I recently got back from a fantastic vacation in the Loire Valley and Paris. We spent about one week in the Loire, followed by a few days in Paris. This was a vacation with my wife and so I was looking for a healthy balance between wine, food, sightseeing, and relaxing.
We did, however, use this trip as an opportunity to taste some wines that have become increasingly difficult to find here in the US (at least at “reasonable” prices) and check off some bucket list items. I decided to omit the names of most restaurants, especially the ones that do not share their wine lists online. Suffice to say that it wasn’t too much work to do some research and find places with both great food and wine lists.
Below is a short report with tasting notes from some or the highlights of the trip.
Day 1: Arrival in Angers
We landed in Paris in the morning, rented a car, and drove straight to Angers (about 3 hours) where we stayed at Hotel d’Anjou (a Best Western). The location was very good and the hotel seemed decent, but we really just used it to sleep off our jet lag.
After strolling through the old town of Angers (which seems like a really interesting city with lots of interesting bars/restaurants, worth exploring had we had more time), we had a nice dinner at a lovely natural wine bar.
2018 Richard Leroy Chenin Les Noëls de Montbenault - France, Vin de France (8/27/2022)
Lovely nose that had a bit of reduction at first that blew off with about an hour in the decanter. Flint, smoke, lemon, lime, riper stone fruit notes, and matchstick flavors on the nose. High acidity with chalky notes, minerals, and more lemon and stone fruit notes on the palate. Very long finish. This is outstanding! Needed a bit of time to get going, but so promising! 96+
Day 2: Angers, Chinon, Abbaye de Fontevraud
We had another stroll through Angers on a quiet Sunday morning and checked out the apocalyptic tapestries at Chateau d’Angers. Definitely worth a visit when in town, but I wouldn’t go too far out of my way to see them.
We then drove to Chinon where we had lunch, followed by a visit to the Chateau Chinon. Both the Chateau and Chinon as a town are lovely and I wish we had a bit more time to spend. We’ll definitely be back.
We stayed the night at the Abbaye Fontevraud, an old monastery that now features a hotel and Michelin starred restaurant. It turns out that as guests of the hotel, you have access to the entire Abbey 24h a day. We really enjoyed walking through the grounds and checking out the buildings around sunset, after all the tourists have left, and then again after dinner in the middle of the night. A fantastic experience and worth the visit alone. We planned this stay because of the restaurant, but would return for the hotel (which was well kept, although the room was slightly small, but functional) and the Abbey.
Dinner at the Fontevraud Restaurant was disappointing. Possible that they had an off-night, but the lobster was too salty and the main dish (veal cooked for 48h at 63ºC) was very dry. One of the few Michelin starred restaurants this trip and probably the least memorable food (and wine list). We still had a good time and ordered a bottle of Mugnier off the list.
2019 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny (8/28/2022)
Very pretty nose of wild berries, raspberry, cherry, forest and floral notes. The palate has quite a bit of tannic structure with good acidity and more red cherries and berries, but it’s a bit simpler than the nose and quite light despite the tannins. Good finish. A very good wine, especially on the nose, but not worth nearly what this is currently going for… 92-93+
Day 3: Baudry, Chateau Villandry, Amboise
We had an appointment at Bernard Baudry in the morning, which was great. They were getting ready for harvest (supposed to start the following week), but took the time to taste through some current releases, before opening a bottle of 2008 Clos Guillot, which was delicious. I highly recommend a visit here!
We then had a lovely lunch at the Auberge de l’Ile on Baudry’s recommendation. Much better food than the night before, but a bit less luck with the wine as the bottle of Breze that was slightly advanced, although still enjoyable.
2012 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur Blanc Brézé - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (8/29/2022)
Drank at a restaurant. Orchard fruit, minerals, nutty notes, toast, lemon, and mandarin on the nose. Lots of acidity with green apple notes, lemon, orange zest, and minerals on the palate. Nice finish. This was very good, but possibly a bit more advanced that it should have been. Still nice to drink, though.
In the afternoon, we visited Chateau Villandry on the way to Amboise. The gardens are absolutely breathtaking and definitely a must-visit in the region. The interior is nice, but pretty much like any other castle in the area, so next time I would do the gardens only.
In Amboise we stayed at the Le Manoir Les Minimes which I highly recommend. A lovely small hotel with gorgeous view of the castle and good breakfast.
Day 4: Huet, Chateau Chenonceau, Tours
The day started with a fantastic tasting at Domaine Huet. We were lucky that a sommelier of a 3-star restaurant visited the day before, which meant that they had many more bottles open for tasting, all the way back to 1995 and including the Premier Tries.
After the tasting, we drove out to visit the Chateau Chenonceau. Out of all the castles in the Loire that we have seen, this is probably the most important to visit. A beautiful place where both the inside and outside are worth exploring in depth.
For dinner, we took the train from Amboise to Tours (about 20 minutes), which worked really well (a taxi would be around $70 each way, which ended up having to do the next day…) Before dinner we did some sightseeing in Tours and I have to say out of all the towns, this was the least interesting and most grungy. I was worried at first about staying in Amboise, which is much smaller, but in the end I was happy with the choice we made. Dinner was fabulous and the wines were even better…
2019 Domaine de l’Anglore Tavel - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Tavel (8/30/2022)
Fragrant nose of strawberry, red cherry, baking spices, and roses. Nice acidity with good structure, more strawberry notes, tart cherries, orange rind, a bit of anis and a slight bitterness towards the end. Nice finish. Just a lovely wine and very consistent the last few times I’ve had it. It’s serious, yet very sippable. 94
2012 Hubert Lamy Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (8/30/2022)
Wow! Absolute knock-out nose of lemon, smoke, minerals, spices, pepper, chamomile, butter, and toast. There is so much going on, but the flavors are precise and clearly delineated. Perfect balance on the palate with medium-high acidity, more lemon notes, green apples, tart stone fruit, smoke, and a hint of vanilla. Very long finish. This is flirting with perfection. Phenomenally complex, what a wine! 99
Day 5: Chateau Chambord, Clos Luce, Chateau Amboise
A full day of visiting castles. We started with Chateau Chambord. Unfortunately, there is currently major construction/renovation on-going. Without the construction, I suspect this would have been the most impressive building, at least from the outside. We then drove back to Amboise and visited Chateau du Clos Luce, where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life. We really enjoyed this visit and the gardens, where there are dozens of models based on da Vinci’s inventions to explore. A welcome difference to all the tapestries filled bedrooms you see in the other places (not that it was getting boring, but still a welcome change). We ended the day exploring Chateau Amboise which also has very nice gardens and beautiful views of the town and the Loire river.
Dinner was again in Tours, this time in the outskirts, hence we took a not-so-cheap taxi. Absolutely worth it though, as this was one of the best meals of the trip.
2007 Jacques Selosse Champagne Premier Cru Millésime Extra Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (8/31/2022)
Lovely, slightly oxidative nose with chamomile, lemon, green apple, toast, brioche, and cheese rind. Very fine mousse with high acidity on the palate and flavors of lemon peel, lemon, green apple, more brioche, and bread. Long finish. Fantastic wine and experience! 96
2013 Philippe Alliet Chinon Coteau de Noiré - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon (8/31/2022)
Red and black cherries, tart fruit, leather, a hint of green bell pepper, earth, and gamey flavors on the nose. Quite acidic with more red fruit, tart raspberries, blackberry, and more earthy notes on the palate. Nice finish. A lovely, acid driven Chinon. 93
Day 6: Saumur, Nantes
After three days in Amboise, we spent the last two nights in the Loire Valley in Nantes. On the way, we stopped in Saumur, where we planned to have lunch. Unfortunately, the restaurant we wanted to eat at changed to their fall hours that very day, so ended up being open for dinner only. We still had a very nice meal at a place down the street.
2017 Domaine du Collier Saumur Blanc - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (9/1/2022)
Fruit driven nose with citrus, peach, apricot, grapefruit, and mineral notes. High acidity with flavors of lemon, more minerals, peach, and saline on the palate. Generally the wine feels less ripe on the palate and has a nice finish. Lovely wine! 93
I didn’t really know what to expect, but we loved the city of Nantes. It felt like a mix between Paris and Berlin, progressive, beautiful, and lots of outdoor life. I wish we had a bit more time here, but we really just used it as a base to explore the western part of the valley.
We got recommendations for a restaurant that ended up being our favorite of the entire trip. Simple, delicious food and a phenomenal wine list. We loved it so much, we went back the next day and canceled our other reservation.
2015 Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra-Brut Les Roises - France, Champagne (9/1/2022)
48 months on the lees. Very mineral-y nose with lemon, apple, toast, biscuit, herbs and smoke. It’s elegant and understated, yet very complex. The palate has a ton of acidity with more lemon notes, lime, grapefruit, green apple, and chalk. Long finish. Outstanding Champagne that’s still quite young. 95++
Day 7: Mont Saint Michel
Originally we planned to explore the Atlantic coast, but there was rain in the forecast. So instead we ended up driving an hour longer to the north and visit Mont Saint Michel. I’m very glad we did, because this place is something else. Thankfully it was a Friday, I don’t even want to know how many tourists visit on a weekend…
Dinner was obviously back at the same place where we had one of the wines of my life. It was decanted for us 24h in advance and needed all of that air. An unforgettable experience!
2005 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (9/2/2022)
Wow, wow, wow! GORGEOUS nose with floral notes, roses, strawberry, leather, red cherries, barnyard, earth, game, iron, and sweat. The palate is perfectly balanced with no noticeable alcohol and good acidity. More strawberry notes, horse saddle, violets, and red cherries. Very long finish. This is deeply complex and satisfying. Absolutely phenomenal, mind blowing wine! 99
Day 8: Drive to Paris
We spent most of the day on the road, driving back to Paris. On the way, we did make an effort to visit the cathedral in Chartres (mainly to see the stained windows) and it was definitely worth it.
In Paris, we met up for dinner with some good friends who just arrived from SF that morning.
2013 Coche-Dury Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault (9/3/2022)
Pretty nose with classic Coche flavors of popcorn, lemon, peach, butter, and a hint of vanilla. Lovely acidity with more lemon, lime, a bit more peach, flint, minerals, and saline notes on the palate. Long finish. This was really good and while it had much less of the butter popcorn of the 2007 (which I was lucky to taste recently), it also showed a bit more nuance and complexity. 95
2019 Terra Vita Vinum Grandes Rogeries - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou (9/3/2022)
Lovely, slightly reductive nose with notes of lemon, minerals, flint, and smoke. High acidity with more lemon notes, chalk, tart white peach and lots of lemony flavors. Long finish. This evolved beautifully over the course of the evening and shows a lot of promise and complexity. Should be amazing in 5+ years. 94-95+
2006 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (9/3/2022)
Pop and poured. Lovely nose with floral notes, horse saddle, barnyard, violets, cherries, and plums. The palate is acid driven and bright with red cherries, raspberries, more barnyard notes, and a slightly green character. Nice finish. A lovely wine. Although it wasn’t quite as good as the last bottle, it continued to improve with air and probably just needed to be decanted… 94
Day 9: Paris
After a long day of walking and sightseeing in the city, we went to my favorite natural wine bar and pulled all the stops…
2000 Emmanuel Houillon (Maison Pierre Overnoy) Poulsard Arbois Pupillin - France, Jura, Arbois Pupillin (9/4/2022)
Wow! Absolutely lovely nose - subtle and nuanced with wild strawberries, spices, velvety texture and lots and lots of complexity. The palate is perfectly balanced with good acidity, notes of tart berries, red cherries, wild strawberries, mushrooms, and earth. Very long finish. What a gorgeous, deeply complex, and emotional wine. 97
2015 Romain Henin Champagne L’Appel de la Fôret - France, Champagne (9/4/2022)
Lovely nose with lemon, brioche, minerals, smoke, lime, and slightly oxidative flavors. Great acidity with fine mousse on the palate along with flavors of lemon, minerals, and orange zest. Good finish. This is really good, first time trying this producer. 94
2018 L’Arbre Blanc (Frederic Gounan) Vin de France Les Orgues - France, Vin de France (9/4/2022)
Lovely, lifted nose with notes of cherries, barnyard, red berries, and a bit of brett. High acidity with strawberries, tart fruit, and cherries on the palate. Nice finish. This has great complexity and is drinking very well right now. Lovely wine! 94
2020 Alexandre Plassat Au Couvent - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (9/4/2022)
Blend of Trousseau and Chardonnay. Pretty nose with red fruit, tart berries, red currants, cinnamon, and a bit of barnyard. Nice acidity on the palate and quite structured with notes of more red fruit, strawberries, cherries, and orange zest. Nice finish. First experience with this producer and this seems to be very promising indeed! 93+
2017 Frédéric Cossard Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (9/4/2022)
This was nothing but VA on both nose and palate. Undrinkable at first, so we gave it a vigorous decant and hoped for the best. The VA integrated somewhat, but never really disappeared. There is some richness and nice fruit underneath but even after a few hours it’s hard to get past the VA. Such a bummer. (NR/flawed)
Day 10: Paris
The last day in Paris was all about more food, wine, and some shopping 
Lunch was excellent:
2018 I. et S. Bernaudeau Les Onglés - France, Vin de France (9/5/2022)
Ripe citrus notes, grapefruit, peach, melon, passion fruit, and minerals on the nose. Great acidity that keeps it balanced with more peach flavors, lemon, grapefruit, and minerals on the palate. Nice finish. Lovely wine that is drinking very well right now. Definitely on the larger scaled / riper side. 94
The last dinner of our vacation was at David Toutain, which was a nice end to the trip. The food was very good but the wine list mentally prepares you for returning to the US (at least in relative terms compared to all the other places).
NV Jacques Selosse Substance - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (9/5/2022)
April 2019 disgorgement. Phenomenal nose of lemon, peach, strawberry, brioche, cake, minerals, floral notes, and oxidative character. High acidity with complex notes of peach, peach skin, orange, lemon, and minerals on the palate. Very long finish. Outstanding wine that strikes a perfect balance - rich and powerful, yet completely refined and elegant. 98+
2014 Domaine Guyon Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru (9/5/2022)
Very fragrant nose with floral notes, spices, strawberries, raspberries, red cherries, and blood orange. Nice acidity with medium+ tannins and flavors of tart berries, red plum, cherries, and cloves on the palate. Long finish. This wine was pretty approachable and overall really good and interesting. 95
Overall, we had a fabulous trip, enjoyed amazing food, and drank some of the best wines I’ve ever had. Now we need to take a step back and “detox” with some daily drinkers 
It’s not that these places are secret, just that I feel a public board is not the right place to talk about them…