3/17/2024 - Julian Marshall wrote:

My first white Blot for several years. My Loire Chenin education began with these wines in the mid-90s and there's no denying the sterling pioneer work of Jacky Blot, who alongside François Chidaine, completely rehabilitated Montlouis. But since then, others have emerged and I sort of lost interest so I was curious to try a recent one.

The nose is not super expressive - a touch of oak but not too obtrusive, then lemon and white spring flowers, before a very elegant, refined mouthful of lemon and honey, the latter giving an agreeably rich middle section. There's great freshness to the wine and only 12.5% ABV in a hot vintage. It will certainly improve over time and give a good bottle in a few more years.

But there are so many producers doing at least as well, and often much better. The new breed of Anjou and Savennières producers are making wines that are more vibrant and taut than this, more chiselled, more complex - and just more interesting all round, so while I'd be happy to take a sip in the future, I won't be back for more.

1/28/2024 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Not the best chenin ever, but a delightful bottle. Fresh notes of lemon and almond on the nose, quite a sappy blend of lemon, honey and hazelnut in the mouth, very fresh and crisp, right up my street. Good value and with a fun detail - it comes with a QR code which delivers a Spotify playlist!

8/10/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Lovely notes of citrus and sea spray, as usual. This is a little richer than most Muscadets, because of the vintage, but no less enjoyable. I've really enjoyed all the wines purchased recently from the Lieubeau family.

5/18/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Classic aromas of citrus and sea spray, but also pear and an impression of grapefruit, then a quite voluminous mouthful of lemon and conference pear, with a bitterness that didn't bother me at all. Very promising.

4/19/2023 - Julian Marshall wrote:

A sort of local solidarity operation - the grapes came from neighbours following the loss to frost of a large proportion of Damien Laureau's production in 2021. A light, fragrant chenin that is very pleasant although not very complex - at 20€ a bit expensive for the quality but in view of the circumstances, not a problem at all.

5/27/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Confirmation that this is one to look out for - it was better than a Lieubeau Générations and a Pépière VV tasted alongside.

2/1/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Delicious and perhaps just a smidgen better than the 2018, it has textbook aromas of sea spray and lemon, then a saline attack and some very elegant notes of lemon and just a little honey. Just as good as the Pépière wines IMO and a little cheaper - so excellent value at 8 euros.

12/11/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Lemon and lime on the nose, with some iodine, quite like a Muscadet, and there is some similarity on the palate too, perhaps because of the austere vintage. Anyway, crisp and taut, like other "New Anjou" producers, very much to my liking. I shall look out for more.

1/9/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Fresh aromas of hay, lemon and white peach, very enticing, but the taste is something else altogether: a bewitchingly complex combination of light honey, lemon and especially mirabelle, with a strong note of hazelnut and a little pear on the finish. Quite fresh and sappy, with none of the lushness I've found in most Condrieus, this is a wine to sip and contemplate. Not cheap at 40 euros but worth every penny.

5/7/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Not quite as good as Lône, but half the price and very enjoyable as it is. Hazlenut, acacia and lemon on the nose, with the same on the palate, plus some refined honey midpalate and a long finish. Not quite as much depth or complexity as Lône, but like the latter, I'm impressed by the crisp freshness which I didn't expect to find in a Rhône white.

2/8/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Typical new breed Anjou white, with very precise notes of apple, pear and lemon on the nose and in the mouth, quite supple in style but very fresh. Not the most complex but it did compare favourably with an Arnaud Lambert Clos de Midi.

8/14/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

This has improved a lot, showing more complexity than before. White peaches, spring flowers and lemon on the nose, the same peaches and lemon, plus a little honey and slightly bitter orange in the mouth. What I like is the way the slightly rasping side has disappeared leaving a much more hamonious mouthfeel. For 13 euros, excellent value and quite close in quality to her more expensive cuvées.

2/25/2024 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

This is her entry wine, costing a mere 13 euros. It's very close in quality to her more expensive cuvées, and therefore excellent value. Spring flowers, white peaches and citrus notes on the nose, with a very fresh attack of peach and bitter orange, then apple and pear midpalate, before a honeyed finish. A really impressive example of what the new breed are doing in Anjou.

2/21/2022 - Julian Marshall wrote:

Not much to add to Michael's excellent note, this is made in the modern Anjou style that I really like, so plenty of soft fruit but with enough acidity to keep it honest. My only concern is that I found a certain coarse raspiness mid-palate, but it could have been a bad phase or perhaps a bottle problem, since there was a little fizziness on opening.

4/1/2024 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Orange peel and lime at first, then notes of yellow peach and lemon aromas, very mouth-watering. Like the Ogereau, a very crisp attack, but the pears are a little richer, a little more intense, albeit without a trace of sugar. The middle section focuses on bitter orange and yellow peach, with just the slightest hint of honeydew melon mixed with lemon and lime on the finish, but again, not remotely sweet. More verve than the Ogereau, no less delicious.

3/14/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Made in the same precise style as their other wines. 12 months in oak barrels but I wouldn't have known. The Savennières is a definite step up in quality, with a really attractive nose of hazelnut, orange peel, white spring flowers, spritzy lime and lemon, then a bit of seaspray. The attack is just gorgeous, a blend of apples and pears before a strong wave of hazelnut and orange mid-palate, then wafts of lemon and pear, before the long, crisp finish.

Having had a Baumard Clos de St.Yves very recently, it was interesting to taste the difference. The Plaisance is made much like Epiré, for example, so very chiseled and dry, although with much better fruit, but also much less soft and rounded than the Baumard wines. Personally this is the style of Savennières that I like.

8/15/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Very fine and chiselled, with crisp citrus notes, but also a little waxy honey on the finish with the promise of more to come in a few years. Very impressive and good value.

9/25/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Typically bright, sharp nose of orange peel and lemon, plus a little spring flowers and chalk. The attack is fresh and arresting, lemon and lime to the fore, before the gently sweet orange kicks in with a slightly richer vein of honeysuckle. the finish is a little grippy for now, but this is clearly going to improve with time. 14° ABV but I would never have guessed it was more than 12.5°. A delicious wine from the new kid on the block.

10/23/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Quite similar to the Clos le Grand Beaupréau - I'm not sure which is better - this is a delicious example of what the Anjou new breed are producing.
Lemon and lime blended with orange peel and spring flowers on the nose, a bitingly crisp attack of citrus fruits, before a really appealing middle section, which branches out into softer tastes of conference pears, apples and light orange, the long but crisp citrus finish coming to tie things up perfectly.
Great value at 22 euros.

3/19/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

In six months this has already evolved, losing a little crispness but gaining in complexity, with more exotic fruits to the fore than in October, but without losing the freshness. Really very impressive - it is hard to tell the difference between this and the more expensive cuvées. Incredible QPR.

4/1/2024 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Pear, white peach and lemon aromas, then a hint of spring flowers, very fresh, before a crisp attack of citrus fruits, then a slightly softer wave of apples and pears, before a long, lemony finish. Although chiselled and taut, this has great finesse and elegance. It has kept the purity of the fruit whilst losing the sappiness it had a couple of years ago. This has a long life ahead of it with more complexity to come. Excellent wine.

9/11/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Not overblown but very persistent aromas of lemon peel, slightly bitter orange, a touch of peony and chalk, all very fresh and pure. The attack is along the same lines, crisp and acidic, with citrus fruits to the fore, then it subtly, seamlessly moves towards notes of orange peel, apple and mirabelle, without ever losing the mineral backbone and taut framework. Dry, but not teeth-jarringly so, this is beautifully balanced between the acidity and the fruit. The finish is just as pure as the attack, long and satisfying, but refreshing at the same time. Nothing overripe here and a mere 13°.

I got into chenin back in the mid-90s, my starting point being Savennières, especially the Baumards but also Closel and others, and I grew to love the crisp minerality I didn’t find elsewhere. But then things changed - starting I think in 98 or 99, I had increasing numbers of bad bottles, which eventually became systematic, and worse still the style changed, into something more flabby and honeyed - which in turn led to systematic premox. So I gave up and stopped buying any Savennières for about fifteen years (well, I did try one or two, but they were just as crap as the previous ones).

Now, with the changing of the guard and the new producers, Savennières and Anjou are definitely back with a bang.

This bottle was exactly what I hoped it would be - and it’s excellent value at 26€.

2/14/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Another winner from Ogereau in 2020, albeit a notch down on three other wines, this one was a little shy on the first evening, before blossoming on the second, so perhaps it needs a lot of aeration. Anyway, typically taut and crisp, with lemon and hazlenut aromas, then some lemony flavours with only a hint of honey, plus some bitter orange on the finish. I think more is to come from this in a few years time.

2/20/2022 - Julian Marshall wrote:

An experimental wine by an Anjou producer, this is 100% Chenin, left to macerate with skin and pips.

An attractive nose of lemon, gooseberry and honey, before a fairly rich mouthful of citrus fruits, where the gooseberry takes over mid-palate. Slightly odd, in that it does taste a bit stewed, which is what it is, but also quite well-rounded and a lot more mature than its age would suggest.

Personally, I prefer their "normal" wines.

12/18/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

I wasn't convinced the first time, but this bottle was much more fun. On opening, it was a little fizzy and needed a bit of time to settle down. Citrus fruits and grapes on the nose, then a fresh but slightly sweet attack tasting really of grape juice with a touch of spice, then some citrus fruits and gooseberry, before a long, fresh finish, still very grapey. Less taut and biting than the normal wines, more relaxed and perhaps a little broader on the palate. The maceration does give a very grapey feel to it, which may not be to everyone's taste, but I loved it and will be going back for more.

6/20/2023 - Julian Marshall Does not like this wine:

Hopefully just a bad bottle, totally unlike the last one in December 2022. Stewed and nasty.

2/3/2024 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

I was worried by the browning colour, but this was still fresh and tasty - gooseberries and citrus fruits, with a very grapey mouthfeel and a pleasantly fresh finish. I'm glad I opened it as I think the shelf-life will not be a long one.

2/24/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

The entry wine, I believe and not quite at the same level as the others. Very much in the new Anjou style, with crisp, zesty citrus fruits, but with a softer middle section, rather more honeyed. Very enjoyable but not as impressive as the other wines.

2/19/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Not a "grand vin", but very enjoyable - very zesty lemon and lemongrass flavours, with a little lime cordial on the finish, and a mere 12.5° which gives it remarkable freshness for a Languedoc white.

2/15/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Very similar to the Gautronnières enjoyed a couple of weeks ago, so lemon and seaspray aromas and a saline mixture of lemon and honey, but less intense than the other wine and not quite as good - and the other is cheaper too.

9/8/2021 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

The nose is fresh and attractive, full of orange leaf and apples. The attack is along the same lines, very brisk and crisp, citrus fruits followed by apples and pears, with just a hint of honey on the finish. It's crisper than I expected with only a little richness mid-palate. There's no question - this is a very pleasant wine - the only problem is that at this price level (or slightly less), there are a lot of other better Loire whites.
So unless the next bottle shows considerably more complexity, I will enjoy my remaining ones but not go back for more.

12/3/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

This is so much better than his other more expensive wines, just because of the ABV level, for me at any rate. It is still 13.5°, but the difference with 15° is enormous - fresher, less rich, without that burning feeling to the finish. Anyway, great notes of white peach and citrus fruits on the nose and palate, with a lemony finish that keeps the whole thing honest. Excellent value at 12 euros.

8/21/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Slightly less convincing this time, but I think that's just because I've had better wines from his neighbour (Plaisance) recently. A little high-pitched with less charm than the last bottle, still very good.

5/7/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

I actually preferred this to the more expensive cuvées, as it was more chiselled, less rich. It's not a particularly distinctive Savennières, but there are notes of flint and chalk amongst the honey and lemon, so altogether pretty good stuff.

6/21/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Not bad at all - the 14% ABV is a little too prominent but otherwise quite fleshy and rounded, with hints of grapefruit midpalate.

10/8/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Orange blossom and orange peel on the nose again, with some notes of lemon and lime this time. All these appear in the mouth, along with some fresh honey. It's a very satisfying drink - a little sweetness but not too much, crisp but not bitingly so and with enough tension to keep it all on track.

Much better than the Touche-Mitaine 2019 of Le Rocher des Violettes tried alongside, for around the same price.

Pretty nose of orange blossom and orange peel, then a very charming mouthful of the same, with hints of honey and lemon. Just a little better than the Arnaud Lambert Les Perrières tried alongside it, this should be better still in another few years.

7/19/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

I’d really enjoyed the white, so I wanted to try one of the reds. This is the second wine, selling for 13€.

Spring flowers (yes, from a Languedoc red!), plums, raspberry and spicy strawberry aromas, then a crisp, fresh attack of the same, very perky and spritely, like a Loire red with different flavours, quite rich in the middle section, but beautifully balanced and with again, a very fresh, rising finish. Already drinking well, but with clear potential, this would be a great choice in a restaurant. Very impressive, it just shows that with judicious winemaking, Languedoc reds do not have to be syrupy and oaky. This is an address I shall follow with interest from now on.

10/17/2021 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Pretty nose of orange blossom and orange peel, then a very charming mouthful of the same, with hints of honey and lemon. Just a little better than the Arnaud Lambert Les Perrières tried alongside it, this should be better still in another few years.

10/9/2022 - Julian Marshall Does not like this wine:

Unfortunately I didn't know before buying it that this wine has 15° ABV.
Sadly, that sums it up.
Quite intense aromas of orange peel and lemon, then some white peach, and the first sips were promising, showing some fresh citrus flavours before the rich middle section sent it spinning up into exotic land with hints of pineapple.
I can't say that the alcohol really showed at first, because the balance is quite good and the finish wasn't especially hot, but after half a glass, the effect on the head was obvious - 15° is 15°, it's as simple as that.
Unless you're built like a steamroller, this is problematic and personally, I don't want to feel tipsy after half a glass of white wine, so no - not a winner.

11/20/2022 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Another winning Ogereau from 2020, this is the semi-sweet cuvée, which therefore has less chiselled acidity than the dry wines. But it is just as delicious, with a wonderful nose of ripe white peaches and lemons, maybe a touch of honey, before a mouthful of the same. There is nothing cloying or syrupy about it, this has the same purity as the other wines with a little more give and sugar. If I had one qualm, it would concern the price - this costs more than the others but I'm not sure it delivers more.

5/31/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

A surprisingly fresh nose of lemon, hazelnut, some lime peel and white flowers, then a crisp attack of strong lemon flavours, with a certain nuttiness, dusty stone and light butterscotch, finishing with the lemon dominating again. I really enjoyed this - like a complex Loire white but more exotic, without any of the excessive lushness that white Languedocs can have. One to look out for.

2/7/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Fresh notes of citrus fruits and hay on the nose, then a fairly intense mouthful of mostly lemony flavours, with a lot of acidity, and a fairly long finish with a slightly bitter aftertaste. This is made in an uncompromising, old-fashioned style, so bone-dry, quite mineral. The fruit is certainly there, but it's quite subtle so this would not be for everybody. I liked it a lot and think it will age gracefully, but I prefer Plaisance and the Ogereau stable at this stage.

5/19/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Great stuff as usual, with wonderful energy and zest. More saline than the Bel Abord (Lieubeau) tasted alongside, but a little less volume than the latter. Perhaps slightly more compelling .

2/20/2022 - Julian Marshall wrote:

This is an experimental orange wine made with Pinot Gris by a Muscadet producer, Bonnet-Huteau. I like their wines so I bought one out of curiosity.
The colour is, obviously, orange, and I wonder to what extent this affected my senses.
The nose is an appealing blend of yellow peach, honey and spring flowers. In the mouth, it starts quite crisp and dry, before a fairly rich wave of peach, but then a slightly odd sensation of bitter orange, even marmalade, takes over, before the long but bone dry finish.
Quite off-putting at first, but I did get into it and really rather enjoyed it in the end.
I'm not sure I would recommend it, because I cannot imagine what dish to pair it with and as an apéritif I think it needs a little more sugar.
Also, at 24 euros this is a bit pricey.

4/27/2021 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Very mouth-watering aromas of lime, seaspray and pear, after which the first sip didn't disappoint - fresh lime and lots of it, then a cooler taste of apples and pears, with a crisp but persistent finish. It doesn't quite have the complexity yet that age will bring, but very promising and at 13 euros, good value.

10/9/2022 - Julian Marshall wrote:

Mixed feelings about this one - very subtle, both on the nose and on the palate, with attractive aromas of lemon and seaspray, greengages and honey, a blend of the same in the mouth, all very polite and civilized.
Compared to a Chinon Blanc by Baudry, it tasted diluted and weak, but compared to a 15° Rouannières by Clos Galerne, it was refreshingly cool.
For 16€, it's not bad value and I can't say I didn't enjoy it on its own merits, but there are many other Loire chenins costing the same which are more compelling.

3/1/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Not quite as good as the Lone 21 tried recently, but very enjoyable indeed. Hazelnut, lemon and white spring flowers on the nose, then a quite elegant mouthful of honey, hazelnut and citrus fruits, with a very subtle middle section leaning into lightly candied fruit, before a long but fresh finish that totally belies the 14.5°.

9/18/2021 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Apple and pear aromas, with some greengage and spring flowers in the background. A crisp attack of the same, then a very appealing middle section where some richer pear flavours take over, and a long, well-rounded finish. I wouldn't have guessed this was a demi-sec.

This continues the change of style which in my experience started with the 2016 - the wines are much fresher and crisper. It's odd not to find any honey in a semi-sweet Vouvray, but I'm not complaining - their wines are simply delicious and provide excellent value for money.

8/14/2023 - Julian Marshall wrote:

Not expensive at 20 euros, but nor should it be - this is a GC in name only. Quite decent notes of lemon and chalky minerality, but a bit dilute and bland too. Drinkable and not at all unpleasant, but not up to much.

10/9/2023 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

Still developing well, this has a beguiling nose of ripe apples and pears, with some spring flowers in the mix and a touch of honey. Much the same in the mouth, but the crisp finish saves it from any danger of stodginess. Just a lovely wine at a great price.