This past Sunday we conducted our Monthly Bay Area Wine Explorers tasting – the theme this month: Loire Valley, dry Chenin Blanc, Cabernet franc, and sweet Chenin Blanc. Though these were the guidelines, some Sauvignon Blanc managed to slip in, and we had a few ringers to spice things up a bit. All in all, though many of the wines didn’t show all that well, it was a tremendously interesting tasting with no shortage of opinion
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Here are the wines and the votes – in parenthesis are the number of 1st place votes/2nd place votes, followed by a weighted score – 2 points for 1st, 1 point for 2nd). Notes are my own.
Flight #1, Dry Loire Whites (Chenin)
1997 Baumard Savennieres (4/3, 10 points)
Steely, minerally, with some light floral notes, I noted that many folks didn’t seem to care for this fairly austere wine, but I enjoyed it. Certainly high in acid, it is a bracing wine that cleanses the palate. Linear and taught, the wine is refreshing, finishing short and clean. 86 points.
2002 Champalou Vouvray “Les Clos du Portail” (1/3, 5 points)
A really lovely perfumed nose of white flowers and melon, the wine is slightly off-dry, with lively acidity, good texture and richness, a fun and interesting wine. My #2 wine of the flight, 88 points.
2002 Chateau du Hureau Saumur (blanc) (1/2, 3 points)
The nose is perfumed and nice, with some fig and citrus notes, but the palate seems dull and the wine comes across as dilute and thin. Not bad, but certainly unexciting. 80 points.
2002 Huet Le Haut-Lieu Vouvray Sec (6/1, 13 points)
A really nice, perfumed nose of citrus (grapefruit), green apples, and a steely character, the palate on this wine was balanced with cleansing acidity and intriguing depth. 90 points.
1986 Bourillon-Dorleans Vouvray Demi-Sec (2/7, 11 points)
A clear stand out in this flight for its distinctive differences, the nose showed spicy oak, truffles, earth, and sweet summer fruits. Dense (a tad too dense for me) on the palate, the sweetness of this wine is evident, but nicely in check making this perfect for an aperitif. 88 Points.
2002 Domain Pichot Le Peu de la Moriette Vouvray (4/3, 11 points)
This wine offers up a terrific nose of white flowers (acacia), citrus, and lemon. The fruit is pure and clean, and the wine is balance with a medium-long, satisfying finish. My #1 wine of the flight, 92 points, and a hellova bargain.
Flight #2, Dry Loire Whites (Chenin)
2003 Voss Sauvignon Blanc, Napa (3/7, 13 points)
Very pale in color – almost no color at all! The nose on this wine screams Sauvignon Blanc, with its distinctive grassy notes. On the palate the wine is creamy and lush for a Sauvignon (reminded me a bit of the Origin SB in this regard), very nice. 90 points.
2000 Foreau Vouvray Sec (4/1, 9 points)
A really lovely nose, full of tangerine, honey, honeysuckle, and lanoline. Beautifully balanced , with nice complexity and a spicy, intriguing finish. My #2 of this flight, 92 points.
1996 Gigou Domaine de la Charriere Jasnieres (3/3, 9 points)
The dark yellow color and the honeyed nose both made me think this wine had some age on it – I would have guessed it to have been older than the ’96 it is. Notes of stones, minerals, apricots, and a touch of petrol, good body and nicely balanced. 89 points.
2002 Chidaine Vouvray “Le Bouchet” Demi-Sec (7/7, 21 points)
A terrific and expressive nose, of minerals, citrus, stones, and apples, the 2002 Chidaine offers outstanding balance and purity, rich but with lively acidity, and offering exhilarating depth of fruit. My #1 wine of the flight, 92 points, I would expect this to age well over the next 10-20 years.
2002 Crochet Sancerre “a Croix du Roy” (1/0, 2 points)
Very pale in color, with a grassy nose that betrays its identity as a Sauvignon Blanc. Lively acidity, and a crisp clean feel in the mouth, perfect summer quaffer of you like the grassy style of SB. 87 points, drink now.
Flight #3, Cabernet Franc
2002 Olga Raffault Chinon “La Poplinere” (1/3, 5 points)
Light ruby and clear in color, the nose is marred by green bell pepper notes. Moderate tannins and medium body, finishing short. 80 points.
2002 Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny (1/2, 4 points)
Quite a nice nose offering blueberries and cream. Somewhat austere on the palate, linear, with firm tannins and a medium finish, perfect with some goat cheese. My #2 of this flight, 88 points.
2002 Joguet Chinon “Cuvee Terroir” (4/3, 11 points)
Several folks seem to really enjoy this wine, but it just didn’t do it for me. Drinking more like a ripe Corbières than a Cab Franc, with vibrant purple color and a heavy, brooding nose of tar, iodine, black fruits, and earth. Nicely textured on the palate, with prominent but ripe tannins, and a medium finish. 84 points.
2002 Detert Cabernet Franc, Napa (3/0, 6 points)
There was no hiding this ringer in the lineup, the wine spoke clearly its origin in California. Very dark purple in color, the nose offers up prominent American oak, vanilla, sweet plum, and spice. Rich and balanced on the palate, with firm ripe tannins, though a bit too much oak for me. 87 points.
2002 Chateau du Hureau Saumur-Champigny (5/6, 16 points)
Ha! We wound up with two of the same wine in the same flight! Interestingly, they were drinking quite differently – though I did vote these my #1 & #2 wines of the flight (this instance being my #1). Terrific nose full of bright fruit, blueberries and cream, with smooth fine tannins, a rich texture, and a medium finish. 90 points.
Flight #4, Cabernet Franc
1995 Couly-Dutheil Chinon “Clos de L’Olive” (5/3, 13 points)
Significant browning around a medium ruby core, this wine shows all it has on the nose, with lovely smoky aromas of sweet plum, cassis, and minerals. On the palate however the tannins take over, providing a fairly astringent experience. If the tannins settle down the wine may improve with age, but I wonder if the fruit will last? 86? Points. I’m told the wine really improved after some time in the glass, but I didn’t get a chance to revisit.
1999 Pride Cabernet Franc (3/1, 7 points)
Its obviously hard to hide a California wine in a lineup from the Loire, and this stuck out like a sore thumb. Maybe it was as a result of the less-oaked companions in these flights, but this wine also struck me as “oak-juice”, with spice, cocoa, and dark fruits. Good body, and an overall decent mouth feel, but not particularly compelling. 86 points.
1997 Couly-Dutheil Chinon “Clos de L’Echo” "Crescendo" (4/3, 11 points)
Out of this fairly tough flight this wine stood head and shoulders above the rest. Very pleasing on the nose, soft elegant fruit, ripe plum and blackberry, and a light touch of earth. Nicely balanced on the palate, with notable tannins that turned slightly drying on the finish. My #1 of the flight, 89 points.
1999 Chateau de Montgueret Saumur (rouge) (2/4, 12 points)
A candied nose that found rather off-putting, with a touch of anise. 78 points.
1996 Domaine De L'Abbaye Chinon Vielles Vignes (0/1, 1 point)
Austere, green, and lean. A perfect example of how much better wine can taste when traveling (I brought this back directly from a visit a few years ago). 70 points.
Brief Intermission:
2002 Domaine du Closel "Clos de Papillon" Savennieres
Really terrific, this creamy lush wine offers compelling depth of fruit, intriguing spice notes, and a round full palate, tasty stuff – 90 points.
2002 (Cotat?) Les Monts Damnes Sancerre
Grassy/cat pee notes, not my style.
The sweet flight – sweet Chenin Blanc
1997 Moncontour Vouvray Moelleux (3/4, 10 points)
Really lovely stuff, with a deep nose of minerals and pears. Outstanding balance on the palate, with nice sweetness offset by refreshing acidity, finishing long with spicy notes. My #1 of the flight, 94 points.
1997 Deletang Montlouis “Les Petits Boulays” Moelleux Grande Reserve Tris (3/6, 12 points) - #2 Wine of the flight!
Big, fat, rich and unctuous sum up this outstanding wine, which offers up complex aromas of honey, apricot, and minerals. Very sweet and lush on the palate, yet balanced and fine, the wine should develop well for years to come. 93 points, my #2 wine of the flight.
2001 Foreau Vouvray Demi-Sec (0/0, 0 points)
What is this wine doing here? Seemingly dry, the wine was clearly misplaced in this flight, with notes of slate, earth, and citrus, and bracingly acidic on the palate. Not rated (not fair at this point).
2003 Champalou Vouvray Le Cuvee des Fondraux (1/2, 4 points)
nicely balanced, with delightful acacia notes and pure focused fruit. Lush and rich, nicely balanced, with a medium finish. 90 points, and in need of age.
1964 Domaine Touchais Coteaux du Layon (5/1, 11 points)
I absolutely loved this wine – in fact, it is my WOTN due to its “intrigue factor”, did not vote for it in this flight due to its utterly unusual character. On the nose one would think the wine to be overly maderized, showing sherry like notes of caramel and nuts. However, the palate is another matter entirely, and makes this wine a fascinating experience. Rich, dense, lush, and sweet, it is almost reminiscent of Australian Tokay. Wonderfully aromatic, and intriguing overripe sweet summer fruits and finishing with a touch of anise. Amazing!
1992 Baumard Quarts de Chaume (5/4, 14 points) - #1 Wine of the flight!
Interesting nose with notes of white flowers, earth, and nuts, the wine is quite sweet and well balanced, with a full rich feel and a medium long finish. 90 points.