Domaine Francis Blanchet was established in 1984 by Francis and his wife. Today the domaine makes wine from 9,5 hektars of vines. Grapes are made into four cuvees; three divided by their soil-type: Cuvee Calsite, Cuvee Silice and Cuvee Kriotine. The last wine is a fut de chene, which we did not taste. The estate used to make a vieilles vignes also, but my impression was that it is no longer made. Francis Blanchets main goal is to shows the different soil-types in their wines. Generally all the wines were highly mineral sauvignon blancs. They did indeed underpin the differences one find in the soil-types of Pouilly-Fume. All wines seemed to slim in the mouth, pure and concentrated with great structure. As young wines they may show a bit agressive. Especially in a vintage like 2010. But they really blossom with 3-4 years of bottle age. The tasting of especially the Silice in 2005-vintage showed me that these wines really deserves a few years in the cellar. A truly great Pouilly-fume and my favorite among all Pouilly-fumes tasted on this trip.
In the vineyards Francis Blanchet practises lutte raisonnee. This is a form of semi-organic vineyard-work where the winemaker tries to avoid use of chemical treatments in the vineyards and to protect the biological diversity. But without any sort of certification. Average yields are 65 hl/Ha. In the cellar practises are quite standard for the area. Pneumatic pressing, no maceration, fermentation starters are used, aging in stainless steel (except the fut de chene), 4 months on the lees with some stirring at the beginning. Fining with bentonite and filtration before bottling.
In Norway Domaine Francis Blanchet is imported by Better wines. As of today the Pouilly-fume Cuvee Calcite 2010 (Kr.185,90 Nok) and Pouilly-fume Cuvee Silice 2010 (Kr.219,90 Nok) are available. The norwegian market imports around 6-7% of Blanchets total production
Tasting notes
Pouilly-fume Cuvee Calcite 2010
From soils only with kimmeridgian marls. Aromatic nose. Fresh herbs and vegetal notes. Fine and salty minerality. In the mouth this shows fresh, acidic and mineral. Quite slim in style, but the concentration is there. Mineral, citrusy fruit. Clear and pure style. Some anise in the finish. Fine acidity, backed with a light CO2 to give it added freshness and a crisp finish. Good length. Very good Pouilly-fume still on the young side. A year or two in the cellar will do it good.
Pouilly-fume Cuvee Kriotine 2010
From limestone-soils only. Also aromatic nose. Herbs, vegetal notes. Also here lots of minerality - perhaps a more earthy style here. Medium bodied in the mouth. Refreshing and acidic style. Clear and mineral. Again it has a nice slim style combined with fine concentration. There is a lot of minerality here, yet it seems a bit more earthy in style and perhaps not as interesting. The finish seems drier with a little mroe dry-extract. Another very good Pouilly-fume.
Pouilly-fume Cuvee Silice 2010
From clay-based soil with flint. The aromatic sauvignon blanc-hints are more subdued on the nose. More complex minerality here with the typical hints of gunsmoke on the nose. Some citrus. Again slim, yet concentrated wine in the mouth. Almost bitingly concentrated. Young and aggressive. Citrusy and mineral. Fine acidity. Quite high. This needs some time to open up. But the stuffing shows a lot of promise. Give this 3-4 years and you have a great Pouilly-fume.
Pouilly-fume Cuvee Calcite 2009
From a complete different vintage giving more fatness and less acidity. This has a straw colour. It seems riper on the nose, yet not more aromatic. The nose also shows more complexity as the wine has developed. It is more powerful in the mouth, citrusy fruits, fine minerality. Rounder acids. A bit broader fruitiness. Still this is tightly held together and is a very fine 2009. Very good. Drinks well now.
Pouilly-fume Cuvee Silice 2007
Fine and vegetal nose with lots of aspargues-notes. Some minerality and again the typical gunsmoke-notes that comes from this soil. Fullbodied Pouilly fume in the mouth. Lots of vegetal aspargues-notes. Fine minerality with the hint of flint. Great balance with fine acidity. This shows more fruit and is a lot more open than other younger bottles with more fruit and a rounder mouthfeel. Yet the acidity and structure is there and well-balanced. Good length. Very good wine.
Pouilly-fume Cuvee Silice 2005
The nose here is more intense than the '07. Also more minerality and more complexity. Lots of gunsmoke on the nose, minerality, vegetal notes and a touch of dried flowers. Great nose. Fullbodied Pouilly fume in the mouth. This is singing now with intense and complex notes of gunsmoke, anise, some vegetal notes and lots of minerality. Great acidity. This remains quite slim and highly focused. Good length. Great pouilly fume and my overall favorite on this trip.
Pouilly-fume Cuvee Calcite 2005
Straw colour. This is more aromatic on the nose and shows a more easy-going personality. Hints of herbs, flowers and some minerality on the nose. In the mouth it has a fine body, well structured, but the fruit here seems simpler. More aromatic with hints of flowers and herbs. Some citrus. Medium acidity. Good length. This has kept very well, but seems fully matue now. Good, but not on par with the Silice.
Pouilly-fume Cuvee Calcite 2003
Yellow colour. Ripe nose. Sweet fruits, vegetal notes, sweet flowers. Powerful in the mouth. A light oxidation is creeping in. Fruity style. Loads of fruit. Not too bad aromatically, although the fruit hides some of the minerality and gives it less depth. The acidity is very low and leaves a hollow mid-palate and short finish. Nice that Francis Blanchet wanted to show this, the wine is a freak. But not very good.
Pouilly-fume Cuvee Calcite 1992
Now for something completely different. A 19 year old Pouilly fume. Yellow colour. Aged, yet aromatic nose. Herbacious, dried flowers, some earth, minerality. Complex style. The earthiness is creeping in. Fullbodied Pouilly fume in the mouth. Fine fruit with some complexity. Yet perhaps it has not evolved into a very exciting wine. Lots of herbs, vegetal aromas with hints of earth and minerality. Fine acidity good length. Best on the nose. But this has held up very nicely and is still full of vigour
In the end this turned out to be my favorite producer in the Pouilly fume. Domaine Francis Blanchet manages to underpin the different soils of the appelation. The wines are highly structured wines that needs a couple of years in the cellar to show its best. As young they are a bit aggressive, but the tasting of the older wines really show that they blossom with time.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting note: Sep-11
The Domaine Francis Blanchet resides in the small hamlet of Le Bouchot in Pouilly-sur-Loire.
Francis Blanchet himself.
In the foreground you see vines in Pouilly-sur-Loire. Behind the river you see the more hilly Sancerre.