A Visit to Philippe Delmee / Les Goelands
Back in February, we paid a visit to Philippe Delmee in Faye d'Anjou where his domaine "Les Goelands" is situated. We have been selling his wines for a few years now and as we were nearby for 'La Dive' wine fair, it was the perfect opportunity to drop in.
Philippe grew up in Brittany but was attracted to this part of the Loire valley after growing tired of his previous career as a maths teacher. A friend helped him acquire some vines in 2006 and he hasn't looked back since.
On our visit, it's clear he is a very down to earth guy and he's keen to discuss the failures of the current UK government as we browse around his winery. He has a sharp sense of humour and is curious about the natural wine scene back in London.
After tasting new vintages of his Chenin Blancs and Cabernet Francs, he welcomed us into his kitchen where we sat for a couple of hours listening to his vinyl collection. He had some great stuff including a personal favourite The The.
His "Les Ch'nins On Boit Et la Caravane Passe 2021" is currently shining. This cuvée is made from his oldest vines of Chenin Blanc. The grapes are harvested by hand and undergo a slow press into large foudre barrels where they ferment with ambient yeast. The wine is then aged in old barrels for 12 months. Bottled with no fining, filtration or added sulphur / sulphites.
Grab a bottle while they last!
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