Various recent Loire whites and reds

WINE TALK
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So far our autumn has been quite calm and clement, perfect weather for Loire wines:

Whites

2020 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Domaine Blanc

Pretty nose of orange blossom and orange peel, then a very charming mouthful of the same, with hints of honey and lemon. Just a little better than the Arnaud Lambert Les Perrières tried alongside it, this should be better still in another few years. My first Baudry white and good to see that it was just as well-made as the reds.

2019 Champalou Vouvray Les Fondraux

Apple and pear aromas, with some greengage and spring flowers in the background. A crisp attack of the same, then a very appealing middle section where some richer pear flavours take over, and a long, well-rounded finish. I wouldn’t have guessed this was a demi-sec.
This continues the change of style which in my experience started with the 2016 - the wines are much fresher and crisper. It’s odd not to find any honey in a semi-sweet Vouvray, but I’m not complaining - their wines are simply delicious and provide excellent value for money. Slightly better than the Baudry for the same price. The standard dry white 2019 is also very good.

2017 La Grange Tiphaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Epinays

Great stuff! The colour is reassuring - translucent and pale yellow, the nose is mouth-watering - a blend of white peaches, orange blossom, ripe pear and a hint of honey, and on the palate, it’s a stunning blend of all those flavours. Crisp at first, it really blossoms mid-palate with a beguiling richness which is clearly going to improve further. Only one aspect is problematic - 14°, which detracts somewhat and gives it a rather hot finish.
Overall, a very good wine indeed. Double the price of the previous two, at 26 euros, but worth the difference.

2019 Arnaud Lambert Saumur Brézé Clos de Midi

Very similar to the Perrières 2019, with notes of apple, pear and sea-spray, then a crisp, flinty attack of apples and pears again, plus lemon and lime, and a decent finish.

Typical of the new breed, focusing on fresh, taut flavours, very agreeable, but I’m curious to see how it will age - it needs more complexity and perhaps a little less strictness. Fingers crossed because at 14 euros the price is right, but less good for now than the Champalou or the Baudry.

2017 Fouassier Sancerre Clos Paradis

Apples, pears, but also notes of honey on the nose, then much the same in the mouth. Rather odd for a Sancerre, I don’t remember tasting honey before! Not bad, but the richness is cloying after a while and not what I expected, nor what I wanted.

2014 Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur Clos Romans

Vastly overpriced for what you get. It does have typical aromas of citrus fruits and honey, with quite a full-bodied mouthful of the same, and yes, it’s a nice wine which will probably improve further. The richness midpalate is especially impressive. But there is a slight lack of class, not enough precision, and leaves a nagging feeling that one has been had - because this costs around 50€.

For that price you can get two bottles of any Huet Sec or Demi-Sec (with change if you buy them young).
Having had the 2014 too recently, I cannot honestly say that Clos Romans is worth one Huet, let alone two.

Reds

2014 Domaine Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny L’Affutée

This was interesting. The nose was very floral, with very attractive aromas of wild strawberry and red cherry mingling with spring flowers. The attack was fresh and appealing, before quite a rich middle section which featured the strawberry and red cherry, blossoming into a long finale. The style is I suppose modern-classic, so not the Roches Neuves style, more like Villeneuve with a little more ripe oomph to it.
I liked it a lot rather than loved it and whilst for 16 euros, it is a good buy, the normal price is 24 euros, which I am less convinced by.
It’s a good middle-range wine, like a decent Cru Bourgeois, but I get the impression it aspires to more than that (it comes in a big, heavy bottle).

I know there are lots of Filliatreau fans here - this came after a 2005 and a 2010 Vieilles Vignes - I’m not really convinced yet: I’ve found the wines to be competent rather than exciting.

2010 Château de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny Le Grand Clos

Plums, ripe blackberry and red cherry aromas, then a quite a rich mouthful of the same, just saved by a crisp finish. Not quite as classically styled as I was expecting, hopefully a few more years will give it a little more gravitas. After the excellent 2016, this was a bit underwhelming.

2010 Johann Spelty Chinon Clos de Neuilly

It needed a couple of days to really open up, but then I got some very enjoyable notes of dark raspberry, cranberry and redcurrant, on the nose and palate. The style is close to that of Frédéric Mabileau, so crisp and fresh. I had never heard of this and will certainly seek out more - excellent value at around 12 euros.

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Tremendous notes on some geeky wines! I still have not been sold on Grange Tiphaine, though in theory I should love it. Cannot recall the name of the old vine Cot bottling, but from the vintage rage I had, it was pitch black and a bit spiky.

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Cool notes on cool wines, thanks! Just bought a bottle of the 2019 Baudry Chinon Blanc yesterday so very timely.

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Thanks for the notes Julian. I had a Montlouis-sur-Loire last night from Le Rocher des Violettes and was quite pleasantly surprised. Very good QPR (16 euros I think). It sounds like it had the same development on the palate going from crisp and taught to nice concentration on the mid-palate. At 13°, you don’t get any spike on the finish either. It will probably keep developing nicely over the next few years but it might be a good cheaper option while waiting your Grange Tiphaine are still resting. [cheers.gif]

2017 Le Rocher des Violettes Montlouis-sur-Loire Touche-Mitaine - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire (10/17/2021)

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Cheers Robert - I haven’t tried the Grange Tiphaine Côt VV yet - I bought a couple of 2017s out of curiosity.

Thanks Ilkkal - I’ll be surprised if you don’t love it if it’s like the 2020. I’ve had a couple of the latter - the first time I wasn’t bowled over, but the direct comparison to the Arnaud Lambert put me straight.

Excellent idea, Phil - I do have one lone bottle of Le Rocher des Violettes’ Côt VV, from 2014 and I’ve been meaning to try some of the whites.

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Nice notes.
Coincidentally, we opened a bottle of the basic (“dry”) 2019 Champalou Vouvray last night. Your comments about a crisp balanced, and less ‘sweetish wine rings true for this bottling also. Very enjoyable wine. Versatile too, I think.

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Hope so! I guess you are not that high in general on Lambert? I have a single bottle of the 2017 Saumur Blanc Clos de la Rue in the cellar. The few CT notes seem very promising.

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Well yes and no! I’ve got a few whites which I have enjoyed on their own merits and would certainly buy more of (Les Perrières, but also Clos de Midi), which are his entry level wines I think, but trying them alongside the Baudry, or indeed, the Champalou standard dry 2019, does them no favours. They’re still young, so maybe age will soften the edges, but with the new-breed crisp acidity there’s an astringent side, almost rustic, like his cheaper reds. Of course, this is really not an assessment at all since I have never tried the more ambitious wines he makes and these are the ones which people are keen on.
So I would be very curious as to what the Clos de la Rue is like!

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Ha, we had the Champalou as well last night, really enjoyed- very crisp and precise to the notes above.

I’ve only had le grange tiphaine twice but have enjoyed both times. Last time was a 2018 clef de soul which I thought was really nice, though I’ll note the producer seems to get very polarizing reviews on CellarTracker.

Great stuff overall. So many gems in the Loire!

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I see! I’m a bit worried about the new oak showing at this point but I might go ahead and pop it open anyway soon. I remember trying one of the top whites from Guiberteau a couple of years ago and being not that pleased with the popcorn-y nose of new oak and reduction.

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Great notes.

Speaking of Loire then I am drinking a Huet, Clos du Bourg, 2013 tonight. Perfect stage for my palate. It is amazing :grinning:

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I bought a six pack of the Clos de Midi and have already drank three bottles. I am not planning on aging the other three bottles beyond next summer because I already think it is so damn good now. But apparently, I am a fan “of the new breed, focusing on fresh, taut flavours” which I guess would include Thibaud Bourdignon. For $19US, the Clos de Midi is probably as good a value as any white I can think of. I have not had the Champalou or the Baudry, but the Baudry looks to be $10 more expensive.

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Is anybody drinking Jean-Christophe Garnier wines? I didn’t find anything with the search function. I had some 2013 Anjou La Roche Bézigon (in 2016) which I found quite good (vibrant Chenin Blanc yet with a hint of oxidative notes). Some friends decided to cellar some rather than drink it up front and it didn’t age very well (oxidation). I was wondering if anybody had experience with the more recent vintages?

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I kind of feel you on the new style of Loire CB. I typically enjoy very crisp, high acid whites, but they sometimes seem a bit short and narrow and leave me wanting a bit of a rounder, broader feel that more traditional handling provides. Trocken Riesling can be the same way for me at times; I enjoy it when done very well, but other times I find myself wishing for a bit more of something to buffer the acidity. Not a direct comparison, but something I’ve noticed in both categories at times.

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I understand what you are saying. The first time I had the Clos de Midi I felt the say way regarding it’s length and depth. However, I am still looking at it as a lighting bolt of a white wine that I can open and enjoy any night of the week without hesitation. I am not expecting it to be a masterpiece. And note that it is a third of the price of the Clos de la Rue (Lambert’s top wine, which I have not had).

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Can anyone comment on how more recent iterations of the Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur Clos Romans compare to the 2014? I bought a couple 19s but haven’t tried them yet, and have the opportunity to buy a couple prior vintages as well.

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It’s a bit different for me, living in France. Wines that are exported all have transport and excise/custom costs, creating I suppose a minimum cost. Wines like Arnaud Lambert’s entry-levels are for me a notch up in terms of price from the 4 or 5 euro wines I generally enjoy midweek. But I still really enjoy them nevertheless.

There was a typo in my note - I wrote 2014 twice instead of 2017 the second time. I enjoyed both vintages, but they were not good value at all and not the transcending experiences I was hoping for. So personally I will not be going back for more until I have waited a few more years and tried them again.

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I had one arrive yesterday!

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It’s very good. I would open one.

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Thanks, I will!

One other tried this week:

2010 Domaine de la Chevalerie Bourgueil Bretêche

Not the most complex of wines, but very tasty. Blackberry and redcurrant on the nose, along with some winsome red cherry, before a moderately rich mouthful of the same, cooled down by a much crisper, fresher wave of blackcurrant midpalate. Many years ahead still.

This was first time I had tried a Bretêche, one of their middle range wines. It doesn’t quite have the velvet and class of the top cuvées but it’s good value.