A taste of Loire Valley

Winetasting at Clarence, hosted by Winetastic.

La Taille Aux Loups Triple Zéro - a little metallic like Anjou pear, definitely kinda fruity and refreshing, clearly a pet nat with not a lot of small bubbles. Acidity was not too sharp, and almost a bit grippy on the palate.

2020 Domaine 7 La Guimardière - nose came with a little bit of heavy toast, smoky, almost like smoked meats. A little flinty. On the palate there was more depth, with acidity and some grippiness on the back end.

2020 Domaine 7 La Nouette - riper and much more metallic on the nose, with more oxidized pear. Also riper on the palate without much acidity.

2021 Simon Batardière Au Rocher des Quarts - flinty and apricot, not sure I was getting the lychees that some others were talking about. Was there a hint of honey? Ripe-ish on the palate but also a little lean on the finish.

2018 Nicolas Réau Victoire - tasted blind. Initially served very cold, but even then I could smell the toasty popcorn, along with lots of flinty minerals. Started to be like a Meursault but this was very ripe on the palate, so it must be Loire. Finally after a while, the wine got grippy on the palate and the acidity finally came out after warming up. Quelle surprise!

2019 Le Clos des Treilles La Décente Aux Amphores - really fruity and sweet on the nose, almost like mango. Really sweet like sugar or a very ripe honeydew melon. I actually like it! Wow! Good balance between the acidity and ripeness. Almost a little pungent sulfur and savory notes on the nose at the end when sniffing the empty glass.

2019 Sylvie Augereau Peaux - surprised that I didn't hate it! Very aromatic, a bit flinty. Good acidity but not too sharp, and grippy on the palate.

2021 Nicolas Réau Enlèvement Demandé - lots of spices on the nose, much more exotic than I expected. Meaty, almost like tomato juice with that savory nose, along with some herbs.

2019 Le Clos des Treilles Pompois - A little more open, meaty, fragrant, with some bacon and kinda like Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A bit toasty and more savory, and starting to show a hint of barnyard. Then surprisingly turned pretty ffragrant with some eucalyptus.

2019 Nicolas Réau Garance - decent fragrance on the nose with a hint of savory notes, a bit meaty. Pretty smooth and easy to drink.

2019 Sylvie Augereau Les Manquants - nice and smoky, a bit meaty, with a little bit of exotic spices and savory notes. Soft on the palate.

2018 Jousset Montlouis-sur-Loire Trait d'Union - initially pretty cold and didn't give too much on the nose. Not too sweet on the palate but still refreshing, with good flavor profile. There was definitely a hint of tartness and bitterness on the finish. This was OK... neither here nor there. At the end there was a bit of apricot and honey on the nose.

2011 Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux - smoky with petrol, very much like a riesling but with more sugar. Got some of that citrus peel notes, and almost came with a little bit of white flowers.