Domaine du Haut Bourg Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu sur lie 2018:
This is the entry-level Muscadet, a blend of several parcels, which is due to be bottled in March 2018. The obvious aromatic feature here is how fruit-rich this shows, the nose bursting with peach skin, pear and yellow plum. This wealth of fruit also comes across on the palate, which has a plump and broad presence, carrying the charming and very confident style of the vintage, supple, with gentle but correct acidity. A lovely entry-level Muscadet cuvée – well done. 93/100
Pavillon du Haut Bourg Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu sur lie 2018:
Sourced from a single vineyard with soils of red sand and quartz pebbles, planted with 40-year old vines. This will be bottled in March 2019. It is always picked early because it ripens so well, the fruit warmed by the reflected heat from the sandy soils. This has a very aromatic style, musky and minerally, a characteristic backed up by the scents of bitter citrus fruits. The palate feels a little more reserved, with subtle orange, pear skin and peach skin fruits, underpinned by a fine, dry and pithy substance, along with a gentle acidity in keeping with the vintage. There is a fine phenolic backbone to it though, and some length too. 94/100
La Désirée du Haut Bourg Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu sur lie 2018:
A brand new single-vineyard cuvée to join Le Pavillon, Signature and Origine. From 15-year old vines, on soils of stony brown shale and quartz. The fruit was previously blended into the domaine cuvée. It will be bottled in March 2019. The aromatics move it up a gear here, with crushed quartz pebbles, white pepper and pear skin. A slightly more glossy style to the palate, with creamed green apple and pear fruit, a firm minerally vein running through it, and a fresh phenolic grip, Lots of substance here, lots of grip too, and it feels fresh although the acidity is more gentle in keeping with the vintage. An impressive first vintage though, with fine potential. 95/100
Domaine de Haut Bourg Plaisance Méthode Traditionelle NV:
This is 100% Grolleau Gris, from 20-year old vines. A méthode traditionelle cuvée, it rested sur lattes for a year. The base vintage is 2017, and the dosage is 7-8 g/l. It presents a bright and smoky nose, defined by chalky, fresh and floral elements. It has plenty of energy on the palate, with peach and yellow plum fruit, an energetic mousse, with fresh and bright acidity too. Overall this feels very complete. I can see more and more sensible vignerons planting Grolleau Gris in the Nantais in years to come; it seems to work very well in the region as a base for sparkling wines. 92/100
Domaine du Haut Bourg Gros Plant du Pays Nantais sur lie 2018:
This cuvée, sourced from the domaine’s 1.5 hectares of Gros Plant. or Folle Blanche if you prefer, will be bottled in March 2019. The aromatics are fresh and appealing, with white pepper and pear skins on the nose. There follows a fresh and pithy palate, with some delightful pear-fruit character, nicely fresh, certainly ripe, rather polished and charming, with a savoury salt and pepper dressing. An attractive example of this iconic Nantais wine. 92/100
Domaine du Haut Bourg Grolleau Gris (VdP du Val de Loire) 2018:
Despite the grissuggestion, this is vinified as a white wine. This presents a very fresh, sandy and leafy nose, which leads to a palate filled with the flavours of green apple and peach leaf. Beneath this there is a slightly plump texture, which comes from the wine’s 5 g/l residual sugar, but there is also plenty of fresh character and structure. It has a nice acidity and lift. A very easy-drinking style, with a curt bitterness to the finish. It will be bottled in March this year. 91/100
Domaine du Haut Bourg Sauvignon Blanc (VdP du Val de Loire) 2018: The domaine’s Sauvignon cuvée, very popular with the on-trade, in this vintage has undergone skin contact for half the volume, for about ten hours. The nose shows a sweet suggestion of high-level ripeness, with notes of sweetly preserved lemons, albeit with more classic herby and box-tree notes. It has a very fresh, sandy, capsicum and peach-leaf character on the palate. Ripe and expressive, with rather sweet fruit, but a clean finish. It will be bottled in March this year. 92/100
Domaine du Haut Bourg Grolleau Rosé (VdP du Val de Loire) 2018:
This cuvée is made predominantly by pressurage direct, but the Choblet brothers also produce a small volume through skin maceration, which they then blend with the main part in order to get the colour just right. This was important in 2018, says Nicolas, as he was worried the colour would otherwise be too dark. It has gone through malolactic fermentation, and it is already in bottle. It kicks off with a fresh, leafy, redcurrant-fruit nose, with notes of sweet strawberry too. The palate is soft, supple, charming and accessible, with a fresh, leafy and pithy finish. A pretty wine. 90/100
Domaine du Haut Bourg Merlot Rosé (VdP du Val de Loire) 2018:
The Choblet brothers have 1 hectare of Merlot, half of which they quite sensibly channel into this rosé cuvée, the other half they vinify as red. It has a very Merlot style aromatically, with leafy hedgerow fruits on the nose, plus a touch of sandy redcurrant and plump plum. I see the same blend of sweetly ripe, summer-berry and hedgerow fruits on the palate, wrapped in a sweet vanilla cream. A pretty wine, very much for care-free, vin de soifstyle drinking. 90/100