Loire Valley

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

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.  

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.