UFOs in no-man's-land ?? And yet...Claude Courtois, known as the Loup Blanc in the small world of 'natural' wines, and his son Etienne have been offering for more than twenty years totally atypical wines, worked with the greatest care, in their own way and without artifice. Tastings.
Anchored in the Centre-Loire, near Blois, the Courtois have achieved a tour de force: turning their hectares into a garden where gamay, cabernet, côt, sauvignon and pineau give the best of themselves. The rigorous philosophy has something to do with it: organic farming, without chemical intervention to give living soil to the flourishing microbial life, the natural environment of the vines - woods, flower fields, grassing -, hand-picking and controlled yields. Let's now get down to the serious stuff, by tasting Etienne's vintages and of course, Claude's...
JUNE 2017 TASTING: most of the wines are no longer on sale! See at the bottom of the article the wines on sale !
Quartz 2015
It's dry, taut and unadorned. The exotic fruit reveals itself after a few minutes and softens the sensation of austerity. The palate is structured, powerful, very well balanced. Here is a sauvignon with personality, far from the classic aromatic. Here, no cheating, we are in the world of the Courtois.
Feather of Angel 2014
Cuvée worked and vinified by Etienne Courtois. Moins on the minerality and tension that Quartz (Different Parcel). We have here much more roundness, fat on the attack, then mineral in its pure state, to finish on matter, a serene side. The Grape variety, ah yes the Grape variety : sauvignon bah uh no, we forget it... Fine, delicate and out of the ordinary aromas! Another crazy wine.
Romorantin 2013
We start with this unique colour: golden! On the nose and in the mouth, candied apple, a hint of quince jelly. In the mouth, powerful, dry, sharp with vegetal notes bordering on medicinal, hints of citrus fruits, return of quince. The Grape variety almost disappears to reappear in a more Chenin form :). The mineral is there, right there. A tense finish as we like it!
White Roots 2014
The nose is fine with a lot of freshness at the opening in spite of the power that we already perceive. The mouth is ample and powerful on the generosity of very ripe yellow fruits - peaches, mirabelle plums - followed by herbaceous - cut hoe, dried herbs-. An almost tannic impression with beautiful bitterness due to a light oxidation, which doubles in the finish -fresh walnut-. Continuous freshness, complex, extremely balanced. And behind all this, there is, of course, the famous Doctor Claude Courtois :-)
The Starlings 2013
A natural wine surprising by its power, this Cuvée des Etourneaux (because they rake in the last part of the harvest) is not only aromatic, but also in structure. Of course it remains gamay but what a material, what a surprise ! Houahou ! A decanting is essential.
ICAUNAIS
Very nice color in the glass for L'Icaunais. It's important. Slightly smoky nose, and cooked red fruits. Then we leave on dried floral, back to well crushed plum, old leather, grape marc: complexity without a doubt! Ossaturation magnificent: what a grain for this incredible Grape variety : the gascon.
ALL THE WINES OF Winery CAILLOUX DU PARADIS are HERE
