Loire

101 Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine sur Lie AC 2010
Domaine de la Quilla

Grape:100% Melon de Bourgogne (12% alc.)

Quilla’s wine is a blend of wines from different terroirs in the commune of La Haye-Fouassière. Quintessential Muscadet, it offers clean, ripe fruit, with a gunflinty note on the nose, nice balancing acidity and a long minerally finish.

* Half bottles are available

Click here for technical information about this wine

102 Muscadet-Sèvre-et-Maine sur Lie AC 2009 Les Gras Moutons
Claude Branger

Grape:100% Melon de Bourgogne (12% alc.)

This comes from 40 to 75 year old vines on the banks of the river Maine. It has denser fruit than the Quilla and is a very focused, intensely mineral wine that is absolutely delicious. Bring on the shellfish! For drinking now to 2013.

Click here for technical information about this wine

*New* 103 Touraine Sauvignon AC 2010 Le Petiot
Domaine Ricard

Grape:100% Sauvignon (12.5% alc.)

Really good sauvignon here thanks to organic viticulture, very low yields (45hh compared to most Sancerre at 60hh), good flint rich terroir and fine touch from Vincent Ricard. The wine has lovely texture, citrus and mineral notes with a nice herbal touch of mint and lemon verbena.

Click here for technical information about this wine

104 Pouilly-sur-Loire AC 2010
Domaine de Riaux

Grape:100% Chasselas (12% alc.)

This wine comes from 50 year old vines in Saint-Andelain, with flint-streaked soil. An understated wine with intriguing hints of mint, celery and white flowers on the nose and a gentle persistence on the palate.

Click here for technical information about this wine

105 Pouilly-Fumé AC 2010
Domaine Jeannot

Grape:100% Sauvignon (13% alc.)

Jeannot’s wine comes from the flint rich soil of Saint-Andelain. There is a pronounced flinty character on the nose, following through to the palate which is ripe, harmonious, with hints of grapefruit and peach. For drinking now to 2013.

* Half bottles are available

Click here for technical information about this wine

106 Sancerre AC 2010
Pierre Riffault

Grape:100% Sauvignon (14% alc.)

Riffault is based in Verdigny and has a ten hectare domaine dispersed over varying terroirs (limestone-clay marls, broken up limestone and siliceous clay with flint). Flint helps to give a lipsmacking, gunflinty minerality and really plays its part here with this pure, typical, good value wine. For drinking now to 2012.

Click here for technical information about this wine

107 Sancerre AC 2009
Domaine Croix Saint Ursin, Sylvain Bailly

Grape:100% Sauvignon (13.5% alc.)

Bailly’s classic Sancerre has a typical gun-flint nose and steely fruit. The vines are planted on the steep well-exposed slopes of Bué which have a particularly stony base. For drinking now to 2012.

* Half bottles are available

Click here for technical information about this wine

108 Sancerre AC 2010
Gerard Boulay

Grape:100% Sauvignon (13.5% alc.)

This comes from 35 year old vines on the hills of Chavignol. Cuve aged and a lovely, bright pale colour with greeny glints, on the nose it offers pure, restrained sauvignon, with an evident salty character and hint of iodine which follows through on the palate with a touch of lemon, fennel and blackcurrant leaf. For drinking now to 2013.

Click here for technical information about this wine

109 Sancerre AC 2010 Monts Damnés
Gerard Boulay

Grape:100% Sauvignon (14% alc.)

This outstanding wine comes from 40 year old vines located on the central, finest plot of this famous hillside. Partly vinified in cuve and partly in three to four year old barrels (good Troncais oak) it was bottled in May 2010. Restrained on the nose, it has much more evident weight on the attack, then becomes really quite racy with salty, iodiney notes on the finish. For drinking now to 2015.

Click here for technical information about this wine

110 Sancerre AC 2009 Clos de Beaujeu
Gérard Boulay

Grape:100% Sauvignon (13% alc.)

This comes from 30 to 60 year old vines that were until recently in the ownership of Bourges Cathedral for 500 years! The vineyard is very steep and south-east facing, helping to give the wine a little more backbone and nerve than Monts Damnés. Vinified and aged along similar lines to the above it will age magnificently. For drinking now to 2017+.

Click here for technical information about this wine

111 Sancerre AC 2008 Comtesse
Gérard Boulay

Grape:100% Sauvignon (13% alc.)

This comes from 0.40 hectares of 65 year-old vines on a prime slope in the heart of Monts Damnés. As long ago as 1870 Comtesse was considered the finest vineyard in Sancerre, and rented to him back in 2004 by a retiring vigneron, this is Boulay’s pride and joy. The vines are now attuned to his touch, and offer a wine with more intensity of fruit than Monts Damnés but still with an excellent backbone. For drinking now to 2017+.

Click here for technical information about this wine

112b Sancerre Rosé AC 2010
Gérard Boulay

Grape:100% Pinot Noir (12.5% alc.)

Is there a better rosé than this anywhere in France? 100% pinot noir from old vines gives this supremely elegant wine with fine fruit, saline minerality and a sustained finish. Available from May.

Click here for technical information about this wine

113 Sancerre Rouge AC 2009
Gérard Boulay

Grape:100% Pinot Noir (13% alc.)

50 year old vines, natural yeasts, no fining, no filtration, sensitive ageing in new to six year old barrels make this stylish and elegant wine – more than a match for many red burgundies. For drinking now to 2013.

Click here for technical information about this wine

114 Saumur-Champigny AC 2009
Domaine Le Petit Saint-Vincent

Grape:100% Cabernet Franc (12.5% alc.)

Dominique Joseph’s wine has a supple, natural quality, a black cherry nose, and is packed with cranberry fruit nicely underscored by the chalky soil. For drinking now to 2012.

Click here for technical information about this wine

115 Saumur-Champigny AC 2008 Amateus Bobi
Sebastien Bobinet

Grape:100% Cabernet Franc (12.5% alc.)

A micro-cuvée from a micro domaine. Low yields of 40hh from 20 year old vines. After destalking, the wine is fermented with a 60 day maceration at just 12° centigrade to extract a kernel of silky fruit and no harsh tannins (the winemaker’s version of slow cooking).The wine is then aged in four year old barrels for 16 months. It has a fabulous vibrant raspberry colour and depth of natural cabernet fruit. For drinking now to 2012.

Click here for technical information about this wine

116 St Nicolas de Bourgueil AC 2009 Les Graviers
Domaine du Mortier

Grape:100% Cabernet Franc (12% alc.)

The Boisard family have nine hectares of organically certified vines. Their wines are all marked by an incredible purity of fruit, low alcohol, silky tannins and are unfined and unfiltered. For drinking now to 2012.

Click here for technical information about this wine

117 Touraine AC 2008/2009 Le Haut Midi
Gérard Marula

Grape:50% Cabernet Franc, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Grolleau (12% alc.)

Gérard Marula produces this extraordinary wine with tiny yields from 60 year old vines in a sandy, clay soil overlying limestone. 100% destalked and vinified in cuve, the grapes are trod by foot for two minutes a day during a three week cuvaison. Aged in cuve with no sulphur, the wine has beautiful fruit, some spice, and fine tannins with an old viney print. For drinking now to 2013.

Click here for technical information about this wine

*New* 118 Chinon Rosé AC 2010 La Cuisine de Ma Mère
Domaine Grosbois

Grape:100% Cabernet Franc (11.5% alc.)

Vibrant red fruits here enhanced by a refreshing saline mineral quality. Nicolas pressed the red grapes and fermented in cuve using the indigenous yeasts. Given a six month elevage, this is a very good example of a Loire rosé.

Click here for technical information about this wine

119 Chinon AC 2009 Gabare
Domaine Grosbois

Grape:100% Cabernet Franc (12.5% alc.)

The Grosbois family produce four cuvées of Chinon, vinified by geographic parcel. This cuvée comes from a due south facing lower terrace of the Vienne river near Panzoult and a sandy, pebbly, clay soil. Aged in cuve, it has supple, attractive red cherry fruit with a gentle, stony undertone. For drinking now to 2013.

Click here for technical information about this wine

120 Chinon AC 2009 Clos du Noyer
Domaine Grosbois

Grape:100% Cabernet Franc (12.5% alc.)

The Grosbois’ top wine comes from 20 to 40 year old vines with a due south aspect right at the top of a gentle sloping river terrace near Panzoult, where the soil is made up of ‘millarge’ (a marine sediment). Meticulous viticulture (yields of only 30hh) have given a wine with lush fruit (black/red), supple and mineral on the palate with fine, well integrated tannins. For drinking now to 2014+.

Click here for technical information about this wine

121 Vouvray AC 2009 (Sec)
Vincent Raimbault

Grape:100% Chenin (13.5% alc.)

The 2009 Sec has ripe fruit and a nice mineral touch on the nose, is very clean and dry on the palate, with good lift on the finish. It would make an excellent accompaniment to fruits de mer or terrine de poissons. For drinking now to 2013+.

Click here for technical information about this wine

121 Vouvray AC 2009 (Demi-Sec)
Vincent Raimbault

Grape:100% Chenin (13.5% alc.)

The 2009 Demi-Sec again has a pronounced chalky mineral quality on the nose, has more weight on the palate and a long finish. It would go well with charcuterie starters and also with good goats cheese. For drinking now to 2013+.

Click here for technical information about this wine

*New* 122 Vouvray Sec AC 2009
François Pinon

Grape:100% Chenin (13% alc.)

Organic viticulture, 25 to 45 year old vines, low yields, an elevage in stainless steel and old foudres for one year define this excellent wine. Slightly closed aromatically, it has great depth, texture and length on the palate with a notable limestone influence. Will age very well. For drinking now to 2020+.

Click here for technical information about this wine

123 Savennières AC 2007 Equilibre
Domaine du Gué d’Orger

Grape:100% Chenin (14% alc.)

This is Loic Mahé’s top cuvee and the extremely low yields (11hh) give a dry wine with sumptuous concentration. On the palate the wine has excellent balance, and there are hints of quince, ginger and mountain herbs, then mineral stamp on the exceptionally long finish. Best served carafed, at cellar temperature. For drinking now to 2020+.

Click here for technical information about this wine

124 Montlouis-sur-Loire AC 2009 Premier Rendez-Vous
Bertrand & Lise Jousset

Grape:100% Chenin (13.5% alc.)

40 to 70 year old vines here, planted in a sandy, clay flint rich soil less than a metre above a limestone mother rock. Viticulture is meticulous and organic, and yields at only 25hh are very low. The juice is directed by gravity (never pumped), into one to five year old barrels where it carries out its fermentation. 40% of the malo-lactics were completed, and the wine retains good freshness and cut, with dry apple-quince fruit and mineral undertones of gunflint. A very versatile food wine or aperitif, the Joussets recommend this should be carafed. For drinking now to 2016.

Click here for technical information about this wine

*New* 125 Montlouis-sur-Loire AC 2009 Trait d’Union
Bertrand & Lise Jousset

Grape:100% Chenin (13% alc, 33g/l of rs)

There is a lovely tension here between sugar and acidity and the rich, ripe fruit typical of 2009 (a year that has produced fine chenins). Trait d’Union makes for especially good food matches with, for example, scallops, lobster, langoustine, foie gras terrine and aged goats’ cheese. Best carafed. For drinking now to 2017+.

Click here for technical information about this wine

126 Montlouis-sur-Loire AC 2007 Singulier
Bertrand & Lise Jousset

Grape:100% Chenin (13% alc.)

Singulier is the Jousset’s top cuvée from a 1.1 hectare plot of 60 to 80 year old vines called le Clos Renards. This is possibly Montlouis’ best lieu-dit where the sandy, flinty soil lies just 30cm above the limestone mother rock. Aged in recent 400 ltr barrels this dry, dense, zesty, perfectly balanced wine has an exceptional mineral vibration. For drinking now to 2017.

Click here for technical information about this wine

127 Vin de France 2008 Clos des Rouliers
Richard Leroy

Grape:100% Chenin (12.5% alc.)

There is a finesse and restraint to this wine (from only 0.70 hectares of low-yielding vines) with a mineral flavour imparted by the schist. Fermented completely dry with the malolactics completed and no batonnage, it shows chenin in its most elegant style. For drinking now to 2017+. From 2008 Richard decided to label Clos des Rouliers and Noëls de Montbenault, both usually bottled under the Anjou appellation, as Vin de France; a new classification allowing the winemakers to state the grape and the vintage on the label without mentioning the appellation. The reason for that is that Richard was not happy with the rules of the AOC Anjou. According to him, this AOC is far too vast (spread on a total of 80 villages) and is covering far too many different sorts of terroirs with no real unity (you’ll find on the Anjou AC more or less all the type of soils you can possibly think of i.e. clay, limestone, schist, etc) and the cahier des charges is not restrictive enough. For example, if a producer in Saumur is not happy with his wines, he can declassify them under the Anjou AC! So, for Richard, there is no notion of quality coming with this Anjou AC. As a result, even if his wines were receiving the agrément easily year after year, he decided not to present them anymore to emphasize the lack of reliability from the INAO. In the meantime he is working alongside other growers in the region trying to create a new hierarchy of appellations for Anjou that more accurately reflect the area’s widely differing terroirs.

Click here for technical information about this wine

128 Anjou AC 2007 Les Noels de Montbenault
Richard Leroy

Grape:100% Chenin (13% alc.)

The vines here are planted in the centre of an ancient volcano on the plateau of a windy ridge of hills overlooking the river Layon. Harvested from only ripe grapes (any botyritised grapes were individually cut out) and fermented dry, the wine has a sumptuous concentration on the palate, with a hint of quince and a notable mineral (irony) flavour. Rich but balanced and very long on the finish, this is an exceptional wine. For drinking now to 2020+.

Click here for technical information about this wine

Loire

Over the last ten years the Loire wine region has changed out of all recognition to the point where it is now producing some of the most exciting wines in France. This revolution has largely been led by a band of younger vignerons, who have applied fastidious viticulture and much lower yields to show some of the old established appellations in a totally different guise. As an added bonus all the cabernet franc reds are low in alcohol (between 12 and 13%), and most of the whites, other than chenin in exceptional sites, are below 13%. They are very adaptable and versatile food wines.

New to the list this year is the excellent Vouvray Sec from François Pinon. Since taking over from his father in 1987, François has emphasized ecologically friendly vineyard practices (certified organic). His vineyards are in the corniche of the Vallée de la Cousse in Vernou, the 1er côtes of Vouvray. The soil is clay and silica on a base of limestone with good proportion of flint. The vineyards here are renowned for producing wines of distinction and long life.

A really good Touraine Sauvignon from Domaine Ricard makes a first appearance this year. Vincent Ricard’s father founded the co-operative of Oisly and Thesée in 1958, and Vincent was a member there before deciding to set up on his own in 2001. He has 15 hectares of well-placed south-facing vineyards on upper terraces of the River Cher, which he partly harvests by hand using a team of 55 handicapped teenagers. Using indigenous yeasts and ageing 90% in cuve and 10% in two year old wooden foudres, Vincent produces a brilliant wine from especially low yields that would give many Sancerre more than a run for their money.

We have also added another wine from Nicolas Grosbois in Chinon. Since taking over the reins of the family domaine back in 2005, Nicolas has really settled down to produce stylish, attractive wines. Converting to organic viticulture in 2008 and hand harvesting 100% have certainly helped, but Nicolas now applies an especially sensitive touch evidenced by the superb fruit and harmony exhibited by his 2009 wines. Even in such a ripe vintage, Nicolas has managed to keep the alcohol down to an average of 12.5% - 1% lower than most red wines from the region in 2009, and 1.5% less than the wines that Nicolas initially made back in 2005. The fruit in his wines is exquisite with a notable mineral print from the marine sediment called ‘millarge’ upon which his vineyard is planted.