Friday, January 28, 2011

France Day Two (pm)


France Day Two (pm)
For the evening the Robert Kacher team took it easy on us. We retired to our hotel for a night of Muscadet with the perfect pairing oysters, a traditional Loire buffet and to end the evening Calvados.






(Laurence and Gerard Vinet)



Domaine Vinet
Le Domaine Vinet was created in 1948 by Gustave Vinet. Today his two sons Daniel and Gérard, in assistance with Laurence Vinet, help to perpetuate his passion for the vine and wine. Located in the Loire Valley, near the Atlantic Ocean, they own and operate 60 acres of vines in the heart of the appellation Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, the best ripening area for the Muscadet grape (also known as Melon de Bourgogne).

Domaine de la Quilla: Muscadet de Sevre et Maine sur Lie 2009
Domaine de la Quilla is located in the village of La Haie-Fouassiere. Apparently this village is the origin of the famous wines of Muscadet. The Vinet's keep the wines "sur lie", or on the yeasts, for eight months before bottling. - Fragrant aromas and flavors of pear. 100% Muscadet.

Domaine Saint Martin: Muscadet de Sevre et Maine sur Lie 2009
Purchased by the Vinet's in 2000, Domaine Saint Martin is located in the commune of Chateau Thebaud, on the edge of the Maine river. Unusual for the Muscadet region, the Domaine covers 8 hectares on one lot. It was started in 1830 and documents show that a monk may be at the origin of the property. - Polished, with intense lemon lime zest followed by a clean finish. 100% Muscadet.

Clos de la Houssaie: Muscadet de Sevre er Maine sur Lie 2009
Clos de la Houssaie is a 1.7 acre vineyard located in the village of La Haye-Fouassiere and surrounded by a small stoned wall, which gives the grapes an ideal micro-climate to reach their peak maturity level. The Vinet's harvest and vinify these grapes separately from their other vineyards. - Mineral notes in the bouquet and palate. 100% Muscadet.



(Jerome Dupont)

Domaine Dupont Calvados
Located in the very heart of the Pays d’Auge in Normandy, the domaine is run by third generation Etienne Dupont since 1980, when he took over from his father Louis and his grand-father Jules. His son Jérôme joined the domaine in 2002. Over the years, Etienne improved the old orchards and planted a further ten hectares of small standard apple trees. Together there are 27 hectares of typical varieties, that is to say 9000 apple trees. Following the traditional methods of producing Calvados, the apples are hand-picked and rest in open wooden boxes called pallox to reach their highest aromatic peak. The juice is slowly extracted under low pressure and kept on its lees for 2 months to prevent any alteration of the cider’s flavor. The apple cider then undergoes a double distillation through a sophisticated Chalvignac copper still. The spirit is aged in 400 liter casks, made from Loire Valley oak, slightly toasted to provide vanilla aromas to the finished product.

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