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LOIRE VALLEY 6-PACK

$240.00

The Loire Valley is synonymous with Sancerre and Vouvray - the mineral/crisp and honeyed expressions of Sauvignon Blanc. They age for decades, show up on every serious wine list, and give sommeliers something to talk about. It's also become pretty indistinct.

When I started looking for Loire producers, I began with Nantes - the biggest city in the region, the easiest to reach. It was completely picked over. Every vineyard within an hour was talking only about their Sauv Blanc, and had already been imported by a dozen US companies.

Inland, away from the postcard appellations and the wine tour buses, there's a different Loire. Winemakers growing grapes you've never heard of. Reds that don't fit the "Loire = white wine" script. People with enough space - and enough distance from the big AOC names - to make whatever the hell they want.

There's a lot of climate and terrain variability in this region. Not every Loire wine needs to taste the same. I'm finding the people proving that out.

That's where I'm going.

The Loire Valley is synonymous with Sancerre and Vouvray - the mineral/crisp and honeyed expressions of Sauvignon Blanc. They age for decades, show up on every serious wine list, and give sommeliers something to talk about. It's also become pretty indistinct.

When I started looking for Loire producers, I began with Nantes - the biggest city in the region, the easiest to reach. It was completely picked over. Every vineyard within an hour was talking only about their Sauv Blanc, and had already been imported by a dozen US companies.

Inland, away from the postcard appellations and the wine tour buses, there's a different Loire. Winemakers growing grapes you've never heard of. Reds that don't fit the "Loire = white wine" script. People with enough space - and enough distance from the big AOC names - to make whatever the hell they want.

There's a lot of climate and terrain variability in this region. Not every Loire wine needs to taste the same. I'm finding the people proving that out.

That's where I'm going.

Vineyards I’m Visiting:

Reynald heaule (orleans): An accountant before he became a winemaker. He farms 3.5 hectares and grows 15 different grape varieties - most of them ancient, obscure grapes that nobody else bothers with. He trained in Burgundy, so his Pinot Noir has structure and finesse, but the real story is what he's doing with varieties you've never heard of. His wines are on the winelist at Nhome, a 1-Michelin star restaraunt in Paris , but he's virtually unknown in the US.

cAMILLE RAVINET (GIVERNY): Coteaux de Giverny, was once a famous appellation that barely exists anymore. In the land behind Monet’s garden, he has planted 0.8ha of pre-phylloxera vines - meaning they're on their original rootstock, not grafted like 99% of European vineyards. His Chardonnay was featured in a short film by La Cave de Joël Robuchon, and he's on the wine list at 1-Michelin Star restaraunt Omar in Paris. Outside of France, almost nobody knows about him.