Loire Valley

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

Another great bottle from this, arguably the best, producer of Vouvray.  This is Chenin Blanc at its best.  Light golden/silver in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with quince, slight peach, saline, and lots of crushed shells and minerals.  Medium bodied and slightly viscous texture.  On the palate, this is dry.  Peach, quince with minerals underneath.  well balanced acidity.  Very smooth.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  Of course, this is quite young but it comes out firing on all cylinders.  It should drink well for the net twenty years.   This drinks great on its own (it to

This is a really enjoyable Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley of France.  Light gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lots of minerals, orange peel and slight floral notes.  Medium bodied.  Slightly sweet.  Concentrated minerality on the palate.  Long finish.  This is delicious now and should drink well for another decade.  It drinks well on its own and will work well with lighter salads and seafoods.  

Nice showing for this bottle.  A bit of oxidation, but the wine is almost 20!  Deep golden in color with some orange hues, clear and bright.  The nose has sea air, some burnt orange peel, and apricots.  Slightly viscous.  A touch of sweetness.  This is deep and complex with apricots, orange peel and minerality.  Not so much layered as close to seamless.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This paired nicely with some salted truffle fries but would work well with goat cheese.  Probably better with a touch of food at this point.  Drink over the next ten years.  Note, there are some oxidation issues

An interesting wine.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has almonds, grapefruits, slight chalk and a hint of salinity.  medium bodied.  On the palate, those qualities came out as well.  Very nice acidity.  Overall, a bit reticent but refreshing.  Perhaps because it came in a 500ml bottle, but I presumed it would be at least semi-sweet.  Not to be, but it did work well with home made vegan ginger snaps.  Well made Vouvray can last a long time as this showed no real signs of age.  I wouldn't worry about another five or ten years.  

This sweet Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France so no signs of ageing at all.  Light yellow/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pears, honey, white peaches, with a bit of crushed shells and salinity.  Full bodied.  Slightly viscous.  On the palate, this is sweet but just a bit, certainly not cloying.  Good acidity.  The honey, peaches and and minerality come thru.  A very long finish.  This wine is deep and stops the drinker in his or her tracks.  It drinks great on its own and might be harder to match with food.  A not too sweet shortbread cookie or a soft goat cheese wo

From one of the top producers in the Loire Valley in France comes this great value in dry Chenin Blanc.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with orange peel, sea air and minerality.  Medium bodied.  Great texture.  Dry.  On the palate, there is quince, slight salinity and underlying minerality.  Nice acidity.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own and will work well with lighter foods and also Thai food.  This is drinking well right now and should continue to do so for ten to twelve more years.  

What a beautiful wine.  At age 15, this has settled into a nice sweet spot.  Sealed with a screw cap.  Golden in color, but too dark.  The nose is big with dried honey, pears, orange peel and salinity.  Full bodied and slightly viscous.  On the palate, this is slightly sweet.  Delicious with great minerality.  Oranges and honey over minerals.  Still showing youthful with lots of verve.  Long finish.  This should easily go another fifteen to twenty years.  It works great on its own and will work with less sweet or fruit based desserts (especially pears or oranges).  

Another gorgeous bottle from one of the top producers of Vouvray.  Light golden in color.  The nose is great.  Lots of minerality with pears, quince and saline.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Ripe quince and orange peel with underlying minerality.  Great smooth texture.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  This is slightly sweet but certainly not overt.  This should last for a couple of decades although Huet has had some issues with random bottles prematurely oxidizing.  Still, laying a few down and drinking some young is a nice strategy.  This drinks great on its own and would work well

This wine is just starting to come into its own.  A gorgeous showing for this Sauvignon Blanc from France.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is pretty with melon, peaches and minerality.  Medium bodied.  Crisp yet welcoming at the same time.  Great balance.  Depth and complexity.  The peach notes are stronger on the palate along with a chalkiness.  Long finish.  Just delicious.  This sill work great with seafood or lighter pasta dishes and of course, on its own.  No hurry, this seems like it is in middle age and will easily got another ten to twelve years.  

Huet is perhaps my favorite producer of Chenin Blanc in the world.  These are wines that will last for decades and drink well young (with a bit of air).  This is one is demi-sec or off dry.  Light golden in color, shimmering bright.  The nose is pretty with orange peel, slight peach, sea air and minerals.  Medium to full bodied.  Slightly sweet but not cloying, which is nicely balanced by acidity.  Delicious with flavors or oranges apples and peaches over a mineral base.  Long finish.  If well stored, this should drink well for fifteen more years or more.  Lovely on its own, it will work ni