Michel Autran is an interesting vigneron. He is an ex General Practitioner that decided some years ago he wanted to ‘make things using his hands’ as he puts it himself. He sold his practice and leased two plots of Chenin Blanc near Noizay, Vouvray, on the banks of the Loire river. The combined size of the two plots is around two hectares and

Michel does almost all the work in the vineyard and the cellar on this own. Only at busy times such as the harvest season does he get some help in.

Michel is very passionate about his two plots of vines, averaging about 50 years in age, which are farmed biodynamically and organically. Even though the two plots are only a short distance apart, their terroir is quite different. The lower plot named Les Enfers with calcareous clay soil also contains limestone and flint (silex), the upper plot consists of reddish clay rich in lime. The plots are vinified separately with the produce of the former going into a cuvee called ‘Les Enfers Tranquilles’ (The Quiet Hells), and the latter forming the cuvee ‘Ciel Rouge’ (Red Sky). Fermentation is with indigenous yeasts only, and split between stainless steel and old oak 50/50. This is very much a non-interventionist wine with only a minimum of sulphur added, and very light filtration.

 

The 2013 Les Enfers Tranquilles offers notes of apple and pear, with some lemon and flower coming through as well. The taste is of quite extreme, almost shocking, minerality, focussed, and very angular. Apples, white fruit, and ginger hit the taste buds too. The finish is long, very mineral, and with some slight bitter notes. I like this wine very much, and it reminds me a little bit of a Riesling from the Bas Rhin in Alsace. I think it will probably outlive its sibling Ciel Rouge. But as this was only Michel’s second vintage that remains to be seen.

The 2013 Ciel Rouge a different wine altogether; much more fruit on the nose and in general a lot less mineral in taste as Les Enfers Tranquilles. It is rounder and more approachable at young age. Very nice again, but if I had to make choice between the two I would go for Les Enfers Tranquilles. I did re-taste this wine again in December 2016 and it was quite evolved, with very noticeable oxidation. I have not bottles left to keep following the evolution of this wine, but if the most recent bottle is a marker I would say I was right to drink these early.

Both these wines go well with the local freshwater fish from the Loire, pork dishes, and goats cheeses. Sitting in Michel’s kitchen we were offer to taste these wines with a local goats cheese. I don’t remember the name but it was probably a kind of Sainte Maure de Touraine. I can highly recommend this combination.

Michel also produces a third wine, a sparkling wine in a pétillant style called ‘Cap à l’ouest’. This is a brut nature or zero dosage wine as it did not receive any sugar after dégorgement. As a result is it very dry, austere almost, with pleasing green apple-y freshness and good autolytic character. It is a good example of this style.

Michel’s production is, as one would expect with only two hectares, quite small.