Wine Focus March 2010: The Loire

That's the book I found. It's very helpful, although I like but don't love it. Plus it's a bit dated now.

Jim Budd is right up there....>

http://jimsloire.blogspot.com/

2006 Joel Taluau Vielles Vignes St. Nicolas de Bourgueil

Very nice and juicy Loire Cab Franc. D efinitely the green herbal Cab Franc/Loire character, but there is some nice berry fruit over that. Very nice mouth feel...quite smooth and elegant despite the youth of the wine. The mouth feel almost makes me think that carbonic maceration was used????? Nice!

Domaine Robert Sérol 2008 Côte Roannaise Les Vieilles Vignes, $12
What a delight. There are strawberry, flowers, perfume, herbs and minerals on the nose, followed by more strawberry, herbs, minerals and dusty earth on the palate. This is somehow crunchy and crisp at the same time, with lots of refreshing acidity. Great take on gamay. Excellent match with flatbread pizza topped with pesto, eggplant, peppers and cheese.

Catherine & Pierre Breton 2002 Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal $21
I brought this to a party to share with some Loire-loving friends and didn’t take detailed notes, but it was really nice, with light, bright cherry fruit accented by lots of herbs and minerals. Subtle, smooth and interesting, very well-balanced, herbaceous but in a way that hits all the right buttons for me. Went great with a variety of appetizers.

Two Bourgueil notes in a day, great!

Catherine & Pierre Breton 2002 Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal $21
I brought this to a party to share with some Loire-loving friends and didn’t take detailed notes, but it was really nice, with light, bright cherry fruit accented by lots of herbs and minerals. Subtle, smooth and interesting, very well-balanced, herbaceous but in a way that hits all the right buttons for me. Went great with a variety of appetizers.

Glad to hear this. I remember a few years ago there were some bottles showing too much brett, but without that it can be a very nice wine. Haven't had one in years though.

I wasn't tasting under ideal circumstances, but I'm quite sure I would have picked up brett had there been any. This was pure and vibrant.

I had been planning on aging this longer, but read some notes suggesting it was drinking beautifully now. I certainly wouldn't contradict that.

This was pure and vibrant..

The best kind!

Lucky you..

[David M. Bueker]

I've heard tales of Huet that ages for 50+ years, but this is really good right now. It's all Chenin typicity, solid acidity & a rush of fruit and non-fruit flavors that defy classification. One of the best wines I have had all year.

1997 Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Le L D'Or (France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine)

Soft, full and mature. Expansive fruit with lots of flowery perfume, some nuttiness and some lemony acid to balance. A very pretty wine with a long bright finish. Mineral with a touch of steel and a hint of spritz. Very nice. Drinking very well with no signs of tiring. My favorite Muscadet to date.
B

I've heard tales of Huet that ages for 50+ years

Yup. A couple of older notes (and pics) from a dinner last year and two amazing wines:

57huet.JPG

1957 Huët Vouvray Demi-Sec Clos du Bourg
Light gold in colour showing no sign of its 52 years of age. Very complex with flavours of honey, wool, youthful quince and melon fruit, herbal elements and softer savoury mushroom-like notes, but what's really amazing is how everything here seamlessly merges into a polished, glossy whole that almost seems to float in the mouth with an elegance and gentleness that's hard to describe. Incredible wine!

64huet.JPG

1964 Huët Vouvray Moelleux Le Mont
Bright gold colour - deeper than the 57 - with a slight old-wool mustiness on the nose amidst aromas of honey, apricot, marzipan, baked apple and some spice. Rich, intense and still very youthful in the mouth (not showing any of the mustiness apparent on the nose) with bright pear, apple and apricot fruit flavours mingled with honey, herbs and a slight waxiness to both the flavours and texture.

I think it might be worthwhile bookmarking Jim Budds thoughts on the various recent Loire vintages....>

http://jimsloire.blogspot.com/p/work-in ... blanc.html

Chinon Franc de Pied 2002 - Bernard Baudry - Alc. 12.5% - was no more than light/medium in body but was delicious with pure aromas of fresh red fruit, pencil shavings and minerals and lively acidity on a harmoniously linear palate with good length and elegance. No signs of age in its 8th year; 16/20.

[David M. Bueker]

Franc de Pied=catnip for Salil.

2003 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume (France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Quarts de Chaume)

Thick and smooth. Sweet honey with a bit of acid, citrus (tangerine?), tropical fruit, a touch of tea and a hint of caramel. This is a delicious but young wine. I can only imagine how long it will last (a long time!) and what nuances it will develop. Very complex, strong, with an endless finish...by the time it finishes I've already had another delicious sip!
B+/A-

Sorry, I wish I could have chipped in with something earlier, I just haven't had the time recently. Run off my feet with various things, not least wringing my hands over the British Airways strike action here in the UK and whether or not my flights to Bordeaux for the primeurs next week would be cancelled. They're OK, as it turns out.

Anyway, here are notes on another two wines tasted at the Brasserie du Theatre in central Angers in February:

Domaine du Roncée Chinon Clos des Maronniers 2007: Warm and open fruit style on the nose. Quite a fresh character though, no greenness either which is good. Rather lean on the palate though, a fresh and middleweight style, with nice if rather chalky fruit. Somewhat bare and bold in terms of structure. A decent effort I suppose, which reflects the difficulties of the vintage rather plainly. Tasted at the Brasserie du Théâtre in Angers. 14/20

Domaine des Rochelles Anjou-Villages Brissac La Croix de Mission 2007: Rather a hot style of fruit on the nose, not fresh, with elements of raspberry swirled with toffee. Softly textured on the palate, floral, with a gentle structure which builds to a greater prominence through the middle. Gritty tannins, rather brutal towards the end, with only some stony fruit to provide any cushion. Nevertheless, a decent effort in a difficult vintage. Tasted at the Brasserie du Théâtre in Angers. 15+/20

Chris, your note on the Rochelles reminds me of the Chateau Prince Brissac which I tasted earlier this month. It was the `05 and I thought needed some time? Who owns Dom. du Roncée?
Have a great time tasting all the new clarets!

Domaine des Rochelles Anjou-Villages Brissac La Croix de Mission 2007: Rather a hot style of fruit on the nose, not fresh, with elements of raspberry swirled with toffee. Softly textured on the palate, floral, with a gentle structure which builds to a greater prominence through the middle. Gritty tannins, rather brutal towards the end, with only some stony fruit to provide any cushion. Nevertheless, a decent effort in a difficult vintage. Tasted at the Brasserie du Théâtre in Angers. 15+/20

Chris, isn't this wine Cabernet-Sauvignon dominated which may account for gritty tannins in difficult 2007? I had some bottles of 1996 which were very nice.

Found this Tim. CF if this is the correct website?

http://www.domainedesrochelles.eu/catal ... 49210e8eca

This is the one, Bob, http://www.domainedesrochelles.eu/catal ... 49210e8eca .

Here is my September 2008 note on my last bottle of 1996 -

Anjou-Villages Brissac Croix de la Mission 1996 – Domaine de Rochelles( J-Y Lebreton) sees no wood and is unusual for the area in that it is Cabernet-Sauvignon dominated; this wine was harmonious with good depth and length but maybe a little one dimensional; 15.5/20+.

If my memory is right, I enjoyed earlier bottles rather more.

Clos Roche Blanche 2007 Touraine Cuvée Gamay, $17
Wow is this good. Aromas burst from the glass with cherries, flowers, herbs, minerals and something unusual and distinctive. I have a hard time placing it until I remember Dale’s observation that Touraine Gamays remind him of potting soil and geraniums. Somehow, that seems right on the money — the first time I’ve really gotten that. But somehow, I like it anyway (no accounting for taste -- or smell). On the palate, there is vibrant cherry fruit with minerals, lots of earth and some herbs. It’s crisp and refreshing, a little bigger-bodied and richer than the Cote Roannaise I had recently, and it just sings. Excellent match with marinated grilled chicken.

Two leading Touraine growers were presenting their wines at TGVins’ Sunday tasting. 2007 seems to be confirmed as an exciting white wine vintage here and in the Mâconnais and the one 2008 was also excellent. Alliet is pleased with his red 2008s and the one he showed was certainly promising; I look forward to tasting more.

Domaine de Bellivière, Éric Nicolas
These Chenin blanc wines followed the Mâcon and Jura Chardonnays of Rijckaert and surprised me by showing greater fullness and flesh from their northerly sites whilst yielding nothing in focus and minerality. A lovely range.
Jasnières Prémices 2008 (€13) showed roundness, hints of sweetness (some RS), brisk acidity, quince notes and stony minerals; 15.5/20.
Jasnières Les Rosiers 2007 (€17) was dry analytically with crisp acidity but was at least as rich seeming as the previous with greater fleshiness in both texture and flavour, white fruit and minerals and good length; 16/20++.
Coteaux du Loir Vieilles Vignes Éparses 2007 (€21), also bone dry with crisp acidity, was denser and more mouth-filling but also aromatically more closed; needs time with 16/20+++ potential. I complained to Nicolas that the cigar ash aromas on the 2004 did not seem to be integrating; “give more time” he said.
Jasnières Caligramme 2007 (€29) seemed fully dry with 4g of RS only showing as an element of burnish on the aromas. Lively acidity, attractive minerals and riper, richer and even longer than any of the previous; 17/20+.
Coteaux du Loir L’Effraie 2007 (€15) with its 15g of RS seemed noticeably sweeter than the previous but it was finely focussed and well balanced by lively acidity, stony and flinty minerals with burnished white fruit and flesh aromas; 16/20+.

Domaine Philippe Alliet
He is one of the top three at Chinon IMO alongside Bernard Baudry and Charles Joguet. He practices low yields and his wines tend to be more robust, even from gravel sites, and somewhat more “modern” than theirs. The 2007s here showed more body than most I have tasted.
Chinon Tradition 2008 (€12), from gravel, showed nice aromas of red fruit, pencil shavings and wet leather with full round substance and tangy fruit; 15.5/20++.
Chinon Huisserie 2007 (€20), from clay and silex , was surprisingly slightly lighter than the previous certainly due to the difficult vintage, but nevertheless showed attractive fruit and sufficient roundness with perhaps just a suspicion of hollowness in mid-palate; 15/20.
Chinon Vieilles Vignes 2007 (€16), from gravel, showed aromas of tangy plum and wet leather on robust body with good mouth-fill. Alliet attributes the wet leather on this and the Tradition to the gravel terroir but I would not recommend them to the brett-phobic; 16/20+.
Chinon Coteau de Noiré 2007 (€24), from calcareous clay and matured in 50% new wood, was noticeably more refined but not IMO better than the previous with aromas veering to cherry with liqueur touches. The new wood was not obtrusive as sometimes with young Noiré; 16/20+.

I complained to Nicolas that the cigar ash aromas on the 2004 did not seem to be integrating; “give more time” he said

Nice that he is optimistic!

Nice set of notes there Tim. Here is my latest buy, Baudry it ain`t!

WTN: `06 Chateau Prince Anjou Cab Franc.

I posted last week on the `05 Brissac from this domaine. This `06 is the entry-level red from them.

$18 Cdn, 13.5% alc, 100% CF. Good cork, not decanted, some sediment noted.

The color is a very light garnet, watery rim and not a lot of depth at all. Usual black fruit on nose, green peppers, no soot. Nothing jumps out and says hi notice me!!
Quite youthful still, soft tannins, good grip, dry but needs food. Pepper for sure, blackberry, cherry, tad bitter on finish. Overall nothing to get excited about!


***** Just found this great piece on the `net. Tim might know..Les Griottes....>

http://www.wineterroirs.com/