10 March 2007

TN: Saumur love

[bottle]Filliatreau 2005 Saumur (Loire) – Grassy earth, thyme and dusty dark berries. It gives the impression that it’s going to be green and somewhat acrid, but in fact the texture is beautifully particulate, and there’s a surprising smoothness. This tastes completely “natural,” for those to whom that term means something, and it dances delightfully with a pretty wide variety of foods. Delicious. And ageable? Perhaps, for a while. (3/07)

Posted by at 4:54 PM
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can be difficult to find interesting Loire reds.
Chinon is so often disappointing. Better to search out Anjou Villages but few are to be found on this side. This Saumur has great texture and balance and is a wonderful bargain at the price we paid (about $12.00). Good fruit, nice finish, never tiring. Hope to find Filliatreau's Saumur-Champigny to make a comparison.
Cheers, Bud Carlos

Saturday, March 24, 2007 10:13:00 PM
thor iverson said...

I have to say that I enjoy a lot of Chinons (from various Raffaults and Baudry, and also from Druet, but less so from Joguet or Couly-Dutheil these days) and Bourgueil (Druet and Raffault here, again), but for everyday drinking, the Filliatreau wines are really nice. They can age, but I'm rarely able to hold on to them long enough! I also love the Talalau St-Nicholas-de-Bourgueil. Oh, heck, I might as well admit to a great love for Loire reds...when they're good. I even like the occasional Sancerre rouge, which has to be some sort of sign of illness....

Loire gamay can be terrific, as exemplified by the Clos Roche Blanche, and the pinots and cots (tannats) can be tasty, but I do have a special affection for cabernet franc, which I think I prefer in the Loire to even Bordeaux. Though I admit I don't drink all that much Cheval Blanc. ;-)

I agree that it's tough to find Anjou-Villages here. The Clos de Coulaine used to be around (or was that a straight Anjou?), but I haven't seen it for years.

Saturday, March 24, 2007 11:35:00 PM

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