Loire Valley
Spanning from the Central Vineyards in the east to Nantes in the west, passing through Torraine and Anjou-Samur, the Loire Valley is a vast and varied wine region shaped by the river's influence. The region's diverse terroir is characterized by a continental climate in the east and a maritime climate in the west.
Renowned for its exceptional dry white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, the Loire Valley offers a captivating selection with crisp acidity, expressive fruit flavours, and mineral notes. Notable white wine appellations in the Loire Valley include Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Vouvray, and Savennières. Leading producers of white wine in the region include Domaine Vacheron, Domaine Huet, and Domaine Didier Dagueneau.
In addition to its white wines, the Loire Valley produces charming red wines made from Cabernet Franc. Ranging from light and fruity to more complex and age-worthy, these red wines are known for their vibrant acidity, subtle tannins, and bright red fruit flavours. Key appellations for red wines in the Loire Valley include Chinon, Bourgueil, and Saumur-Champigny. Notable producers of red wine in the region include Domaine Bernard Baudry, Catherine & Pierre Breton, and Domaine Charles Joguet.
The Loire Valley also produces excellent sweet wines and sparkling wines. Sweet wines are made from Chenin Blanc grapes affected by botrytis, a fungus that concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in luscious sweetness, honeyed flavors, and vibrant acidity. The most famous sweet wine appellations in the Loire Valley include Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume. Sparkling wines, known as Crémant de Loire, are made using the traditional method and offer excellent value for money with finesse, delicate bubbles, and refreshing character.
Loire Valley
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Loire | 2 | 96 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€1,028.76 |
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Vinous (96)The 2018 Moelleux 1ére Trie Clos du Bourg is magnificent. Clean, mineral and also quite rich, the 2018 is all about harmony. Underlying veins of salinity frame the orange jam, passion fruit, apricot and chamomile flavor so well. Even with all of its obvious richness, Clos du Bourg retains its cut and energy. Wow! |
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Loire | 2 | 95+ (WA) |
Inc. TAX
€1,037.72 |
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Wine Advocate (95+)The 2018 Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie is pure, deep and flinty on the concentrated nose, with very fine oak, toffee and potted ginger aromas. Lush, sweet and generous yet precise and crystalline on the palate, it features very fine tannins, lingering salinity and positive energy. This is a compact, persistent, tightly woven and stimulating Chenin from the Le Mont terroir that reveals firm, tensioned structure and a young finish with potential to improve and refine. Tasted in May 2019. |
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Loire | 1 | 95+ (WA) |
Inc. TAX
€558.78 |
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Wine Advocate (95+)The 2018 Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie is pure, deep and flinty on the concentrated nose, with very fine oak, toffee and potted ginger aromas. Lush, sweet and generous yet precise and crystalline on the palate, it features very fine tannins, lingering salinity and positive energy. This is a compact, persistent, tightly woven and stimulating Chenin from the Le Mont terroir that reveals firm, tensioned structure and a young finish with potential to improve and refine. Tasted in May 2019. |
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Loire | 3 | 92 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€490.42 |
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Vinous (92)The 2018 Chinon Clos du Chene Vert, Monopole is one of the top wines from Joguet, offering pure black fruit and even some mint chocolate aromas, in addition to the telltale signs of classy oak use evident in its rich, rounded vanilla notes. In the mouth, you can expect a fuller-bodied style of Cabernet Franc that never becomes heavy or lush. It retains its freshness on the finish, reminding you that we might be in a hot vintage in the Loire, but we're still in the Loire. Fine, sand-like tannins sit in the mouth while the oak-derived vanillins and dark fruit linger on the long, sinewy finish. |
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|
Loire | 10 | - |
Inc. TAX
€919.72 |
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An exquisite exemplar of elegance, the Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau Sancerre En Chailloux 2018 embodies the craft of Loire Valley winemaking. The product of meticulous viniculture, this single vineyard Sancerre is grown in chalky clay soils, affording the Sauvignon Blanc grape the ideal conditions for full maturation. Head winemaker Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau, the son of legendary Loire winemaker Didier Dagueneau, favours purity and precision in his wines, preferring minimal intervention in the cellar to let the unique terroir speak for itself. The result? An extraordinary minerality, bright acidity and elegant notes of citrus and white peach that have become synonymous with Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau Sancerre En Chailloux 2018. As flirtatious as it is refined, this white ignites the senses with a harmonious blend of intensity, balance, and terroir-driven complexity. A delightful expressional masterpiece that confirms the Dagueneau family's reputation for producing unequalled Loire Valley whites. |
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Loire | 2 | 92 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€604.12 |
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Vinous (92)From 30-year-old vines on schist and quartz. Light golden. Big aromas and flavors. Lots of melon and white fruit — ripe pear, quince, white peach. Ripe, and full-bodied, with lots of underlying spice. |
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Loire | 7 | - |
Inc. TAX
€391.98 |
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Loire | 3 | 90 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€587.58 |
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Vinous (90)It’s an “orange wine,” for sure, but for now, in its youth, the 2018 Saumur Blanc Terres is just kind of golden. The nose is full of apple and pear, with a cidery note, along with earth and citrus peel. In the mouth, there’s a lot of pear and pineapple. I find it adventurous and unique. The 2018 spent 4 months macerating in amphora. |
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Loire | 2 | 90 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€509.27 |
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Vinous (90)A fascinating natural wine experiment (only 2,000 bottles). Four months maceration in amphora, then eight months in very old barrels. Aromas of wild berry and earth and that natty “Brooklyn funk.” Once you move past the nose, it’s relatively straightforward on the palate, offering cherry and earth and plenty of stony notes, fine tannins and a cozy but stony finish. Might still be a little young. |
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Loire | 11 | 93 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€544.12 |
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Vinous (93)The 2018 Sancerre Blanc Les Romains offers lovely textural depth and fine balance. Lemon confit, marzipan, spice and floral notes add that extra bit of pliancy and resonance that gives the wine its soft curves and open-knit personality. Best of all, the 2018 will drink well right out of the gate. |
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Loire | 1 | 93+ (WA) |
Inc. TAX
€434.99 |
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Wine Advocate (93+)From vines averaging 45 years of age on the slopes of the Coteau and aged in oak barrels for 20 months, the 2018 Bourgueil Les Quartiers opens with a deep, intense and toasty bouquet of ripe, black berries and blackcurrants intermixed with spicy tones, cigar box and graphite. Silky, refined and fresh on the palate, this is an elegant, tight but vivacious, silky-textured Cabernet Franc with crystalline tannins and a long finish that is still oak-influenced in its flavors, but the structure, finesse and intensity and the very delicate raspberry flavor in the aftertaste indicate excellent aging potential. Personally, I prefer the crus that were partly aged in stoneware (amphorae) and also for a shorter period, whereas Les Quartiers represents the old Amirault style, before 2014. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Loire | 2 | 96 (VN) |
In Bond
€820.00 |
|||||
Vinous (96)The 2018 Moelleux 1ére Trie Clos du Bourg is magnificent. Clean, mineral and also quite rich, the 2018 is all about harmony. Underlying veins of salinity frame the orange jam, passion fruit, apricot and chamomile flavor so well. Even with all of its obvious richness, Clos du Bourg retains its cut and energy. Wow! |
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|
Loire | 2 | 95+ (WA) |
In Bond
€820.00 |
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Wine Advocate (95+)The 2018 Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie is pure, deep and flinty on the concentrated nose, with very fine oak, toffee and potted ginger aromas. Lush, sweet and generous yet precise and crystalline on the palate, it features very fine tannins, lingering salinity and positive energy. This is a compact, persistent, tightly woven and stimulating Chenin from the Le Mont terroir that reveals firm, tensioned structure and a young finish with potential to improve and refine. Tasted in May 2019. |
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|
Loire | 1 | 95+ (WA) |
In Bond
€447.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (95+)The 2018 Vouvray Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie is pure, deep and flinty on the concentrated nose, with very fine oak, toffee and potted ginger aromas. Lush, sweet and generous yet precise and crystalline on the palate, it features very fine tannins, lingering salinity and positive energy. This is a compact, persistent, tightly woven and stimulating Chenin from the Le Mont terroir that reveals firm, tensioned structure and a young finish with potential to improve and refine. Tasted in May 2019. |
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|
Loire | 3 | 92 (VN) |
In Bond
€390.00 |
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Vinous (92)The 2018 Chinon Clos du Chene Vert, Monopole is one of the top wines from Joguet, offering pure black fruit and even some mint chocolate aromas, in addition to the telltale signs of classy oak use evident in its rich, rounded vanilla notes. In the mouth, you can expect a fuller-bodied style of Cabernet Franc that never becomes heavy or lush. It retains its freshness on the finish, reminding you that we might be in a hot vintage in the Loire, but we're still in the Loire. Fine, sand-like tannins sit in the mouth while the oak-derived vanillins and dark fruit linger on the long, sinewy finish. |
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|
Loire | 10 | - |
In Bond
€744.00 |
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An exquisite exemplar of elegance, the Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau Sancerre En Chailloux 2018 embodies the craft of Loire Valley winemaking. The product of meticulous viniculture, this single vineyard Sancerre is grown in chalky clay soils, affording the Sauvignon Blanc grape the ideal conditions for full maturation. Head winemaker Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau, the son of legendary Loire winemaker Didier Dagueneau, favours purity and precision in his wines, preferring minimal intervention in the cellar to let the unique terroir speak for itself. The result? An extraordinary minerality, bright acidity and elegant notes of citrus and white peach that have become synonymous with Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau Sancerre En Chailloux 2018. As flirtatious as it is refined, this white ignites the senses with a harmonious blend of intensity, balance, and terroir-driven complexity. A delightful expressional masterpiece that confirms the Dagueneau family's reputation for producing unequalled Loire Valley whites. |
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|
Loire | 2 | 92 (VN) |
In Bond
€481.00 |
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Vinous (92)From 30-year-old vines on schist and quartz. Light golden. Big aromas and flavors. Lots of melon and white fruit — ripe pear, quince, white peach. Ripe, and full-bodied, with lots of underlying spice. |
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|
Loire | 7 | - |
In Bond
€308.00 |
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|
Loire | 3 | 90 (VN) |
In Bond
€471.00 |
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Vinous (90)It’s an “orange wine,” for sure, but for now, in its youth, the 2018 Saumur Blanc Terres is just kind of golden. The nose is full of apple and pear, with a cidery note, along with earth and citrus peel. In the mouth, there’s a lot of pear and pineapple. I find it adventurous and unique. The 2018 spent 4 months macerating in amphora. |
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|
Loire | 2 | 90 (VN) |
In Bond
€402.00 |
|||||
Vinous (90)A fascinating natural wine experiment (only 2,000 bottles). Four months maceration in amphora, then eight months in very old barrels. Aromas of wild berry and earth and that natty “Brooklyn funk.” Once you move past the nose, it’s relatively straightforward on the palate, offering cherry and earth and plenty of stony notes, fine tannins and a cozy but stony finish. Might still be a little young. |
|||||||||
|
Loire | 11 | 93 (VN) |
In Bond
€431.00 |
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Vinous (93)The 2018 Sancerre Blanc Les Romains offers lovely textural depth and fine balance. Lemon confit, marzipan, spice and floral notes add that extra bit of pliancy and resonance that gives the wine its soft curves and open-knit personality. Best of all, the 2018 will drink well right out of the gate. |
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|
Loire | 1 | 93+ (WA) |
In Bond
€344.00 |
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Wine Advocate (93+)From vines averaging 45 years of age on the slopes of the Coteau and aged in oak barrels for 20 months, the 2018 Bourgueil Les Quartiers opens with a deep, intense and toasty bouquet of ripe, black berries and blackcurrants intermixed with spicy tones, cigar box and graphite. Silky, refined and fresh on the palate, this is an elegant, tight but vivacious, silky-textured Cabernet Franc with crystalline tannins and a long finish that is still oak-influenced in its flavors, but the structure, finesse and intensity and the very delicate raspberry flavor in the aftertaste indicate excellent aging potential. Personally, I prefer the crus that were partly aged in stoneware (amphorae) and also for a shorter period, whereas Les Quartiers represents the old Amirault style, before 2014. |