Two from the Loire Valley

There is so much great wine out there waiting to be tasted! I recently had two wines, both excellent, a Vouvray and a Chinon, made by a couple of producers whose wines I had never before tasted. No matter how familiar (so-so, at best actually) I start to feel with the Loire Valley, I taste something new and remember how many skilled producers there are making wine. And I have tasted so little of it. I need to make another trip out there...

Bernard Fouquet makes white wines at Domaine des Aubuisieres in Vouvray. The Wine Doctor profiled this estate here. When I first read this piece I got excited about the sweete wines - I have a serious thing for Loire sweet wines. Those have proven to be elusive here in NYC, but I saw a bottle of 2005 Vouvray Cuvee Silex a little while ago at Chambers Street and grabbed it. At $15 I was not expecting much, but that was my mistake - there are plenty of reasonably priced great wines coming out of the Loire. Turns out, this is one of them.

2005 Domaine des Aubuisieres Vouvray Cuvee Silex, $15 (Chambers Street Wines).

Made from grapes from several vineyards with flinty (silex means flint) soil. This is pale yellow in color with a very reserved nose. The palate is dominated by minerals. We were not so impressed on the first day. But the second day...so much better. This wine, like many sec (dry) wines from Vouvray, benefits greatly from cellaring. On the second day the nose picked up some citrus and floral aromas to balance out the minerality, and the palate broadened, with some melon and citrus to compliment the minerals. Good acidity too. The wine was light in texture, yet mouth filling with bright flavors and great purity. An excellent wine, and clearly a steal at $15. No more at Chambers Street, sadly, but this is clearly a $15 beauty and you should buy it if you see it.

Philippe Alliet is another producer I have been meaning to try, and I finally got around to it the other night after reading another helpful piece by the Wine Doctor. I brought home a bottle of the 2004 Chinon and gave it a whirl with our beef roast and it was YUM.

2004 Philippe Alliet Chinon, $17 (Chambers Street Wines).

Dark dense purple with enticing dark fruit and woodsy smells, along with leather and green pepper. Lots of lush, sweet fruit on the palate, some leather and earth too. Very drinkable, excellent with food, simply high quality wine. Makes me curious to try the Vieille Vignes wine for $7 more.