Loire Valley


Vouvray

 

00 Moncontour Vouvray
Super. Delicious. Soft, round, good. I just keep buying them. I’ve had three already. $20 1/05

02 Le Mont demi-sec Vouvray
Strong flavor. Citrus, smoke. Finish is fine, medium length. This wine is not blowing me away at this stage, perhaps it will evolve nicely into something more interesting? I can’t see buying more at $40. 5/05

Coteaux Layon


95 Tijou Soucherie VV Coteaux Layon
Nose with more pineapple than a pineapple. Very sweet, fat, round. Lots of flavor, good acidity. Finish good (but a tiny bit cough syrupy) like the 94 ZH Gewurztraminer. $24

95 Tijou Soucherie VV Coteaux Layon
Nose with more pineapple than a pineapple. Very sweet, fat, round. +flavor + good acidity. Finish is good but a tiny bit cough syrupy $24 2/01

95 Baumard Coteaux Layon
Delicious, sweet. Reminds me of a baby sauternes or some kind of baby. Good. 7/01

97 Baumard Coteaux Layon

Awesome. Wow. Worth all of $23. Go baby go. I love good sweet wine, and this reminds me of just how unique and different sweet Loire is from others. 9/05

 

Savennieres

 

95 Baumard Savennieres Trie Speciale

Honey and pineapple (not necessarily in that order). Medium, light, nice. I didn't get the acidity for serious aging, but I'm told Chinon will last several more years regardless of my opinion. Delicious now thru February 17th, 2003. Great value for $22 4/99
(2) There is a lot of fruit and flavor in here, but maybe it needs a few more years to mellow and goldify until it’s actually to my taste. Seemed to get better with more days open and more air in the glass. 1/02

(3) Nice flavor. Medium body. Some fruity notes. Holding up. Drink now-2010. 3/03
(4) Has a kind of odd composition to it, as if some strange buttery snake was winding its way through the entire palate. It's not entirely unpleasant, but it is a snake, after all…Drink now because how much better can this really get? (maybe experiment by letting bottle 2 go for a long time more?) 9/05

(5) Used to be better, now it’s still okay initially, but has become a bit weird and chemical on the finish. Sigh. 1/07

 

95 Tijou Savennieres Perrieres

Horribly acidic and sour.  Is it just this bottle? Or could this wine really be this horrific?  One of the rare times I actually poured a wine out. Cost $26 (worth $7). 7/05

 

00 Tijou Savennieres Perrieres

Similar to 95, but far less revealing of its fruit (of course, being five years younger).  Also seems more sour/tart (would people just call this dry?).  Seems a touch less acidic than the 95 I had. Cost $26 (worth $18). 7/05

 

Pouilly-Fumé

 

05 S. Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Les Pentes

Plenty of acid. crisp. Hint of diesel, though, which carries through the finish, which at the moment is fine (intriguing even; perhaps this is what they mean by Pouilly-Fumé having something a little more than Sancerre), but which I fear someday, could mutate into evil. (cost $20, worth $16) 9/06

 

 

 

Sancerre

 

95 Cotat Sancerre

Very tight, acidic, no bouquet at all. Too austere for me. Day 3 saw some improvement in the nose and fruit. Perhaps this wine will be more interesting later? 4/99 $20

96 Bourgeois Sancerre

Very nice. ($17; easily worth $22) 9/06

 

97 Comte Lafonde Sancerre

Pleasant, only slightly lemony. Not too bad. Short finish but okay smooth. Worth ?$. Drink now +/- 2 to 3 years. 9/05


01 Jolibet Sancerre

Very crisp. Kind of like a Chablis that way. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I think maybe I just need softer wines. $20 1/05

 

05 Cherrier et Fils Sancerre

Seems more calm and less biting than the others, but this may be welcome in that the others may have been too much—too strong, too acidic. Finish is less concentrated (has less grip) than the others, but it’s more pleasant. $16 9/06

 

05 Reverdy Sancerre La Coute

Crisp, limestone. Plenty of acid (too much maybe). Finish tart but maintains grip throughout. What separates these from crap Sauvignon Blancs is that you can chew/swish/chew for as long as you want (which is one minute). The wine continues to release and give without becoming a pool of useless spit and juice. (cost $16, worth $20) 9/06

 

 

Loire Reds


96 Joguet VV Dioterie

Very nice, floral flavor but strong, good. This might go another five but can’t see how that would make it better. Cost $27 (worth $24). 6/05

96 Joguet Chinon Rouge Clos de la Dioterie

Exactly what I expected. 6/06

 

96 Joguet Chinon Rouge Les Varennes Du Grand Close

Pretty good. Not too sour or vegetal. Solid flavor. Typical Chinon Rouge. The inherent flavor of the grape prevents extreme exhilaration or exaltation. But Joguet really can construct a wine. Could last several more years, actually, and I suspect if you could catch this in just the right window, the tannins would be mellowed and what fruit would be there would be there. And this would be worth a few dollars more than it costs. $27 (worth $29-35) 6/06

 

96 Champault Prestige du Colombier Red Sancerre

Surprising amount of berry for Loire and not too faded at all. BUT a bit acidic and too effervescent. Finish slightly chemical as well. Cost ? Worth $13 9/06


97 Joguet Varennes

Pleasant, balanced Chinon Rouge. Nothing more. Nothing less. Worth ?  Probably past peak. Would drink now.  Chinon rouge is just not that great of a grape. 9/05

 

02 Joguet Chinon Rouge

Initially after opening, that characteristic Chinon Rouge flavor, which is somewhere between vegetal and unripe cherry, which can only do so much for me. But after breathing 30 mins, the flavor shifts more toward fruit and away from vegetal, which again, can only do so much for me. But that’s more than the previous so much. But still. Finish is short, but no negatives, unless you call the faintly sour Chinon Rouge flavor a negative. Would drink now, but may improve just slightly over next five years. Somehow I just don’t see a Loire red ever pushing beyond $30 value (and they don’t—charge more than that). But I suppose this one, from a good producer in a good vintage, is certainly worth $22. All kidding aside, it’s very elegantly structured and glides as much as any red you’ll find at this price point. Went very well with some Montgomery cheddar. 2/06

 

02 Domaine de Belliviere Le Rouge-Gorge (Coteaux du Loir)

Too vegetal. $24 (worth $17) 7/05

 

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