On January 16th Jean Sebastian Marionnet of Henry Marionnet/Domaine de la Charmoise visited Oslo for a short tasting. Marionett is a
fairly new producer to me although they have been making wines in the Touraine for quite some time. They own 62 hektars of vines here
on clay-soil from where they make 1/3 white from sauvignon blanc and a parcel of romorantin. 2/3 is red, mostly gamay with some Cot.
All wines at Domaine de la Charmoise are vinified with the aim of
resulting in a wine in a clear and pure and fruity style to drink young. Jean Sebastian Marionnet said their wines were best drunk
within three year from the vintage. To give such a result they vinify all wines in stainless steel. The grapes are left in whole
bunches and not destemmed. The fermentation is done with whole berries (maceration carbonique). There is little to no yeast added and
no sulphure added before after fermentation. The reds are macerated for 6 days.
Most of the grapes are made into two basic wines;
the Touraine Sauvignon blanc and the Touraine Gamay. Only the red goes through malolactic fermentation. They make around 45 Hl/Ha of
the sauvignon blanc and around 50 Hl/Ha of the Gamay. We tasted the 2006 and 2007-version of these two wines.
Touraine sauvignon blanc 2006, Domaine de la Charmoise/Henry Marionnet
Touraine sauvignon blanc 2007, Domaine de la Charmoise/Henry Marionnet
The 2006 displayed a straw colour. In the nose this was a very fruity and quite sweet wine. A little bubble gum and acidic fruits.
Light hints of cold stones. Clean and dry sauvignon blanc in the mouth. Simple fruit, quite ripe style. Medium bodied. The
acids a little too ripe here. Medium length. The 2007 was less ripe than the 06, displaying a more grape-typical nose of
gooseberry-leafs as well as some of the acidic fruits. The wine still has some CO2 trapped and shows more of the underripe side in
the mouth. Again clear, pure and medium bodied sauvignon blanc that is a fairly simple wine. Finer acidity and a little crisper
style. No doubt better than the 2006 on this day. Both wines were fairly simple and forgettable, even for the price.
Touraine Gamay 2006, Domaine de la Charmoise/Henry Marionnet
Touraine Gamay 2007, Domaine de la Charmoise/Henry Marionnet
The 2006 had a violet-red colour. Grape-typical nose of red berries with some pepper. Almost a lightly Rhone-hint. Quite light and a
highly fruity Gamay in the mouth. The maceration carbonique quite obvious. But clear, pure and simple fruit which gives some joy.
More refreshing than the sauvignon blanc with crisper acidity. Very little tannin. The 2007 displays a highly raw and young nose with
hints of potatoes, red berries - strawberries. This needs time to calm down a bit after the bottling. In the mouth this also
lacks a little of the purity and cleaniness of the 2006. But this shows a little more body and concentration of the fruit. Fine
acidity and slight tannins show in the back. Will perhaps be better than the 06, but not today.
Besides these two standard-cuvees Domaine de la Charmoise makes five special cuvees. Two whites; a sauvignon blanc and a wine from
a 0,3 Hektar plot of romorantin whose vines were planted in 1850. We did not taste any of these, but we tasted the three special
cuvees of reds.
Premiere Vendange Gamay 2006, Domaine de la Charmoise/Henry Marionnet
This is from the same grapes that goes into the Touraine Gamay, but vinified differently. This is always done with absolute no
sulphure, no chaptalisation and no yeasts added. So absolutely nothing added to the grapes. The rest of the vinification is equal
to the Touraine Gamay. The difference between this and the Touraine Gamay 2006 is shocking. The colour in this one is far darker
than the standard-cuvee. The nose dispalys more dark berries and a touch of earth and minerality. More depth here. In the mouth this
wine displaying a finer and deeper fruit and better concentration. The most pronounced difference is perhaps the structure. The
acidity even crisper here and the tannins shows better and gives the wine a longer taste. This is simply a far more serious wine than
the Touraine Gamay 2006 and highly worth the small increase in price. I would never expect such a difference when it comes to
structure and colour.
Les cepages Oublies Gamay de Bouze 2006 (Vin de Pays du Jardin), Domaine de la Charmoise/Henry Marionnet
This wines comes from a teinturier-Gamay; the Gamay de Bouze. So a jus rouge-gamay and then not allowed within any AOC.
The domaine has 1 hektar of this variety planted in 1985. According to Jean Sebastian Marionnet these are the only vines of this grape
in France. The wine (of course) has a very deep and tight dark-red colour. The nose is more earthy, meaty and rustic. Hints of dark
berries and ink. It is a rich and a little earthy Gamay in the mouth with good concentration, fine acidity and more some tannins in
the finish, although quite round and supple. A wilder wine, especially the aromatics. Very interesting.
Touraine Vinifera Côt 2005, Domaine de la Charmoise/Henry Marionnet
This wine comes from a few hektars of ungrafted Cot-vines planted in 2000. The first vintage of this was 2003. The 2005 shows a dark
violet colour. The nose is fruity with hints of dark berries, also ink, citrus-notes and some rubber. Pure and fruity style in the
mouth. Lots of fruit. Good concentration. Tannic structure. Fine and crisp acidity and quite some tannins in the
back. This gives pleasure now, but will benefit from aging 4-5 years. Good wine for the price.
In the end I found this tasting interesting. No doubt the special cuvees are far more interesting than the standard-wines.
The prices are also not much higher for these special cuvees and the three I tasted where good for the price. Keep on with the
experiments!
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting note: Jan-08