Thoughtfully posted by John on Monday, October 3, 2011.
As was the case over the summer with Adventures on the Wine Route by Kermit Lynch, I have been recently revisiting A Wine and Food Guide to the Loire by Jacqueline Friedrich. My studies currently have me the land of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc and I have been reminded by both Friedrich’s elegant and descriptive writing and the wines I have been sampling over the past couple of weeks that the Loire Valley is home to some of the most delicious and expressive wines in all of France. And as I continue to remind myself of the relatively unknown wine regions of the world, one such region is the curious enclave located to the west of Beaujolais, but classified as a part of the Loire Valley – the Cotes du Forez.
With its vineyards closer to the Burgundy than the heart of the Loire Valley, the Cotes du Forez is a region often overlooked by both lovers of wines of the Loire Valley and Gamay-heads who worship at the altar of Cru Beaujolais. Gamay is in fact the only grape allowed to be bottled within the Cotes du Forez AOC. No white is produced here – only red and rosé. And like Beaujolais, the best vineyards within the appellation are planted on decomposed granite, though there are outcroppings of volcanic rock scattered throughout as well.
Climatically, the region is warmer than other parts of the Loire Valley and is more similar to Beaujolais and Macon. However, nights are cool, summers do not get too hot over an extended period of time and frost is always a risk in the spring time. And the grapes are grown at an altitude of 400-600 meters which contributes to already high acidity levels and focused, clean and sometimes under ripe fruit flavors.
As for producers, there aren’t many in Cotes du Forez. Most of the wine is made by a local cooperative, Les Vignerons Foreziens, while a few independent winemakers bottle on their own – two of which are Gilles Bonnefoy and Verdier & Logel. And as you can imagine, not much is imported over to this side of the pond. I recently picked up a bottle of 2010 ‘Cuvee des Gourmets’ from Verdier and Logel. Jacky Logel and Odile Verdier have been at it in the Cotes du Forez since 1992. Farming organically, Verdier and Logel describe the ‘Cuvees des Gourmets’ as a very typical example of Gamay from the Cotes du Forez. They produce a number of other wines from the Gamay grape as well with the ‘Cuvee des Gourmets’ serving as an introduction to what they have to offer. The 2010 has bright, but very focused and clean fruit with high acidity and expressive mineral notes that carry the wine on the palate and the finish. Though most wine writers, Friedrich and Tom Stevenson included, have remarked that the wines from the Cotes du Forez, though they are well-made and expressive, do not necessarily live up to the standards of the best efforts from Beaujolais. However, I (and I would think many more experienced Gamay drinkers) would be hard pressed to find a Beaujolais of comparable quality for $12. This wine is a steal.
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