Brave faces were on display in the Loire last week, when I visited with a group of Russian sommeliers for a programme of tastings and producer visits. The 2017 vintage is shaping up to be a much-reduced one in many cases, following on from another low-yield vintage in 2016. Here are a few snippets of information gleaned from my travels.
- Savennières suffered up to 95% crop loss from late spring frosts – most exceptional for this region of sloping vineyards at reasonable elevation. At Coulée de Serrant, 80% of the nascent berries were destroyed.
- Saumur suffered less devastation although...