{"title":"Loire","description":"","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":"draft-b4","title":"Domaine de la Chanteleuserie Les Alouettes Bourgueil","description":"\u003cp\u003eDomaine de la Chanteleuserie’s \u003cem data-start=\"31\" data-end=\"46\"\u003eLes Alouettes\u003c\/em\u003e Bourgueil opens with that unmistakable Loire Cab Franc lift — red currant and sour cherry threaded with crushed raspberry, fresh bell pepper, and a faint whiff of graphite. The palate stays light on its feet, all savory tension and clarity: cranberry skin, wild herbs, damp earth, and a gentle streak of limestone minerality. Tannins are fine and dusty, acidity bright and refreshing, carrying the wine to a clean, quietly stony finish that feels more about place than power.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46008068604137,"sku":"F54501","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_9acbe49c-78f5-4bf7-8d68-40b855274eb5.png?v=1631291567"},{"product_id":"b11","title":"Siadou Valencay by Mary Taylor","description":"\u003cp\u003ePale straw with a green glint. Fresh and quietly expressive, opening on lemon peel, pear skin, and crushed herbs, with a gentle Loire flintiness and a hint of wet stone. The palate is light-footed and precise, driven by citrus and orchard fruit rather than overt aromatics, with clean acidity and a subtle savory edge—fennel frond, chalk dust, and a touch of saline bitterness. Finishes crisp and refreshing, understated but thoughtful, more about clarity and texture than volume. A restrained, food-friendly Valençay that rewards attention.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44652478136553,"sku":"","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_c460314b-9d75-431f-bf63-5c19b1511c3c.png?v=1631291732"},{"product_id":"draft-b19","title":"Filliatreau La Grande Vignolle","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"2018","offer_id":40795053686974,"sku":"","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"2020","offer_id":42311592247529,"sku":"","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_40c9abfa-c076-4249-8213-506fed46aeb5.png?v=1631294331"},{"product_id":"draft-b20","title":"Olga Raffault Chinon","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"2017","offer_id":42056243577065,"sku":"","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"2018","offer_id":42311619510505,"sku":"","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"2019","offer_id":43230214914281,"sku":"505B","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_eb4de715-674a-4ca2-a57c-ab38c808a2fd.png?v=1631294346"},{"product_id":"draft-b21","title":"Domaine de Pallus Messanges Rouge Chinon","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45688897437929,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_7aabcd6e-fb2a-47a0-a30c-ef5e313de4b3.png?v=1631294364"},{"product_id":"draft-b22","title":"Domaine Filliatreau Chateau Fouquet Saumur","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Loire Valley has always felt a little mischievous to me. Burgundy stares at itself in the mirror. Bordeaux keeps receipts. But the Loire? The Loire packs a baguette, disappears into the fog and somehow returns with the most refreshing bottle you’ve tasted all year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDomaine Filliatreau’s 2021 Château Fouquet Saumur Rouge is exactly that sort of wine. This is Cabernet Franc at its most buoyant: energetic, savory and just wild enough around the edges to feel deliciously alive. Not the stern, graphite-heavy Franc that lectures you about structure. This one wants to dance barefoot in the kitchen while the roasted chicken rests.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Filliatreau family has worked the chalky soils of Saumur for generations, farming organically and treating Cabernet Franc less like a grape to tame and more like a grape to listen to. The vineyards sit atop the tuffeau limestone that defines great Saumur—that pale, porous chalk that seems to inject wines with both levity and electric snap. You taste it immediately here. The fruit feels suspended in air.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2021 was a cooler vintage in the Loire, which turns out to be wonderful news for wines like this. Instead of excess weight or jamminess, Château Fouquet arrives all bright-eyed and nimble: tart raspberry, crushed cranberry, red currant, violets, and the sort of herbal freshness that makes you think of snapping green stems in a garden after the rain. Then come classic Franc notes—pencil shavings, damp earth, black tea, a little cracked pepper—all woven together with remarkable ease.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut what makes this bottle so lovable is its texture. There’s this gentle chalky grip beneath the juicy fruit, like biting into a just-ripe plum while standing in a limestone cellar. The wine feels playful but not simple, serious but never self-important. You can chill it slightly and drink it with charcuterie, roast salmon, mushroom tart, cassoulet, burgers or, frankly, an irresponsible amount of pâté and cornichons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere’s also something deeply French about it in the best possible way. Not luxury-French. Not chandelier-French. It's Bistro-French. A half-finished bottle on a zinc counter while someone tears apart a loaf of bread with their hands kind of French. It reminds you wine is supposed to make dinner more fun, not more complicated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd yet, because this is Saumur, because this is limestone and because Cabernet Franc can be impish, there’s plenty of depth beneath the frolic. The finish lingers with cool herbs, mineral dust and a savory whisper that keeps pulling you back for one more sip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhich, coincidentally, is exactly what happened to my first bottle. It vanished with almost supernatural speed!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45455924887785,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_01a713e1-6ac0-40e4-a51f-58b323b7d82a.png?v=1631294428"},{"product_id":"b31","title":"La Varenne Chinon Tradition","description":"\u003cp\u003eLa Varenne Chinon Tradition opens with a cooler, more woodland register — tart cranberry and red currant giving way to dried violets, bay leaf, and a faint whiff of pencil shavings. On the palate it stays taut and restrained, carrying flavors of sour cherry, savory olive, and damp forest floor, framed by fine, sandy tannins and a subtle snap of white pepper. The finish is brisk and mineral, edged with iron and wet stone, quietly refreshing and unmistakably Chinon.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44410188169449,"sku":"535901","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_2c2d47fb-9f1b-4742-8d67-bdcf18d1dc61.png?v=1631296260"},{"product_id":"b42","title":"Pascal Janvier Coteaux Loire Rouge Cuvee de Rosier","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":43647887016169,"sku":"F54831","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_73a2592e-db25-412b-a5c6-9c7e248e5f9c.png?v=1631299311"},{"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":22.99,"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":"b57","title":"Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses 2019","description":"\u003cp\u003eOlga Raffault’s \u003cem data-start=\"16\" data-end=\"30\"\u003eLes Picasses\u003c\/em\u003e has always been about quiet authority, and in 2019 it feels beautifully, confidently arrived. Cabernet Franc from this storied Chinon site opens with cool river-stone minerality, blackcurrant skin, and that unmistakable Loire undercurrent of damp earth and tobacco leaf, as if the cellar door has just been opened after a long winter. On the palate, the wine is resolved and supple without losing its spine—dark berries and savory plum wrapped in fine, chalk-dust tannins, lifted by gentle herbal notes and a flicker of iron. At this age, \u003cem data-start=\"570\" data-end=\"584\"\u003eLes Picasses\u003c\/em\u003e is in its prime: poised, expressive, and deeply satisfying, offering the pleasure of maturity without any sense of decline—just a calm, confident sense of place, fully spoken.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48949819769065,"sku":null,"price":35.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_0f36b0f7-7a28-49ed-923f-be7a7956a755.png?v=1631301606"},{"product_id":"b58","title":"Arnaud Lambert Saumur Champigny Montee des Roches","description":"\u003cp\u003e2021 Arnaud Lambert Saumur-Champigny \u003cem data-start=\"37\" data-end=\"59\"\u003eLa Montée des Roches\u003c\/em\u003e opens cool and precise, Cabernet Franc in its Loire cadence: red currant, tart cherry, and wild raspberry threaded with graphite, crushed stone, and a gentle leafy greenness. There’s a savory edge of bell pepper skin, fresh tobacco, and damp earth, the palate taut and nervy, carried by bright acidity and fine, chalk-dust tannins. It finishes quietly mineral and refreshing, all lift and limestone tension rather than weight.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"750 ml","offer_id":48556549505257,"sku":"F52431","price":36.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1.5 L","offer_id":48556633227497,"sku":"F52437","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_3e1dcb8d-d50f-4a34-b39f-46baa928d43e.png?v=1631301621"},{"product_id":"b66","title":"Château du Petit Thouars Chinon Les Georges","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43385670238441,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_79a37bf9-55e8-4da5-8f3f-a6d3595c45b1.png?v=1631303709"},{"product_id":"b71","title":"J. Mourat Owl Collection Rouge","description":"\u003cp\u003eBright, transparent ruby in the glass. The nose opens with fresh red cherry, raspberry skin, violet, and a distinctly stony Loire minerality, edged with dried herbs and a light peppery lift. On the palate, it’s energetic and finely drawn, with juicy red fruit framed by iron-tinged earth, gentle savory notes, and chalky, fine-grained tannins. Light to medium-bodied, agile, and quietly serious, finishing clean and mineral with a subtle herbal echo. A food-friendly, expressive Loire red that values freshness and place over weight.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43048817688809,"sku":"530903","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_9c588b63-47b5-48d2-a73f-c5ae8e44232d.png?v=1631304832"},{"product_id":"b72","title":"Domaine Les Pins Bourgueil Vieille Vignes 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eCool, quiet Cabernet Franc with a Loire cadence—red currant and sour cherry upfront, shaded by crushed raspberry and a hint of dried cranberry. There’s that Bourgueil earthiness underneath: damp clay, pencil shavings, and a light dusting of white pepper. Medium-light on its feet, the tannins feel fine and chalk-etched rather than firm, carrying the fruit with a savory, gently herbal finish that leans toward bay leaf and fresh tobacco. Restrained, honest, and very much about place rather than power.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40683368775870,"sku":"510603","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-2518.png?v=1768942782"},{"product_id":"b88","title":"Charles Joguet Cuvee Terroir Chinon","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"499\"\u003eThere’s a loamy, rain-kissed morning in Chinon in this glass—pluck up a fistful of gravelly earth from the Loire’s right bank and you’ll smell what the 2021 \u003cstrong data-start=\"157\" data-end=\"196\"\u003eCharles Joguet Chinon Cuvée Terroir\u003c\/strong\u003e unfurls first: that cool, mineral chalkiness that feels like wet stone and cedar under a cedar hedge. Then the fruit arrives—not bold, but lithely insistent—a ribbon of wild red cherry and raspberry draped over crushed violets and a bramble of herbs de Provence, rosemary and bay lingering just behind.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"501\" data-end=\"981\"\u003eOn the palate it’s medium-bodied and agile, the tannins fine-grained yet woven with Chinon’s signature tensile energy, like threads of pale cassis and pomegranate skin tightening with each breath. A hint of graphite and Loire river pebble holds the mid-palate in tension, while a whisper of black pepper and dried fennel seed warms the finish rather than blunts it. The acidity, bright but poised, lifts the red fruit toward an almost rose petal perfume at the back of the throat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"983\" data-end=\"1256\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003eIt’s the kind of Chinon that speaks of Cinq Mars and Savigny soils—earthy and sinewy, red fruit notched with cool steel—inviting both immediate pleasure and patient company at the table. A Loire red that feels transported from the stone walls and river mist into the glass.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44798680695017,"sku":"F55071","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_e555a896-f73b-4124-b721-71ef285a0744.png?v=1653338651"},{"product_id":"b89","title":"Bernard Baudry La Croix Boissee Chinon","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"flex flex-col text-sm pb-25\"\u003e\n\u003carticle class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"73a50fe5-b318-4dff-9b1d-47ed35ed1744\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-2\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:--spacing(4)] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(6)] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:--spacing(16)] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"8a398735-edd8-49f4-8250-723ac3f69d8e\" dir=\"auto\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-2\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[1px]\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words light markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"713\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"9\" data-end=\"27\"\u003eLa Croix Boissée\u003c\/em\u003e carries Chinon’s limestone gravity with a quieter, more inward voice. Cabernet Franc shows itself in cool-toned layers of blackcurrant leaf and crushed blackberry, edged by pencil shavings, damp cellar stone, and a faint echo of green peppercorn rather than overt pyrazine. The palate is taut and architectural—red and black fruit held in check by savory mineral tension—unfurling notes of iron filings, clove, and dried bay as it moves. Tannins feel fine-grained and tensile, more like woven linen than grip, with acidity that keeps everything lifted and precise. Condensed, serious, and still coiled, this feels less about immediacy than about Chinon’s long, limestone-etched memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"z-0 flex min-h-[46px] justify-start\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"mt-3 w-full empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-center\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/article\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44900742070505,"sku":"","price":52.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_b5a09555-bb31-487a-8695-f3e76822a2da.png?v=1631308742"},{"product_id":"d-orfeuilles-vouvray","title":"Domaine D’Orfeuilles Vouvray Atemporelle Brut","description":"","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42611691192553,"sku":"","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/files\/IMG-8614.png?v=1713380116"},{"product_id":"luneau-papin-terre-de-pierre-2019","title":"Luneau-Papin Muscadet  “Terre de Pierre”","description":"","brand":"Vino Veritas","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42020503781609,"sku":"","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_26d286d5-5b82-4306-bfa0-1b84233d7410.png?v=1634251554"},{"product_id":"luneau-papin-vera-cruz","title":"Luneau - 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We’re talking about really darn good Sauvignon Blanc – Gerard Boulay’s Sancerre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven though Sancerre has been made since the 1400s, unlike Chablis and Burgundy, it doesn’t have the complexity of laws governing its vineyards. In some ways this is good – I believe the wines remain dramatically underpriced, simply because they lack the tag “Grand Cru.” In other ways, this is bad – about 75% of wine under the appellation isn’t grown on Kimmeridgian soils, the same soil type that—in both Sancerre and Chablis—gives the wine minerality, drive and energy. Instead, many are grown on clay or sandy soils. Not all Sancerres are created the same, and it can be a bit of a minefield.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGerard Boulay’s Sancerre is an example of Grand Cru. Gerard traces his history in Sancerre at the small village of Chavignol back to 1380. At the town square, the records division mentions Jean Boulay as an owner of vineyards. The wines of Chavignol Sancerre are produced on “terre blanche” soils, making them some of the most distinctive and soil-inflected Sauvignon Blancs produced in the Loire, with a delineation and minerality often reminiscent of a top Chablis (or white Burgundy). And here, with the 2021 vintage, we are getting one of Boulay’s best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine opens with a stellar bouquet of gooseberry, tangerine, lime peel, great minerality, white flowers and a touch of fresh tarragon in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and rock-solid at the core, with outstanding focus and grip, snappy acids and great soil signature on the long, complex and very classy finish. Of course I will be drinking this immediately, but for those of you who stash a few bottles away, you are in for a divine treat – this will age exceptionally well, for more than a decade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWines like this come at a price, and Boulay is never cheap. But luckily enough, we were still able secure a small allocation at a great price. 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Mourat Owl Collection Val de Loire Blanc","description":"","brand":"Select Sellars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41994512892137,"sku":"","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_0c7520f1-7e7f-424e-b4d9-6585888d8009.png?v=1635874702"},{"product_id":"pascal-janvier-sarl-coteaux-du-loir-2020","title":"Pascal Janvier Coteaux Du Loir","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":43647872172265,"sku":"F54820","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_c2cf002a-5580-443c-832c-a73c953315b7.png?v=1635952476"},{"product_id":"pascal-janvier-sarl-jasnieres-2020","title":"Pascal Janvier Jasnieres","description":"","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42047697617129,"sku":"F54800","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_1ab55d89-6962-489c-87d7-de09783d3acb.png?v=1635952558"},{"product_id":"arnaud-lambert-saumur-clos-david-breze","title":"Arnaud Lambert Saumur Clos David Breze","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Tuffeau chalk soils are the name of the game here in Saumur.  Chenin Blanc is the grape and the young Arnaud Lambert, the winemaker.  Arnaud is leading a revolution in the Loire Valley, creating some of the most elegant and mineral-driven white wines in the region.  Chenin Blanc is a bit of a chameleon, and it can rival the best of Burgundy, Germany, Austria or any white wine out there.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Left Bank","offers":[{"title":"750ml","offer_id":45238425518313,"sku":"F52410","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1.5L","offer_id":46451199049961,"sku":"F52418","price":91.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0579\/2805\/7022\/products\/image_cea371a6-ae0b-411d-8f55-515ab81db31f.png?v=1652134550"}],"url":"https:\/\/waterfordwine.com\/collections\/loire.oembed?page=11","provider":"Waterford Wine and Spirits","version":"1.0","type":"link"}