James Molesworth`s Recommended Loire Wines

James Molesworth’s Recommended Loire Wines
For complete reviews, see the Buying Guides of previous issues or www.winespectator.com.
An alphabetical listing of all wines tasted for this report begins on page 156 of this issue’s Buying Guide.
Top reds and whites
Top dessert wines
wineScorePrice
wine ScorePrice
Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex 2004
Philippe Delesvaux Coteaux du Layon
95 $NA
Sélection de Grains Nobles 2004 500ml
96
$83
Cuts like a knife, with live-wire Key lime, grapefruit, chalk
and sea salt notes. Rich and powerful.
Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé
Buisson Renard 2004
95
$62
95
$62
Subtle but alluring aromas of lemon curd and acacia flower
belie the power in this white. Long, crackling finish.
Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé 2004
94
$50
93
$27
couly-Dutheil Chinon Clos de l’Echo
Crescendo 2003
93
$60
93
$35
94
$86
Top values
93
$37
$35
Shows very flattering ginger and peach aromas, but tightens
up quickly on the palate thanks to its nervy acidity.
Prince Poniatowski Vouvray Clos de l’Avenir 1997 93
$34
Mature up front, with burnished notes of lemon cream, dried
pineapple and mango. Sweet but refreshing.
89
$10
89
$10
87
$11
86
$9
86
$10
86
$10
86
$10
Racy, with nice depth. Offers lots of lemon, lime, floral and
mineral notes, with a long, crunchy finish.
Domaine des Dorices Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine
Sur Lie Cuvée Choisie Vieilles Vignes 2005
A bright, lean style, with lime, sea salt and floral notes.
Crisp, tangy finish.
jean-claude Bougrier Vouvray 2005
Top dessert wines
$10
Nice crunchy acidity keeps this melon- and peach-filled
white going, leading to a bright, minerally finish.
Les Vignerons des Terroirs de la Noëlle Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie 2005
93
90
Very pure and elegant red, showing purple flower and blue
and black fruit notes. Long, finely tuned, minerally finish.
Cave des vignerons de Saumur Saumur White
Les Pouches 2005
Lush red, with plum sauce, licorice, graphite and Black Forest
cake, with a long, dark, fruit- and iron-filled finish.
S.A. Huët Vouvray Demi-Sec Clos du Bourg 2005
$62
With an auburn color and dark notes of maple, date and 375ml
sugared walnut, this will be a different paradigm for most.
Cave des Vignerons de Saumur Saumur Réserve
des Vignerons 2005
Rich for a demi-sec, with layers of mango and papaya driven
by notes of ginger, cardamom and bergamot.
Thierry Germain Saumur-Champigny
Domaine des Roches Neuves La Marginale 2004
94
wineScorePrice
Muscular red, packed with bramble, blackberry, cassis bush,
tobacco and dark olive paste notes. Should age wonderfully.
Foreau Vouvray Demi-Sec Domaine du
Clos Naudin 2005
$88
Shows a burnished hint. A waxy note leads to lemon cream,
papaya, glazed pear, piecrust and buckwheat honey flavors.
Jo Pithon Quarts de Chaume Les Varennes 2003
Shows gorgeous fruit—glazed pear, fig and quince—with a
warm brioche note. Finish sings with floral and mineral notes.
95
Piercing minerality drives the panoply of mango, almond,
papaya, green tea and acacia flavors. Creamy finish.
Foreau Vouvray Moelleux Domaine du
Clos Naudin 2005
Uncommonly rich, with a tightly wound core of lemon
zest, white flowers, chalk and freshly baled hay.
François Chidaine Vouvray Le Bouchet 2005
Seems very rich at first, with blood orange, persimmon and
ginger notes, but then the fine minerality takes over.
Foreau Vouvray Moelleux Domaine du
Clos Naudin Réserve 2005
Gorgeous, with acacia and honeysuckle flower aromas followed by green almond, grapefruit, lime and straw notes.
Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Pur Sang 2004
(continued)
Light-hearted, with fresh green apple and lime notes backed
by a frankly sweet note on the finish.
wineScorePrice
Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume 2005
98
$70
A jaw-dropper, with orange blossom, persimmon, fig and
quince flavors that remain remarkably bright and light.
S.A. Huët Vouvray Cuvée Constance 2003
Clean and fresh, with citrus, floral and mineral notes and
a crisp finish.
98
$140
Offers a stunning array of date, quince paste, fig and 500ml
persimmon aromas and flavors, with a laser of acidity.
Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon
Clos Ste.-Catherine 2005
96
$50
Very enticing, with quince, pear, persimmon and fig aromas
and flavors. This should cruise in the cellar.
Cave des vignerons de Saumur Saumur White
Réserve des Vignerons 2005
Crisp, with flint, lime, floral and mineral notes on a
bright frame.
Sauvion & Fils Vouvray 2005
Rich and ripe, with glazed fruit, apple tartine and fig paste
notes backed by a rich texture and a long, creamy finish.
Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon
Cuvée Le Paon 2005
Henri Bourgeois Sauvignon Vin de Pays
du Jardin de la France Petit Bourgeois 2005
Lean, with lime and peach notes that stay fresh and bright
through the minerally finish.
95
$40