News — Loire

Cult Loire - Bizot Disciple:
2021 Nicolas Barbou Touraine Oisly Utopie Creative

The 2021 Utopie Creative is absolutely brilliant. Barbou turned the vintage's cool profile and fresh acidity into an absolutely riveting wine. It's both enveloping and sleekly kinetic, with bright, almost red fruit notes, herbs, stone fruits, and a saline core.

Chinon Sweet Spot:
2021 Baudry Chinon Clos Guillot

When the Baudry family purchased Clos Guillot, they were confident that it would become their top site.

Recent Purchases:
Canonica, Carillon, Falkenstein, Lenoir, Mascarello, Rousseau, Wasenhaus & More

There's everything from Huet's 2014 Haut Lieu Franc de Pied Sec to three liters of 2016 Tribut Côte de Léchet.

Rare, Revelatory Loire: 2021 Bernaudeau Vin de France Les Onglés

The first time that I tasted Bernaudeau's Les Onglés, it was a revelation. The wines have a clarity, a deep mineral imprint, and liveliness that are fascinating and straight-up delicious.

The Master of Chinon:
2020 Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée

La Croix Boissée is one of the greatest expressions of Cabernet Franc in the entire Loire.

Back Up The Truck: Loire Edition
2022 Sables Verts Saumur-Champigny Glouglou

Sables Verts' Glouglou was an instant favorite. We discovered Sables Verts earlier this year and they became a go-to for honest and very fairly priced Loire wine.

Without Peer
2021 Pascal Cotat Chavignol Rosé

Every year, we buy as much Pascal Cotat Rosé that we can find. The reason is simple: It is one of the most age-worthy and compelling rosés in existence. Sadly, in 2021, there's a tragically small amount of the wine to go around.

Loire Benchmark
2020 Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Clos des Briords

Loire Royalty - In Top Form
2019 Roches Neuves Saumur Blanc Clos de l'Échelier

The l’Échelier Blanc is always the most incisively mineral of Roches Neuves' whites. Clos de l’Échelier is a 1.8ha clos (a walled vineyard) that has hard limestone soils.

Century Old Vines
2019 Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Les Mémoires

This is very much the story of old vines, ones that are over hundred years old, that dig deep into limestone.

The Outlier
2019 François Cotat Sancerre Caillottes

François Cotat produces some of the greatest expressions of Sancerre (and Sauvignon Blanc) in the world.

Ungrafted Saumur
2017 Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Franc de Pied

The Franc de Pied is based on vines that have never been grafted on to American root stock as nearly all of Europe's vines have been to escape phylloxera.

The Loire's King of Fizz, Part II:
2019 Les Capriades “Piège à Filles” Rosé

Les Capriades are absolute masters of pét-nat. When I taste their examples alongside many of their peers, it seems like they know something no one else does.

Noteworthy Loire - Unmediated Purity
2018 Domaine de Montrieux: Gaga de Toi Gamay & Picrochole Pineau d'Aunis

Domaine de Montrieux are wines that I want to drink often.

I admire their simplicity, their purity, and how they present a combination of unmediated honesty with a dose of sophistication and polish. When it comes to the Pineau d'Aunis bottlings, I'm in awe of how masterfully the grape is handled.

A Legendary Grézeaux In The Making:
2018 Baudry Chinon Les Grézeaux

Baudry is one of our favorite producers in the entire Loire. Year after year, they craft some of the greatest expressions of Cabernet Franc.

Still, the 2018 Grézeaux is special.

Loire Benchmark - Ideal Summer Sipper:
2018 Pepiere Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine Clos des Briords

Year after year, Pepiere's Clos des Briords is our favorite Muscadet.

There's a beautiful honesty to Briords that causes us to buy it by the case every vintage. You might find more powerful and richer Muscadets, but Briords is unrivaled when it comes to luminous transparency and cut.

The Crown Jewel of Sancerre: 2018 Pascal Cotat La Grande Côte

La Grande Côte produces what may be the most profound expressions of Sauvignon Blanc.

It produces epic and soaring Sancerres that age brilliantly. 

Clos Rougeard: 1989-2012

In the Loire, Clos Rougeard is without peer when it comes to refinement and ageability.

The Loire's King of Fizz: 2018 Les Capriades Pet-Sec

Les Capriades is a Pét-Nat specialist, and their examples are unrivaled. A couple of weeks ago, I opened up a bottle of the Pet-Sec and drank it over two days. It was such an exciting experience that I bought every bottle that I could get my hands on. It's rare that you can find more than a few cases, so I'm happy to have the opportunity to do an offering. 

The Outlier: 2018 François Cotat Sancerre Caillottes

Generally speaking, you'd summarize Cotat's wines as deep, layered, and rich. Caillottes turns this characterization on its head. We like to think of Caillottes as the outlier in Cotat's lineup. It's also deliciously compelling.

The Chambolle of the Loire:
2018 Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Clos de l'Echelier

Clos de l'Echelier is a very special expression of Cabernet Franc, and the 2018 vintage elevated the wine to a stunning level. Roches Neuves's 2018s are formidable. The entire lineup is powerful, deep, and sculpted with nice precision and levity. There's impressive terroir imprint amid all the power.

Cotat Rarity - Very Limited:
2018 François Cotat VdF Rouge

This is one of the most mysterious, hardest to find wines around. We spent years searching for François Cotat's Rouge. After many years and lots of effort, we ended up with just a few cases.

Cult Loire - Rare:
2016 Bernaudeau Vin de France Les Onglés

Bernaudeau's wines are some of the purest and most energetic expressions of Chenin that you'll find. They became cult wines almost overnight. When you taste, the swiftness with which they became some of the most sought after wines in the Loire makes sense. The wines simply dazzle.  

2010 Clos Rougeard Saumur Blanc Brézé

Out of Rougeard's incredible and long-lived lineup, the way that Brézé ages is amazing. The 2010 Brézé is one of the most utterly brilliant vintages of the wine that I've tasted.