France

Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is scattered over 175,000 acres stretching from the Atlantic Ocean across to central France.

Covering such a large region it is natural that it’s been broken down into sub-regions that specialise in the growing of specific varieties.

Whites

The 3 main varietals are Melon de Bourgogne, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc.

Other varietals include Folle Blanche, Chardonnay, Chasselas, Romorantin Sauvignon Gris and Tressalier.

These are made into dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling wines, mostly single varietal.

Melon de Bourgogne

Native to: Burgundy (Bourgogne). Introduced by monks in the 17th century.

Principal AOCs: Muscadet, Muscadet-Coteaux-de-la-Loire, Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine, Muscadet Côtes-de-Grandlieu. Muscadets Crus Communaux: Gorges, Clisson, Le Pallet, Loire Valley PGI

Chenin, also known as: Pineau de Loire

Native to: The Loire Valley. Around the 10th century, this variety was known as “Plant d’Anjou.” The current name was popularised by Rabelais in the 15th century.

Principal AOCs: Anjou-Blanc, Bonnezeaux, Quarts-de-Chaume-Grand-Cru, Coteaux-du-Layon, Coteaux-Du-Layon-Premier-Cru-Chaume, Savennières, Savennières-Roche-Aux-Moines, Coteaux-de-l’Aubance, Anjou-Coteaux-de-La-Loire, Coteaux-de-Saumur, Crémant-de-Loire, Saumur-Blanc, Saumur-Brut, Touraine, Touraine-Amboise, Touraine-Mesland, Chinon, Jasnières, Coteaux-du-Loir, Vouvray,  coteaux-du-vendômois, Loire Valley PGI

Sauvignon Blanc

Native to: Loire Valley

Principal AOCs: Perhaps the most famous AOCs are Pouilly Fumé and Sancerre. Other AOC’s producing Sauvignon Blanc include Touraine, Touraine-Mesland, Touraine-Oisly, Touraine-Chenonceaux, Haut-Poitou, Loire Valey PGI, Quincy and Reuilly.

Reds

The 3 main varietals are Cabernet Franc, Gamay and Pinot Noir.

Other varietals include : Grolleau, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pineau d’Aunis, Côt and Négrette.

Used to make reds, rosés and sparkling wines, mostly as single varietals.

Cabernet Franc , also known as: Breton

Native to: the Nantes region, but thought to come from the Basque Country in Spain. It is the Loire region’s chief red varietal, introduced in the 11th century.

Principal AOCs: Anjou-Rouge, Anjou-Villages, Anjou-Villages-Brissac, Cabernet-d’Anjou, Cabernet-de-Saumur, Rosé-d’Anjou, Rosé-de-Loire, Crémant-de-Loire, Saumur-Rouge, Saumur-Champigny, Saumur-Puy-Notre-Dame, Saumur-Brut, Touraine, Touraine-Amboise, Touraine-Chenonceaux, Touraine-Azay-le-Rideau, Touraine-Mesland, Coteaux-du-Loir, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, Chinon, haut-poitou, Loire Valley PGI

Gamay

Native to: The Centre-East region of France.

Principal AOCs: Anjou-Gamay, Rosé-de-Loire, Rosé-d’Anjou, Touraine, Touraine-Azay-Le-Rideau, Touraine-Mesland, Coteaux-du-Loir, Loire Valley PGI

Pinot Noir

Native to: Burgundy.

Principal AOCs: Touraine, Touraine-Noble-Joué, Loire Valley PGI

Domaine Arnaud Lambert

Looking good! Fresh, style with a nice phenolic grip and cleansing astringency with crunchy mineral acid. Spiced pear and quince with citrus rind and fresh marmalade are balanced by silvery almond lining. Building generosity in the glass. Give this a year in bottle to settle a little and drink over 5 years.
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Serious Chenin here. A big jump from the Midi. Lambert appears to be working with a little more phenolic extract adding a playful grip and cleansing astringency. Very complete and flowing. David’s extra time in old oak and a 2nd winter in tank give it harmony and refinement, flowing with a real step up in sophistication. Super zippy, mineral acid with the core of fruit to support it. Building generosity and freshness in the glass on a fine crisp acidity. Heading more strongly down the quinc
$111
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Domaine du Closel

A delicious Jalouise. Quince and Fejoa with a little baking spice. Building in depth with decent length in the glass. Textural phenolics play nicely with chalky acid complexed by hazelnut and crème pat from lees. Vivacious and refreshing. It’ll be lovely to see this fill out with a little more bottle age. Lemon oil and zest at play. Let it warm a little. The perfect intro to the fresher styles of Savennières. It will offer load more with time in bottle!
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A complex, textural and thrilling Chenin Blanc. Two parcels, one picked earlier and devoid of botrytis, one later with a little botrytis marry seamlessly presenting us with an entrancing creature. Dry Chenin of this standing is truly something special. There’s a certain composure and harmony here. A fine example, the textural elements show a leaning to less alcohol and higher perceived acidity than its sibling ‘La Caillardières’ adding a degree of restraint and sophistication to thi
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Domaine Roche Neuves

The White

Pretty, fine, long, textured & rich. Quince fruit with lovely caressing phenolics & a refreshing finish. A faint lick of green leafy herbs chervil or tarragon. Fine, a lovely pithy finish cleansing with a little bitterness. Wild ferment in 1200 stockingers 600 barrels. Fresh & thirst-quenching. Opened beautifully in the glass. Yum! Out to play now with plenty to come.
$87
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Bone Dry!
Stunning Chenin Blanc to Rival the Drinking Pleasure of 1er Cru White Burg & the Worlds Best Dry Rizza! So fine. Superbly textured. Stunning acid of epic length, piercing long and lovely. Fruit length and depth continue to build epically long after swallowing. Incredibly complex & layered. Such depth. Citrus, lemon, a little white grapefruit, pear & quince, garrigue woody herb. When the acid settles and generosity builds with time in bottle this will be an absolute ripper. Wait 3-5 years.
$163
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Bone Dry!
Chenin. Take the syrup from poached quince and mix it with Créme pâtissière. Entrancing. Lovely, feel like I’m cooking quince. Long fine, excellent acid, draws you in, alive with personality. Bone dry! Phenolics here are interesting, dusty rather than oily. They have a wonderful cleansing feel. Savory with a little oxidative character just enough to add intrigue. Fun. Very good.
$199
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The Red

Lovely plump juice that caresses the palate. Loads of energy here. Crunchy fruits perfumed with violets and baking spice. The texture here is exceptional incredibly fine tannins even tannins. Line and length of juicy acid. Loving the finesse here. Superb drinking. Sate the deepest of thirsts!
$54
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Roches Neuves Samur-Champigny 2021

Cabernet Franc | Saumur-Champigny, D'Anjou-Saumur

Beautiful, plump yet linear fruit average 25 up to 70 years. Wild and tank only ferment. Bright lovely balance and flow. Great way to start the range. A little spice woody herb a little violets and blue fruits. A herbal note in a refreshing & very nice way. Moderate weight and length. Restrained crunchy and delicious. As per Gibb's note could easily be drunk with a couple of degrees knocked off it. “The 2021 Domaine des Roches Neuves is made in a light bodied, delicate and fragrant
$57
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Deceptive in it’s depth and length. There is a trick exceptional wines manage, they appear weightless yet have incredible depth and layer after layer of intrigue. This is such a wine. Funny, Thierry’s wines remind me in so many ways of Yarra Yering. When I made wine there we were focused on two things, texture and complexity, building in layer after layer of intrigue. As with Thierry’s fruit we had incredible acidity. We aimed to make wines that you’d drink half a bottle, think, shit tha
$116
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Château Pierre-Bise

Château Pierre-Bise Savennières ‘Clos de Coulaine’ 2018

Chenin Blanc | Savennières, D'Anjou-Saumur

The extra couple of years here gives us an idea of where the 2020 Roche Aux Moines will head. Honeyed, lemon, baking spices a little of the lanolin character that seems to come through in Chenin from Anjou-Samur. Again the transparency of pear fruit with textural phenolic elements at play. Divine wine. Thirst quenching and delicious.
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Wine of personality keep on coming from Savennieres. Lythe, transparent fruit. Dry with pear, baking spice and candied citrus peel. Somehow they have managed to combine a weightless feel with the depth of fruit,a little phenolics and glycerol making for a luscious caress of the tongue. A fine wine that as with all dry Chenin will need a couple of years to start expressing itself in full. I can see why the 2018 managed to score 1 of just 50 wines in show out of almost 19,000 at Decanters 2021 Awa
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Showing 36 Delicious Wines!

Serious Chenin here. A big jump from the Midi. Lambert appears to be working with a little more phenolic extract adding a playful grip and cleansing astringency. Very complete and flowing. David’s extra time in old oak and a 2nd winter in tank give it harmony and refinement, flowing with a real step up in sophistication. Super zippy, mineral acid with the core of fruit to support it. Building generosity and freshness in the glass on a fine crisp acidity. Heading more strongly down the quinc
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Dry 3g/L

Huet Vouvray Sec ‘Le Mont’ 2021

Chenin Blanc | Vouvray, D'Anjou-Saumur

“This 2021 Le Mont Sec fills the mouth with pear, pineapple, nectarine and violet flavors. There’s a sense of seduction and succulence through the middle of this wine. The flint and the coolness of the site seem to bring a sense of tension and purpose through this wine, which seduces you then spits you out. Delightful fragrance and a mouthwatering, racy finish.” Rebecca Gibb, Vinous 96 Points
$115
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Dry 3g/L

Huet Vouvray Sec ‘Clos du Bourg’ 2021

Chenin Blanc | Vouvray, D'Anjou-Saumur

“The 2021 Clos du Bourg Sec is an ample, full bodied wine with a stream of acidity. Pure, floral and fragrant with aromas of pineapple, violets and fresh grapes. While rich, it is light in sensation, like a cloud of Chenin filling the mouth, and finishes with a fine, almost powdery and chalky texture.” Rebecca Gibb, Vinous 95 Points
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Dry 3-5g/L

Huet Vouvray Sec ‘Le Mont’ 2022

Chenin Blanc | Vouvray, D'Anjou-Saumur

Big step up from the Haut Lieu & Clos de Bourg this year. Sophistication line and length more tension helping give a sense of purity. The typical Vouvray soft flow with a riper fruit flavour profile compared with a Savennières. Pear, candied ginger yellow stone fruit. Refined, long, beautifully weighted, flowing & delicious. Generosity with restraint. A little white flowers dancing over the top. Will make a great comparison with the 2021. The 2022 Le Mont Sec is a parcel of Cheni
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Off Dry 18-25g/l sugar

Huet Vouvray Demi Sec ‘Clos du Bourg’ 2020

Chenin Blanc | Vouvray, France

“Drinking the 2020 Clos du Bourg Demi-Sec is like taking your shoes off at the end of a long day of walking and soaking them in warm water: there's just satisfaction and relaxation. The 2020 has a sense of volume but not weight, filling the mouth with depths of pure fruit before the acid pours forth like a canal lock being opened. You can expect a hint of spice and crème caramel alongside apple and florals. I am utterly seduced.” Rebecca Gibb, Vinous 97 Points SR 95
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Deceptive in it’s depth and length. There is a trick exceptional wines manage, they appear weightless yet have incredible depth and layer after layer of intrigue. This is such a wine. Funny, Thierry’s wines remind me in so many ways of Yarra Yering. When I made wine there we were focused on two things, texture and complexity, building in layer after layer of intrigue. As with Thierry’s fruit we had incredible acidity. We aimed to make wines that you’d drink half a bottle, think, shit tha
$116
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100% Chenin Blanc. Guiberteau’s 1.4-hectare Clos de Guichaux is a historically renowned vineyard located in Bizay terroir in the small village of Épieds, very near Brézé. It is a monopole for Guiberteau. The site is the classic clay/limestone of the region but has only 30cm of topsoil before the roots must plunge directly into the pure, chalky bedrock. It was replanted in the early 2000s with massale cuttings taken from the family’s best old vines in Brézé. It’s a site that is quick
$118
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Off Dry 18-25g/l sugar

Huet Vouvray Demi Sec ‘Le Mont’ 2022

Chenin Blanc | Vouvray, D'Anjou-Saumur

"The 2022 Le Mont Demi-Sec is less fruity and charming than, say, Clos du Bourg; its tension and line come from its flinty terroir. Despite its 21g/L residual sugar, it retains a sense of tautness without being totally linear. Radish and pear notes linger on the long finish. This is grown-up demi-sec." Drink 2024-2038 Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous 95 Points
$122
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Sugar 51 g/l

Huet Vouvray Moelleux ‘Le Mont’ 2022

Chenin Blanc | Vouvray, D'Anjou-Saumur

The 2022 Le Mont Moelleux is a medium-sweet, tender style that is just so welcoming and appealing. It is the quiet type that doesn't show off. It offers breadth without weight, which I always like about the Huet wines - they're like clouds of Chenin floating over your palate. A fine floral and fruity fragrance reminiscent of lilac, pear and pineapple lingers off the tranquil finish. While the acidity in 2022 is a little gentle, it still has enough tension to sweep up the wine and hold it all tog
$133
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Terre de l'Elu 'Magellan' Cabernet Franc 2020

Terre de l’Elu ‘Magellan’ Cabernet Franc 2020

Cabernet Franc | Loire Valley, Anjou

This is excellent. Lovely perfume super fine linear long layered tannins. Layered complex flavours of bramble, mulberry, orange skins and florals. Complete harmonious, flowing. The tannins are very impressive so sophisticated superb. Already building a feel of secondary development. Moving into the next phase of development. Charlotte and Thomas’s approach to handling Cabernet Franc is impressive. Where many in the Loire are making green, hard, reduced and Bretty wines, they have succeede
$142
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Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Satellite 2020

Sauvignon Blanc | Sancerre, Centre Loire

The Satellite comes from vines in Chavignol that are spread of five separate parcels, including the reverred terroirs Le Cul de Beaujeu and Les Monts-Damnés. The low cropping Sauvignon Blanc vines here are between 40 and 80 years old. The juice was naturally fermented and raised in large, mature oak barrels and bottled without filtration. The resulting wine harnesses both the famed texture and natural chalky electricity of the slopes of Chavignol, offering intensity, precision, elegance and
$143
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A complex, textural and thrilling Chenin Blanc. Two parcels, one picked earlier and devoid of botrytis, one later with a little botrytis marry seamlessly presenting us with an entrancing creature. Dry Chenin of this standing is truly something special. There’s a certain composure and harmony here. A fine example, the textural elements show a leaning to less alcohol and higher perceived acidity than its sibling ‘La Caillardières’ adding a degree of restraint and sophistication to thi
$145
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Terre de l'Elu 'Parfum d'Eden' Chenin Blanc 2021
New Cuvée from 2021 – A parcel in chaume worked separately. This terroir is often used for sweet wines. Makes a great dry according to Thomas (...and Me!) highlighting again the importance of the flavour and phenolics from the skins. Yields of just 15-20Hl/Ha from very old vines give us a wine that is a delight in the glass! Half to ⅓ of DRC's yields!  Fermentation in new wood aged in the same wood for 1 year then 5 months in stainless. This is the same as for the Bastingage. F
$146
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Bone Dry!
Stunning Chenin Blanc to Rival the Drinking Pleasure of 1er Cru White Burg & the Worlds Best Dry Rizza! So fine. Superbly textured. Stunning acid of epic length, piercing long and lovely. Fruit length and depth continue to build epically long after swallowing. Incredibly complex & layered. Such depth. Citrus, lemon, a little white grapefruit, pear & quince, garrigue woody herb. When the acid settles and generosity builds with time in bottle this will be an absolute ripper. Wait 3-5 years.
$163
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1st Pick Botrytis Berries. Sugar 77 g/l

Huet Vouvray Moelleux Première Trie ‘Le Mont’ 2017

Chenin Blanc | Vouvray, D'Anjou-Saumur

77 g/L. This sports a flamboyant edge, with apple crumble, ginger cream, quince paste, green tea and honeysuckle notes forming a wide panoply of aromas and flavors, while sweet and racy accents contrast, creating a lengthy finish where everything hangs in harmony. A stunning show of fruit and precision. James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 97 Points
$185
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1st Pick Botrytis Berries. Sugar 90 g/l

Huet Vouvray Moelleux Première Trie ‘Le Mont’ 2020

Chenin Blanc | Vouvray, D'Anjou-Saumur

The intensely yellow colored 2020 Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie is highly concentrated and complex on the nose that exhibits candied lemon zest and chutney aromas along with calcareous and walnut notes. Sweet (really sweet!) yet refined and elegant on the palate, this is a full-bodied, rich and generous yet piquant and firmly structured, greatly tensioned and salty 1ère Trie with pineapple flavors on the finely tannic and energetic, very sustainable finish. The 2020 has great aging po
$193
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