I’ve really gotten into Loire wines over the past year or so, and many thanks to this board and Rajat Parr’s book for great recommendations. I’ve generally appreciated the variety and great QPR of the region.
So, some background on the notes below, we recently had our 2nd child, so while my wife was happy to be drinking wine again, we seldom wanted more than 1 glass a night. Fortunately we were able to find a few 375s to drink, and once the baby was over a month old we started drinking 750s over 2-3 nights. Apologies in a few spots where the tasting notes are abrupt - I was often interrupted by a screaming baby 
. My estimated drinking windows are educated guesses, I’m a newbie to region so please go easy on me!
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2019 François Chidaine Sauvignon Touraine - France, Loire Valley, Touraine (2/17/2021)
Very light straw with a green tinge in terms of color. On the nose, this is definitely an AFWE style SB - it’s not overly fruity and grassy the way some new world SBs taste, rather it’s almost like a still champagne - very minerally, dry, flinty, and having notes of green apple, biscuit, white peach, flint, and chalk. Striking acidity on the palate and super dry.
Really liked this wine and at $15, it’s hard to beat for a daily drinker. Great with food, particularly sushi. Will certainly buy again. (90 pts.)
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2018 La Grange Tiphaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clef de Sol - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (2/11/2021)
Really nice chenin blanc. Light carbonation and very typical chenin color. On the nose is lanolin, green apples, pear, and a bit of limestone / chalk Palate has a similarly lanolin/ waxiness, but leans more towards stone fruit vs apple and has a note of black tea and chaik. The carbonation is barely noticeable, just enough to give this a nice effervescence. Doesn’t strike me as off dry either, I didn’t notice any real sweetness here. Has plenty of acidity that made this a real pleasure to eat with fondue and gave the wine a nice tension. Very pleasant and excellent QPR at $27. (91 pts.) -
2018 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Domaine - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (2/3/2021)
Decent, but a little bit more fruit intensity and less acid intensity than I would prefer or is typical of Baudry. Was red fruit heavy, but a bit cloying and just seemed slightly off balance. Perhaps a product of the warm vintage. (88 pts.) -
2008 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (1/19/2021)
From a 375.
Strong nose of lanolin, honey, candied pineapple, old antique store, and a touch of black tea. The palate is intense, with a distinct salinity, and notes of key lime, candied pineapple, nectarine, rust, and black tea. High acidity drives the tension of the wine and is pleasantly noticeable on the finish. Compared to the 2010 Le Mont, which I had a couple of days ago, this definitely feels like a much older wine and has much more bracing acidity. That said, this should still be tasty for a few more years, wouldn’t be in any rush to drink, especially a 750. (93 pts.)
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2010 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (1/10/2021)
From a 375.
Cork intact, wine in good shape, a pale straw color. On the nose, candied pineapple, beeswax, minerality, and Meyer lemon. On the palate the wine came across with similar flavors to the nose, but a strong concentration of flavor which was quite nice. Wine was medium bodied with medium acidity and a slightly minerally mouthfeel. Would have expected more acidity to be honest. Overall, very nicely balanced wine, though a couple more years of cellar time might help the wine open up even more. (92 pts.)
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2004 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (1/9/2021)
From a 375.
Cork a bit degraded but came out with ah-so. Color was still fairly garnet with only a tiny bit of browning around the edges.
Wine was pretty dusty, damp leaves/ forest floor, and green tobacco on the nose. Much fruitier on the palate than the nose would suggest with lots of red cherry, bell pepper, and raspberry. Medium acidity, tannins becoming integrated but still very much present (definitely lip smacking). After an hour in the glass (no decanting due to size), acid was a bit more prevalent and some herbs de Provence notes came into play to complement the fruit.
Between the tannins and primary fruit think this still has plenty of time left, even as 375 and probably even more time with a 750 or 1.5L. The 375 could probably go another 10+ years easy.
Overall nothing super complicated, but a very nice wine, especially for the price ($15 for 375, bought Dec 2020). (91 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
