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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
France: Loire, featured, New Zealand
, 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.
Sancerre’s Charm Offensive
France: Loire, featured
, Jul 2023
Two thousand and twenty-two provided another warm, dry summer in Sancerre, but the wines have achieved a harmony they failed to capture in previous hot seasons. It’s time to explore why this is a more consistent and balanced vintage.
Cellar Favorite: 1971 Marc Brédif Vouvray Grande Année
France: Loire, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, May 2023
I cannot deny that I’ve proselytized the 1971 vintage to the point where I must sound like the most scratched record in my vinyl collection (namely, a war-torn copy of With The Beatles handed down by my nan and kept for sentimental reasons). But it is true that you can travel the globe from wine region to wine region and find marvels that continue to drink well. Case in point, this gorgeous Loire that I chanced upon in London recently. I am a big fan of mature Vouvray, and Brédif seems to have a treasure trove of mature vintages.
Sancerre Sees Red
France: Loire, featured
, Dec 2022
Prices of red Burgundy seem to show no sign of easing. In the search for an alternative, wine lovers may head east toward Germany or further afield to New Zealand and Oregon. However, a mere two-hour drive from the Côte de Nuits lies an often-overlooked Pinot Noir region, sitting on coveted ground.
Chenin Blanc: Wait a Sec
France: Loire, featured
, Sep 2022
No two seasons are alike in the Loire these days. In addition, the reality is that dry wines are far easier to sell today than off-dry and sweet wines. Looking at 2020 and 2021 in the context of current trends, the question remains: while the market clamours for dry Loire Chenin Blanc, is the move towards drier styles in the wines’ best interests?
Sancerre: Finding Its Place
France: Loire, featured
, Aug 2022
Forget the grape behind Sancerre, local producers are increasingly keen to push their individual vineyards. With records showing the Sancerrois were using the term “climat” before the Burgundians and with hundreds of individual sites today, it’s important to acknowledge their history, but I wonder if the world demands such detail from Sancerre, or if its winemakers are trying to push wine uphill.
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?
Cellar Favorite: 2011 Clos Rougeard Saumur Blanc Brézé
France: Loire, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, May 2022
It was actually during a visit to Ducru-Beaucaillou that I chanced upon this week’s Cellar Favourite. Entertaining a fellow wine scribe for lunch, proprietor Bruno Borie invited me to choose their pre-prandial white before I had to shoot off to another appointment.
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?