Melon de Bourgogne is its name. Or Muscadet as you may know it. There is probably more of this stuff produced in Loire Valley than any other wine. Not to be confused with Muscat, “Melon”, as it is nicknamed, originally hails from Burgundy, where its demise came in the 18th century after appellations laws dictated that it was to be destroyed.

Today, Melon is thriving in the far west of the Loire Valley, around the city of Nantes, edging into Brittany near the mouth of the Loire River. The main appellation is AOC Muscadet, producing a lot of uninteresting generic wines. The better vineyards are in the Sèvre et Maine subregion south and east of Nantes, where vines are planted on well-draining soils of shale and gneiss, over a bedrock of granite, helping to make for the finest quality Muscadet.

Skin contact, lees stirring and barrel fermenation for the best wines all help to give greater weight and richness. ‘Lees’ refers to dead deposits of yeast. Wines that have ‘sur lie’ on the label have been aged for some time on lees, providing a better depth of flavour. The best have subtle yeasty aromas as well as attractive green apple and grassy aromas. The alcohol level is moderate (usually 11.5-12%) and the acidity keeps the wine light, fresh and crisp. Some might even have a saltiness to them and a tingly light fizz from a touch of carbon dioxide.

All in all, Muscadet, or Melon, is neither great or Burgundian. It’s a pretty neutral wine, but that doesn’t mean that the curious wine drinker has no place for it. Far from it. Try it as an aperitif or with shellfish to get the full experience. Even if you don’t like the wine, you’ll fall in love with the aphrodisiac effects of the oysters – or so they say.

Nelly Marzelleau’s Presbyteres Muscadet Sevre et Maine, bottled ‘sur lie’ ensuring prolonged contact with fine lees, is well worth a punt at the price.

The results for Sancerre 2009 have been published in Decanter‘s September issue, with the vintage being described by judges as atypical and inconsistent, despite some very attractive, drink-now wines. One critic described it as “a Jekyll and Hyde vintage”, although Loire 2009 as a whole was considered a good year.

Sancerre is known for its terroir and is believed by many to be the world’s best region for Sauvignon Blanc. Herbaceous flavours, lively acidity and a flinty minerality are some of the famous trademarks.

The 2009 vintage was hot, and it was difficult as a result. After bottling it was noted that alcohol was a problem (some over 15% ABV), although the better examples mellowed down with time. The trick was to pick at the optimum point in time, when the desired alcohol level and flavour profile could be achieved. Unfortunately for some, there was no window of opportunity to do this, so grapes were left on the vine for longer than they should have been, impacting on final alcohol levels.

Another criticism was the number of faults. According to one critic, there were only five or six screwcaps among 112 wines, yet in the space of 40 wines they came across five corked wines. One of the replacement bottles was also corked and another was oxidised. I will continue to bang the drum for screwcaps. These kind of wines need to be fresh and that’s what screwcap will bring, whilst drastically reducing the number of corked and oxidised bottles.

Decanter’s piece on this finished by ensuring consumers that there are still good buys out there. This is a low yielding vintage after all, and with so many micro-climates, you can’t tarnish all with the same brush, but they urge consumers to buy with caution.

It was with sheer delight that we discovered our JJ Breton La Clochette Sancerre receive ‘best value’ Sancerre of 2009, earning a truly brilliant 17.5 out of 20 points. That’s a bit of a snip at €14.99.

“Lovely mineral fruit – serious, complex, sleek and long. Powerful and elegant; wears its weight lightly. Terrific.” (17.5/20, ‘Highly recommended’ & ‘Best Value Sancerre of 2009′)

Full article available in Decanter‘s September 2010 issue.

Yes, it’s about two months too late, but better late than never. Our Domaine Pre Baron Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine was recommended by Tim Atkin on BBC’s Saturday Morning Kitchen back in August.

I’d completely forgotten about it, until one of the girls brought a bottle along to the Bandon Wine Club last week, which, unbeknown to me, she’d picked up from us earlier that day (Curious Mike was manning the shop at the time). It was a blind tasting and the Pre Baron was the first of the night.

It didn’t take me long to decipher its origin. I hadn’t realised it was the Pre Baron, but after my stint in Loire Valley during the summer, I had a fairly confident guess that it was a Sauvignon Blanc from that region. I was fortunate enough to visit the winery, just outside the village of Oisly – an absolutely gorgeous spot.

You may be familiar with the better known Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé Sauvignon Blanc of Loire, but Touraine offers superb alternatives, and usually at lower prices. Touraine Sauvignon is typically light, elegant, and a bit riper in flavour than the Sauvignon from the Upper Loire.

The Pre Baron has prominent grassy, gooseberry aromas on the nose, with salivating acidity and plenty of refreshing citrusy characters that dominate the palate. Enjoy young, as in drink within three years of vintage. You certainly don’t have to be young yourself to enjoy this one.

Click here and scroll down to view all posts of my week in Loire Valley (includes a ghastly video).

Just east of Tours we drove to the small town of Vouvray, where we ventured off the beaten track to visit more small producers and take in the incredible scene of endless vineyards. Here’s a short clip…

Vouvray AOC is a premium appellation for Chenin Blanc. The wines may be bone-dry (sec), delightfully off dry (demi-sec), medium, sweet or sparkling. Most are medium-bodied with high acidity, unoaked, with citrus, green tropical fruit notes (lemon, apple, pineapple), and some vegetal aromas (green leaf).

Vouvray has great terroir. Those from clay soil might lean towards a fruitier flavour, while those made on flinty clay soil may have more minerality. Typically drunk young, the best years of Vouvray have been known to produce wines that last up to 100 years in excellent condition, showing that when done well, Chenin Blanc has great aging potential.

The Vouvray wine cellar, or Cave des Producteurs des Grands Vins de Vouvray, was a very interesting visit. Formed over forty years ago, it’s a “common storage” for a large group of growers. A wine-tasting board decides which wines will be aged and the cellar has a capacity of 2 million bottles.

I was fortunate enough to try a number of lovely examples, including a very golden coloured Moelleux. The older versions in particular exuded quince, honey and almond with great all round complexity. And those sparkling Vouvrays just rock – yet another one to look out for.

So, to conclude ‘A week in Loire Valley’, without further delay and as promised, here is Curious Wines first tasting video from Loire Valley, via Bandon, to your living room (or wherever you are).

What did you expect, eh? Here’s our two stellar Vouvrays.

Our first night camping in Saumur (pictured) was a little rough with no foam to lie on, but the wine certainly helped to anaesthetise us. With a taste of Bourgueil, Saumur and Chinon under the belt, Touraine AOC was next on the hit list.

The Chenin Blanc of Chateau de l’Aulee had our attention after the spectacular Langeais Castle. ‘Le Chateau White’ is the entry level Chenin, a fairly uncomplicated, refreshing, fruity drop with a hint of minerality. Definitely a lunchtime wine for the ladies, and it would have matched perfectly with grilled fish and salad. The ‘Vieilles Vignes’ dry white (again, 100% Chenin Blanc) was made from smaller batches that grow on vines over 40 years old. Time in oak added a fuller, richer body to this one, so it would cope well with veal, chicken or goats cheese.

Here’s a snippet of the grounds of Chateau de l’Aulee, with our signature shaky camera work.

The biggest surprise was the quality of the sparkling Chenin Blanc. The ‘Intense’ (Méthode Traditionnelle), which consisted of 20% Chardonnay, had a biscuity nose with rich fruit flavours and the structure and length to match. An absolute winner. ‘Le Chateau’ Chinon AOC Rouge satisfied my craving from our previous exploration of Cabernet Franc. Again, light and bouncing with fruit.

Touraine AOC also produces superb Sauvignon Blanc. Unfortunately we didn’t make it as far east as Sancerre, but I wasn’t too concerned with the quality we had on the doorstep of our lightweight two-man tent. Included in our visits were a number of very proud vintners making tiny quantities for local consumption, and our very own Domaine du Pre Baron, who again reminded me of why Touraine has such an established reputation for producing top end Sauvi’s at low end prices.

On Friday’s post (Part three) I’ll bring you through Vouvray and unveil Curious Wines first wine tasting video (the first of many I suspect). In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a bit of Parisian musique from the Montmarte district, just outside the Sacré-Cœur. Aww, they’re so cute!

Last week I was fortunate enough to get a break from talking wine to focus purely on the tasting. Oh, and this was all between discovering some of Europe’s most spectacular medieval castles (including the one pictured), beautiful villages and world-class cuisine.

After spending a couple of days in Paris, my girlfriend and I ventured south to the picturesque town of Tours in the heart of the Loire. First of all we travelled west through three of Loire’s AOCs; Bourgueil, Chinon and Saumur.

Our first stop in Bourgueil was Nau Freres and we were lucky enough to get a guided tour of the vineyard. You can see the grapes need more time before they are to be harvested (September/October).

After viewing the wine making facility, we were then taken into the caves (cellar), which was a great experience.

The grape of choice in Bourgueil and Chinon is Cabernet Franc. I recently wrote a blog post on this rather unfashionable varietal. Some may find the young wines a little harsh, but I tried the 2004 Vieilles Vignes from Nau Freres, and it was just superb. The 2003 was supposedly one of the best vintages in a decade, so if you see one grab it with both hands. The dry Rose was a real treat as well, so we brought one back to the campsite.

The light and fruity Cabernet Franc from Loire is a great summer wine. Think red fruits, black currant and green capsicum. Chinon has a similar terroir to Bourgueil, and I’ll be tasting one next to a cheap and nasty Malbec from Valencay in the third and final part of this mini series at the end of the week – so be there or be square!

Cabernet Franc is a wonderful grape. It’s been hiding in the shadow of Cabernet Sauvignon for too long now, and I for one will be starting to take it more seriously, especially as I’ll be sampling my way through Loire Valley’s finest next month.

It is more precocious than Cabernet Sauvignon, which would be a close cousin to Frank… sorry, I mean Franc. It buds and ripens at least a week before, making it particularly useful in Bordeaux’s cooler vintages when the more famous Cabernet may not reach full ripeness at all.

It’s a lighter, less tannic version of its relative, with aromas that are often more herbaceous, or even floral. In Bordeaux, it is usually part of the blend of red grapes although, unusually, it makes up two-thirds of the blend of Chateau Cheval Blanc, a famous first growth property in St-Emilion.

Cabernet Franc was as widely planted as Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux in the 1960s. True, this isn’t the case anymore as it’s been displaced by Merlot, but it maintains strongholds, such as on the right bank in Saint-Emilion and Pomerol. Cabernet Sauvignon is seen as too much of a risk here as it may not fully ripen.

In Loire Valley, when the grapes ripen fully, Cabernet Franc produces a beautiful silky texture with soft tannins and a characteristic aroma not unlike pencil shavings. With their relatively high acidity, they are not the most fashionable wines in Ireland, but they respond well to being lightly chilled and so are particularly useful for red wine lovers in the heat of the summer.

The fact that Cab Franc is not as pronounced as Cab Sauv in many quarters, including in body and in tannins, may be the reason it’s not as mainstream as its counterpart as a single varietal. If you get your hands on one and are not mad about it on its own initially, try it with food. It’s well worth a shot.

Julian at BubbleBrothers raves about Loire reds, so I’m looking forward to trying more. Hey, you know me, any excuse.