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Vatan Sancerre Clos La Néore: 2005-2022
France: Loire, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Aug 2026
Mention Clos La Néore and oenophiles’ ears immediately perk up. One of the world’s rarest and most distinctive whites, Clos La Néore represents the pinnacle of artisan farming and winemaking. This vertical spanning thirteen vintages back to 2005 showed Clos La Néore in many facets, from wines driven by steely minerality to those marked by textural richness and weight. With one or two exceptions, the wines were superb.
Sancerre: An Undulating Landscape
France: Loire, featured
, Aug 2026
The only thing that growers in Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé can rely upon seems to be unpredictability. There is no longer such a thing as a normal growing season. Two thousand twenty-five marked yet another set of contrasting conditions to the past two vintages, creating a vastly different style of wines from those of previous years.
Cellar Favorite: 2013 Domaine Didier Dagueneau – Louis Benjamin Pouilly-Fumé Silex
France: Loire, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Jan 2026
I drink far too few Loire whites these days. A recent encounter with a bottle of 2013 Pouilly-Fumé Silex from Dagueneau served as a pertinent reminder of what I am missing out on.
The Mighty Ducks: 2023 Loire Valley Reds
France: Loire, featured
, Aug 2025
If there was ever a vintage where red wines from the Loire Valley were the championship underdog team, 2023 was it. Growers had every reason to throw their secateurs down and quit, but they kept their heads down and doggedly fought on. Ultimately, the perfect season isn’t always necessary to achieve good results. The 2023 vintage exemplifies that.
Sancerre 2024: A Test of Endurance
France: Loire, featured
, Aug 2025
There’s no sugar-coating the 2024 vintage. The wines are unlikely to show the region in its best light. In a growing season defined by rain and cold, one must wonder: will Sancerre’s allure prove as weatherproof as its reputation?
Sancerre: Combat Fatigue
France: Loire, featured
, Aug 2024
Nature can be a fickle beast, giving just as quickly as it takes away. The rollercoaster ride that elements have put on in recent years has left the grape growers of Sancerre and surrounding appellations exhausted. Their hopes rise as steeply as the Mont Damné slopes before being dashed over and over again. And yet the sun rises each morning, bringing the possibility that this might be the day when their luck changes.
Loire Chenin Blanc: Chaume the Way
France: Loire, featured
, Jul 2024
Searching for its soul as well as sales, the Loire’s Chenin Blanc producers hope the creation of crus for dry whites will improve quality and their reputation on the world wine stage.
Loire Reds: Beyond the Unicorn
France: Loire, featured
, Jan 2024
When it comes to Loire Valley reds, there is one cult producer whose bottles consistently steal the limelight: Clos Rougeard. Following the inauguration of its revamped winery, financed by the Mariana-Trench-deep pockets of its new owners, it’s timely to consider the impact of this unicorn on local producers and international consumers.
Loire Chenin: Dividing Lines
France: Loire, featured
, Oct 2023
Chenin Blanc producers in the Loire Valley are not just divided geologically but ideologically, with widely varying interpretations of place of origin. Throw two contrasting vintages into the mix, and the diversity of the region’s latest releases is dizzying.
Book Excerpt: Vintage Crime – A Short History of Wine Fraud
New Zealand, France: Loire, featured
, Oct 2023
In her new book Vintage Crime – A Short History of Wine Fraud, Rebecca Gibb MW tells the history of wine through some of the most well-known cases of fraud, in addition to less well-documented incidents that intrigued Rebecca personally.