{"title":"Loire Valley 10.15.26","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"draft-b3","title":"Biotteau Anjou Rouge Mary Taylor","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"364\" data-start=\"0\"\u003eThere’s a rare sort of Anjou Rouge that feels like a secret kept just outside the Loire’s more trafficked circuits — generous in fruit yet lithe in structure, earthy without austerity, and astonishingly priced for what it delivers. The Pascal Biotteau Anjou Rouge is that wine: a red of buoyant energy, supple grip, and uncanny completeness for its value.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1024\" data-start=\"366\"\u003eOn the nose it sings of blue and black cherries, wild bramble, and a note of redcurrant leaf that keeps the fruit from ever feeling heavy. There’s an undercurrent of wet limestone and sous-bois that speaks unmistakably of Anjou’s schist and tuffeau — savory and mineral, not ornamental. On the palate the wine is medium in body, with a silky, fine-grained tannin framing a core of bright, pure fruit: blood plum, a hint of raspberry reduction, and an herb-tinged thread of wild thyme that threads through the finish. There’s a cool, stony lift to the acidity that keeps the whole lithe, yet it carries real weight and resonance well beyond its price bracket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-is-only-node=\"\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-end=\"1381\" data-start=\"1026\"\u003eIt’s Loire freshness without green austerity, ripe fruit without jam — a wine that feels crafted with thoughtful restraint and terrains-driven clarity. In a world where everyday reds often tip into generic ripeness or hollow structure, this Anjou Rouge stands out not by force but by completeness: place, purity, and poised energy in every glass. A steal.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46139197096169,"sku":"","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_2d976572-9274-4afa-aeed-20215777492a.png?v=1631291540"},{"product_id":"b43","title":"Arnaud Lambert Saumur Terres Rouges","description":"\u003cp\u003eHere is a joyous, heartwarming, mirthful red wine that will bring a smile to your palate and a warmth to your dinner table – Arnaud Lambert’s Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc “Terres Rouges.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI realize that this guy’s name, the place he’s from, and the grape variety he is using probably isn’t always on your nightly dining table. But it should be, and I’m here to pleasantly, and quickly, introduce you to all of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArnauld Lambert is a young winemaker in the Loire Valley, with his hometown being Saumur Champigny. Coming to winemaking at a young age, he also arrived with no preconceived notions, which is important for his part of the world. Most Saumur wines are made in the old, co-operative style, emphasizing bulk production instead of quality of fruit. Most are also grown using a high input of chemicals as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut Lambert changed all of that. First he shifted to organics, and he is now shifting to biodynamics. Instead of large bulk parcels, he is vinifying small cuvees focused on obtaining the pure expression of the terroir. Hence this one being named “red earth”, after that soil on which it is planted. As \u003cem\u003eBettane \u0026amp; Desseauve\u003c\/em\u003e (the top French wine magazine) noted of Lambert: “[He is] one of the most talented winemakers in the Loire… one of Top 100 Producers of France.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Saumur, the main red grape variety is Cabernet Franc. And with stating that, I would like to give a bit of a disclaimer, with a silver lining. Loire Cabernet Franc, when farmed in bulk, often is not to most Americans’ flavor profile liking. If you were studying for a Master Somm exam, the kindest way you might summarize it is “underripe blueberry.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut that’s not this wine. Here, due to careful vineyard practices and meticulous work in the winery, Lambert’s Saumur Franc expresses a gorgeous purity of red raspberry fruit and blueberry fruit on the nose and palate. The fruit expression is so dynamic and engaging, it is absolutely sure to please. But this is still the Loire (not Napa), and the fruit character is one of vivid freshness, as opposed to, say, Pritchard Hill Franc’s girthy power. The wine is lean with the sense of being utterly refreshing, giving the palate and finish definition in detail – a master work of deliciousness wrapped in a delightfully unassuming presentation. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere, front and center, is the new-wave of Loire Cabernet Franc, the reason that sommeliers everywhere are bragging about being able to glass pour Lambert’s wines. Like many wines I’ve seen over the years, I believe this one will soon become a cult favorite, and quickly double and triple in price, if not more.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOr, maybe an easy way to summarize this wine—-\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you can recall the flush stirrings of your first teenage romance immortalized in Austrud Gilberto’s Bossa Nova rendition of Rogers and Hammerstein’s song “It Might as Well be Spring” you’ve got this wine – charming, pretty, restless, elegant, gay in a melancholy way, bursting with anticipation of all the new life spring brings. So delicious! – Don’t miss our modest allocation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45238417031401,"sku":"F52420","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_d0f98b6d-5188-4777-baa4-11abd7b74b8b.png?v=1631299337"},{"product_id":"pascal-janvier-jasnieres-cuvee-silex","title":"Pascal Janvier Jasnieres \"Cuvee Silex\" 2024","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOne boring day at the wine store many years ago, I was looking through a wholesaler’s closeout wine list, and I saw a back vintage of one of Pascal Janvier’s wines.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMisreading the Coteaux du Loir, a tiny region off of the Loir River, for the Loire Valley, the expansive region along the Loire River, I thought, “Hey, Jasnières rhymes with Savennières, and Chenin Blanc from Savennières lasts a long time. I betcha this wine might still be good!” (This episode belongs to the Seat-of-the-Pants School of Buying Wine.)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Coteaux du Loir isn’t the Loire Valley, the Loir River isn’t the Loire River, and Jasnières isn’t Savennières. But who cares? This is one fascinating wine! And dollar for dollar, it's one of the best values in all of wine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDrinking those first, older, closeout vintages of Janvier’s wines was like drinking a garden of spring greens. That image may sound like I juice too much kale, so I’ll paint you a better picture.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eYou’re in a garden on an idyllic, cool spring day, tending to the early baby lettuces, maybe eating a few of their young leaves now and again. Your fingers set the straw, the compost and the garden limestone. Cool water from the iron faucet washes over the palms of your hands. You eagerly begin to imagine the summer bounty you hope Mother Nature provides for you. This feeling of anticipating summer ― of cherishing and cultivating nature, of daydreaming of warmer weather, of whiling away a vernal weekend afternoon with fresh food, good wine and great friends ― that feeling of the good, green earth is what these wines are. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI allocated myself just one bottle each of Janvier’s Jasnières and Cuvée Silex this season, and I made the most of both of them. Fresh Wisconsin trout with crushed green tomatoes and roasted chèvre and chives, along with two garlic toasts ― one with crushed peas, the other with roasted Brie, spring red onions and prosciutto. And finally, squash blossoms stuffed with more chèvre, fried and served with slivered garlic scapes. But because I only got one bottle of these wines, I didn’t share either of them or any of this. But if you buy some of Janvier’s wines, I’m more than happy to recreate this experience!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eYou can tell by now I really like these wines. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePascal Janvier is a butcher-turned-winemaker who cultivates Chenin Blanc and Pineau d’Aunis in the Loir Valley, and his wines are long-established fixtures of the Kermit Lynch import portfolio. Kermit says that the wines are best after aging seven to 10 years, and I agree with him. Though that didn’t stop me from drinking my two-bottle allocation of the new vintage straightaway. The Jasnières is planted on clay and limestone soils and has stronger fruit notes. The Cuvée Silex is planted on flint and is smokier.   \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePascal’s wines are beautiful and unique. They may be, dollar for dollar, the best wine values on the face of God’s green earth. Don’t think about their modest price. Think about how much of them you should buy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWaterford being Waterford, we get all the Janvier allocated for Wisconsin. But 2021 brought small yields to the Loir as well as the Loire, and the State of Wisconsin, which is to say Waterford Wine, received tiny quantities of Janvier’s beauties. I promise, I took only one bottle of each of these wines. Hopefully there’s enough for us all to enjoy. Please do!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43647879839977,"sku":"F54810","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/Janvier_Silex_11_hi_res.jpg?v=1662993971"},{"product_id":"arnaud-lambert-nv-cremant-rose","title":"Arnaud Lambert Breze Cremant de Loire Rose","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43997309173993,"sku":"F52450","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-0187.png?v=1733781200"},{"product_id":"huet-vouvray-demi-sec-le-haut-lieu","title":"Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Haut Lieu","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"375ml","offer_id":48357913329897,"sku":"","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"750ml","offer_id":67677424648425,"sku":null,"price":42.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"domaine-roland-tissier-sancerre","title":"Domaine Roland Tissier Sancerre 2024","description":"","brand":"AVA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48482592719081,"sku":"6657","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-1753.png?v=1750266160"},{"product_id":"dont-be-shellfish-muscadet","title":"Don't Be Shellfish Muscadet 2024","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe name is a joke. The wine is not.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e“Don’t Be Shellfish” is Muscadet — the great, limpid, perpetually underrated white wine of France’s Loire Valley, made from Melon de Bourgogne grapes grown where the river makes its final push toward the Atlantic. Aged \u003cem\u003esur lie\u003c\/em\u003e — on its yeast lees through the winter — it develops that characteristic creamy texture and subtle bread dough richness that separates serious Muscadet from the thin, forgettable kind. The 2024 opens with yellow plum, citrus, green apple and an unmistakable saline minerality that is essentially the Atlantic in a glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePair it with oysters, mussels, clams, grilled shrimp, or anything that swam recently. It is, objectively, one of the great food wines in the world at any price — and at this price, keeping the whole bottle to yourself would be genuinely, inexcusably shellfish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eDon’t miss it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Badger","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51616422461673,"sku":"7003253","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-3635.png?v=1785787937"},{"product_id":"domaine-de-congy-pouilly-fume","title":"Domaine de Congy Pouilly Fume 2022","description":"","brand":"Capitol\/Allstate","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51696149954793,"sku":"50687","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-3786.png?v=1787605968"}],"url":"https:\/\/waterfordwine.com\/collections\/loire-valley-10-15-26.oembed","provider":"Waterford Wine and Spirits","version":"1.0","type":"link"}