The Mourat wines are back...!

In the spring of 2005 a trio of samples in curiously-shaped bottles with an owl on the label appeared on our tasting table.  They were a revelation; a crisp, aromatic white, a gentle lively rose and a juicy red.  They came from something of an unexpected source, a producer called Mourat located on the edge of a small town in the Vendée called Mareuil-sur-Lay.

 

The Mourat family are passionate about their wines and it would be fair to say that they alone have been responsible for raising the wines of the Fiefs Vendéens from virtual obscurity.  We first stocked their wines in 2004 and, after few years break, are delighted to welcome them back to our range.

 



Jeremie & Jean Mourat

My own annual family holiday has frequently taken us to France and my crew have come to expect me to include a couple of vineyard visits.  So it was that in 2007 we ventured to the Vendée (via Muscadet and back via Saumur in keeping with the holiday template) and paid a visit to the Mourat family in Mareuil-sur-Lay.  I have never before hired a rowing boat from the local hairdresser (he had two to choose from, but one was full of holes) and we had a pleasant hour rowing up and down the River Lay getting sunburn before our appointment. 

 

Getting too much sun on the river

(with apologies to Ben & Lucy who, 6 years on,
don't look like this anymore and who will lynch me for using this photo).

We hooked up with Jeremie Mourat at their small shop by the bridge over the river who took us on a trip to his vineyards and then onto the winery to meet his father, Jean.  Then it was back to Chateau Marie du Fou for a comprehensive tasting.

In the vineyards with Jeremie Mourat

Mourat's enchanting shop by the bridge over the River Lay

The wines from Chateau Marie du Fou and the small Clos Saint André vineyard nearby are their flagships, whilst the Collection range is their mainstay.  Whilst the more expensive wines were super, it was the purity and freshness of the Collection range that proved to be the irresistible attraction.  These are wines of modest alcohol levels and no oak, yet still with plenty of flavour, length and a delicacy of style which is becoming increasingly rare.

The red and the rose are both blends of 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Cabernet Franc and 20% Negrette and the white is 50/50 Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay.  We have debated long and hard about whether we should include these wines in our Loire section or include them as part of our French Regional range.  We have, almost certainly incorrectly, opted for the latter, largely on the basis of geography.  A quick look at a map will show you why.  In any case we felt they deserved special treatment rather than being lumped in with other, more famous names, from further north.

All three Mourat Collection wines will be available to taste at our forthcoming tasting in Ipswich on Thursday 6^th June.

What we love about our new flexible buying regime at Wines of Interest is the opportunities it provides us with to tune into wines like these as we find them rather than having to wait to include them in our annual printed list.  We can sniff out new discoveries and take advantage on suppliers' promotions as and when they appear by adding them to our website, where you can buy wine online and either have it delivered to your door, or collect it from our shop.  You can buy these wines online now - click here to start shopping!

Xavier Guillaume

Way back in the late 1980s we were introduced to a young, newly qualified, winemaker from Franche Comté called Xavier Guillaume.  We have been dealing with him ever since, picking and choosing the vintages to buy from his ever improving, and increasing, range of wines.



Xavier Guillaume in his cellar.



The Guillaume family business has its origins in vines rather than wine, though both are important today.  Pépinières Guillaume have been grafting and growing vines for over 100 years and are actually one of the largest cultivators of vines in the world producing between 10 and 15 million plants annually.  They now have operations in Chile and California as well as the south of France though their spiritual home remains the commune of Charcenne in the Haute-Saône Department.  From this base in eastern France their main customers were initially the vineyards of Burgundy and Champagne which meant that their main vine cultivation was concentrated in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with a proportion of Pinot Meunier as well.  Nowadays they grow most varieties and export their vines worldwide to vineyard owners who are replanting or expanding.  They count amongst their customers some of the top properties in many of the world’s most famous regions including Domaine de la Romanee-Conti – reckoned to be the top estate in Burgundy and whose wines are highly prized and priced (a quick online search for their wines will reveal the sort of prices they fetch – you will be shocked)!

Guillaume Estate

The natural result of all this vine cultivation is, of course, an annual crop of grapes which used simply to be left to the birds.  Xavier realised what a waste it was just to allow the local wildlife to feast on the fruits of vines destined for greatness elsewhere and began making wine from his own vines in the 1980s.  The bulk of his production is still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (which make splendid, and more economical, alternatives to red and white Burgundy) though he also makes a selection of other wines as well.  We were particularly taken with his Old Vine Chardonnay and Old Vine Pinot Noir as well as his “Cuvee G” Gewurztraminer (clearly they have customers in Alsace now as well…) and the Flute Enchantée Brut – a Champagne blend sparkler which, compared to many Champagnes, is a bargain not to be missed.

Xavier amongst his vines.

The bulk of our shipments from Xavier will doubtless continue to be his Chardonnay and Pinot Noir since these offer superb options to customers who love both varieties of Burgundy but not the prices one seems to have to pay these days to find decent examples.  On our most recent order we also included a few cases each of Old Vine Chardonnay, Old Vine Pinot Noir, "Cuvee G" Gewurztraminer and Flute Enchantée Brut.  Quantities of these are necessarily limited so if you’re interested in these grab some while you can!