Loire 2019: Vintage overview

Incredibly 2019 is the sixth successive good to very good quality vintage in the Loire, in a continuous run from 2014. Historically three successive good vintages has been the norm before a mediocre or poor harvest strikes.

However, all has not been simple and straightforward for the producers as this last decade have seen a number of short vintages due to a succession of frosts and other climatic conditions. 2019 is no exception due to frost, heat spikes and drought.

Challenging climate

Just as in 2016 and 2017, spring frosts caused serious damage. The first frost was on the night of 3/4 April – rain in the afternoon of 3 April, clear skies overnight and sunshine early in the morning causing the ice around the young buds to act as magnifying glass, destroying them. This early April frost severely affected the western part of the Loire, in particular the Pays Nantais and Anjou. There were further frosts later in April and in early May.

Overall vineyards from Tours eastwards escaped serious damage with Sancerre once again escaping. During the last decade, the Sancerre appellation’s steep slopes have protected them from the frosts that have inflicted so much damage elsewhere in the region.

François Crochet, a leading producer in Bué, was candid: ‘In Sancerre we have the skills and a great terroir but we have to say that we have had a lot of luck!’

One positive is that since 2016 investment in frost protection measures has increased significantly.

See all Loire 2019 wines tasted here

Wet and cold weather in the first week of June affected the flowering. Around 10 June there was a rapid reversal: the start of a drought, which would last until late September. There were also heat-spikes at the end of June and in July when temperatures rose to around 40˚C. These spikes, especially the one In July, burnt grape bunches, especially those exposed to the afternoon sun,

Xavier Frissant (Touraine Amboise): ‘These heat spikes and the damage they have caused to the bunches of grapes raises the question whether we need to change our viticultural methods. Until now we have opened up the vine canopies to encourage airflow to guard against rot and to encourage grape ripening. We may have to change.’

Harvest

Picking in the Pays Nantais generally started in the second week of September, some at very low yields (around 20 hl/ha or less) due to the April frost. Others were more affected by the drought. ‘We have lost more volume to the drought than we did to the frost,’ commented Christophe Gadais (Gadais Père et Fils).

Many parts of the Loire started picking in the following weeks, especially for white and rosés, with some starting their Cabernet Franc around 23 September. The quality of the fruit that I saw during my visits along the Loire during the harvest was exceptional.

The end of the drought on 21-22 September followed by heavy rain in October meant that little sweet wine was made. The Angers weather station recorded 113.2mm in October 2019, while the average rainfall for this month is 71.8mm. Grass turned rapidly from burnt dusty grey to lush green. By mid-October I saw mushrooms growing in the Quarts de Chaume.

Allied to the inclement weather is the significant shift to making dry white even in prestigious sweet wine appellations such as the Quarts de Chaume because it is now so difficult to sell sweet wine.

‘We haven’t made any sweet wine this year,’ said Julien Pinon (François Pinon, Vouvray) ‘as we were able to make enough last year.’ Pinon’s comment was echoed by a number of other producers.

Style notes

Although it is still early days, the 2019 wines are noticeably fresher despite the heat and drought than the 2018, where some wines, especially rosés, did not have enough acidity to stop their concentrated fruit becoming cloying.

Given the hot summer that extended into much of September, this great freshness is intriguing. Apart from the heat spikes the night-time temperatures in July and August were a little lower than in 2018, which may provide a partial explanation. Also producers are increasingly practised in dealing with heat in September – picking only from early in the morning and stopping by midday. The use of carbon dioxide to cool down the grapes is increasing, especially in Sancerre where due to their wealth they are always more technically advanced.

Jacky Blot (Domaine de la Taille aux Loups, Montlouis) is convinced that 2019 is a great vintage for white wines, and is much better than 2018. “I don’t have an explanation for the freshness and balance of 2019. We were very surprised at the very good level of acidity despite the heat of the summer. Admittedly we picked early but the grapes were at 13% potential alcohol. Another surprise was the average yield of 42 hl/ha, which is my second largest ever despite no rain during the summer.

It will be fascinating over the next few years to compare the respective qualities and evolution of 2018 and 2019 – both two hot vintages.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak and the strict lockdown in France it was impossible to make visits to producers in March as I had intended. I have been able to taste only a few finished and bottled wines. Thus many of my recommended wines were tasted in late January and early February as tank/barrel samples, so my assessments are provisional.

Jim Budd’s top scoring Loire 2019 wines

See all wines tasted here