Recent vintages have produced mixed in the Loire, but with careful selection, very good wines can be found, and generally at bargain prices.
These wines are all from Cabernet Franc as the dominant or sole grape.
Agnès et Xavier AMIRAULT
2020 Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Le Clos des Quarterons vieilles vignes
Medium-weight body, spicy Cabernet Franc fruit slightly on the dark side, excellent balance, an earthy touch that adds complexity. Good freshness. This wine is drinking well now and will match with a wide variety of foods. Certified biodynamic and organic. Cork closure. 12.5% stated alcohol. 91/A
Y. AMIRAULT
2021 Bourgueil Côte 50
This is Amirault’s entry-level Bourgueil, one that is smooth, round, and relatively simple in its dark fruits. Another year or two in bottle might be beneficial, but I wouldn’t hold it much past then. Certified organic. Cork closure. 12.5% stated alcohol. Lot L220422. 88/B
2021 St-Nicolas de Bourgueil La Source
I’m one rarely to complain of underripe wines, but this one has struck me as being in that class with pinched, ungenerous fruit in the mouth. Over the course of three days, there’s some improvement, so maybe it’ll smooth out over the years, but with so much other good wine around, why take the chance? Certified organic. Cork closure. 12.5% stated alcohol. Lot L 220624. ?
Famille AMIRAULT GROSBOIS/AG
2020 Bourgueil Les Caillottes
This wine is a joint project of two of the region’s finest producing families. It features crunchy Cabernet Franc fruit that in a medium-weight body with round tannins, making for an excellent wine to drink now, slightly chilled. The price makes it a super-bargain. Certified organic. Cork closure. 12.5% stated alcohol. 90/A-
Bernard BAUDRY
2020 Chinon Le Domaine
Just a lovely wine: light, fresh, ebullient with dark, spicy Cabernet Franc fruit. I’d drink it over the next 3-4 years. 20% on gravelly soils, 80% on limestone. Cork closure. 13% stated alcohol. Lot L 21121. 90/A-
Domaine de BELLIVIÈRE/Eric et Clément NICOLAS
2020 Coteaux du Loir Rouge Gorge
Many (certainly, not all) Loire reds suffer from excess alcohol and overripeness in 2020 and 2019. At 14% stated alcohol, one can surmise that to be the case, here, too, but in fact the wine is within reasonable bounds to my generally alcohol-averse palate. From the Pineau d’Aunis grape, this wine shows the usual white pepper and paperwhite aromas are present, although less edgy than usual. The mouth is rich and dense with intense red fruits, but they lack the precise definition of the best vintages here. Certainly, the wine can be drunk now, but it might be interesting to stick a bottle or two aside to see what happens after 12-15 years. Certified organic and biodynamic. Cork closure. Lot 4. 87/B
Pascal BOITEAU
2020 Anjou rouge
Made up of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine shows Franc spiciness in the nose and is light, firm, and flavorful with dark berry fruit. Cork closure. 13% stated alcohol. Lot Nº A0720B. 88/B+