Browse using the new Vinous website now. Launch →
Loire Cabernet Franc: Who Do You Think You Are?
France: Loire, featured
, Aug 2022
Over the past two decades the quality of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc has soared. The very best wines are inimitable, elegant, terroir-driven and sensitively handled. They deserve to be discovered, in their own right, as superlative Loire reds, not a fresher alternative to Bordeaux Right Bank nor an affordable offering for Burgundy drinkers. Following four visits to the Loire in the first half of 2021, I was left wondering why Loire Cabernet wasn’t enough, why did it have to be benchmarked against other French wine regions that don’t make single varietal Cabernet Franc?
New Zealand Reds: Treading Lightly
New Zealand, featured
, Apr 2022
It’s hard to believe that just over 40 years ago, New Zealand’s South Island was considered too cool to plant grapevines, let alone make fine red wines. In a single generation, this notion has been turned on its head. There have inevitably been growing pains as the vines sought out their rightful places and the grape growers and winemakers made their mistakes, but it seems that there is now a coming of age as mature vines meet mature – and increasingly sensitive – winemakers.
Desperately Seeking Sauvignon
New Zealand, featured
, Mar 2022
A small 2021 vintage sent international wine buyers scrabbling to secure their New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc supply, but what the wines lack in quantity, they’ve made up for in quality, while Chardonnay continues to make a strong case as New Zealand’s finest white variety.
Muscadet: A Region in Crus Control
France: Loire, featured
, Nov 2021
Life has not been kind to Muscadet producers in recent decades, but with the advent of a cru system, focusing on local terroir and extensive lees ageing, there are reasons for optimism. In my report, I ask if this is the rocket fuel this under-appreciated region needs to revive its fortunes or is it a case of Mission Impossible?
Cabernet Franc: The Dark Days Are Over
France: Loire, featured
, Oct 2021
Loire Cabernet Franc is not what it used to be. The days of green flavors and rustic tannins have been consigned to history. Not only do the most recent vintages display a riper expression, they reveal a greater understanding of what it takes to make refined Cabernet Franc.
Sancerre: Taking the Temperature
France: Loire, featured
, Aug 2021
I head to Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé to discover growers battling challenging conditions year after year. The latest releases from the hot 2018, 2019 and 2020 vintages offer a ripe expression of Sauvignon in the central Loire, which may be a sign of things to come.
Cellar Favorite: 2009 François Cotat Sancerre Les Culs de Beaujeu
France: Loire, Cellar Favorites, cellar favorite
, Aug 2021
You know you’re in luck when you get a date with François Cotat. Despite his wines’ cult-like status, Cotat isn’t one for the limelight. Red carpets are not laid out for visitors. Donning his well-worn tracksuit, Cotat makes my jeans and Converse combination look positively dressy.
Cellar Favorite: 2006 Domaine de Pallus Chinon
Cellar Favorites, cellar favorite
, Jul 2021
Bertrand Sourdais was born and raised in Chinon but spent many years studying and working in Bordeaux and Spain before returning to the family domaine in 2005, making this vintage just his second in charge.
Marking Milestones with Moulin Touchais
France: Loire, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Apr 2021
In search of something to drink to mark a milestone birthday, those of us with a less-than-legendary birth year are resigned to the fact that our first breath did not coincide with the perfect growing season in Bordeaux. Revealing your date of birth to châteaux owners keen to open a special bottle often leads to a pitying shrug of the shoulders and a gallic ‘Bof’ when you disclose your parents poorly timed your entry to the world. But there’s hope for us yet: an underground cellar in a small Loire Valley town could be the answer to that elusive anniversary bottle that doesn’t require you to remortgage your house simply to mark a special date in the diary.
Interpreting Chenin Blanc
France: Loire, featured
, Mar 2021
In my first Loire report for Vinous, I take the pulse of Chenin producers with a focus on current releases from Savennières and Vouvray.