants in the world. Yats Restaurant is the only restaurant in the Philippines to receive this award in recognition of its famous 2700-line restaurant wine list that has attracted many wine lovers to visit Clark Pampanga frequently to wine and dine.

Wine tastings are held regularly at this fine dining establishment, each event with a different theme. Popular themes include a tasting of 15 different Cabernet-Sauvignon-dominant red wines, old-world compared against new-world wines and a tasting of 50 years of aged vintage wines.

In addition to the wine cellars of the fine dining Yats Restaurant, more selections are available from the largest wine shop in Philippines, another property of Yats Wine Cellars called Clark Wine Center just 3 minutes away. Guests do not have to pay corkage fee for wines purchased from Clark Wine Center’s Wine Shop. 0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 for Ana Fe.

For comments, inquiries and reservations click on <a href=” http://www.yatsrestaurant.com/booking/index.html”>Click here for inquiry and reservations</a>

Restaurant@Yats-International.com

(045) 599-5600

0922-870-5178

0917-520-4401

Ask for Pedro and Rechel

<a href=”http://www.YatsRestaurant.com”>www. YatsRestaurant.com</a>

Getting to this fine dining restaurant of Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga Philippines

How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Philippines? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u5vLLIlNgw

Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar

Mimosa Drive past Holiday Inn, Mimosa Leisure Estate,

Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023

Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay

For any assistance in planning and organizing a wedding ceremony, indoor or outdoor garden reception or to find other wedding service providers, Click here to contact us <a href=”http://www.philippinesweddingvenue.com/?page_id=4″>click here</a>

For assistance in hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines, log on to

<a href=”http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com”>http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com</a>

To buy wine in Manila, Pampanga, Angeles City, Clark or Subic please log on to <a href=”http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com”>http://www. ClarkWineCenter.com</a>

To inquire with the highly recommended beach resort hotel in Clark Pampanga visit <a href=”http://www.ClearwaterPhililippines.com”>http://www.ClearwaterPhililippines.com</a>

For more information about Clark, Pampanga, Philippines log on to

<a href=”http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com”>http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com</a>

31 3 月, 2011 in Learn About Wine