2005 Charles Joguet "Cuvee Terroir" Chinon, Loire Valley, France

Chinon is located in the center of the Loire Valley. The main grape varietal grown there is Cabernet Franc, which is also called Breton. Some Cabernet Sauvignon is also grown, but it is minimal and the focus is clearly on Cab Franc. I was inspired to try this wine by brooklynguy and his reviews of Loire Valley reds. I have to admit, I have very limited experience with Loire reds and his writings made me want to learn more. We've reviewed here several of the Loire Sauvignon Blancs and will be reviewing a Muscadet soon, wines that typically appeal to us very, very much. It is now time to step away from the Burgundian Pinot Noir and put away the New World Syrah. This is a good thing, too, as the Loire reds tend to be undervalued. You can find some exceptional wines for half or one third of what you would pay for a mid-level Burgundy... it is always good to have options.

The vineyards of Chinon are the same soil types as the other areas of the Loire Valley. In the flatter lowlands they are gravelly and rocky and along the gentle hillsides they are more limestoney and with a higher clay content. This wine comes from grapes grown in a vineyard that is along one of these hillsides. This is important to point out because, as we have explained before, it is a traditional French winemaking style to bring out the qualities of the earth in which the grapes for the wine were grown. This is a big reason we love French wine, and wine made in a French style, so much. We love tasting the terroir of the wine. This Chinon definitely came through on this count, and it is named "Cuvee Terroir" so we can't be too surprised. The nose, which is bright and sharp at first, offers up with intense raspberry and cranberry with hints of wet clay, just like the vineyards the wine came from. The clay smell is a distinct scent, and it really adds to the complexity of the nose. There was also some hints of pepper and coffee, but the earthy clay quality was the standout. The palate was incredibly smooth and velvety. The wine actually looks velvety in the glass as it is intensely dark and deep purple looking. As you swirl it it seemed to hug the sides of the glass a little bit longer than it should. It looks very concentrated. It tastes very concentrated. The flavors in the mouth are dark berry, strawberry and almost a chicory coffee type taste... like a smoky coffee flavor. The wine tastes amazing. The structure is great, with soft tannins rounding out a medium bodied wine. The finish is longish and not unpleasant. Really, a terrific value wine and definitely worth more than I paid for it. I highly recommend experimenting and trying the Cabernet Franc wines of Chinon.

cost - $14.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.5

2005 Voga Italia Pinot Grigio, Calmasino, Italy

We're suckers for groovy packaging. I think our whole culture is. We'd buy shredded phone books if they were offered in a cool, well-designed container. While this wine is far from shredded phone books (not that far, actually) it was the interesting bottle design that inspired us to pick it up and bring it home. Honestly, the only thing that keeps wine bottles looking the way they do is tradition. It is a package that is desperate for creative thinking and innovation. The storage issue alone demands that the arcane wine bottle shape be revisited by the likes of Starck, Newson or Mattisimo.

This bottle is pretty cool. The cap hides a longer neck that utilizes a synthetic cork for the seal. Opening this bottle made me feel like we were drinking wine in the future. Like on a spaceship. Anyway, you have to admit that going this direction is a really cool idea. The bottled water guys figured this out like ten years ago and have been hiring rockstar designers to reinvent their packaging for awhile. I know people who buy VOSS because, and only because, of the bottle design... which is actually startlingly similar to this Voga bottle.

That made me want to visit the Voga website. I highly recommend checking it out. It made me want to gouge out my eyes. I embrace wine as lifestyle as much as the next scheming marketer, but I think Voga may be going just a little too far. As if the bottle design alone isn't sending a message, they have to drive it home with a blunt instrument.

Moving on, this wine is made from Pinot Grigio grapes, a classic Italian white varietal that generally makes for a crisp and refreshing wine. Perfect for hot summer days on the patio. The fact that we opened this bottle in the middle of winter with temperatures hovering around 0 degrees and about 20 inches of snow on the ground says a lot more about us than it does about the wine. Anyway, we poured this wine and set about deciphering it. The nose was tart, bright and full of lemon. Concentrated lemon, almost like lemon drops or preserved lemon... with that sugary element. It also smelled of flowers, lilac maybe, and sharp green apple. The palate offered similar flavors, but more round and lush and missing the sharp tartness of the nose. Definitely a light bodied wine. The finish was quick and dry. Because of the packaging we wanted this wine to be awesome. It isn't awesome, but it is pretty good and I could see enjoying this on a hot summer day while sitting on the patio. Or on our spaceship. In the future.

cost - $11.00

winecommando rating (1-10) - 7

2003 Domaine Merieau Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine, Loire Valley, France

We have reviewed the more prominent Sauvignon Blancs of the Loire before, the wines of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume here on winecommando. Together these represent a spectrum of Sauvignon Blanc wine making style in this region. There are others, though, that offer both the quality and characteristics of these wines, but at a better value. We picked up this Loire Valley wine for $14.00, which is an excellent value. What makes this wine distinct is that it is aged on the lees, meaning that it is left to age for a time with the materials that collect at the bottom of the vat. These materials are the dead yeasts and residual yeasts that occur during the wine making process, and this process, called sur lies in French, adds a quality to wine that can be pretty incredible. In the case of this Sauvignon Blanc, it softens greatly the sharpness of the citrus and grapefruit flavors and adds a creamy, yeasty component. This is the difference between a Sauvignon Blanc that is an excellent apertif wine, and one that is a great food wine. This Domaine Merieau is great with food, having more depth, complexity and structure than is typical. The nose is full of fragrant lavender, honey and hints of grapefruit. The palate is round with pear and sharp green apple, balanced by the softness of honeydew melon. The finish is rich and lush, which we find fairly unique as compared to the majority of French Sauvignon Blanc. The minerally qualities are still there, as is the tradition of the soil of the Loire, but they are part of a bigger picture in this wine. This bottle was a very pleasant surprise and more of it will find its way into our cellar for the summer.

cost - $14.00

winecommando rating (1-10) - 9

2003 Domaine Lafage Cote Grenache Noir, Roussillon, France

I think that a lot of you will agree that there is something especially exciting about finding a great wine that is also a great deal. Cat and I try wines across a fairly tight price range, typically in the $10-$40/bottle, as this fits our budget best. That, and this range is full of tremendous wine of all varietals and styles. It is when we get close to that $10 mark and find a wine that compares with those that are much more expensive that we feel we have discovered something.

Sometimes you are just in the mood to try something different. I was walking around a local wine shop known for its excellently diverse selection, and happened upon this one. We love Grenache, the wines of Gigondas being among my favorites. On the back label Eric Solomon is listed as the importer. What I know of Eric Solomon is that he is incredibly picky about what wines he will import, and having his name on the back is an enormous stamp of approval. Then there is the price... $12.99. I bought it.

By way of background, the Grenache grape is a major contributor to the blends of southern Rhone wines. I mentioned Gigondas, and we reviewed the E. Guigal earlier, and in the Kaesler Avignon review we discussed the beauty of GSM's, like Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Grenache not only adds a velvetty and dark fruit quality to blends like these, it makes a terrific stand-alone varietal for winemaking. The Domain Lafage is made by the husband and wife team led by Jean-Marc Lafage. They also make wines for wineries in Spain and South America, working with the importer mentioned above, Eric Solomon. Their homebase is in Cotes de Roussillon in the south of France. The Lafage style is to sometimes disregard convention, and in the case of this wine they chose to vint it without oak and to bottle it unfiltered. The results are a smooth, approachable medium bodied wine. There is plum and dark cherry in the nose, with a little bit of pepper and spice. On the palate the wine has great structure and is incredibly versatile, able to pair with a variety of foods. The flavors in the mouth are more plum, cranberry and a little earthy truffle-like quality. Very balanced with soft tannins and a longish finish. We found this wine to be a pleasant surprise and quite delicious. This is another example of a very well priced house wine, something that you could drink often with dinner without breaking the bank.

cost - $12.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 8.75

2005 Erath Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon

Pretty nice wine for the price. We liked it despite the screwtop, and that says a lot. It's not that we have an aversion to screwtops and nice wine, but we have an aversion to screwtops and nice wine... if you get my drift. In so many ways, and much like the Faiveley Bourgogne that we reviewed a few weeks ago, this would be a terrific house Pinot Noir, a terrific house wine. Not expensive, good quality, and the screwtop makes for easy access when every second between bottle, glass, and mouth counts.

Seriously, though, Erath has a solid reputation and IS making wine in what is perhaps the most "perfect" place to grow and vint Pinot Noir... the Willamette Valley. Erath is in the northern part of the Willamette Valley, in the Dundee Hills, which is akin to being in the best place in the best place for growing and making great Pinots. Really, most Pinot Noirs from this area are typically that great mix of wonderfully opulent fruit, great winemakers, and Burgundian "influence" to the winemaking style. Works well for Cat and I.

We found this Pinot Noir immediately accessible. It smells bright with just a little sharpness to the fruit. There are hints of raspberry and strawberry, a little bubblegum (which is cool to us), and subtle Pinot Noir earthiness. The palate delivers soft, round strawberry fruit and is surprisingly balanced and elegant for a wine at this price point. The palate did not offer up much sophistication, though, beyond the fruit and some hints of vanilla. The finish was shortish, with some pepper and spiciness. We wanted more depth in the palate and a slightly longer finish. Still, though, it's solid and for a daily wine with dinner it is hard to beat a one with this flexibility at this price point. Between this, the Faiveley Bourgogne, and the Joseph Drouhin Laforet Pinot Noir (which we will review shortly) you could put together a very cost efficient base to your cellar. Sort of the bond fund of your wine portfolio. I can't believe I just said that out loud.

cost - $14.99 on sale from $17.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 7.75

2004 Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne, Burgundy

Really a Burgundian table wine, this pinot noir is a great value. Truly classic in style and from a very well respected family house, the Bourgogne is a great entry-level Faiveley wine. The flavors are dark cherry, very rich and intense on the palate. The nose is restrained, mostly because the wine is still young, but it is ready to drink now... like most table wines. This would be a great staple wine for your cellar as it offers excellent value. I was always a fan of the wines of Joseph Drouhin and really did not have a lot of experience with those from Faiveley. When Cat and I moved a while back our local wine store focused heavily on the catalog of wines from Faiveley, so we checked them out. A lot of them. Often. We have been very happy with almost all of them.

cost - $12.39 on sale from $14.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 7.5

2004 Chateau Magence, Graves, Bordeaux Blanc

Delicious, clean and crisp. That about sums this wine up. Then you figure in the price and, assuming you are a fan of white wine from Appellation Graves in Bordeaux, there is everything right with this picture. I revealed my penchant for sauvignon blanc, especially those from Sancerre, in a previous post. The white wines of Bordeaux are often Sauvignon Blanc, sometimes Semillon, and sometimes a blend of the two, but right up there with those from Sancerre. Whites from Graves are a blend, with the balance being Sauvignon Blanc.

We like them a lot.

This is because of the vineyards in Graves (pronounced "grahvs"). The name Graves comes from the soil that makes up the vineyards. You could have probably guessed this, but I am going to tell you anyway because this is my blog, the soil is quite gravelly. Some vineyards are actually made up entirely of small rocks from alluvial deposits cast off by a river that once ran through the area. These deposits are mostly rocks, gravel and sand. There is no dirt here, really. This imparts a really special quality to the wine, which in all honesty smells and tastes like rocks, gravel and sand... in a good way. I am not messing around, that's literally what the soil has created in the wines of this area (remember "terroir"?). The white wines of Graves are among the best whites coming out of Bordeaux, but often go over looked. This bottle is of especially good quality, being very crisp and with that gravelly character. It also has great citrus fruit to the palette and a cut grass smell to the nose. For a clean white wine, it is actually quite complex, and very elegant. Cat had a glass waiting for me when I got home from work later than usual this evening, and it was the perfect way to relax after a long day.

cost - $11.99

winecommando rating (1-10) - 9 (an excellent example of a Graves blanc!)

2004 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne, Cotes-du-Rhone

This was a nice Cotes-du-Rhone. Made up of about 30% grenache, with syrah and mourvedre, it is classic in style. Wine had a nice nose with just hints of fruit. It was light on the tongue, with a nutty flavor... sort of like chestnuts, I think. We had this wine by itself, and not with a meal. Cat didn't remember this one, either, and has asked me to record her impressions while we are ACTUALLY tasting the freaking wine. I have promised to do so. We liked this bottle and think it would be a great house wine.

cost - $12.99 on sale from $14.99

wine commando rating (1-10) - 8