The Wines of This Week's Tasting:
Unique Loire White and Red Values for Summer
July 31, 2024
White
2021 Haut Fevrie Clos de la Fevrie Muscadet Sevre et Maine
Muscadet was a pedestrian wine with more acid than fruit to chug with oysters. New producers are recently trying to improve the region's character and quality, with prices matching their ambitions. Haut Fevrie's single vineyard offering f does just that; it highlights Muscadet's potential delicate balance of acid, fruit, and stone but without the price. It impressed us; we think it will do the same for you. For all seafood, not just oysters.
Aroma: clean, subdued rounded acidity, firm, intense, full; Mouth: restrained but rounded, full bright acid lingering minerality, subtle, very long; Very Good Plus $21.99; Case, $18.99
2023 Arnaud Lambert Saumur Les Parcelles
Wall Street Journal wine columnist Lettie Teague praised the "talented Arnaud Lambert" for his "terrific still Chenin Blancs from old vines." We like his wines also; this well-priced one has the classic chenin stone fruit with a nice balancing acidity
Aroma: heady, Rich heady, fragrant, and fresh flesh; Mouth: clean fleshy, bright, firm, clean, very good length; Very Good Plus $23.99; Case, $19.99
2020 Domaine des Huards Cour-Cheverny Romo
Romo is the estate's nickname for Romorantin, this wine's rare grape unique to one Loire village. Perhaps a distant relative of Chardonnay, it has a savory, exotic quality that can give you what Chardonnay cannot. With no need for oak, it has a weight and richness that can stand up to goat cheese, white meats, and even spicy foods. Give it time in the glass; it will open to a heady, greengage-infused richness.
; Aroma: earthy and soft, dense, full, rich, pretty; Mouth: bright, clean, lively, sour apple, pretty firm; Very Good - Excellent $27.99; Case, $23.99
2022 Domaine Sautereau Sancerre
Ten generations of family Lots of quality for the price
A meticulously crafted blend of Sancerre's three soils. It rises above the thin acidity of most Sancerres at its price. With air, it fleshes out nicely, not thin and acid like many others at its price
Aroma: mineral, fruity, rounded fresh, softly flinty; Mouth: clean, rounded fleshy, full, fat, light flintiness, very balanced, juicy, intense, nicely fleshed, lightly; Very Good Plus $35; Case, $29.99
Red
2020 Domaine des Coutures Saumur Champigny l'Epanouie
L'Epanouie, The Blossoming, aptly describes how it fleshes out in the mouth: a rush of soft plum and currant fruit, with a nicely offsetting line of steely Cabernet Franc acidity underneath. It strikes the best beast balance between the two we have discovered at its price.
Aroma: dense, herbal, spicy, and edgy, classic franc; Mouth: vibrant & intense, fine acid edge, it has cut and clean cut with sweet ripe fruit, very intense with good drive; Very Good Plus $19.99; Case, $16.99
2022 Domaine de Villeargeau Coteaux de Giennois Chicago
The Coteaux de Giennois, the slopes around Gien, are south-facing vineyards just downriver from Sancerre. There, Villeargeau makes well-priced pinot noirs that have become customers' favorites (We are sold out until the next vintage). They call that Classic in their range, but with a wit that parallels their winemaking skill, they call this wine Audacious for its originality. Chicago is a very rich expression of gamay, the grape of Beaujolais, with an admixture of pinot noir to refine it. It's sumptuous and full with no hard edges, an easy wine to savor and drink. At the tasting, I will tell you why they named it so.
Color: very dark black; Aroma: very dark, heady full, spicy and heady full very fruity, full; Very Good Plus $19.99; Case, $16.99
Loire Valley Case two each of the wines $254, $21.67 a bottle
Or mix any 12 at their case prices
Sautereau's top single vineyard wine has extraordinary balance and complexity
2021 Domaine Sautereau Sancerre Chene Marchand
This single vineyard Sancerre is in a very good place to drink now. It has the complexity of wines half again as expensive. From Caillottes soil you get an excellent expression of flint. A year in the lees and a further year in bottle gives texture depth and richness. Very limited. There are only five cases.
Aroma: flinty dense, flinty dense full, fat, herbal, full; Mouth: bright, clean fruity, very ripe, nice acidity, firm, good weight, lightly lemony, subdued power, and firmness; Excellent $48; Case, $41
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
- Len Rothenberg
FREE DELIVERY!
downtown on orders more than $75;
in Greater Boston on orders more than $199
