Young Loire Tasting

• NV Jerome Gueneau Méthode Traditionelle Rosé

  France, Loire Valley, Val de Loire

  Deep pink. Full, dry, tangy red fruit.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Première Vendange

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine

  Red. A bit of carbonic scents and funk. Medium weight. Simple bright cherry fruit.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2009 Domaine de la Noblaie Chinon Pierre de Tuf

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  Medium light color. Clean nose with some brown spices and just a hint of herb. Tight, light, well balanced but very backward. I liked what I could see, but that was but a fraction of the wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2009 Charles Joguet Chinon Les Varennes du Grand Clos

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  Lighter color. High toned red fruit and more dill than in the Noblaie. Lovely weight and ripeness, then a taut, young, olive-laced finish. Very good.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2009 Frederic Mabileau Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Elipse No. 9

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil

  Light. Interesting mix of pine needles and dark chocolate. Medium weight, more minerality than fruit on the palate, very good length. This could turn out very well in a few years.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Domaine Claude Branger Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Le Fils des Gras Moutons

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

  Pale. Bracing lime aromatics. Not nearly as interesting when you taste it-light, lowish acidity and minimal impact or intensity.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Jacky Marteau Sauvignon Blanc Lulu

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine

  Light greenish color. Grassy varietal nose. Nice grapefruit and reasonable acidity.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2010 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé

  Light yellow. Beautiful green citrus on both the nose and the palate. Great acid cut, some lushness to bolster the structure, terrific length. Not surprisingly, this was the class of the whites by a wide margin.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2010 Le Rocher des Violettes Montlouis-sur-Loire Touche-Mitaine

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

  Medium yellow. Honeyed pear on the nose. Good weight but not as much fruit in the mouth. In fact, so dominated by soil that it reminded me most of Savennieres rather than Chenin from this spot.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Domaine de la Noblaie Chinon Goutte de Rosé

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon

  Yellow. Dry quince and some wood toast. Good feel, some earth, lowish acidity. This just sits there without any flavor authority. Dull and completely uninteresting.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2011 Pascal Janvier Jasnières

  France, Loire Valley, Jasnières

  Medium yellow. Some citrus. Medium to lighter weight, brighter than the Noblaie and a twist of soil. OK, hardly heroic but at least it holds your attention more than the last wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2008 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray

  Deep yellow. Honey and spicy baked apple along with another off component that it is hard to call. Medium weight, not at all unctuous, not that sweet. Unimpressive depth and a short, dirty finish. Not the first '08 Huet I've had where the purity is very much in question. I'd avoid this and really wonder whether some less than noble rot has made it into the wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Mostly uninspiring wines. The two exceptions were from old favorites Joguet and Dagueneau. I continue to be concerned about the diffuse nature of the 2011 whites, and the 2008 dessert wine from Huet only reinforced my doubts about Vouvrays from that vintage.