Phwoarr wines at FUOR

France Under One Roof
This was mini Real Wine event for us. We racked and stacked some seriously good kit on our two tables. Scrolling through the FUOR catalogue I couldn’t see a table in the room which wasn’t stuffed with anodyne, manufactured, sulphured, blancmange wines. More than ever I feel that real wine accurately describes our approach; we source wines that have a soul, for want of a better word, a communicable spirit of terroir, and whether you like them or not, a strong identity.

I rarely feel impelled to award marks. What’s the point (or rather the hundred points)? Wine is primarily for enjoyment – one would hope – to be drunk amongst friends and family with food and when it is great it is because a feel-good experience can transform even humble drinks into memorably magical potions. If you set up to revere the wine you create a false god and will be disappointed; if you are not humble you force your preconceptions onto the wine. The wine is what is and you must treat it as such. Occasionally, however, I want to crystallise my response and put a particular tasting into context by placing the wines in a (very) rough hierarchical order. And normally I am stingy with my grades (Decanter tasting panels, watch out and don’t look to your laurels cos there ain’t going to be none) because I want to reserve room for the transcendent wine experience. It’s the classic approach – if I have experienced perfection (or near perfection) everything else will be a disappointment.

Having said that I was totally unscrooged by this line-up of lovelies and, as a result, am about to toss around points like handfuls of candy. As a whole the wines were harmonious, poised, balanced, utterly distinctive, brilliant, rare, non-conformist and fun. Personality marks my grades. Sheer deliciousness is very attractive and tasting all corners of the wine makes you closer to it and appreciate it that much more. This is the antithesis of those rich, superficially, made-up wines that are exhausting to drink because they are so empty of life.

Vouvray Pet Nat Dilettante, Catherine & Pierre Breton – 17.5
Natural fermentation in bottle, no dosage or filtration. Somewhere between cider and perry with delicate honey notes, gently effervescent. Half way down the bottle the wine becomes cloudy and vinous and finally full of skin extract. So much fun and it tastes healthy.

Clos du Tue-Boeuf Brin de Chevre – 16.5
100% Menu Pineau, biodynamic, used barrels. Cloudy, unfiltered apple juice colour, liquid camembert nose changing to citrus on the palate with secondary aromatics of toasted almond.

Thierry Puzelat Romorantin – 17
100 year vines plus 30 year plus old vines on French rootstock, aged in old barrels. Notes of white peach, yellow pear (flesh and skin) and explosive crunch of acidity.

Thierry Puzelat In Cot We Trust – 16.5
100% Cot. Organic from the Valle du Cher. Aged in used barrels. Hint of volatility gives way to floral notes of violets and wild roses, inky colour, notes of tar and then fresh fruit.

Anjou Blanc, Coteau des Treilles, Pithon-Paille – 18.5
From a replanted vineyard on incredibly steep slopes and with an unusual Mediterranean microclimate, this Chenin possesses ripe citrus flavours in abundance. You think it is going to be sweet then a gush of pure lemon acidity hits you. Beautiful wine with fantastic energy.

VDT Gilbourg, Benoit Courault - 17
Chenin, 65 old vines on schists, low yields, low sulphur regime and maturation for twelve months in three to five year old barrels. Initially restrained the wine unveils lovely bruised fruits with hint of smoke and warm wood and tart apple acidity to round it off.

Tabeneaux, Benoit Courault – 17
60% Cab Franc, 40% Grolleau light pigeage, whole bunch fermentation. Gravel freshness allied to the blueberry compote of the Grolleau – a delicious vin de soif.

Cuvee Goutte d’O, Sylvain Martinez - 19
80 year old vines, tiny yields, natural. Initially austere unwinding to reveal honey, pastry and cinnamon and brilliant stony minerality.

Anjou Blanc, Domaine Mosse – 18
Chenin, volcanic soils, biodynamic viticulture, young vines selection massale. Warm and spicy with hints of sweet hay and smoky-mineral finish.

Anjou Blanc Initials BB, Domaine Mosse – 19
Older vines – special sandstone vineyard on decomposed schists. Hedonistic Chenin, honeydew melon and sweet quince, candied apple, vanilla and gorgeous pineapple acidity.

Coteaux du Loir Blanc, Le Briseau, Domaine Le Briseau – 17.5
Biodynamic Chenin, gravel over silex, 30 yo vines – no fining. Very natural wine, orchard fruits, lovely controlled oxidation, slight smokiness on the finish.

Coteaux du Loir Rouge, Patapon, Domaine Le Briseau - 17
Pineau d’Aunis with a little Cot – 2g/l added sulphur. Red fruits (cranberries), herbs and white pepper – soothing, elegant, refined rusticity.

Domaine de Montrieux, Coteaux du Vendomois – 17
100% Pineau d’Aunis, old vines, semi carbonic maceration, totally natural vinification with wild yeasts. Full-bodied with flavours of bitter black cherries and powerful spiciness with a yeasty edge.

Domaine du Moulin Pivoine – 17.5
90% Cot and 10% Gamay. The vineyard is farmed organically, the vines being on mixture of sand and clay with flints. After fifteen day wild yeast fermentation, the wine is aged in 30hl oak barrels before bottling with filtration, fining and only 2mg of sulphur at bottling.  Tremendous purple colour, dried mint on the nose, peppered red fruits on the palate and driving acidity. Definitely, the Moulin Rouge!

Poulsard vieilles vignes Enfant Terrible, Domaine Ganevat – 17.5
60 year plus Poulsard. Biodynamic. Old barrels, no sulphur. Pretty colour verging on the pink, even prettier nose redolent of irises and redcurrants then delicate fresh linear attack with the fruit skating gracefully across the taste buds.

Trousseau Rosieres, Caveau de Bacchus - 16
Arbois, big old foudres, old vines. Aromas of musk, wood, undergrowth and smoked berries. Intriguing palate with firm tannic structure but fresh acidity.

Les Grandes Jorasses, Domaine Gringet - 18
Biodynamic viticulture, Altesse aka Roussette de Savoie. Lemon-yellow colour, bracing nose of white and yellow flowers and then pinging citrus fruits (pink grapefruit). The attack is crisp and bright, lemon-pith pure augmented by rich wild yeasty notes of ginger and cumin. The acidity is terrific and the length remarkable.

Domaine Houillon, Savagnin Ouille – 18-5
Savagnin topped up. Aged on the yeast lees in very old barrels. Bright golden colour, green plums and figs mingled with the salty leesiness, pickled ginger and toasted walnuts. Phenomenal length.

Lard des Choix Rouge 17.5
Gamay, Syrah blend from the northern Ardeche which tastes like a cross between a good cru Beaujolais and a natural northern Rhone fruit. Murky red colour leading to a delightful nose of red fruits… then the Syrah kicks in with pepper, herb and a distinctive black olive twist. 11.8% of natural goodness

Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Karriere, Dard et Ribo - 19
Parcel of Marsanne on white clay. Blanket of lanolin, beeswax, ripe apricots warming on the window sill in the sun and then the clincher on the finish: wine broadens in the mouth, falls away and then 15 seconds later reappears with the most surprising smoky/nutty/earthy quality – almost like an old Chablis. Profound.

Saint-Joseph Rouge, Dard et Ribo – 18.5
Beautiful Syrah, eloquent, fresh, unforced, herbal (garrigue herbs), silky texture and after a little time in the glass develops roasted meat notes. More than delightful.

VDP des Pyrenees-Orienteles vieilles vignes, Domaine Roc des Anges Blanc - 18
Grenache Gris 90%, Maccabeu 10% on white quartz, fermentation and ageing in mixture of cement and barrels – now organic. Waxy fruit underpinned by remarkable flinty minerality and balsamic notes (turpentine) and hint of grapefruit.

Domaine Roc des Anges, Segna de Cor Rouge – 18
Grenache, Carignan, Syrah (50/30/20) youngish vines, decomposed schists, concrete ferment – now organic. Full-bodied yet utterly balanced with joyous purple fruit and supple tannins. Pure pleasure, you feel the terroir in this wine.

Faugeres tradition, Clos Fantine – 17.5
40% Mourvèdre with approximately 25% Carignan, 10% Syrah, and 25% Grenache. The Carignan is from 50-80 years old, whilst the Mourvèdre and Syrah are from 30 year old vines. Terroir is poor schist, harvests are manual. Fermentation (with wild yeasts) and maceration last for thirty days with no temperature control. There is no oak, no filtration, no fining and no sulphur. Wild wine, bloody, meaty aromas, some tar, marmite and roasted herbs.

Mercurey La Plante Chassey, Domaine Derain – 18.5
Biodynamic. All the fruit is hand-picked and the Derains destem 90% of their red grapes before fermentation, which occurs in wooden vats. After fermentation the wine is aged in old oak casks for 12-18 months. The couple never use SO2 during the winemaking process. Very pale Pinot Noir (with some Pinot Beurrot) expressing red flowers and then the epitome of stone fruit with lively, lacy acidity. A gem.