Loire Valley

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

In a recent tasting of Loire Sauvignon Blancs, this was the groups favorite. Pale gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemons and a slight flinty note.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, flavors of Lemon candy with slight lemon citrus.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own and will work well with many foods.  It would be nice with grilled Tuna.  Drink over the next two to four years.  

This Rosé is 100% Pinot Noir from 30+ year old vines in the Loire Valley in France.  12.5% abv.  This is a delightful and refreshing wine.  Pale salmon pink in color, clear and bright.  The nose has strawberries, oranges and slight pine.  Medium bodied.  Nice, slightly creamy texture.  On the palate, flavors of apples and strawberries.  Clean finish.  This is nice on its own and will work with most foods.  It would be nice with soft cheeses and crackers on the patio.  Drink over the next year or two.  

This is 100% Chenin Blanc from vines ranging from 70 to 86 years old.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with orange peel, minerality, and slight spice.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous texture.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet with notes of orange peel and nice minerality.  Complex and deep.  Long finish.  This is excellent on its own and will work well with foods that can match.  It would be nice with chicken salad.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

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.