Loire Valley

• Bourgueil
• Jasnières
• Muscadet
• Mont Louis
• Sancerre
• Saumur
• Savennières
• Touraine
• Vouvray

This is Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  Straw gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with a touch of lemons along with plenty of minerality.  Medium bodied.  Excellent balance and acidity.  On the palate, the minerality dominates but there is some lemon as well.  Clean, long finish.  This is nice on its own but probably better with food.  It would work well with fresh, Oysters.  Drink over the next few years.  

Made with grapes mostly grown in Tourraine but labelled Vin de France.  Light silvery/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice.  Slightly grassy with touch of tropical fruit and minerality.  Medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, the tropical fruit comes thru along with a bit of almond especially on the finish.  This drinks easily on its own and would work well with lighter foods.  It would work well with vegetarian Thai Food.

This was not a proper bottle.  It had a lot of froth and bubbles and there should not have been any.  My pour was one of the first and no off flavors were detected that might have suggested refermentation in the bottle, but the amount of bubbles was for too much to just  be trapped CO2.  Others who sampled from farther into the bottle noted off flavors and lots of "crud" in the bottle.  Not sure how prevalent this will be, but buyer beware.  

The Sauvignon Blancs from Pascal and Francois Cotat are some of the best in the world.  At age 10, this one is drinking beautifully.  Light golden in color with some green hues.  The nose is expressive with chalk, pears and hints of lemon.  Medium bodied.  Great balance.  On the palate, this seems dry (a prior bottle seemed to have a bit of residual sugar).  Plenty of pear and lemons with a slight herbal notes.  Deep and complex.  Long finish.  This should have another eight to twelve years of great drinking.  It went well with a Chopped Salad and Garlic Dressing.  

Muscadets continue to be some of the best values in wine.  Made from 100% Melon de Bourgone grape.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has crushed shells, salinity and just a hint of lemon.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is all about minerality.  Depth.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This is great on its own but the classic pairing is oysters.  Drink over the next five to seven years, but it will probably go longer.  Don't listen to those who say they need to be consumed in the first year or two.  

Not many family-run business can claim over 300 years in business, but the Saget family starting working with wine back in 1790. And leave it to the French to produce a very enjoyable Pinot Noir for under $20. Created in a lighter style this Pinot, at this price point, is a very good value and provides good quality fruit, tannic structure, and acidity. It offers red raspberry, light strawberry, delicate cherry, cranberry, worn leather, resin, a mild earthiness and a suggestion of cola. The wine is seamlessly blended and therefore drinks well.

This is Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley in France.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, green bell peppers, tobacco and earthiness.  Medium to full bodied.  Light tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has nice depth.  Some complexity.  Flavors of black cherries, slight bell pepper, tobacco and slight earthiness.  Good finish.  I don't believe this wine sees any oak which gives it a good freshness.  It is nice on its own but would be better with food.  It would work well with Szechuan Beef.  drink over the next few years.  

Very impressed with this wine.  Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley.  Sort of old school in style, but that is just fine with me.  Pale golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean (no cat pee) and is mostly mineral driven but there is a slight grapefruit note.  Medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is almost seamless with a wonderful texture.  The acidity is there but is part of the whole package.  Flavors of slight yellow grapefruits with lots of minerality.  Long finish.  While not at the level of the Cotat wines (neither is the price), it is more in that style th

This is Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley in France.  It is from the wineries youngest vines and aged in concrete.  Ruby  in color with some purple and blue hues, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is sweaty/dusty with cherries and strawberries and a bit of black pepper.  Medium tannins.  Tart acidity.  On the palate, cherries with a touch of strawberries.  A streak of heat on the finish.  This is nice on its own but really needs some food.  It would be nice with some fatty meats, say a Lamb Stew. Drink over the next five to eight years.

This is a sparkling wine made in the traditional method from 100% Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley.  Light golden in color with a nice mousse of medium to smaller bubbles.  The nose is nice with good minerality along with a bit of red apples.  Medium bodied.  Good balance.  On the palate, this drinks easy.  The slightest bit of sweetness makes it nice on its own but is still food friendly.  It would work with most foods.  Fried chicken should work well.  Drink over the next couple of years.