Loire Wines

[Schneier]

I'm living in the Loire for three months, near Tours. (Read blog here.) Any suggestions on local wine producers I should look up and visit?

Bruce

[Mark Sommelier]

I'm living in the Loire for three months, near Tours. (Read blog here.) Any suggestions on local wine producers I should look up and visit?

Bruce

Domaine Jo Pithon for Savennieres, Didier Dageuneau in Pouilly-sur-Loire, Christophe Baumard for Savenierres and Quarts de Chaume, Domaine Huet in Vouvray, Caves Bruneau-Dupuy in St. Nicolas de Bourgeuil. Chateau de Nozet in Sancerre.

[KatieLoeb]

What he said. Just bring home as many bottles of Savennieres and Clos de la Coulee de Serrant as you can carry.

[Echezeaux]

For some estates in your "local" area...

DOMAINE PHILIPPE ALLIET

L'Ouche Monde

Cravant-les-Couteaux

Tel: 02-47-93-17-62

This fellow makes top Chinon (Cab Franc) wines...very fine and much sought-after.

DOMAINE HENRY MARIONNET

Domaine de la Charmoise

Soings

Tel: 02-54-98-70-73

This famous enologist produces some deliciously fruity Sauvignon and Gamay wines.

DOMAINE DE LA TAILLE AUX LOUPS

8 rue des Aitres, Husseau

Montlouis-sur-Loire

Tel: 02-47-45-11-11

One of the two leaders in Montlouis...splendid dry Chenin Blanc is Cuvee Remus...very fine!

FRANCOIS CHIDAINE

5 Grand Rue

Montlouis-sur-Loire

Tel: 02-47-45-19-14

Makes good Montlouis wines, dry and off-dry...also has a small wine shop along the river with many wines from around the Loire...

DOMAINE PICHOT

32 rue de la Bonne-Dame

Vouvray

Tel: 02-47-52-62-55

Recent vintages of their basic Vouvray have been really delicious and quite inexpensive. They have a modest stock of older sweet wines, too, also well-priced. Nice bubbly, too.

Hope that helps.

[KatieLoeb]

In addition to Francois Chidaine (whose wines I love and have served in my restaurant), you should try and visit Prince Poniatowski's estates. His Vouvray run the gamut from bone dry to sweet and he occasionally makes a sparkling as well. All are of excellent quality.

[wnissen]

Domaine Huet is just down the road from you. You have to go. Their wines can require decades to reach their peak, but almost everyone recommends them as one of the finest Loire producers. You can get their stuff in the U.S., but at the cellar door they will be cheaper and the provenance will be perfect. www.huet-echansonne.com Their wines range from light as a feather to massive sweet wines.

An hour down the road (according to www.maporama.com) is Touraine, home to zingy Sauvignon Blancs and Cabernet Francs. One cult favorite for its value and "transparency" is Clos Roche Blanche. Their main U.S. importer has a brief description available. Definitely check out Baumard's Quarts de Chaume, another long ager (something of a Chenin Blanc hallmark) but also delicious and quite sweet when young. That appellation is near Saumur, 70km to the west.

But these are the guys who have found importers and actually are pretty well distributed in the states (well, the east coast at least). I highly recommend taking a day or three just to explore any place that has a "dégustation de vins" sign up. That's the real fun, in my book. Speaking for eGullet as a whole, we envy you.

Walt

[Brad Ballinger]

Three more to add. Nicolas Joly (Savennieres), Rene Renou (Bonnezeaux), and Francois Pinon (Vouvray).

[Bux]

Jacquline Friedrich wrote a book on Loire wines in 1996. A Wine and Food Guide to the Loire. Henry Holt was the publisher. I suspect many of the names are still valid. It would be good terroir reading. I mean it would be more meaningful to read it there. In Savennieres they make great dry wines and across the river they make great dessert wines from the same chenin blanc grape. That's just west of Angers.

[LOS]

Vouvray: Huet, Foreau, Bourillon d'Orleans, Champalou, Pino

Montlouis: Deletang Chidaine (also now responsible for the Poniatowski Vouvray stable, IIRC)

Chinon: Breton, Baudry, Alliet, Olga Raffault, Couly-Duthiel

Saumur: Clos Rougeard, Joel Taluau

Cheverny: Francois Cazin

Coteaux de Loir: Domaine du Belleviere

Savennieres: Closel, d'Epire, Baumard

C-d-Layon, Q-d-Chaumes: Baumard, Pierre-Bise, Chateau du Bellerive, Domaine du Sablonettes

Touraine: Clos Roche Blanche, Clos du Tue-Bouef (Thierry Puzelat)

[Schneier]

I visited Chidaine, at least their store on the main road. They sell their own wines, as well as an interesting selection of Liore wines.

And I saw a large Couly-Duthiel sign from the ramparts of Chinon castle.

Bruce

[ctgm]

I import some wines from GITTON PERE ET FILS who is at Menetreoul sous Sancerre. I really like his wines as each vineyard is bottled separately and it is the best example I have come across to show the real differences of terroir. He has about 20 Sancerres, several Pouillys and a few other bits and bobs.

[primowino]

I am a big Loire chenin blanc fan and I agree with all the recommendations for Vouvray, especially Huet. It's all down to personal taste but I find the demi-sec Vouvrays provide the best experience, with Moelleux wines often being very ethereal and dry Vouvrays being too acidic tasting for some people.

As an alternative to Vouvray you could get hold of some Montlouis from across the river, the wines of similar quality but often better value. Some one has already mentioned Deletang as a top producer, but I would definitely add Berger to that.

[grandcru]

For reds, I like the wines of Phillipe Vatan's Ch. du Hureau. Their basic Saumur-Champigny and the upmarket Cuvée Lisagathe are very pleasing wines for the price, which is considerably lower than Rougeard (not that Rougeard is a rip-off, mind you).