ready-keep1968 Coteaux du Layon, Moulin Touchais, Loire (bin soiled label)

One of the most enjoyable and memorable tastings I have been to was the tasting of the wines from the Loire valley’s Moulin Touchais a few weeks ago. After a brief hiatus while available stocks were checked, I am now very pleased to offer you these fascinating and great value wines. Here at Berry Bros & Rudd, we have long championed the great sweet wines of the Loire. From Bonnezeaux to Vouvray and Coteaux du Layon to Quarts de Chaume, there are dozens of producers that stand out but very few that have a history that stretches as far back as that of Moulin Touchais. The ancestors of the estate were producing wine as far back as 1787, over 130 years before Gaston Huet founded perhaps the region’s most famous estate. Since 1990, the estate’s 150 hectares have been presided over by Jean-Marie Touchais, the 8th generation to run the winery, and very little has changed viticulturally in the last century.

Here the belief is that the best sweet wines are produced with traditional methods: low yields, hand harvesting and slow fermentations, aiming for approximately 70-80g/l of residual sugar in the bottle. Following the vintage, the wine is bottled quickly (the following March), having never seen a barrel and then left in the cellar for a decade before release. A labour of love not an economic enterprise. Fortunately for us the previous generations of the estate had the foresight not to sell through every year so we are in a position to offer a fantastic range of vintages from the estate. 

Deep gold, almost amber in colour. Initially quite closed but opens up with a few minutes in the glass. Beautiful mature Chenin nose, classic Loire notes of wet wool and lanolin. Lovely fresh, orange, marmalade and caramel on the palate. Beautiful texture. Long dry, spicy finish. Delicious! Gareth Birchley, Fine Wine Buyer

{***}{region} Loire{region}
{color} White{color}                                                               {maturity}ready-keep{maturity} {maturity-text}Ready, but will keep{maturity-text}
{vintage}1968{vintage}
{ratings}
[] The Wine Advocate:: 97/100{ratings}{***}