It’s the 4th anniversary of the blog, so I decided to host a very geeky Loire Valley wine tasting.
Although I wouldn’t say the Loire Valley is the geekiest region of France since regions like the Jura or Southwest France are harder to find and less well-known, you can still only find a tiny fraction of Loire Valley wines outside of France compared to Bordeaux or Burgundy. Yes. Sancerre has become quite popular. Maybe it’s because people have learned it’s made from Sauvignon Blanc, one of today’s most popular wine categories. However, there’s a lot more to the Loire Valley than Sancerre.
Loire Valley in a Nutshell
Since my in-laws are from Brittany, which is better known for producing cider and beer than wine, the Loire Valley is sort of like Brittany’s adopted wine region, and parts of the Loire used to be part of Brittany. Therefore, I’ve had the opportunity to pass through and stay in the Loire more than other wine regions in France. Most people go to visit all the extravagant royal castles there, but the wines deserve tasting too along with all their types of goat cheese.
What’s great about the Loire is the diversity. Since the Loire is the longest river in France, the region stretches from just south of Paris all the way to Nantes. Besides different soils, the closer to Nantes, the more influence you get from the Atlantic. I’ve already talked about a recent visit to Nantes, which is Muscadet country; Muscadet, made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, is a perfect raw seafood white wine at a bargain price because of its sea salt minerality and citrus flavors. It surprisingly ages well too.
Further in, you have places more well-known for Cabernet Franc, which a couple decades ago were often quite vegetal but are riper nowadays with Global Warming. Anjou, Chinon, Saumur, Saumur-Champigny and Bourgueil are some of the appellations where you can find Cabernet Franc. In addition, you can find varietal Cabernet Sauvignon, Gamay, Pinot Noir, Côt (Malbec) and some lesser known local red grapes. I’ve included a couple of these less common varieties in this tasting. The most famous and expensive reds from the Loire are from Clos Rougeard although Romain Guiberteau and Thierry Germaine’s Domaine de Roches Neuves are rising to fame as well.
However, the Loire is a region where the whites often cost more or the same as the reds on average, if you exclude Muscadet. Certainly the quality of the whites have gotten more attention. Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé are the top Loire Sauvignon Blanc appellations while appellations like Vouvray and Savennières are well-known for Chenin Blanc. Some of the red appellations mentioned above also make Chenin Blanc to a lesser extent, and vice versa, white appellations like Sancerre produce some reds too. In addition, Chenin Blanc can also be made into sweet wines and sparklings, some of which are labeled Cremant de Loire. Crémant de Loire does allow other grapes, but it’s usually Chenin dominated. Although the more famous Loire white appellations can cost $30+, they’re still a lot cheaper than White Burgundy, Bordeaux and Rhone from well-known appellations.
For this tasting, I procured a bottle of two of the most famous and expensive cult Loire Valley white producers: Didier Dagueneau and Nicolas Joly. Besides making great quality wines from great terroir, they are well-known among wine geeks for being pioneers with their winemaking. Dagueneau was one of the first to experiment with single parcel wines, extremely strict yields and different shape barrels, for example, while Joly is one of the godfathers of biodynamic winemaking. Some of the other producers in this tasting are quite excellent too at lower prices, so I’ll include information about each in the tasting notes.
Overall, the Loire has diversity in terms of varieties, styles and terroir along with innovation, lots of boutique and natural wine options, and continual improvement in quality.
Tasting Notes
Everything was tasted blind initially. When we do blind international themed tastings in Chile among wine geeks, we often have wines we call “infiltrados,” which usually means it’s a Chilean wine or a wine from another region/country that might fool you into thinking it was part of the theme. Often it shows how good Chilean wines can be compared to more famous regions. The other thing you should know about Chilean culture is Chileans generally expect you to open what they bring to a party unlike in France where it’s always the host’s choice given the pairing with the dishes they made. Although we had an international group, I decided to open all the wines that were brought since some of them matched the theme or were tricky to determine “infilitrados.” Some of the wines were finished that day while others I was able to revisit 1-3 days later.
2014 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Brut Clos Naudin only produces Chenin Blanc and produces almost as much sparkling Chenin as still Chenin. They use mostly organic methods. Fermentation in stainless steel; 3 months in old large barrels, then 4-5 years aging and only 6g dosage. Fresh, mineral streaks. White fruit. Honey. Brioche. Nose is really Champagne-like with some chalky notes. The palate is different though. Already starting to lose its bubbles but there’s nice white fruit, some savory minerality notes on the background with honey. 92
2013 Domaine du Haut Bourg “Origine” Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu The domaine is located in an ideal spot in Côtes de Grandlieu with complex soils and milder climate. This particular cuvee is only made in exceptional years from the oldest original vines (78 years old) on the estate. Indigenous yeasts. 7-10 years lees aging in tank. Therefore, the wine is often released at 8-10 years old already. Salinic minerality, some oxidative notes. Expecting more acidity but it comes on the back end with salinity. More body and silkiness than most given the extra time on lees. That’s how it stands out versus your average Muscadet. If you want more tertiary notes, you could wait, but then perhaps I’d change the pairing. With young typical Muscadet, there’s more acidity to pair with raw seafood, but with so much lees time and age, I actually drank it as aperitif with chips and cheese. 89+ 3 days later, this was actually a lot better. More expressive and integrated without losing anything. Even more texturely impressive: light but velvety. Some floral notes. Deserves an extra point or two at least. Could have just got lost in the shuffle between bolder wines but this is so delicate yet unctuous.
2016 Baudry Croix Boissée Blanc Chinon I had the privilege of visiting this winery in 2019, which is located not far from the Chinon castle. I’m a big fan of their reds, but I had never tried their white, which is small production. They are organic and make terroir driven wines. Clay, limestone and sand soil. 10-20 year old vines. 100% Chenin Blanc. Fermentation in 500l barrels. Quite round at this age, minerality. Honey. Medium-low acid. More evolved and softened at the same age than the Foreau Vouvray Sec, but still no tertiary notes. 91
2016 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Sec Spontaneous ferment in old barrels, no malolactic; Floral, peachy fruit, honey with high acid and minerality/salinity on the back end. Great length. Some residual sugar. Some thought it should be demi-sec. There was 7+ g/l residual sugar, so if this were a German Riesling, it would still be “Trocken” which has to be lower than 9 g/l. The most expressive of the whites today. Big fruit with some sweetness but balanced by big acid and big saltiness. Both Naudin wines were under $35, so a great bargain. 94+
2014 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Pur Sang Clay and limestone soil with a bit of silex (which is the primary soil of Dagueaneau’s top wine called “Silex”). Biodynamic. Extremely low yields; Typically fermented and aged 1 year in oak barrels of different shapes and sizes; Gooseberry, mineral, asparagus. Good acidity. Delicate, elegant feel. Still so much acidity and salinity. Others who have tasted this before said it needs more air, even decanting. It was a bit closed but it opened up as it warmed up. Actually quite similar to the Chilean Laberinto, but just more elegance and roundness due to the age and time in barrel most likely. If you want more complexity and tertiary notes, then yes, it should develop more. 93+ About 1,000 cases made. I bought this a while back for around $70, but now new vintages are at least $100+.
2018 Nicolas Joly Les Vieux Clos Savennieres Leading figure in Biodynamic wine since the late 70’s. 100% Chenin Blanc. 20 year old vines. Schist, quartz and sand soil. Joly allows some of his grapes to grow botrytis, but it’s vinified as a dry white. I’ve seen previous vintage descriptions saying 10-15% of the grapes had botrytis but couldn’t find any numbers for this one. Spontaneous fermentation. Dark golden color, seemingly older wine. Some fizz but it eventually fades. A bit of alcohol heat on the back end explained by the listed 15% alcohol. Medium-low acid. Intense overall. Oxidative notes. Some yeasty notes. Spice. Ginger and honey (from botrytis?). What I like most about this wine is the texture, almost Sauternes like texture, but it’s still dry with enough acid but alcohol is high. Lots of stuff going on. Different. Intense, but a bit disjointed at this point. I’d prefer a little more acid too. Deserves heavier food. We had it with duck. 92+ Around 2,000 cases made. This typically costs $65+ in the US.
2022 Pascal Janvier “Cuvée du Rosier” Coteaux du Loir Rouge This producer is better known for their Chenin Blanc. Located north of Vouvray in the most northerly and coldest part of the Loire. 100% Pineau d’Aunis, an indigenous grape popular among English royalty in the 13th century but that is rare now. Most of it was wiped out due to phylloxera, and it was nearing extinction until growers decided to revive it around 20 years ago. It’s still not easy to find a varietal version. The grape is similar to Pinot or Gamay in style (I reviewed a wine that was a third Pineau d’Aunis where I talk more about it). 25 year old vines. Pretty nose. Red fruit. Touch herbal and mineral. Bright acid. Some spice on the backend. Light-bodied. Light colored. Some say this is where the word Claret comes from in England, since this wine was so popular in England and light in color. Just a light and red fruity wine. 90 Fades a lot over the 2 days, so not a wine to age necessarily.
2019 Clau De Nell Grolleau IGP Val de Loire Grolleau actually used to be one of the most planted red varieties in the Loire, but it’s been in decline. It has never gained notoriety because it has been used as more of a high-yield, low quality grape to make rosés. Primarily, it’s the main red grape in the off-dry Rosé d’Anjou appellation, which can include grapes sourced throughout the Loire, so that’s where most Grolleau goes. A bit is used in Crémant de Loire. However, red versions of Grolleau have to be labeled IGP or Vin de France. 100+ year old low-yielding vines. Biodynamic. Native yeasts. Destemmed. 14 months aging: 30% in Burgundy barrels and 70% in large barrels. Then blended 6 months in stainless steel. Unfiltered. Fresh dark red fruit with tobacco, floral notes. Medium body but light round feel. Medium-acid. A touch of heat and some chalky tannins but not noticeable with food. 90
1996 Joël Taluau St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes Unoaked. Cabernet Franc planted in 1934. Medium+ body but smooth feel at this stage. Dark berries. Very vegetal and earthy on the nose. Medium+ acid. Some tannins but they’re ripe and soft. Still fresh. Everyone thought it was a young wine. Just mild bricking so it wasn’t obvious. No tertiary notes yet. Shows traditional, pre-global warming green notes in Loire Valley, but it’s still ripe green notes that are well integrated and mostly on the nose compared to the palate. 91 On the third day, the tertiary notes come with mushroom and dried fruit.
Bonus Wines (no photo included)
2021 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Sevre et Maine A late entry into the lineup, but it was nice to compare it with the 2013 Muscadet. Some leesy notes on the nose. Good acidity and salinity but typical neutral fruit. Not much midpalate. Lighter feel than the 2013 Muscadet. But still perfect with oysters. 89
2022 Laberinto Cenizas Sauvignon Blanc Maule I added this to try to fool tasters into believing it was Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc because it’s one of the best Chilean Sauvignon Blancs. 6+ months of lees time in stainless steel. No oak or malolactic. Selected and native yeasts. Unfiltered. Minerally with baked asparagus and green chili with sharp acidity. So much intense acid and salinity. Still could improve with age. 92+ Around 2,000 cases made. I’ve given previous vintages up to 94+, and this one got lost in the mix a bit with so many white wines throughout. Also probably too cold when I first tasted it.
2021 Casa Libre De Otra Planeta Moscatel de Alejandria Itata Orange wine, with leafy, vegetal and oxidized notes. Good acidity. Cloudy orange yellow color. Spicy. Fruity almost sweet nose though. There are a lot of natural and experimental producers in the Loire who do skin contact and Pet Nat wines, but most guessed it was from Chile. With maceration it’s harder to know the variety, but it didn’t seem like any of the Loire varieties. All the experienced Chilean wine drinkers pointed to Maule and Itata. Obviously you have to like skin-contact whites, but it’s good for that genre. 91
2021 Longavi Cementerio Maule From vines planted in 1940. Chenin Blanc grafted on to old vine Pais. Longavi is a label of Chilean producer Bouchon with a South African winemaker, so it’s one of the few Chilean labels to focus on Chenin Blanc. I reviewed one of theirs that gets some skin contact. Barrel fermented and aged 12 months with old wood. Lots of acidity and salinity, with baked green pepper notes. Spicy. Most thought it was oak-aged Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire because of the acid and green notes but more body, but it was Chenin. Quite good though and still young. 92+ After a few days, more obviously not Sauvignon Blanc and more Chenin. Less acid. More body. No green notes and more fruit with spice and honey verging on tertiary notes.
2019 Varga Furmint Semi Dry Hungary Apricot, honey, semi-dry, touch of spice. Sweeter on the nose than the palate. Still not sweet enough to be a dessert wine. Very dry with dessert. I would probably pair this with spicy Asian cuisine instead like a Kabinett Riesling. 90
The Reds