Week 3 Virtual Tasting for Charity - Wines of the Loire for Semper Fi Fund - DEC11 - DEC18

I’ll be your donating host for this week’s WB virtual tasting for charity.
The week runs Dec 11-18.
The theme is Wines of the Loire.
The charity will be the Semper Fi Fund.

The Loire has a wide choice of wines. Sancerre, Muscadet, and various expressions of Chenin Blanc are my favorites. Chinon, Bourgueil and Saumur should work for Cab Franc lovers. Many more choices.
What will yours be?

The Semper Fi Fund does good work helping our physically and psychologically wounded post 9/11 veterans and their families. It has also been very highly rated by Charity Navigator for many years for operating efficiency and transparency.
Learn more at semperfifund.org.

Details:
I will donate $10 to the Semper Fi Fund if you post a tasting note on a Loire wine that you open this week. TN posts from everyone, including the camera-shy, the pet-less, and the technically challenged, earn this $10 donation with no photo required. That said, photos are very welcome from everyone. And please don’t just tell us what wine you opened; give us some words about how it tastes. The tasting note can be short or long, focused or rambling, literal or figurative, . . . just about anything goes here, so go for it.

Enjoy your Loire wines this week and thanks for participating.
-Jim

P.S. Some bonus donation opportunities will be announced later, so stay tuned. Also, TN awards might be made at the end of the week, if you get my drift. . . .
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I was planning to feed these “bonus donation opportunities” one at a time throughout the week. But on second thought, to give you max planning time and avoid confusion to everyone, including myself, here they all are at once.

BONUS DONATION OPPORTUNITIES

The “First-timer”
If you open your first ever Loire wine this week, let us know and post a tasting note here that includes a photo of yourself with the wine. I will donate $20 instead of $10 to the Semper Fi Fund.

The “Homie”
For New England based WBs. If you open any Loire wine this week and post a tasting note here that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, I will donate $20 instead of $10 to the Semper Fi Fund.

The “Winter Homie”
For FL based WBs. If you open any Loire wine this week and post a tasting note here that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, I will donate $20 instead of $10 to the Semper Fi Fund.

The “C’mon man”
Jay Hack, if you open a Loire Cabernet Franc red still wine this week, and post a tasting note here that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, I will donate $20 instead of $10 to the Semper Fi Fund.
Michae1 P0wers, if you open a 2018 Pepiere Muscadet “La Pepie” this week, and post a tasting note here that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, I will donate $20 instead of $10 to the Semper Fi Fund.

The “Dealer’s choice”
A post here for a Coteaux du Layon, Quarts de Chaume, or Bonnezeaux opened this week, that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, will earn $20 instead of $10 for the Semper Fi Fund.

The “Pepiere complements”
A post here for a non-Pepiere Muscadet opened this week, that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, will earn $20 instead of $10 for the Semper Fi Fund.
A post here for a non-Muscadet Pepiere opened this week, that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, will earn $20 instead of $10 for the Semper Fi Fund.

The “Gordian Knot”
If a single post qualifies for more than one of the offered bonus donation opportunities, my donation for that post will be $25 instead of $20 to the Semper Fi Fund.


Added 12/12/19:

The “What’s that?”
A post here for a Menetou-Salon opened this week, that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, will earn $20 instead of $10 for the Semper Fi Fund.

The “Neglected brother”
A post here for a Sancerre Rouge opened this week, that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, will earn $20 instead of $10 for the Semper Fi Fund.

Added 12/17/19:

The “Hail Mary”
For FRANCE based WBs. A post here for any Loire wine opened this week, that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, will earn $20 instead of $10 for the Semper Fi Fund.

The “Go Deep, Monk”
For Neal Mollen. A post here for any Loire WHITE wine opened this week, that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, will earn $20 instead of $10 for the Semper Fi Fund.

Oh, cool. I’ll pop a Loire tomorrow. Have a 1995 Joguet Chene Vert on deck.

What’s the plan with this?

Patience please. I just got the word that this was out here. Give me an hour to edit. BTW it’s gonna be a good plan -Jim

Really great effort here!

For those Cellartracker fanboys, here’s a link to the Loire Valley wines in your cellar

Did you lose your dog?

Oh, that’s good. I will donate $50 to see Jay finally open a Loire Cab Franc.

Ha! Done and done (the walk and the “talk”). Ready to go. . .

Get at them Loires this week!

Jay doesn’t like Cab Franc? Really? OK, I will match Alf’s $50 challenge to Jay, too.

I own some Loire so we’ll get some open to help you, Jim.

While a bit involved, I love the bonus qualifiers here. I’ll play and it will be out of my normal rotation.

Semper Fi,
fred

I have one more bonus donation opportunity. We have been spending Dec-Apr in Ft Myers FL for the past several years, so it seems even-handed to offer this one.

The "Winter Homie"
For FL based WBs. If you open any Loire wine this week and post a tasting note here that includes a photo of yourself with the wine, I will donate $20 instead of $10 to the Semper Fi Fund.


I’ll add it to the first post.

Without a doubt, but hey that’s me ! Glad to hear you plan to join in, Fred!

Hey, Brig, I know you have powerful friends - any chance we could get the current thread stickied to the top of the page so we don’t have to search for it?

These threads deserve to be seen prominently while they are active, and I seem to recall that is the way it worked in prior years.

1995 Charles Joguet Chinon Clos du Chêne Vert

Archetype nose of mature, classic Loire Cab Franc, big wafts of sous bois, wet earth, wild red fruits, some ashiness, and an old barn with cobwebs. Palate is light, airy, fresh, tart red fruits, cranberries, red raspberries and earth tones. Really great acid with sweet red fruit notes. This wine is totally at apogee and I do not see it getting better. A 94-point nose with a 90-point palate. One is far more complex than the other.

Tasted like Pepiere.

Dog plus wine pics are $$$$

As I’m not from the NE or Florida, and my only Pepiere was a Muscadet, a retriever was the most valuable thing I could add to this thread.

“An old barn with cobwebs” is my favorite tasting note in a long time, and also one that I totally get. I wish we saw more of that in the “Critic Bingo” and less of “linear Black Moldovan cherries”…

Huh?

OK, I guess I did say “anything goes”

That was meant to be a placeholder; here’s something slightly better:

“Pepiere Muscadet is one of the most consistent wines I’ve ever had. You can always count on adequate acidity to go along with oyster shell and white fruits on the palate. The aftertaste always reminds me of this chalky pink candy that my grandmother gave me that tasted similar to Pepto Bismol. I wonder if one was named after the other”

2014 Saget Père & Fils Vouvray
Light gold, medium legs. Aromas of lime, lemon, faint peach,subtle peach blossom & honey. Light/medium body, bright texture. Medium finish and medium-plus acidity. A hint of sweetness that seems more fruit-driven than residual sugar impact. Overall impression: varietally correct, very approachable. Nice introduction to Vouvray. Drink now.

Glad to participate, Jim.
Cheers!