The Loire Valley is located
in the northwestern quadrant of France
and produces virtually every style of
wine imaginable. Dry and sweet. Still
and sparkling. Light fruity reds to serious
age worthy reds. A range of rosés. A ton
of whites.
We’re going to focus
on three of the Loire's famous and fantastic
dessert wines – Bonnezeaux, Coteaux
du Layon, and Quarts de Chaume. They are
all exquisite honey-sweet treasures. All
are made from Chenin Blanc grapes (also
called the Pineau de la Loire, or Grape
of the Loire) that have some degree of
pourriture noble, the so-called "noble
rot." This is achieved, simply put,
by leaving the grapes on the vine until
they are overripe and begin, there’s
just no way to put this delicately, to
mold and rot. The result is a grape very
high in natural sugar which produces a
wine high in natural alcohol. These wines
are knockouts. Rich, honeyed nectar that
does not necessarily require, but can
certainly stand, long aging to enjoy.
Bonnezeaux is a Grand Cru from the Coteaux
du Layon appellation (as is Quarts du
Chaume, see below). Good Bonnezeaux is
rich and perfumed, with a ripeness that
is balanced by refreshing lemon acidity.
It can generally be drunk young, although
it ages beautifully. Bonnezeaux can be
served as an aperitif or dessert wine,
and goes particularly well with fruit
desserts.
Château
de Fesles historically produces some
of the best Bonnezeaux you'll ever drink,
and their 1998 vintage is no exception.
($19).
Full and ripe with wet grass aromas and
fresh tasting wildflower, nectarine, and
vanilla notes, this is a beauty. Wonderfully
balanced acidity keeps it from being over
the top sweet. Wonderful now, and will
age for several years.
($90). This is
an outstanding example of how rich and
powerful Bonnezeaux can be -- incredibly
sweet but balanced with perfect acidity;
never cloying. Waves of vanilla, caramel,
spicy apple, and dried apricot, with a
shot of mandarin orange on the endless
finish. So good now, and should age for
at least ten years.
($48). Wonderful tropical fruits like
passion fruit and mango are the star here,
with all the ripe musky flavors you can
imagine. A refreshing toasted almond and
spice balance things out very nicely.
This one is tempting now, but could probably
use three to five years of cellaring to
really reach its peak.
These wines are pale gold, sometimes even
slightly green tinged, and have a honeyed,
slightly spicy bouquet and taste. The
natural acidity of the grape provides
a refreshing quality, even in the sweetest
wines. These wines should never be cloying
or overly syrupy. Coteaux du Layon breaks
down into two main groups or communes
– the Coteaux du Layon and the Coteaux
du Layon-Chaume, which is generally considered
to produce superior wines.
($30) Excellent wine with
a green tea spiciness offsetting the honeyed
mango, apple, and vanilla tastes. Very
well balanced. Hard to beat price for
such a good wine. Ready now and will age
well over the next six or eight years.
($28). Young and
aggressive at this point, this wine will
be a winner in just a year or two. The
slightly bitter orange acidity is excellent
with the super sweet tastes of honeydew,
dried apricots and peaches.
($25). Better than any pastry chef could
do, this is a lush combination of toasted
coconut, cream, vanilla, spice and orange
zest. Hard to believe it's so drinkable
and satisfying without being over the
top sweet. Wonderful now and will age
well over the next three years or so.
($24). Super doses of
orange and clove begin on the nose and
follow through on the palate and lush
finish. Wonderful fruit flavor here, with
a nice earthy, maybe even tobacco like,
edge to keep things interesting. Drinking
very well now and over the next year or
two.
($25). Silky sweet
orchard fruit, including apple and apricot,
and intoxicating florals, balanced by
a sharp lemon acidity. This is a beautiful
wine that is drinking very well now and
should continue to improve over the next
three to five years.
($35, 375 ml). This is a
decadent stunner of a wine. Bright lush
mango and papaya fruit notes are enhanced
by toasted hazelnut, nutmeg, and perfect
orange peel acidity. Wonderful now and
should age for twenty or more years.
Sweet, luscious wine, this is rich nectar-like
stuff. A high degree of attention is paid
to the amount of noble rot, and only grapes
with a satisfactory level are selected
for this wine. The result is stunning
– a beautiful aroma of peaches and
apricots that follows through on the palate
and to the fine finish. Quarts de Chaume
can be drunk young or aged, but it is
generally at its best after about 10 years
of aging.
($40). Orange peel and honeysuckle cascade
through the intoxicating bouquet and onto
the palate in this wonderful example of
the Quarts de Chaume appellation. Excellent
acidity and balance are key. Give this
beauty a couple of years and then enjoy
over the next decade.
($60) Lively mango and mellon and nectarine
are sweet but still refreshing. A nice
mineral note adds interest and balance.
Wonderful lingering finish. This is ready
now and should continue to drink well
for the next three to five years.
($75) Take advantage of the availability
of this wonderfully aged stunning wine.
Rich golden fruit and wonderful acidity
are still showing very well. White peach
and apricot heaven.
To summarize the differences in these
wines, I would generally say that Bonnezeaux
often has a pronounced lemon or orange
peel acidity. The Coteaux du Layon often
have a distinguishing spicy bouquet and
taste (think cinnamon and honey). And
Quarts de Chaume feature rich peach and
apricot aromas and taste. These are generalizations,
as individual wines will always have their
own unique makeup of tastes and aromas.
The prices are often quite reasonable,
so I encourage you to be adventurous and
get out there and experiment. You will
probably find a rather limited selection
of these wines in your local wine store,
so by all means, try whatever you find.
And be sure and let me know
what you think! You can write to me at
robyn@wineskinny.com
-- Cheers!
