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I had the pleasure last night of attending the Jacky Blot tasting & dinner at the Pantechnicon in Motcomb Street. The evening kicked off with a glass of sparkling Montlouis Pétillant Naturel Triple Zéro and an introduction from Monsieur Blot himself. It’s incredibly inspiring to hear a wine producer so passionate about his craft. Having never tried his wines before I was excited to see what all the fuss was about and I wasn’t disappointed. Jacky Blot wants the wines to be a true expression of the soil so they’re 100% organic and no additives included. As he so eloquently put it “the commitment to creating excellent wines each year, regardless of the weather conditions, is the sign of a great wine maker”.
The head chef created a four course feast which complemented the wines beautifully. The pre-starter of bacon wrapped scallops was accompanied by the Montlouis Sec Rémus Domaine de la Taille aux Loups 2008 & Montlouis Sec Clos Michet Domaine de la Taille aux Loups 2009. Having never tried Montlouis before I was bowled over by how impeccably crisp & delicious they were. Jacky explained that the Montlouis wines come from a much smaller area and one bottle is equivalent to producing six of the Vouvrays.
We then progressed to the next two whites: Vouvray Sec Clos de la Bretonnière 2008 & Vouvray Sec Clos de Venise 2009 and the starter of Courgette flower, goats curd with tomato & basil dressing. As with the previous two whites it was clear to spot the vintage variations. The 2008 was ample and rich, whereas the 2009 was pure & mineral.
The main course of Roast Lamb rump arrived and with it the red wines of the evening. Both the Bourgueil Mi-Pente 2005 & Bourgueil Le Haut de la Butte Domaine de la Butte 2008 are made from 100% Cabernet Franc and rich in black fruit flavour with enough tannin to age for a few years. Like Burgundy, there is a huge difference in terroir and noticeable differences on the nose and palate.
To finish we enjoyed a glass of his dessert wine Montlouis liquoreux Cuvée des Loups Domaine de la Taille aux Loups 2003 along with an Apple Tart Tatin with sea salt caramel ice cream. The tropical fruit and honey notes were a perfect finish to a fabulous wine flight. Everybody I’ve spoken to since have said how much they enjoyed the wines and having Monsieur Blot give such a charismatic and enthralling introduction was a real bonus. His commitment to promoting the Loire as a leading wine producing area means we will be enjoying some fabulous wines in the years to come.