Loire Valley

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

This was a delightful Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  Stylistically, it had a bit of new world characteristics which was interesting.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with some grassiness and some tropical fruits.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is tasty with some depth.  Tropical fruits with some minerality.  Nice finish.  Drink over the next few years.  This would work well with fish tacos.

Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, tobacco and slight barnyard.  Great texture   Tannins are all integrated.  Complex and deep.  Just about at peak.  Layers of cherries and black cherries and also some tobacco.  Good finish.  Delicious.  This drinks well on its own but is better with food.  Lamb stew would be a nice choice.  Drink over the next five to seven years.  

This is 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has minerality, salinity and slight cat pee notes.  Light bodied.  On the palate, lemon/lime notes.  Good acidity.  Some depth.  This works better with a bit of food.  A roasted beet & goat cheese salad would be nice.  Drink over the next couple years.  

Muscadets are usually tremendous values.  Crisp, inexpensive and delicious white wines from the Loire Valley in France.  This one is all of those.  Pale silvery/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has crushed shells, lemons and sea air.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this has lots of minerality, crushed shells, salinity but also lemons to tie it all together.  Some depth and complexity.  These will age longer than one might think, maybe ten to fifteen years, but they are best when young and crisp.  The perfect foil for oysters.  

This is a Pinot Noir based Rose from the Loire Valley in France.  Very refreshing at 13% abv.  Light salmon/pink/orange in color, clear and bright.  Medium bodied.  Lightly viscous.  On the palate, a bit of a sweet tart note along with some tart orange notes especially on the finish.  This wine will work better with some food to tame the acidity. A summertime watermelon and feta cheese salad would be perfect.  Drink over the next year or two.  

These wines are some of my favorite expressions of Sauvignon Blanc from anywhere.  At age 9, this is still on the young side but drinking well.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has limes, minerals, salinity and slight hay notes.  Medium bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, tart limes, slight yellow grapefruit with underlying minerals.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This drinks well on its own and will work well with seafood or lighter salads.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  

Muscadet remains one of the best values in wine today.  Silver/gold in color, clear and bright.  The now is all about minerality although there are lime nuances.  Medium bodied.  Nice backbone of acidity.  On the palate, lots of crushed rock and minerals along with some salinity and a bit of limes.  Long finish.  Lots of energy.  This is lively.  Dry.  It is great on its own and very food friendly.  While it will match with a wide vairety of food, oysters or any shell fish is a great idea.  Drink over the next ten years.  

One of the cool things about Vouvray is that it is made from Chenin Blanc grapes which more often than not can age well.  When I walked into a local  wine store and saw this for $20, it was well worth the flier.  The only real problem is that there are no more.  Made by American Peter Hahn and imported with Rosenthal, this is a lovely wine.  Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has nice minerality with hints of orange peel and a bit of apricot.  Medium bodied and slightly viscous.  At age 12, there is just a bit of sweetness here (some has probably faded since bottling).  A n

Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with minerals, orange peel and crushed shells.  Medium bodied.  Slight sweetness.  Lots of minerality with some salinity.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Drinking quite well now.  Nice on its own and will work with lighter salads.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is 100% old school Cabernet Franc from the Loire valley in France.  Coming in at 12.5% ABV, this is a classic Loire Red wine.  Deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and mostly bright.  The nose has black cherries, tobacco, some bell pepper, slight "twigs and sticks".  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this drinks easy but needs some food.  Some black cherry fruit with plenty of forest floor and tobacco.  A bit of green bell pepper.  Moderate finish.  This would work well with lamb stew.  Drink over the next five to seven years.