I was looking forward to the Loire Open House, a joint effort by local importers Bourgogne Crown, Cheers and Caftoria. Then Corona hit me. The PCR test, a week after I was actually sick, was positive, so I was stuck in quarantine. I couldn't attend the event, but the craving meter was dialed to the max, so I started pulling bottles out of the fridge.
Yannick Amirault, Bourgueil, Le Grand Clos, 2019
Cabernet Franc is often accused of not ripening well and showing green bell peppers. Amirault’s reds are never guilty of that, always showing judiciously ripe, highlighting the spiciness of Cabernet (both of them). At first, this is awkwardly young and blatantly fruity. Then, the spiciness kicks in and the palate becomes rich in a way that reminds me of Portuguese reds. The flavors settle down to a more balanced state of affairs, but the wine retains the overt fruitiness of youth and even a half glass left overnight showed no additional nuances. Bury in the back of the fridge.
Claude Riffault, Sancerre, Les Chailloux, 2019
I wrote a short while ago how much I love the Sancerre domaine, Vacheron. But the truth is, the local import trade has blessed us with quite a few other choice names, such as Vincent Pinard and this new name from Caftory, Claude Riffault. I loved the two other bottlings that Uri carries but I kept this one in the fridge for a while. It hails from a vineyard rich in silex, which is supposed to make this the most intense wine in the lineup.
Sauvignon Blanc doesn't always have a rich, complex palette of aromas and flavors, but at its best, it can make a whole lot out of melons, lime and flint. And the best of Sauvignon Blanc doesn't get much better than the double threat of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume in the Loire. Les Chailloux is certainly a wine that will match the best the Loire can offer, unleashing an expressive intensity that exults in its almost untamed youth. I don't know where age will take it, although the acidity and sweetness need time to better engage each other, because they’re really at each other’s throat now. Reservations aside, this youngster is a charmer already.
Domaine Sérol, Vin de Pays d'Urfé, Champtoisé, Chenin Blanc, 2020
Domaine Sérol is a small winery in Côte Roannaise, an obscure AOC in the Loire I'd never heard of, until Bourgogne Crown started importing it. Obscure though Côte Roannaise may be, its regulations are as strict as any French appellation, and all whites, including Chenin Blanc (one of the Loire’s signature grapes) are delegated to a VdP label. As Chenin Blancs go, this is quite typical, summer fruits, a touch of minerals, a taste of honey. Not a lot of interest, yet, but there’s enough to make me consider a revisit later this year.
Domaine Sérol, Côte Roannaise, Eclat de Granit, 2020
The AOC proper is dedicated to Gamay, and this is very lovely, with dusty/peppery notes on the nose and youthful, spicy flavors. By the way, here is a map of the east Loire. As you can see, Côte Roannaise is very close to the more renowned land of Gamay, Beaujolais. Less than 80 kilometers, in fact.
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