Our first full day in the Loire took us east from Saumur, past Tours, Vouvray and Montlouis until we reached a small village called Pouillé – in the heart of the Touraine region. The Joël Delaunay estate was our destination – I have stocked their wines for a number of years. Thierry Delaunay hosted an excellent visit. We took a walk in the vines and saw at first hand the separation between AOC Touraine and AOC Touraine Chenonceaux with the latter only being created in 2011, reflecting the difference in terroir and the higher quality fruit being produced. We took a quick tour of the cellar and bottling line and began tasting.
Thierry produces very high quality and good value wines. Two contrasting Rosés, two contrasting Sauvignon Blancs followed by a very drinkable Orange Sauvignon and finishing up with two reds. A great visit!
From Delaunay, we headed back west towards Tours and then into Vouvray for lunch. Once again we were at Les Hautes Roches, a delightful hotel and restaurant overlooking the Loire river. A fabulous lunch ensued with smoked salmon, perfectly cooked pork followed by pavlova. Utterly delicious!
We then had the onerous 30 metre walk to the esteemed Brédif estate – one of the most historic Vouvray domaines. Superbly hosted by their tourism manager Laurine, we toured the tuffeau caves and got to understand their significance to the region and their ability to maintain a constant temperature – perfect for long term wine storage.
The tasting was great. A terrific line up of Vouvray wines ranging from bone dry sparkling through to dry, semi dry, semi sweet and sweet styles with a quick Chinon for good measure.
A lovely first day.
