Thank you. Of those you mentioned I only have access to this: Pierre Menard: Le Clos Des Mailles Chenin Blanc 2022
I had a Clos Des Mailles recently, I think the 2019 vintage? It was excellent, even moreso when considering the affordable price.
My copy of âwines of the loire valleyâ just arrived, thanks again for the rec, @JakobS.
@Jonathan_Jetter great, thank you! sounds like it would make sense to pair the Chateau de Plaisance: LâAnjou Blanc 2023 with the Pierre Menard: Le Clos Des Mailles Chenin Blanc 2022.
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I can definitely recommend visiting La Cave Insolite in Montlouis, which I just did. Great range available including Clos de la Frelonnerie 2022 (a new wine made by their daughter with two associates). I tasted a large number of Chidaines from 22 and 23, of which my favourite was Les Bournais 23.
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As suggested by Phil and Howard, I did my homework (;. I thought of posting my choice before ordering to get some final advice/comments/thoughts.
On basis of this thread, my own research (espec. the WB cf Loire and the Loire white wine threads), some DMs, a consultation with the vendor, I came up with this selection of wines for a sampling Loire case (entry budget). I decided to stick with one vendor (Lobenbergâs gute Weine) for this order. The idea is to discover contrasting producer styles/interpretation of the grape varieties to get some sense of orientation for the planning of a Loire trip:
CB
off-dry
Huet Vouvray Le Mont demi-sec 2022
sweet
Domaine Baumard Quarts de Chaume 2018
dry
ChĂąteau de Plaisance LâAnjou Blanc 2023
vs
either ChĂąteau Yvonne Saumur Blanc Yvonne 2022
or Pierre Menard: Le Clos Des Mailles Chenin Blanc 2022 (which one would you go for? Iâm looking for a contrast to Chateau Yvonne. Iâm not afraid of something rich, concentrated, or even some exotic flavors)
SB
Claude Riffault: Sancerre Mosaique Calcaire 2022 (an alternative would be: Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Blanc 2023. Again, the idea is to pair the Mellot as something more structured and powerful with a more mineral, lean wine. Thoughts?)
vs
Alphonse Mellot La Moussiere Blanc Sancerre 2023
CF
ChĂąteau Yvonne Saumur Champigny Yvonne 2021
vs
Domaine des Roches Neuves: Saumur Champigny Franc de Pied 2022
(alternative: Domaine de Pallus Les Pensées de Pallus 2019) Here the idea is to pair something a bit more rustic with a more fruity and approachable style. Thoughts?
Muscadet
Domaine de Bellevue Muscadet Théia 2023
vs
Chateau du Coing: Muscadet MonniĂšres Saint Fiacre Cru Communal 2019
Iâd be interested in your thoughts on the dry cb/sb/cf selection before I order. I posted a list of available Loire producers with this vendor earlier in the thread. I do not want to order from several vendors, but Iâm happy to switch producers within the vendorâs portfolio or choose vintages/wines from the respective producers.
Nice.
Post notes.
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I donât like her text, but I really like Wine Follyâs maps.
Most people here already know the following, but for OP â This is how I 101 it for people.
4-5 zones, west to east:
-
1 Pays Nantais / âcity of Nantesâ / âMuscadetâ - mostly Muscadet (Melon), mostly old-school $15 stuff, but also a new wave of ambitious $25-60 stuff. Ecu and Pepiere were already mentioned upthread, I will add Betes Curieuses. Reds/roses seem to be mixed - Cab Franc, Gamay, PN, Pinot DâAunisâŠ
-
2&3 Anjou-Saumur, and (most of) the Touraine - Chenin Blanc & Cab Franc - others can tell you differences between Anjou vs Touraine Chenin/CF. Also a tiny bit of Gamay, and also Aunis (mostly for roses?)
-
4 the âCentralâ Vineyards, also easternmost Touraine - Sauv Blanc & Pinot Noir. Sancerre, Pouilly Fume, etc. âPinot Noir makes sense, because you are not far from Champagne, and Burgundy. And, the same fossilized ocean floor/oyster shells/limestone formation under the Central Vineyards also extends to (?southern/Chard-zone) Champagne, and to Chablis (the northwestern outpost of Burgundy) [see map below] â so when people talk about minerally Sancerre, Chablis, or Blanc-de-Blancs Champagne, itâs the same minerals from the same geological formationâ.
-
5 (the) Auvergne - Gamay and Chard - which âmakes sense, because you are ?right next to Beaujolaisâ
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Itâs been many, many years, but when we went we stayed at Ch. Noizay as our base camp. Terrific accommodations, excellent food, very friendly, and they packed a mean picnic lunch for day trips.
Advantages: no need to pack/unpack to switch hotels. Extremely relaxing.
Disadvantage: we never made it farther west than Quarts de Chaume and Savennieres. Not that I felt Anjou or Muscadet were âmust seeâ or that a trip all the way to the coast was essential.
Driving was easy/peasy once out of Paris. Castles, wandering the streets of small villages, and ancient Roman ruins were as entertaining as the winery visits. Found a few bottles of birth-year 1947 Molleux Vouvray at one winery visit that had been perfectly resting in the producerâs underground cellars that turned out to be stunning.
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Extremely helpful, thank you both!
Also Pineau DâAunis! My family is originally from a small village called Esvres, and Pinot D"aunis grows all around Touraine!
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Hi I just came back from two weeks in the Loire Valley. We stayed in Bourgueil. Their farmersâ s market is one of the best. Send me your email and I will send you our itinerary. We did a balloon ride which was the highlight of our trip. Much better than the balloon rides I have done in Napa.
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Yes, excellent suggestion when in Loire. Good examples are a joy!
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Tour is a great âcityâ to stay in. Close to Vouvray and Montlouis. I prefer the Chenins from Vouvray, they are truly mineral, bright, breathtaking. They also have the ability to age for decades. I am sure Domaine Huet has already been suggested, and with good reason. It remains amazing, and the prices are a solid deal.
Posting to flag this for my own hoped-for trip there next year 
I havenât been to the Loire in 40 years, but even as a teenager I was astounded by the beauty at Amboise, Chenonceau, Chambord and Villandry. All of them are worth a look if you have time.
- Big fan of both brothers Cotat and, like Howard, I love their roses
- Big fan of Huet
- Joly, there can be some quirky/off bottles but the good (and semi-aged) bottles are marvelous
- I think Serge Dagueneau has his feet well under him now (taking over from Didier) and I have enjoyed recent bottlings.
- Vacheron is good, hasnât moved me beyond that. Would love to try Vatan sometime
- Chidaine makes lovely wine
- Less familiar with the reds, but good experiences with Joguet, Raffault, Guiberteau, Clos Rougeardâdefinitely trying more is on my to-do list
- one less-well-known producer for CheninâŠDamien Laureau. I love the precision of his whites.
Iâm aware of the other threads, but this one is so helpful for aggregating a lot of stuff. Thanks, Paul, for starting and especially to the community for contributing!
Skal
Mike
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I spotted a producer whose name I remembered from this thread on a restaurantâs wine list today:
Olga Raffault. I should have double-checked bc the producer was recommended for CF here.
Well, we were feeling like white wine, so we ordered a bottle of Olga Raffault 2020 Chinon Champ-Chenin, thinking weâd get a CB (the restaurant also listed it as a CB). Turns out it was a CF blanc - I did not know that that existed. I also donât find any info on it online, everyone seems to designate it as a CB. The label on our bottle says 100% CF White Loire wine, though.
It wasnât faulty or anything but just very closed: the nose was completely shutdown. On the palate some grippy bitterness but no fruit or acidity whatsoever. Not very pleasant.
Hmmmm!!! What an oddity!
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Couly-Dutheil Blanc de Franc is 100% CF but itâs Vin de France. Yet Olga Raffaultâs is Chinon AOC? Weird.
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From Le Cahier des charges of AOC Chinon:
V. - Encépagement
1°- Encépagement
a) - Les vins rouges et rosés sont issus des cépages suivants :
- cépage principal : cabernet franc N ;
- cépage accessoire : cabernet-sauvignon N.
b) - Les vins blancs sont issus du cépage chenin B.
Could this be a mislabel from the US importer?
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Thanks for this. The bottle was purchased in a restaurant in Germany. Thereâs only French writing on it.
Except for âWhite Loire wineâ. 
This is a really cool mystery.
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