Year 2 - Super Tasting 5 of 5 - Greg does Loire

Greg's House - Kitchener, ON
Tasted Saturday, January 17, 2015 by Dave Canada with 467 views

Introduction

Great tasting that helped us all get our heads around the sheer variety and nuances of this region

Flight 1 - Aperitif (2 Notes)

Served with Herring on Endive

  • NV François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Méthode Traditionelle Brut 89 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire

    Golden colour....nose is quite feral with lots of flint, lemon, wool and straw notes.
    The palate is really varietally correct....this can only be chenin blanc....lemon, mineral, flint, wet wool, salted lemon and stinky cheese.
    The finish is medium.

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  • 2010 Domaine de l'Ecu Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Taurus 91 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine

    Really expressive nose....so floral and perfumed with pure citrus and ripe white fleshy fruit...white peach and acacia flowers.
    The palate is really complex....honey, white flowers, lime, preserved lemon, oyster shell, minerals, and bitter salted lemon.
    The finish is medium+ with very good complexity. This is a knockout of a Muscadet. Almost 92

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Flight 2 - 1st Course (2 Notes)

Served with Charcuterie

  • 1975 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon 93 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon

    Nose of strawberry candy, burnt caramel, lemon, brûlée, preserved strawberry, lemon and minerals,
    The palate is so lush but is balanced with cleansing acidity and makes this not seem fat or overdone at all. Flavours of salted caramel, brûlée, strawberry candy, honey, minerals, orange marmalade and preserved red fruit.
    The finish is long and complex. This was quite a treat and in a great place.

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  • 1997 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon 92 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon

    This was a bit reduced on first pour and didn't fully blow off for me. Notes of radish, lemon, mineral, grease oil and marmalade.
    The palate was really rich and lush...much fatter than the 1975 tasted alongside....could use a touch more acid for me. Flavours are quite pronounced though with honey, salted caramel, lemon, strawberry and white flowers.
    Finish is long and dominated by red fruit.

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Flight 3 - 2nd Course (6 Notes)

Served with Watercress Soup

  • 2011 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre La Moussière 92 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

    Tasted Blind
    Nose was a touch muted initially but opened up with quince, mineral, a dusty soil note.
    The palate is quite complex and mineral driven with pure citrus and white fruit flavours and quince, dusty lemon, smoke and a very subtle coffee note.
    The finish is medium+ with moderate complexity....very nice wine.

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  • 2011 Vincent Pinard Sancerre Chêne Marchand 90 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

    Tasted Blind
    Wow..this has a really lifted nose...pungent cut pear, gooseberry, and very ripe...this is round and ripe. This is a whiff of reduction but this goes away with a bit of time.
    The palate shows melon, citrus, flowers, and minerals with quite pronounced acidity. Steel aged....no oak.
    Finish is a touch angular and simple but still shows some pure citrus fruit and minerals. Nice wine but not setting the world on fire.

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  • 2011 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Génération XIX 91 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

    Tasted Blind
    This was a bit subdued, restrained and even a bit dusty. Neutral oak ageing and some time on the lees? Aromas of lemon, lime, melon, soil and minerals.
    The palate was quite round with flinty and smokey aspects augmented by flavours of melon, citrus, minerals, flowers and a whiff of rubber/reduction.
    Finish is long and smokey with chalk, and lean citrus flavours.

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  • 2011 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Les Romains 91 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

    Tasted Blind
    Very vibrant and in your face....citrus, gras, cat pee, minerals, melon.
    The palate shows similar flavours.....honeydew melon, white flowers, citrus notes, cat pee and mineral.
    Finish is medium and very fresh.....citrus and mineral driven.

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  • 2011 Didier Dagueneau Silex 91 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé

    There was a bit of sulphur when first popped bit this blew off and showed pineapple, lemon and mineral and then became very vegetal with broccoli, asparagus, and herbs.
    The palate was acid driven with cut grass, citrus flavours, minerals, cut herbs and cat pee.
    Finish is medium with good complexity....very grassy and herbaceous.

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  • 2011 Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Guigne-Chèvres 93 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

    Tasted Blind
    This had a very intriguing nose....smelling of almost flat champagne....salted caramel, lemon, mineral, pear, and then some almost bretty and lambic notes that morphed into a sherrried profile.
    The palate was really quite pretty....white flowers, grass, salted caramel, lemon, mineral, toffee, biscuit, dough, fresh bread glanced with great acid.
    Finish is medium an dominate by citrus, minerals and biscuity notes.

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Flight 4 - 3rd Course (3 Notes)

Branzino with Fennel and Lardons

  • 2009 Nicolas Joly Savennières Les Clos Sacrés (Les Vieux Clos) 91 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières

    Nose is dominated by bruised apple cider, vanilla and an odd hairspray note....spiced apple in hairspray.
    Palate again shows a strange hairspray note followed by bruised apple, wax, lemon, clove, vanilla and apple cider.
    Finish is medium +
    This is one that I wanted to like more than I did....quite strange but an interesting style from a legendary Loire producer.

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  • 2005 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon 89 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières

    I have loved this wine in the past but this was a very interesting animal....
    Aromas of caramelized poached eggs, lemon and a very dominant lactic note.
    The palate sled wool, wet wool, egg yolk, kefir, lemon, white flowers and honey but the lactic notes really take over and are just too much for me.
    Finish is medium+
    I had bunch of these and returned them based on this bottle....not my style at all and based on the fact that I loved this wine young...this is not one to age for me.

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  • 2008 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon 91 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières

    Much fresher than the 2005.....this was much more mineral driven with lemon, lanolin and white flowers.
    The palate showed similar flavours augmented by spice, custard and minerals.
    Finish is long and dominated by citrus and white floral elements. Pretty

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Flight 5 - 4th Course (1 Note)

Hot Goat Cheese Salad with Honey and Walnuts

  • 2005 Domaine Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance 94 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

    This was aromatically massive and quite evolved for a 2005....
    Honey, candied flowers, strawberry, figs, hay, and orange marmalade.
    Palate shows candied strawberry, lemon, candied wildflowers, figs, mange marmalade and a great glance between sugar and acid.
    This is long, lush and balanced....almost classic

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Flight 6 - 5th Course (3 Notes)

Smoked Duck Breast on Parsnip Puree

  • 2011 Vincent Pinard Sancerre Rouge Charlouise 88 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre Rouge

    This was a bit closed on the nose....little but oak and cigarettes coming through...
    Palate is a bit more expressive....flowers, read fruit, some obvious oak influence and ash with course tannins.
    Finish is short and quite simple

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  • 2010 Gerard & Pierre Morin Sancerre Rouge Bellechaume 87 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre Rouge

    This was really sweaty...with some tart red fruit notes coming through but little else.
    Palate is a bit more expressive with some flowers and mineral notes mixing with one dimensional red fruit notes but this is quite tannic and rustic and not overly complex.
    Finish is medium.

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  • 2009 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Rouge En Grands Champs 92 Points

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre Rouge

    Here we go...this was much nicer...
    Pure perfumed flowers...lush layered fruit....lovely.
    Palate has great texture...reminds me of the 2007 Pearl Morisette Pinot Noir. You can tell that they worked the lees on this one. Pure red fruit, plum, cherry, flowers and spice.
    Finish is long layered and lush...almost 93pts.

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Flight 7 - Fromages (4 Notes)

Closing

A highly education evening....many thanks Greg.

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