Loire Valley

Domaine Les Roches (Alain et Jérome Lenoir)

Chinon Cabernet Franc 2005

Forest floor, some leather aromas and flavors, lovely, crisp redfruited core, great acidity and balance, long, lingering finish, great juice!! — 6 days ago

Jim Powers
with Jim
Tom, Severn and 5 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Nice! And cool label!
Vin d’Ottawa

Vin d’Ottawa

Aged Loire Can Franc is a dream.

Didier Dagueneau

Pur Sang Pouilly-Fumé Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Clearly a Sauvignon Blanc, which isn’t always a positive note for me, but the 12’ Pur Sang radiated such energy and clarity that made it impossible to not fall in love with. Aromas of pineapple, lemon, gooseberry, and fragrant white florals intertwined with subtle vanilla. On the palate, a delicate fruit sweetness was perfectly counterbalanced by herbal nuances and piercing, superb acidity, along with a crystalline texture and mineral backbone. Wicked wine as it is now, but it could easily spend more time on its side. — a month ago

Jan, Tom and 10 others liked this

Domaine Vacheron

Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Good but not wow. Not that interesting at this point. — 2 hours ago

Tom liked this

Champalou

Vouvray Chenin Blanc 2022

Great wine with seafood dinner. Beeswax, lemons, honey, saline, maybe some other citrus. Really lovely. — 5 days ago

Scott@Mister, Tom and 5 others liked this

Nicolas Joly

Les Vieux Clos Savennières Chenin Blanc 2022

“Nothing added, nothing removed” is a phrase some use to describe the philosophy of low-intervention (or “natural”) winemaking. 🌱

The winemaker is like a vessel, carrying Mother Nature’s gifts from the land (and vintage) to your glass, where each sip can transport you to a particular place and time.

Nicolas Joly is an illustrious vigneron revered for his deep commitment to biodynamics and minimal intervention winemaking. 👏 He leads his family’s estate – Famille Joly – located in the prestigious appellation of Savennières in the Anjou-Saumur region of Loire Valley and specializes in top quality, cerebral, age-worthy dry whites made from the Chenin Blanc grape.

This takes patience, strength, and resilience for which the seahorse is a spiritual symbol (among other things). 🌊 It’s no wonder the Famille Joly features this beautiful, gentle creature on its bottle and labels.

This wine comes from ‘Les Vieux Clos’ where vines are harvested at 25 hL/ha which is HALF of the appellation’s allowance of 50 hL/ha.  👀

As a result of favorable growing conditions and these low yields, the grapes were allowed to become ripe, which explains the high alcohol at 14% ABV and round but balanced fruit expression.

This wine underwent a wild fermentation, followed by a natural malolactic conversion (MLC), and then it aged 12 months in large neutral oak with no fining or filtering before bottling.

The color is pale gold. On the nose and palate are harmonious notes of yellow apple, quince, papaya, dried orange peel, citrus blossom, chamomile, ginger, saffron, cinnamon, cream, white pepper, lanolin, wet slate …

It has power and elegance, nuance and vibrancy, with a persistent finish.  We think it pairs nicely with the baked herb & lemon salmon, asparagus and couscous.

Cheers to winemakers who share a piece of their land and heritage with the world one glass at a time! 🥂🥂🥂
— a month ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Severn and 16 others liked this
Peter van den Besselaar

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Lovely description, Vanessa
Vanessa

Vanessa

@Peter van den Besselaar Thank you! It was a generous wine that gave us a lot to think about 😆🥂

Thibaud Boudignon

Anjou Chenin Blanc 2022

One of the best in the game. But may cause heartburn — 14 days ago

Peter liked this
Peter van den Besselaar

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Heartburn no 😂, razorsharp and vibrant yes 🙃

Clos Rougeard

Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc 2013

Great depth and complexity, red fruit with a touch of pyrazine, elegant and outstanding. — 17 days ago

Ira, Shay and 3 others liked this

Domaine Huet

Le Haut-Lieu Sec Vouvray Chenin Blanc 2019

Awesome stuff. Melon, stone fruit, lots of wet wool, flowers and amazing acid. — 23 days ago

Severn, Ira and 1 other liked this

Puzelat-Bonhomme

Le Telquel Cheverny Gamay

dependable gamay that’s better chilled — really feels like jammy blackberries in the mouth — 17 days ago

Nicolas Joly

Clos de la Coulée de Serrant Savennières Chenin Blanc 2022

Full bodied and botrytised dry-ish Grand cru chenin. Very aromatic and fruity. Some nice texture and a touch of funk. — 23 days ago

Andrew, Ron and 1 other liked this