Domaine de Beausejour, Chinon 2007 This wine is riper than previous incarnations, showing black fruit beyond the capsicum. In the mouth it is green, but tolerable and gripping but tolerable. 100% Cab Franc with stainless ferment; Gerard et David Chauveau in Panzoult 12.5% $13.59 at Bottle Barn
Beausejour

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Domaine Vacheron, Sancerre 2008 The nose sports minerality and lime. In the mouth you’ll find concentrated citrus, a sense of austerity, a very dry wine with overt minerality – very nice and very long. The only thing missing is the chevre.
The family tends 29 hectares of Sauvignon biodynamically. Produced in Sancerre 13% purchased for [...]

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Francois Chidaine, Montlouis sur Loire, Clos Habert 2007 This wine was a tremendous disappointment after my experience with the previous vintage, reviewed earlier. First it was worrisome that the colour was quite golden.
Smelling the wine was a first rate example of VA, one that I could use in a seminar on wine flaws. Ethyl acetate [...]

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Sylvain Bailly, Sancerre, Terroirs 2008 The nose features the classic characteristic; there is lemon, pi pi de chat and grass. In the mouth the wine is crisp and mineral driven – spot on.Mis a Bue in Cher 12.5% $19.99 at Bottle Barn

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Clos de la Coulee de Serrant, Savennieres-Coulee de Serrant 2004 The wine in this bottle is deeply golden, almost brown, the nose is very complex, the mouth is quite dense and the flavors go on for a long time. Yet this wine is quite evolved.
The wines of Savennieres and in particular this estate are known [...]

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Bouvet-Ladubay, Brut, Rose, Excellence nv There’s a candied red fruit character in the nose while in the mouth, the wine is lean and acidic, perhaps a little green, with a bitter, pithy grip. The grapes are Cabernet Franc and are sourced from within and around Saumur. Vin Mousseux elabore a St-Hilaire-St-Florent in the Maine et [...]

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Domaine Huet, Vouvray, Le Haut-Lieu, 1ere Trie, Moelleux 1990 This wine has developed a beautiful tawny color over almost 2 decades. The nose smells of toffee, caramel and raisins. The mouth is an absolute explosions of fresh oranges covered in caramel – really. I know that sounds hyperbolic, but the freshness of the fruit has [...]

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Domaine Le Peu de la Moriette (Domaine Pichot), Vouvray 2008 In the nose there is a sense of herbaceousness, candied green fruit and floral notes. In the mouth there is that familiar balance of the sweet and the tart, as this wine has consistently shown. There’s plenty of concentration again making this wine a great [...]

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Domaine des Hautes Noelles, Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie 2006
This wine has developed paraffin and lanolin characteristics in the nose. The acidity that one expects of Muscadet in the mouth is there with a rounded, silky texture – nice complexity at this stage, just about 3 years since the vintage. Mis en bouteille par [...]

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Domaine André Vatan, Sancerre, Les Charmes 2007 The style point has always been lean and green, offering a sense of the appellation without the over $20 price of the more concentrated offerings. This vintage sports minerality, pipi de chat and grass in the nose. The mouth is quite crisp, with plenty of laser-like acidity and [...]

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Domaine Huet, Vouvray, Clos du Bourg, Moelleux, Premiere Trie 2002 The nose sports minerality and citrus and the mouth is vivaciously alive, singing with acidity and joined in a chorus with flavors of tangerine and pineapple. This is certainly not as sweet as many wines that you might take with dessert. With its balance of [...]

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Jean Reverdy, Sancerre, La Reine Blanche 2007 Once again the smell of grass and grapefruit are in full force while the mouth follows suit with plenty of acidity and a little minerality.
My notes from the previous three vintages show this consistent thread of grapefruit and grass in a high acid frame
Produced from vines over 25 [...]

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Clos Rougeard, Saumur Champigny 2004 There’s complexity here in the nose, a combination of sweet oak, smokiness, chocolate and a little bit of volatility. The sweet flavors follow suit in the mouth with a heavy dose of brett and a tart framework. This wine goes on for a long time – very nice. The grapes [...]

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Catherine & Pierre Breton, Chinon, Beaumont 2005 The smells of sweet berry fruit with crush leaves and green herbs. In the mouth the wine is chewy and lightly but appropriately green with tart fruit flavors. The vines for the Beaumont are 50 years old and the wine is made in stainless. The domaine practices biodynamic [...]

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Domaine Didier Dagueneau, Pouilly-Fume, Pur Sang 2004 In this wine there is the smell of cat pee and minerality. The mouth is very concentrated and long, with ripe citrus flavors like orange and tangerine. This Sauvignon is barrel fermented. Produced in Sant Andelain 11.5% $53.99 at Bottle Barn back in 2006

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Domaine des Baumard, Savennières, Clos du Papillon 2004 This nose lights up with minerality and matchstick as the sulfur works it way into the air. There’s lanolin and a hint of green as well. The nose is full-on, intense acidity yet not acid alone. There is a viscosity as well and great concentration. This 100% [...]

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Domaine de la Louvetrie, Muscadet Sevre et Maine, Sur Lie, Hermine d’Or 2007 Tart and a bit like biting into the skin of a lime with the full fruit intensity of the lime as well. Yes, there’s the acidity you expect from Muscadet but this is hardly a lean one – very concentrated and livened [...]

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Domaine de la Butte, Bourgueil, “Le Pied de la Butte” 2007 The leafiness that you’d expect with fresh fruit of a Beaujolais. This is light-bodied and zippy with acidity and fruit in the mouth – a quaffer from the appellation. This is all Cab Franc sourced from the foot of the slope cultivated by Blot. [...]

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Francois Chidaine, Montlouis sur Loire, Clos Habert 2006 In the nose there is a complex mix of minerality and honey while the fruit flavors flow in the mouth from citrus to tropical with comparable acidity – very nice. The estate’s vineyards are certified organic. The vines in the Clos Habert are 60 years old. The [...]

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Domaine de la Chanteleuserie, Bourgueil Cuvée Alouettes 2006 The previous vintage of the Cuvee Beauvais showed the characteristic green of Cab Franc from the area with enough fruit to back it up. This wine is a bit reductive and tarry with black fruit and minerality underneath. The wine is chewy, earthy and on the rustic [...]

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Francis Blanchet, Pouilly-Fume, Cuvee Silice 2006 Corked, so who will ever know what to think about this wine.This is all stainless Sauvignon produced across the river from Sancerre. Silice is sourced from an old vine parcel, laden with silex, just up the river in Les Loges. Mis a la propriete a Le Bouchot in Pouilly-Sur-Loire [...]

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Regis Cruchet, Vouvray, Demi-Sec 1996
Then nose is quite evolved where there is a sense of varnish and nuttiness and a little lingering fruit. In the mouth though, there’s tropical fruit and lime with just enough residual sugar to pair this with some fresh berries, but nothing too sweet. Proprietaire and recoltant at Richambarde in Noizay [...]

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Domaine Le Peu de la Moriette (Domaine Pichot), Vouvray 2007 This wine embodies the sweet and tart character that Chenin can show so well when there’s a bit of residual sugar. Unfortunately our latest bottle in May of ‘09 is a bit corked. The grapes are hand harvested from calcerous clay slopes with yields around [...]

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The previous tasting in the California and Europe class in San Francisco pitted Baumard against Oremus. Tonight’s flight brings in a different top-flight producer, this time from Sauternes. Both the Raymond-Lafon and the Oremus will be tasted side-by-side. In both cases the Oremus proved the favorite.
Chateau Raymond-Lafon Sauternes 2002
My notes from the [...]

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Domaine de Beausejour Chinon 2005
My notes from the 2004 say green and thin but OK if nothing else is available. The 2005 shows more fruit to smell but still has much that is green about it. In Sept. ‘08 this wine has more black fruit popping out amongst a light hint of bandaid and still [...]

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Domaine Les Hautes Noëlles Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu sur lie 2006
The last vintage tasted, 2004 was very clean and bursting with acidity. Again tonight with the 2006, this wine struts its acidity with a freshness of fruit to smell in the nose. Mis par Serge Batard in St Léger Les Vignes, imp. to US by [...]

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Domaine André Vatan, Sancerre, Les Charmes 2006
The style point has always been lean and green, offering a sense of the appellation without the over $20 price of the more concentrated offerings. Today’s wine offered riper fruit flavors that are just delicious. There’s a sense of lemons and grapefruit with lots of refreshing acidity. André [...]

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