Chateau Soucherie (P Y Tijou) Coteaux du Layon

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The basic Soucherie 2009 Coteaux du Layon was still fermenting when I visited in late June so unready to be assessed, but the 2008 Coteaux du Layon – assembled from two tries and aged entirely in tank – proved fascinating and promising. High-toned aromas of white truffle, lemon candy, kirsch, and maraschino lead to a tight, bright, vigorous palate impression for a nobly sweet wine, yet at the same time an oily, glycerin-rich texture. This brightly penetrating, almost brash, and unusually bright nobly sweet Chenin should be fascinating to follow for at least a decade but will also prove to have interesting uses at table in its youth. In 2007, the Tijou family sold Chateau Soucherie to industrial magnate Roger Beguinot, whose chosen wine maker, Thibaud Boudignon, is a Burgundian who arrived here via the Languedoc, Bordeaux, and Australia. The vines are now being farmed entirely organically, and have been impressively manicured. The wines I tasted at this spectacularly and from the inside almost unrecognizably renovated property (which I last visited in 2006) seem to be way stations on a journey of stylistic exploration, from wines essentially vinified under the regimen of Pierre-Yves Tijou and his sons, through the transitional vintage 2007, and including two years in which Beguinot and his colleagues took very different approaches in elevage to what were already strikingly different sets of raw material, namely of 2008 and 2009.Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990

The Soucherie 2007 Coteaux du Layon – like the corresponding Savennieres, picked jointly by the former and present owners, then vinified by the latter – smells of mirabelle and kirsch distillate, candied lemon peel, and white peach. A smoky, prickly nod to botrytis as well as a toasty, cidery suggestion of oxidation follows on a relatively firm palate and through persistent finish. This was raised entirely in tank, which I suspect represented a prudent reaction to somewhat precarious fruit character. There is considerable interest and satisfaction here, but I would not want to chance holding on to any for longer than a year or so two. Perhaps this is simply one that got away while the baton was being passed – or perhaps momentarily dropped, and then as best as could be recovered – between the old and new proprietors and their teams. In 2007, the Tijou family sold Chateau Soucherie to industrial magnate Roger Beguinot, whose chosen wine maker, Thibaud Boudignon, is a Burgundian who arrived here via the Languedoc, Bordeaux, and Australia. The vines are now being farmed entirely organically, and have been impressively manicured. The wines I tasted at this spectacularly and from the inside almost unrecognizably renovated property (which I last visited in 2006) seem to be way stations on a journey of stylistic exploration, from wines essentially vinified under the regimen of Pierre-Yves Tijou and his sons, through the transitional vintage 2007, and including two years in which Beguinot and his colleagues took very different approaches in elevage to what were already strikingly different sets of raw material, namely of 2008 and 2009.Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990

Pierre-Yves Tijou and his sons offer a wide array of wines – and from numerous vintages simultaneously – including many user-friendly and well-priced examples of both dry and sweet Chenin. The Tijous’ 2004 Coteaux du Layon – from schistic soil – makes an ideal introduction to its genre, proves how a ravishing botrytis wine can still exhibit delicacy and sheer lip-smacking drinkability, and demonstrates that many of the best Loire elixirs are ludicrously under-priced! A perfume of quince and pear preserves, lily and gardenia, honey, and white chocolate is followed onto the palate by a ravishing amalgam of quince and honey accented with flowers, pear skin, peppermint and citrus zest. A perfect, pure expression of honeyed botrytis is here allied to utmost clarity, lift and lightness, as the finish positively floats. Yes, this is a “l(fā)ittle” botrytis wine, if by that one means not-too-thickly rich or far-gone on rot, and displaying only subtle sweetness. Those who experiment with this wine in the kitchen and at table will be surprised. (The surprisingly light but by no means unattractive 2005 version struck me as in need of time to properly assess.) Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990