WTN: Loire night- 20+ wines, 5 guys

Friday I hosted a small (no, select!) group for a Loire evening. Everyone was enthusiastic, and we ended up with a lot of wines. I had out charcuterie (pate de campagne, dry sausage, prosciutto), olives, and cheese (Ossua-Iraty, Brie, Robiola,

2015 Philipponnat Grand Blanc Extra Brut
I found this a bit tight and austere at first, but it opened nicely with white fruit, citrus blossoms, and a chalky finish. Maybe not for long haul but tasty now with a bit of air. B+/B

I shucked some oysters for the Muscadet flight (and put out ramp mignonette, but forgot to tell folks till oysters all consumed)

2009 Pepiere Clos des Briords Muscadet
Now here’s a Briords that’s aging just fine! Lovely, crisp and elegant, citrus and saline, in the zone. A-

2010 Luneau-Papin L d'Or Muscadet
This was good but different from what I expected. Rich almost tropical fruit (pineapple and mango), heavier and less seashelly than I expected. B

For the next course shrimp poached in court bouillon with avocado

2015 Foreau Vouvray Sec
Wow, what a lovely wine. I would not have expected this to be one of the WOTN.. Apple and orange peel, a touch of quince, a lovely wooly note and very long crisp minerally finish. A-

2010 Chidaine Clos du Breuil Montlouis
This seemed reduced and tight, not giving much at all, and I wrote down B-. However, following night leftovers showed quite well, more open in a quince-y/citrusy way

As we were enjoying the demi-sec flight, I thought “these would go well with the smoked mussels” and then realized I hadn’t put out the mussels! Luckily enough time to correct

1985 Huet Le Mont Vouvray Demi-Sec
Lovely, just a touch of sugar, grapefruit and lemon zeat, quince paste, waxy lemony finish. A-

1985 Foreau Vouvray Demi-Sec
Mature, honied, quiet, this got lapped by the Huet but it might have been the cork, which seemed not in great shape B-/B

2005 Cazin (Le Petit Chambord) Cour-Cheverny Cuvée Renaissance
Orange marmalade! Moderate sweetness, crisp acids, honeycomb, greengage plum and orange rind. Holding up well. B+/B

1996 Soucherie Coteaux du Layon VV
Sweet, electric, apricot, long. B+

Time for a Champagne break while I got main course ready.
NV Grognet Carpe Diem.
Unusual Champagne - aged under cork rather than cap, and cork is secured with twine instead of a cage. Fun to taste, and some other very experienced Champagne lovers really liked it, but I found the oxidative and heavy (to me) style not my thing. B-/C+

With 97 degree day (heat index 107), I made my lamb stew in slow cooker on patio to avoid kitchen heat. Flavors were good, but I left too long, wasn’t happy with texture (but most had seconds). On to reds

2014 Olga Raffault Picasses Chinon
Young but lovely. Red cherry, smoke, tobacco, fine tannins. B+

2014 Joguet Clos du Chêne Vert Chinon
Warm dark fruit, more wood than I expected,not really loving this now but maybe with time. For now B-

2012 Marc Plouzeau “les Cornuelles” Chinon
New producer to me, some confusion whether Cornuelles is a lieu-dit or not. Really bright and lovely- berry fruit, cigarbox, ripe tannins- needs some time bu quite nice. There’s an herbal/spicy note - someone says juniper berries- I quite enjoy. B+/A-

2011 Baudry Grézeaux Chinon
Black cherry and cassis, coffee, green olives. Complex long and delightful, quite young but no harm drinking now. A-/B+

1995 Druet Grand Mont Bourgueil
We had an off bottle a couple years ago, nothing off about this one. Black fruit and chipotle pepper, fully ready, a pointe. A-

1989 Breton “Les Perrières” Bourgueil
Stolid dark fruits, some ashtray, maybe not perfect bottle, pretty tired. B-

And then the sweet wines
2009 Huet Le Mont Vouvray Moelleux 1er Trie
Crisp, rich fruit, citrus and ripe plum, lots of beeswax. B+/A-

2002 Huet “Clos du Bourg” Vouvray Moelleux 1er Trie
Moderate sweetness, cidery apples and beeswax, I wouldn’t call this oxidized but it’s not as young as it should be. B

1996 Pinon Cuvee Botrytis (500 ml)
Honey, beeswax, peach and orange peel. Complex and long, still young. A-

1995 Huet Cuvee Constance (500 ml)
Absolutely gorgeous, with apples, sweet peach, and apricot, lanolin, and honeycomb. Zesty acids underlie the complete and complex fruit base, long minerally/chalky finish A/A+
Very fun (if long) night!
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

Sounds great!

Too bad about the Breton, that was one that jumped out at me on the list. I'm sure I had that 89 Perrieres many years ago and I always loved the tone of the fruit in their wines but don't buy them anymore. Although it sounds like you more than made up for it with the Baudry and Druet.

2015 Foreau Vouvray Sec
Wow, what a lovely wine. I would not have expected this to be one of the WOTN.. Apple and orange peel, a touch of quince, a lovely wooly note and very long crisp minerally finish. A-

2010 Chidaine Clos du Breuil Montlouis
This seemed reduced and tight, not giving much at all, and I wrote down B-. However, following night leftovers showed quite well, more open in a quince-y/citrusy way

This is another interesting set. I had a bottle of the 15 Foreau Sec earlier this spring that was very impressive structurally, but I just didn't love the malic apple juice flavors dominating so much in my bottle (an ongoing issue with Foreau). Would have been nice to taste your bottle.

I was also curious about the Chidaine, as I hear mixed reports about how the wines have been aging, but curious that yours was more open and better the next day. I was considering bringing a Huet Franc de Pied Sec for this flight, but of course you had more than enough wine...

Nicely done!

I think we had a great 95 Perrieres a couple years ago, and a weird '85. I had high hopes for the '89, but just don't think this was necessarily a correct bottle.
I've had uneven experiences with Chidaine aging. I stopped buying because of that and uncertainty vintage to vintage what style/sweetness level each bottling would be (although Fri said they now have a sweetness chart of back of bottles)

...uncertainty vintage to vintage what style/sweetness level each bottling would be (although Fri said they now have a sweetness chart of back of botltes)

Yes, they now list their cuvees on the dry-sweet spectrum. But did the sweetness style really change all that much for specific cuvees across vintages? I thought it's been pretty consistent for a while now. Maybe they had some experimentation in one or two years, but Breuil and Choisilles were always the drier ones, Habert was always sweeter/sec-tendre, and Bournais always in the middle. At least in my experience.

I don't think my issue was order of bottlings as much as style changes between vintages. Pretty sure one that comes to mind was the early years of the Vouvray Clos Baudoin where there was no designation but seemed like it would be sec one year and then on sweeter side of demi sec another. Which would be ok if it was on label! Luckily now there's enough of a CT database that I can usually know what to expect when I open a bottle from the aughts (as far as sweetness, not oxidation)

Very interesting lineup of wines, Dale. I'm interested in the placement of the Cuvée Renaissance and the CdL before the reds. Did you consider them also demi-sec in terms of sweetness? I'd have thought both to be significantly sweeter than that. I don't have a lot of experience with Foreau, but have been very impressed with his wines whenever I've had one. I'm another that doesn't buy Chidaine any more due to some disappointing experiences with oxidation of some of the drier wines.

The Cazin was in the demi-sec range, the person who offered the CdL thought it would match well, though in actuality it presented more like a dessert wine. You never know till you try..... there was a Champagne break so it didn't really screw with palates before the reds though.