Thanks, Julian! Perhaps I’m wrong about this, but I don’t feel like I’ve explored across enough producers in these appellations to be able to do what you just did; although I drink a fair amount of C.F., that’s really mostly because I have a few pet favorites that I return to time and time again.
Cheers Brian - well, I do drink…er…rather a lot of the stuff! Doesn’t mean I’m right though.
A couple of 2009s and a 2005:
** Domaine des Roches Neuves - La Marginale - Saumur-Champigny - 2009**
Dark raspberry, mixed with wild strawberry and redcurrants on the nose, then a bright attack of all three, still crunchy, but much less so than in its youth, before a gently rising middle section of red cherries and cranberries, very silky and elegant, and a dusty, almost Margalais finish. As they age, RN reds become a lot more classical in profile and this is no exception. For me this is a good example of the silkier type of Saumur-Champigny, very subtle but with real persistence. Proof once again that these wines do age well. 92 pts
Château du Hureau - Les Fevettes - Saumur Champigny 2009
Quite a brooding nose still, full of brambly and forest fruits, but with crisper notes of black cherry too, then a full-bodied attack of the same, before the blackcurrant kicks in midpalate, re-joined by the brambly fruits for a powerful but crisp finish. Great structure and breadth, but in a velvet glove. Very impressive, another winner from an underestimated producer. Better than the last bottle I tried of their top wine, Lisagathe, in 2009, though that may have been a bad bottle. 93 pts
It was fascinating to compare the two - La Marginale had brighter fruit and more silky elegance, Les Fevettes had more oomph and depth to it. I just preferred the latter. Interestingly, neither wine showed the syrupy notes that some 09s suffer from - they were ripe, but very classically so.
Domaine de Chevalerie - Vin de Garde - Bourgueil 2005
A wine that certainly lives up to its name - a true Vin de Garde. Very deep notes of forest fruits and earth on the nose, along with hay and leather, plus some really mouth-watering blueberry aromas, then quite a dense mouthful of blackberry, spicy blackcurrant and sweet cranberry, the blueberry coming in a rising middle section, before the crescendo finish which launches towards the top of the palate before lingering on its way down. Yummy stuff. Certainly one of the biggest Bourgueils I’ve tasted, its intensity would have rivalled that of a top Madiran. My only criticism would be that there’s a slight rusticity to the aftertaste, otherwise excellent, but it costs it a couple of points. Still worth 93 pts
I’m a great fan of Chevalerie but I’d never tried this cuvée before - definitely one to look out for but I still prefer the Grand Mont.
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Your Chevalerie note got my attention! I’ve had terribly mixed results over the three bottles I’ve tried from them …
2014 Diptyque, tasted in 2017, was 87-88 pts for me.
2001 Chevalier, tasted in 2012, 78 pts
1996 Galichets, tasted in 2009, 91 pts.
Maybe I’ve just had an oddball lineup of theirs, I dunno … ?
La Chevalerie have the advantage or disadvantage of producing a large number of different wines. I’ve lost count how many and I have never tried most of them!
The best ones are Bretêche, Busardières, Chevalerie and Grand Mont. I think Vin de Garde was only produced once in 2005.
Grand Mont is hard to find, but the others are quite easy to get over here. I’m definitely a fan - one of my favourite Bourgueils in fact. I love the combination of silky finesse and juicy red fruit, with sometimes an almost Chinon-like chalkiness.
You should try another one!
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I repped Chevalerie a long time ago. They had some nice library stash going back ~20 years into the 80s. My experience was similar to yours. Some highs, and lots of variation on down to some fairly mid range lows.
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Sylvain Boton Bourgueil Enracines 2023
Correct CF profile. Good fruit, adequate acidity/tannins interplay, polished. Good, yet it comes across as somewhat generic and lacking personality.
That’s an interesting comment, Brian, and I have to admit that I was really impressed with Julian’s write-up and was trying to extrapolate that information with my own sense of these little regions. I drink a lot of Loire CF but don’t think I could categorize them in such a neat format. I think I just look to specific producers. And like you, I tend to have my pet favorites that I keep hitting.
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2023 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Grézeaux - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (12/11/2025)
Fairly dark garnet, clean nose, just some hints of green-ish cab franc lurking down there somewhere, palate is... a little peculiar at first. Some OK fruit, on the brighter side, good acidity, maybe a bit of citric or acetic that comes to the fore, though I don't get any hints on the nose. tannins are very fine, lightly present. There's somehow a sense of ripeness wanting to come out, but never really does. This is a lighter style than I'm accustomed to, elegant in a way, air time brings out a bit more interest and complexity. Don't have a good sense of how it will age, but doesn't seem to have the depth or stuffing to go a long distance. Give it some air, the coolish presence needs a little warmth in the glass. Growing on me, but not sure I’ll be putting bottles away.
Night 2: Inching toward more classic Loire Cab Franc, has put on just a bit of weight, not quite so elegant and high toned. Tannic structure is light but present, there is a bit more pyrazine presence in the background. Still wondering if I should cellar any of these, but it’s rather enjoyable now. (88 points)
And a new label:
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Recently bought a mag of 1986 Couly-Dutheil Chinon Clos de l’Echo, anyone have any experience with this wine/vintage/expectations?
I have never had an 86, but I believe that it was a good year in the Loire. Judging by how well both Clos de L’Echo and Clos de L’Olive 1989s aged (my last Echo was on fine form last year), I would be cautiously optimistic bearing in mind that it’s a magnum.
Fantastic. I know it has been stored well (it was from a library release and subsequently stored in a private cellar). Do you think based on your previous experience that this will need a decant or PNP?
Thanks for the note, Alan.
And – I have to say – I like the new label — how often does that happen??? That said, I didn’t have a problem with the prior labels, and now there are two designs we’ll be searching for when digging in the cellar … ahhhhh, the price of beauty.
One thing I’m seeing that I consider inferior with this new label: the vintage is nowhere to be found near the wine’s name (or anywhere on the main front label, it would appear) — that’s a pain for cellar spelunking.
I’m always wary of decanting older wines and the the 89s certainly didn’t need it - but you’ll know from the first sip on opening! I look forward to hearing what it’s like!
Even to get the wine off sediment? I assume “No.”, but I hate assumptions …
I think it would be a huge waste to not decant for sediment. It shouldn’t need much/any air.
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I prefer a little sediment to a weakened wine, because of previous experiences, but each to their own and I can quite understand doing a quick decant, especially since it’s a magnum!
Fair point!
Three goodies in the run-up to Christmas:
2017 Domaine Grosbois - Clos du Noyer - Chinon
A very winsome nose of Christmas cake (appropriately!), especially black cherry and spicy blackberry, with savoury notes of nutmeg and chestnuts. The attack is very pure and fresh, rising to the top of the palate, but followed immediately by a deeper, darker wave of blackcurrant and herbs, and a crescendo finale which closes with an unmistakeably Chinon chalkiness. Lovely stuff, confirming the good impression two years ago.
A slightly underrated producer - and well worth seeking out. 92 pts
2018 Yannick Amirault - Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil - Les Malgagnes Amphore
Starting to loosen up but still very young. Intense aromas of ripe strawberry and dark cherry, quite a thick attack, but with a cooler, fresher wave of blackcurrants midpalate and a very long, smooth finale of redcurrants. Far better than the classic Malgagnes cuvée in 2018. Excellent value for what I think will be a classic Amirault in another five to ten years. No sign of anything excessive or syrupy. 93 pts
2018 Domaine des Roches Neuves - Saumur-Champigny - Les Mémoires
Still very young, but very impressive already. Aromas of redcurrants, cranberries, intense red cherry and biscuits, then the usual crunchy attack, but more intense than any other Mémoires tasted so far. For now, fairly one-dimensional, but with very finely woven strands of redcurrants, cherries and cranberries, powerful but very elegant. Clearly an outstanding wine in the making, but it needs another decade. 94 pts
There are some gloopy 2018s, but the good wines are truly excellent.
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2017 Roches Neuves Marginale
https://go.cellartracker.com/note/12261904
More detailed notes in CT but suffice it to say 90 minutes of decanting didn’t do this justice. It was acidic and linear and not crunchy but not ripe. None of this to say unenjoyable just not special.
Day two was revelatory. What a beautiful wine. Amazing how similar this was to Oregon pinot noir or mountain nebbiolo. Not the most typical but just beautiful.
BTW Had 2017 Clos de L’Echelier last month over two days. Definitely did not have the same magic as this.
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- 1989 Domaine Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny Lena Filliatreau - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny (12/21/2025)
An absolute barnburner of a wine. Incredibly expressive nose of cured tobacco leaf, subtle hints of pyrazine, and violet florals. The palate is silky, light-footed, and elegant, with the tannins resolved and the acidity integrated and singing, providing a taut tension that makes the wine so pleasurable to drink. Really pretty dark red fruit and smoky, graphite-inflected minerality with the green notes providing a nice accent to the palate. Drinkably glou-glou, but also a cerebral, serious wine to contemplate over. 1989 really is a great Loire Cab Franc vintage.
Posted from CellarTracker
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Thanks Andrew, that sounds marvellous - I haven’t tried mine yet so I’ll be sure to give it a long decant. I think that La Marginale is the most underrated of the Roches Neuves stable - it’s a much better wine than many suppose.
Great notes Yule, and actually even more impressive knowing that this isn’t their top wine, so to read that it is still showing well 35 years or so after bottling is incredible.
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