Loire Valley

Lower ABV Wow, is it ever a delight to taste a really classic Muscadet like this one! Crushed rock, leesy/salty minerality, and dollops of crunchy green apple and pear that start and finish with some lemon/lime bite while staying... Read More

This rich, sweet, liqueur made from blackcurrants macerated in alcohol originated in Burgundy in the 1840s where it soon found its way into glasses of tart Aligote (a “Kir”) and then frothy Champagne (a “Kir... Read More

Lower ABV From a cellar carved out of Vouvray's soft limestone hills, this is Chenin Blanc at its juiciest, freshest, stoniest, best. And while it’s all the way dry and not at all “fruity,” it certainly packs... Read More

Organic/Bio Claude Lafond more or less revitalized this obscure Loire Valley appellation and now his daughter, Natalie, has put away her tractor and farms organically and plows and sprays with her horse. This single vineyard,... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV A stunning value in top-notch Muscadet from the important Chateau Thebaud Cru. Antoine Delaunay farms his vines organically, uses no sulfur in the winery until a tiny touch at bottling, and gives all his... Read More

Organic/Bio Just a short distance from Sancerre, Pouilly Fume showcases the smokier, gunflint, side of Sauvignon Blanc. Especially at this outstanding estate run by 8th generation winegrower Katia Mauroy-Gauliez working with some... Read More

Lower ABV Importer Ed Addiss had been trying to get an allocation of this tiny production Loire Valley white from Switzerland's Chasselas grape for years. Doug and Bryan fawning over it at WineParis in early 2026 finally unlocked... Read More

Lower ABV Think of Coteaux du Giennois as the front door to Sancerre (technically the “back door” since it’s down river, but that doesn’t sound nearly as good!). The limestone soils here were given over... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV La Pierre Frite is a single vineyard in the middle of Saumur made up of old seabed limestone laced with silica from millions of tiny sea creature fossils. I've read a description of this wine as a pear... Read More

Organic/Bio This is the elegant Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc of the new generation. Gael Felix’s Quincy domaine, southwest of Sancerre in the Centre-Loire, just started in 2022, and he is already making a name for himself... Read More

This small (20 acre) family-owned estate makes delicious wines that studies the interaction of Sauvignon Blanc and Sancerre's diverse soils. Here you’ll taste the impact of Sancerre’s famed “terres blanches,”... Read More

Organic/Bio Instensity is the word here. Classic Chenin Blanc flavors of fresh apple, lemon zest and quince just burst out of the glass and are neatly underscored by hints of chervil and flint in this chiseled and precise wine.... Read More

Organic/Bio To the Vouvray Demi-Sec lovers out there, you've got to try this wine. Incredibly versatile on the dinner table and just lip-smackingly delicious - that about sums up our impression of this small production off-dry... Read More

Organic/Bio Only a small amount of Pinot Noir is produced each year by this 11th-generation family-run winery in Sancerre. The bulk of production is, of course, focused on the much more famous white grape of the region, Sauvignon... Read More

Lower ABV Southwest of Sancerre along the river Cher, Quincy's pure limestone soils and warm climate gives Sauvignon Blanc of remarkable richness and delightful fresh minerality. Vincent Siret's Quincy is especially elegant... Read More

From an old Loire Valley wine region that only earned official recognition in 2000, this is 100% Gamay from volcanic soils. With a bit more clay than in the granite soils nearby, these vines develop a darker fruit profile and... Read More

Organic/Bio Francois Chidaine is most famous for his brilliant Chenin Blancs from Montlouis on the north side of the Loire River where he lives and has his winery. He makes equally astonishing wines across the river in Vouvray,... Read More

Organic/Bio The Boulay family have held vines in Sancerre since 1380 and Gerard Boulay has grown and made wine here for almost all of his 60 years. He holds about 22 acres of vineyard on the steeply sloped hill of Chavignol, the... Read More

Organic/Bio Powerful, rich, mouthwatering and delicious Sancerre from vines planted in 1936 and wine aged 12 months in old French oak. As Wine Spectator says in their 92 point review, “A refined, elegant version, with cool... Read More

Lower ABV Jean-Pierre Vacher, his son Jerome and daughter-in-law, Karine, are making classic, focused, Sancerre that hold on to Sancerre's freshness, especially in cloudy years like 2024. Done all in steel, this delivers fresh... Read More

Lower ABV While the label here features a bowler hat (in French, “Chapeau Melon”), a big ole smile is what you’re more likely to be wearing after you try a sip. Over the past 20 years, Jeremie Huchet has staked... Read More

Lower ABV While the label here features a bowler hat (in French, “Chapeau Melon”), a big ole smile is what you’re more likely to be wearing after you try a sip. Over the past 20 years, Jeremie Huchet has staked... Read More

Lower ABV With Chemin Des Prieres, one of a pair of Jeremie Huchet's Muscadets that showcase Melon's ability to deliver the taste of site in your glass. From granite, sand and clay Chateau Thibaud soils, this shows remarkable... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV We started to call this “Muscadet for Chablis and white Burgundy drinkers.” But that actually under-sells Jeremy Huchet’s accomplishment here. Clisson was one of the first three of, now,... Read More