Loire Valley

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

This is the top of the line from this top producer of Loire Cab Francs. The vineyard dates back to the 1930's. It showed well, but not as special as one might hope. Does it need more time? Who knows. Is it in a dumb phase? Possibly, but that seems unlikely. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is nice with black cherry fruit, a cola note and slight chalk. Medium bodied. Light tannins. On the palate, black cherry fruit with slight tobacco note and slighter sorrel. Nice finish. Seems to be drinking well now and should continue for another eight to twelve years.

Ruby in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries with a bit of a cough syrup quality.  medium bodied.  On the palate a very slightly sweet black cherry fruit.  Some depth and complexity.  Nice finish.  This is an easy drinking wine that will be a nice choice with a burger.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

Ruby/purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, slight black pepper, slight chalk and a hint of cigar tobacco.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, layers of black cherry fruit with some chalkiness.  Silky texture.  Nice finish.  Tasty.  Drinking well on its own, it will work better with food.  Drink over the next ten years.  

In a recent tasting of Loire reds, this was the run away winner.  100% Cabernet Franc.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose  has black cherries, slight cedary notes and chalk.  Silky texture.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, the black cherry fruit comes thru with some underlying chalk.  Deep.  Light tannins.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is nice on its own and would  work nicely with grilled meats or roasted veggies.  It may still improve a bit but should drink well for another eight to twelve years.  

This is 100% Cabernet Franc from the difficult 2014 vintage.  Ruby in color with a purple core.  The nose has black cherries with slight coffee.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  This is probably a bit past peak but still drinking well.  Nice depth.  Good finish.  The wine will work better with food.  Drink over the next couple of years.  

Muscadets have been some of the best values in the wine world for some time and although the price has risen, they still hold that distinction.  This was the final year that Mark Olivier, whose reputation is at the top of Muscadets, was working at his winery.  It is 100% Melon de Bourgone grown organically.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has an interesting herbal (almost minty) note along with slight citrus and plenty of salinity and minerality.  A bit of crushed shells as well.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, almonds and citrus.  Nice finish.  Refreshing.  This

This sparkling wine from the Loire Valley is 100% Chenin Blanc.  Light golden in color with a fair amount of quickly disappearing medium bubbles.  The nose has seltzer and minerality.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, bitter almonds with a hint of orange peel.  Shorter finish.  A very pleasant wine as an aperitif.  Nice on its own, it should be very food friendly.  Fried appetizers would work well.  Drink over the next year or two.  

This is an iconic bottling from one of the controversial masters of Loire wines.  He has long used "natural winemaking techniques" long before they were en vogue.  The lack of preservatives in the wines leads to a higher amount of spoilage at times, so one needs to be careful with ordering, shipping and storage.  No worries here, this wine was stunning.  It is made from 100% Chenin Blanc grown biodynamically since 1984.  Golden in color (not deep), clear and bright.  The nose is great with orange peel, apricots, salinity and just a slight note of nuttiness.  Medium to full bodied.  On the p

Purchased off the list at The Arbor in Pasadena.  This is Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.  Light golden in color with slight green hues.  The nose is nice with a slight grassy note  but also a slight tropical fruit note.  Light bodied.  Slightly sweet, but just a hint.  Good finish.  This is a lovely way to start a meal and was popular with everyone at the table.  Drink over the next year or so.  

Domaine Huet makes some of the best Chenin Blanc wines anywhere in the world from dry to sweet to sparkling.  This one is semi-dry and is wonderful.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with citrus (lemons and slight tangerine), salinity and chalk.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  Good balance and acidity.  On the palate, citrus with nice minerality.  This is sweet but not at dessert levels.  The acidity balances it nicely.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with spicy Thai food.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.