WineDr: Day 2-Back at Minet's

Today we started the day at Regis Minet's and having to deal with the snow covered hilly drives. Little did we know that they had parked a car at the entrance to deter us from driving down the icy hill, but did that stop us stupid Americans, hell no! Our first winery of the day was with Emmanuel Delaille of Domaine du Salvard. Salvard or Salvert means salvation and the modern day chateau rests on what used to be an ancient Roman chateau that once served as a place of justice. The appellation Cheverny is just south of Sancerre on the Loire river and in their white wines, they are allowed to blend some Chardonnay to help cut the acidity. Reds can be Pinot Noir and Gamay.

We tasted the:

2009 Sauvignon Blanc
2009 Cheverny Blanc-85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Chardonnay
2009 Cheverny Rose-60% Pinot Noir and 40% Gamay-This is the purest, cleanest rose I tried on the entire trip.
2009 Cheverny Rouge-60% Pinot Noir and 40% Gamay...very clean and pure wines

Emmanuel Delaille

The Lineup

Next we tasted from Denis Jamain from Domaine de Reuilly. Reuilly is a region I've never tried before and they specialize in Sauvignon Blanc. There are only 200 acres of vines in Reuilly and 40 acres belong to Denis. Reuilly is a warmer climate than the rest of the Loire. Their soils, if you remember from yesterday's dinner, is loaded with Kimmeridgian fossils just like Chablis. People often say it is what Sauvignon Blanc would taste like if planted in Chablis. Denis is a very funny man and very outgoing and friendly. He would be great to bring to Oklahoma and a lot of fun. His wines show his personality.

Tasting:

2009 Pinot Gris Rose-Have to admit, never had a Loire Pinot Gris, much less a Rose. Very good, lots of melon flavors, really light pink in color.
2009 Reuilly Blanc 'Pierres Plates'-Must be 100% Sauvignon Blanc by law-Denis' vineyards will be certified organic next year, although he has been organic for a long time. Really minerally, round, full wine. Great balance of acidity and fruit. His yield is about 3 tons/acre and the appellation allows 5.
2008 Reuilly Rouge-100% Pinot Noir required by law. This had a deeper color than Sancerre, but was really thin. Not too excited by this particular wine.

Kimmeridgian fossils

Denis Jamain and our fearless leader, Bruce Neyers

Regis Minet is unfortunately not organic, but his Pouilly-Fume is the best I have ever tasted. It's almost unearthly in its clarity and acidity. Pure, beautiful wine to not only look at, but drink as well. Keep in mind that I'm being tainted by being in France on these wines. It's fucking cold and I'm talking about how much I like a chilled Sauvignon Blanc. Clay and limestone soils, the Minets are hands on with every aspect of the wine making process. They night harvest and use indigenous yeasts. Their yields are about 4 tons/acre, the region allows five.

We tried:

The 2009 Pouilly-Fume
The 2008 Pouilly-Fume