This week we are still in North West Burgundy, still quite near Chablis in fact, but this time we are 20 km away to the South West, and the other side of the 'Autoroute du Soleil' (or A6 as it is far less romantically known).
Irancy is home to a grape variety which claims to be the oldest cultivated variety in France. It goes by many names, including 'Romain' reflecting the notion that it was first brought here by the Romans, but on this bottle is called the equally Roman sounding 'Cesar'.
Week I (2015) Simonnet & Febvre Irancy, 2013. M&S £14
Although Irancy is home to Cesar, it being grown almost nowhere else other than this general area, there are only five hectares of vineyards where it can be found within the appellation so it is not surprising to me that I have not heard of it before.
I have read that single varietal wines are made from Cesar, but in Irancy it is permitted to add up to 10% of it to the majority Burgundian star, being Pinot Noir, which through DNA profiling has been revealed as one of Cesar's parents. The other is Argant (which I hadn't heard of either, I really must keep reading) and that comes from Spain. So perhaps the Romans brought that. Who knows?
In this particular blend only 5% is used and the producer says that it contributes colour and structure, the latter coming from its strong tannins. If the intention was to give the wine a tannic boost, then my inexperienced advice would be to use more of the permitted 10% as the dominant component in this bottle was the acid content. I had put that down to the cool climate of the region where acids develop in the berries long before sugars and tannins and that 2013 had been a bit of a difficult year, leading to late picking and low yields. These together can be a great combination as long as the fruit has ripened sufficiently, but this wine is a little thin, suggesting that it had not had the chance to do so before being picked in October.
The fermentation occurred in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and then the wine was matured for 16- 18 months in the same, apart from 15% which enjoyed some time in oak.
There are red fruits and some floral aromas, but compared to Week E (2015)'s Earth's End Pinot Noir this one is not as good. They both came from M&S, but if you are going to spend £14 on a bottle of Pinot Noir I would recommend shelling out the additional £2 for the New Zealander. The All Blacks made it through to the RFU World Cup final last night and for a country with a population of less than 4.5 Million souls (not counting sheep) I am beginning to suspect there may be something about the place that produces quality (you can't blame them for Lord of the Rings; that nonsense was written in England).
Irancy is home to a grape variety which claims to be the oldest cultivated variety in France. It goes by many names, including 'Romain' reflecting the notion that it was first brought here by the Romans, but on this bottle is called the equally Roman sounding 'Cesar'.
Week I (2015) Simonnet & Febvre Irancy, 2013. M&S £14Although Irancy is home to Cesar, it being grown almost nowhere else other than this general area, there are only five hectares of vineyards where it can be found within the appellation so it is not surprising to me that I have not heard of it before.
I have read that single varietal wines are made from Cesar, but in Irancy it is permitted to add up to 10% of it to the majority Burgundian star, being Pinot Noir, which through DNA profiling has been revealed as one of Cesar's parents. The other is Argant (which I hadn't heard of either, I really must keep reading) and that comes from Spain. So perhaps the Romans brought that. Who knows?
In this particular blend only 5% is used and the producer says that it contributes colour and structure, the latter coming from its strong tannins. If the intention was to give the wine a tannic boost, then my inexperienced advice would be to use more of the permitted 10% as the dominant component in this bottle was the acid content. I had put that down to the cool climate of the region where acids develop in the berries long before sugars and tannins and that 2013 had been a bit of a difficult year, leading to late picking and low yields. These together can be a great combination as long as the fruit has ripened sufficiently, but this wine is a little thin, suggesting that it had not had the chance to do so before being picked in October.
The fermentation occurred in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and then the wine was matured for 16- 18 months in the same, apart from 15% which enjoyed some time in oak.
There are red fruits and some floral aromas, but compared to Week E (2015)'s Earth's End Pinot Noir this one is not as good. They both came from M&S, but if you are going to spend £14 on a bottle of Pinot Noir I would recommend shelling out the additional £2 for the New Zealander. The All Blacks made it through to the RFU World Cup final last night and for a country with a population of less than 4.5 Million souls (not counting sheep) I am beginning to suspect there may be something about the place that produces quality (you can't blame them for Lord of the Rings; that nonsense was written in England).
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