Two Loire Standouts-Guiberteau and Dagueneau

Dig Wines, San Francisco
Tasted Friday, October 18, 2013 by drwine2001 with 379 views

Flight 1 - Romain Guiberteau (4 Notes)

  • 2009 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Rouge Les Motelles

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur

    Light red. High fidelity varietal nose. Light weight wine but real intensity of cherry fruit and soil with superb cut and acidity for the vintage. Approachable but better still with a few more years of aging.

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  • 2010 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Les Arboises Brézé

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur

    Also lighter ruby. More closed both aromatically and in the mouth. Bigger than the '09 but grittier, more oaky and less harmonious feel. This clearly needs a lot of time and won't be open any time soon. I prefer the supple feel and balance of the 2009 Motelles, though.

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  • 2012 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Blanc

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur

    Light yellow. This sucks you right in with its broad, glossy Chenin entry. It seems pretty inviting and friendly, and then all of a sudden, bam! The mid-palate and finish are all acidity and soil, and it leaves the mouth parched with its ending austerity. Very Savennieres-like. Pretty impressive grip and intensity for a basic cuvee, but this is completely disjointed right now.

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  • 2010 Domaine Guiberteau Saumur Clos de Guichaux

    France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur

    Light yellow. Wow, enticing aromatics that remind me of white Burgundy-some citrus, lees and faint nuttiness that is not oxidative. Glorious texture with real creaminess buttressed by formidable but not punishing acidity. Great palate coverage and length. The earth does not stick out as much as in the basic 2012 cuvee. I get the sense that this is something really special, and I look forward to following its trajectory.

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Flight 2 - Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau (2 Notes)

  • 2011 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé

    Properly pale. Assertively varietal nose with grapefruit and that unmistakably pungent scent of cat pee. Lusher and more textural than I have found this cuvee in the past. Not quite the level of acidity needed to bring focus and cut through the loose feel. Good nonetheless.

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  • 2010 Didier Dagueneau Silex

    France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé

    Slightly fuller color than the 2011 Blanc Fume. Some grassy Sauvignon notes, nowhere near as exaggerated in that wine. Instead, riper lemon confit aromatics. Bigger, rounder and deeper with excellent acidity and soil, but for its scale, I thought it lacked a little flavor impact. Maybe I'm being too hard on it, though. No need to hold this forever as it is very open now.

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