French white wine values tasted in 2009
The selected French bottlings have given me much pleasure for the price. I have purchased them again for personal consumption. Featured values include 7 Loire wines. You’ll learn the availability of wines if you enter a location name in the search box at the top of the page.
The below wines were tasted in France, in 2009 (between April and December). The tasting notes are listed by increasing prices, with the following format:
Appellation - producer - plot or brand - variety
Vintage - approximate price - general impression - on nose - on palate - after swallowing
Vin de pays d'Oc - Domaine des Lièvres - Chardonnay
2008 - 2.7 € - not interesting but technically well made, little aromas (a note of grapefruit) - the nose is weak - the palate shows a hint of residual sugar but remains fresh
Alsace - Schaetzel - Edelzwicker 100 cl
2006 - 4 € -
Muscadet - Marc Ollivier - Domaine de la Pépière - Domaine de la Pépière
2008 - 4.7 € - apple skin, minerally - lichee, fruitgrape, starfruit, not dense, fresh
Muscadet de sèvre et maine sur lie - A.Michel Brégeon
2007 - 4.8 € - not onctuous, watermelon, intense like the 2007 Briords, lively
Muscadet - Marc Ollivier - Domaine de la Pépière - Les Gras moutons
2008 - 6.6 € - full maturity of grapes - lichee - lichee, not onctuous but round, vibrant and fresh
Muscadet - Marc Ollivier - Domaine de la Pépière - Clos des Briords - Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
2007 - 6.6 € - you should keep and age this wine - closed and then even more vibrant than the 2007 Brégeon, dry, minerally and fresh
Côtes de provence - Domaine Turenne - Cuvée Antoine
2008 - 7 € - onctuous, dense, fruit, much alcohol, fresh
Côtes de provence - Domaine du Cagueloup - Cuvée Minette - [50% clairette, 50% ugni blanc]
2008 - 7.3 € - flower, honey, starfruit - onctuous from alcohol but not from residual sugar, nectarine, apricot, pear, finger biscuit, fresh - starfruit
Table - Sylvain Saux - Pechigo - La Mothe
2008 - 7.5 € - finger biscuit, nougat - finger biscuit, nougat, wide but dry, fresh
Vouvray - François Pinon - Tradition [demi-sec]
2006 - 8 € - no manipulation - fruit (citrus) - onctuous, with fruit (honeydew melon, peach, fruit of the loom), a hint of chalk, soft (demi-sec), pure, fresh
Vouvray - François Pinon - Silex Noir [demi-sec]
2007 - 9 € - pear or peach - onctuous, intense, pear or peach, less soft than the 2006 Tradition, fresh and even more lively than Les Trois Argiles
Vouvray - François Pinon - Les Trois Argiles [demi-sec]
2007 - 9 € - similar to Silex Noir but much more mineral - fruit of the loom, a note of white fruit, a hint of chalk - onctuous, fruit of the loom, a hint of chalk, soft (demi-sec), less intense than Silex Noir, with more body, fresh but no as vivid
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