A couple of Anjou whites - Plaisance and Ogereau

WINE TALK
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These two are typical of the new breed of white Anjou producers. I hadn’t tried two together before and thought it would be interesting:

Domaine Ogereau - Vent de Spilite - Anjou 2020

Pear, white peach and lemon aromas, then a hint of spring flowers, very fresh, before a crisp attack of citrus fruits, then a slightly softer wave of apples and pears, before a long, lemony finish. Although chiselled and taut, this has great finesse and elegance. It has kept the purity of the fruit whilst losing the sappiness it had a couple of years ago. This has a long life ahead of it with more complexity to come. Excellent wine.

Château de Plaisance - Ronceray - Anou 2020

Orange peel and lime at first, then notes of yellow peach and lemon aromas, very mouth-watering. Like the Ogereau, a very crisp attack, but the pears are a little richer, a little more intense, albeit without a trace of sugar. The middle section focuses on bitter orange and yellow peach, with just the slightest hint of honeydew melon mixed with lemon and lime on the finish, but again, not remotely sweet. More verve than the Ogereau, no less delicious.

Both wines have gained in complexity and both promise more to come in the future. Light years away from the honeyed richness of Savennières like Damien Laureau’s, for example, or countless Vouvrays, these are much crisper and fresher. Personally, I far prefer this style of chenin.

Of course, Domaine Ogereau is not exactly a “new” producer, but the wines have changed a lot since Emmanuel Ogereau took over most of the winemaking responsibilities from his father, I think in 2015, and began making site-specific dry Anjou wines from vines which were previously used for sweet whites.

Château de Plaisance is not new either, but has been transformed since its purchase by Vanessa Cherruau in 2019. All her range of dry whites are excellent, from the entry level Anjou Blanc upwards, all made in the same taut, crisp style.

I would class the two wines at the same level - 93 points - with a slight preference at this stage for the Plaisance.

I would highly recommend both producers - their wines are fun. Both the wines tasted cost about 21 euros, so excellent value. Prices of their other wines are very reasonable, but they are starting to rise, and I was surprised to see that the Ogereau 2022s have increased by about 25% compared to their 2020 counterparts. I don’t really begrudge the increases since they are still cheaper than Boudignon’s, for example, for the same quality. But since the 2020s can still be found, there is no sense paying more for the 2022s.

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Thanks for these notes. I am also a huge fan of Plaisance, and also Ogereau to a lesser extent. However, I do hope that Laureau, Closel, etc. continue to make wines in their style. I think the “new style” Anjou adds a great interpretation to the field, but I wouldn’t want it to take over completely.

That’s fantastic value. Here the best price on the Plaisance Ronceray is about $36. Still solid value, IMO, but not quite the screaming deal you’re getting.

I don’t think either Plaisance or Ogereau are at the level of Boudignon. FWIW, my cost on the Boudignon Anjou Blanc is in between Plaisance Ronceray and Grand Piece. I think Boudignon wines are in the top tier with Guiberteau just behind Collier.

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I imported Boudignon so I am indeed a fan of the quality but wholeheartedly agree that it would be a loss if this became the only or predominant style in Anjou. The wines from Jo Pithon and Mark Angeli around 2000-2002 were real game changers for me. I’ve had a few Roncerays and from what I remember they don’t quite have the density of material or the electric buzz of Boudignon but perhaps with current Boudignon pricing the Plaisance are as much if not better value than Boudignon.

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Boudignon’s a Francoise seems to me to be a big step up in quality from the basic Anjou Blanc, and is better than a lot of other dry Loire Chenins I’ve had. I think Guiberteau’s Breze and Carmes are a big step up from that, and even better than the Boudignon Savennières bottlings. Styles are a bit different, so I can see some people’s preference going the other way.

What are people’s thoughts on Belargus? Prices (here in the US, at least), are quite high. The one I’ve tried so far seems to be quite a different style from some of the other trendy producers – big, rich, very ripe, high alcohol, noticeable botrytis; almost like Joly without any weirdness. I’d love to do a deep dive, but given the prices, I don’t know if that will happen.

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Thanks for the notes. I need to get back into the Chenin game! Been way to busy with hunting Jura in the past few years.

For me a hidden gem is Nicolas Reau.
His 2014 Victoire Anjou tasted back in Dec. 2021 is one of the best Chenin I had.

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Yes, big and rich, but with good energy. I liked them enough to order a bunch.
Bonnes Blanche ‘19 recently was fine.

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Yes, it would be boring if all wines were made in the same way! I’m into the new style now but wouldn’t like everyone to follow suit. However I do find it hard to enjoy a traditional Vouvray after trying these.
One pitfall I hope the new producers will avoid is the premox issues that affected so many Savennières in the past.

I’m not familiar enough with Boudignon’s top wines to say if they are that much better.

The last time I had a Plaisance Ronceray 2020 was two years ago and I wasn’t convinced by the rasping finish, but this time I was really impressed so yes, very good value.

I’ve been very impressed by all the Belargus cuvées I’ve tried. The only problem is the pricing, which is rather ambitious. I’m glad I got some of the first vintages but I won’t be back for more. I find the quality equivalent to the Ogereau or Plaisance top wines, not necessarily better.

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