Producer: Sébastien Riffault
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2016
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Centre
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Quartz Sandstone, Marl
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Funky

Tasting Notes: Golden color, almost amber. Distinct smoky and dried fruit hints, apricot, fig and dates with a hint of almond. Savory and fresh in the mouth, with an almost oily fullness and a salty finish.

Producer: Jean-Pierre Robinot
Grape: Chenin Blanc, Pineau d'Aunis 
Color: White
Sparkling: Pet Nat
Vintage: 2017
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Touraine
Alcohol: 12%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Clay
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Funky

Tasting Notes: Notes of yeast, dried flowers, fragrances of bread crust, citrus fruits and toasted and dried fruit. Fragrant, subtle, fine and dry, endowed with lively freshness and minerality

Producer: Nicolas Reau
Grape: Chenin 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 11.5%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay, Limestone
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Fresh, light and lean. Notes of zesty citrus brighten up the minerality brought by the silty soil where this Chenin grows. Almost astringent, mega dry, and pleasantly austere acidity. A dazzling color, liveliness, fruit, a beautiful balance and bite, enough to be enjoyed right away.

Producer: Domaine Vallée Moray
Grape: Chenin 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2017
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Centre
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Fruity, aromas of white flowers, aromas of clay. Straight, rich, mineral, structured body, good persistence. A real gem!

Producer: Sébastien Riffault
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2012
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Centre
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Funky

Tasting Notes: Sancerre - Dark Side of the Wine, quince, orange peel

Producer: Terre de l'Élu
Grape: Chenin 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 14.5%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Schist
Added S02: No

Funkiness: Clean

Tasting Notes: Beautiful balance between tension and complexity. The nose, deep and complex, reveals buttery aromas. The attack, ample and fat, then lets express a superb minerality very typical of schist soils and beautiful citrus notes reminiscent of candied lemon.

Producer: François Saint-Lô
Grape: Cabernet Franc 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2016
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 12.5%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil:
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Les Bois Guyon is Francois' Cabernet Franc from 80 year old vines grown in limestone. The handpicked grapes are de-stemmed, macerated on skins for 10 days then pressed into 400 litres barrels where it ages for 2 and a half years before bottling. An enchanting and ethereal wine with lifted, floral aromatics and savoury game, wood and mineral notes on the palate.

Producer: Jean-Pierre Robinot
Grape: Chenin Blanc 
Color: Orange
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2009
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Touraine
Alcohol: 12.5%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Funky

Tasting Notes: Serious, amazing funky business, sugar and oxidation, brain explosion

Producer: Côme Isambert
Grape: Chenin Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2020
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Limestone
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: 100% Chenin Blanc, grown on clay-limestone and shale soils. Blend of different vintages, a part of which ages thirty months in 500-litre barriques, another 12 months in tanks. Complex and round, with a fresh acidity towards the finish.

Producer: Noella Morantin
Grape: Côt 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 14%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay, Limestone
Added S02: Yes

Funkyness: Clean

Tasting Notes: This cuvée is made from Côt vines, the name given to Malbec in Touraine. We love the expression of this grape variety in the Loire Valley because, unlike the more "southern" wines (Cahors in particular), the region's climate allows the wines to retain a beautiful freshness. Noëlla offers us a little jewel with "Côt à Côt", a cuvée which seduces by its fruit, its greediness and its slightly spicy character. The tannins are present but fine and the wine keeps a very nice freshness.

Producer: Côme Isambert
Grape: Cabernet Franc 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2015
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 12%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Limestone
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Côme Isambert with help from Francois Saint-lo & Olivier Schwirtz have purchased the wine from the last vintages of Clos Cristal that was in the cellar and bottled it without additions, under the protest Cristal Closed label designed by Justine Saint-lo. These wines are history in a bottle. Chiselled from Limestone soils, this a deep smokey and velvety Cabernet that just gets better and better with age.

Producer: Julie et Toby Bainbridge
Grape: Grolleau
Color: Rosé
Sparkling: Pet Nat
Vintage: -
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: -
Alcohol: 12%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Clay
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: A clear, orangey-pink méthode ancestrale sparkler from the Loire Valley that is zesty, yet quite complex. Unites notes of rosehip, red currants and strawberries. On the palate, it is fresh and fruity, dry, with a well integrated perlage and crisp acidity.

Producer: Julie et Toby Bainbridge
Grape: Grolleau 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: -
Alcohol: 11.5%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Clay
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Light garnet colour, floral and peppery aromas (Sechuan pepper, pink berries), frank attack on spice evolving towards floral notes. A delicate palate, long and precise finish. A wine marked by finesse and elegance

Producer: Manuel Pineau
Grape: Melon de Bourgogne 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: -
Alcohol: 12.5%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Gravel
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Floral, mineral and saline wine. BOMB!

Producer: Le Batossay
Grape: Gamay 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 11%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Silt
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Earthy, farmy (potentially polarising) red fruit & cranberry with tons of baking spices & cinnamon

Producer: Benoit Courault
Grape: Chenin Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2020
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay and Schist
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Notes of citrus fruits, apples, white flowers and wet stone on the nose, with a well-balanced, slightly creamy palate, fresh acidity and a salty finish.

Producer: Terre de l'Élu
Grape: Chenin 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2017
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 14%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Sandstone
Added S02: No

Funkiness: Clean

Tasting Notes: Aged in amphora. Perfect balance of acidity, roundness and finesse. Let it open for a while before drinking. After that, phenomenal Chenin!

Producer: Terre de l'Elu
Grape: Pineau d'Aunis 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 12%

Aging in wood: yes
Soil: Quartz Sandstone, Marl
Added S02: Yes

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Light garnet colour, floral and peppery aromas (Sechuan pepper, pink berries), frank attack on spice evolving towards floral notes. A delicate palate, long and precise finish. A wine marked by finesse and elegance

Producer: Domaine La Taupe
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: Pet Nat
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region:
Subregion: -
Alcohol: 14%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Chalk, Limestone
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Handcrafted Sauvignon Blanc. A plump and rich Sauvignon Blanc. It has a good acid/sweet balance. The wine is made from organic grapes purchased by Domaine la Taupe from a friendly winemaker in the Loire region. Esprit wines are natural wines. It is pure fermented grape juice. Fermentation occurs spontaneously, without the addition of factory yeast. The wines are chemical free and unfiltered.

Producer: Domaine La Taupe
Grape: Gamay 
Color: Red
Sparkling: Pet Nat
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region:
Subregion: -
Alcohol: 13.5%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Chalk, Limestone
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: A tight, fruity Gamay with good acidity. Energetic and drinkable! The wine is made from organic grapes purchased by Domaine la Taupe from a friendly winemaker in the Loire region. Esprit wines are natural wines. It is pure fermented grape juice. Fermentation occurs spontaneously, without the addition of factory yeast. The wines are chemical free and unfiltered.

Producer: Domaine Vallée Moray
Grape: Pinot Noir 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Centre
Alcohol: 12%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: The Figurines cuvée is a 100% Pinot Noir. Super juicy and fresh. The terroir brings finesse and elegance, the aim is to keep the fruit integrated with the silky tannins by maturing for several months in oak barrels.

Producer: Jardin de Theseiis
Grape: Gamay 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: -
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay, Limestone
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Clean

Tasting Notes: It shows what Gamay can do in this neck of the woods. A little more depth and spice than its counterparts in Beaujolais, this is all about mystery. Think mossy forests and black peppercorns. The ideal partner for autumnal mushroom, squash and chestnut dishes.

Producer: Perrault Jadaud
Grape: Chenin Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: Pet Nat
Vintage: 2017
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Touraine
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Gravel
Added S02: Yes

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: White, Yellow Fruit, Honey, Balsamic Hint Creamy, Salty

Producer: François Saint-Lô
Grape: Gamay 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 11%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil:
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Spontaneous fermentation with carbonic maceration with whole bunches and not destemmed for 10 days in old barrels. Amazing intensity and acidity for this juicy, fruity wine from a small parcel of Gamay (0.3 hectares). The grapes are macerated in "whole bunch".

Producer: Julie et Toby Bainbridge
Grape: Cabernet Franc
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: -
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Clay
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Red-violet in colour, with aromas of blueberry, black cherry, chocolate, cinnamon bark, violet and forest floor. Rich blueberry, black cherry, bramble and the slightest trace of fizz are flanked by firm tannins and fresh acidity. A bitter streak accents dark chocolate, elderflower, black currant and blueberry on the velvety finish. Opulent and lush.

Producer: Noella Morantin
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2017
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay, Limestone
Added S02: Yes

Funkyness: Clean

Tasting Notes: The soil this Sauvignon Blanc grows in is composed of flinty clay on a limestone parent rock, which brings a slight tension and a complex aromatic structure of white fruits, wild flowers and citrus fruits (grapefruit) without the varietal side that one too often finds in Sauvignon. The palate is fruity, refreshing and long.

Producer: Terre de l'Élu
Grape: Grolleau Gris 
Color: Rosé
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2016
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 12%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Schist
Added S02: No

Funkiness: Clean

Tasting Notes: The bouquet evokes Mediterranean fragrances: dried herbs, spices, citrus fruits (orange). A powerful and balanced wine. Tannins present without being imposing, roundness without heaviness. Let yourself be surprised!

Producer: Cyrille Sevin
Grape: Pinot Noir, Gamay 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Touraine
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay, Limestone
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Nose of red cherry and raspberry. The palate is seductive, with a beautiful aromatic expression and a density perfect for the table. It is nicely structured and a well contained acidity completes its balance. It is a very fine wine.

Producer: Nicolas Reau
Grape: Cabernet Franc 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 13.5%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay, Limestone, Alluvial Silt, Gravel
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Aged 6 months in concrete vats, it should be drunk young in order to take advantage of its fruit and brilliance. Its soil gives it an incredible aromatic complexity at this level: fruit, fruit and more fruit.

Producer: Côme Isambert
Grape: Grolleau 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 12%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Limestone
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: 100% Grolleau Noir from Saint Georges sur Layon, grown on schiste a very good year for Grolleau. Destemmed by hand - 3 weeks in tanks punchdowned by hand, pressing off in a vertical press and blending press and running juice. Aged in two barrels - 600l barrel for 20 months. There were a few bunches in the tank to help filter the wine which also infused into the wine to give some structure. A wonderfully deep and elegant Grolleau which is drinking well now, but will age wonderfully.

Producer: Manuel Pineau
Grape: Cabernet Franc 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: -">
Alcohol: 12.5%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Gravel
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: A 100% Cabernet Franc bottled by hand without fining or filtration in the Loire, this wine is for Cabernet lovers, for those who are not looking for pepper aromas. A fresh and slightly salty juice that will not displease the gourmets either. A pretty wine, all in suppleness and concentration signed Manuel Pineau!

Producer: François Saint-Lô
Grape: Cabernet Franc 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2017
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 12.5%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil:
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: The most sublime Cabernet Franc from this prodigious young Loire vigneron. The vines in the Palennes vineyard are well established (around 70 years old) and the fruit is of excellent quality. Here the grapes go through vinification as a blend of both destemmed and whole clusters - this technique results in an extraordinarily fine tannic structure once the wine is complete, as the contact between the must and the grape stems is carefully managed. There is always great depth in the Cabernet Franc of Saint-Lô; the black cherry fruit, bitter dark chocolate and the characteristic herbaceous bearing of the varietal all marry perfectly. The wine is polished and smooth. BOOM!!!

Producer: Bruno Dubois
Grape: Chenin Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Clay
Added S02: Yes

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Butter, Cream, White Flowers. Salty, Acid

Producer: Noella Morantin
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2018
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 13.5%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay, Limestone
Added S02: Yes

Funkyness: Clean

Tasting Notes: Noëlla knows how to show us how elegant this grape variety can be in the Loire Valley when it is cultivated and vinified with care, at reasonable yields. On opening, we immediately feel the characteristic notes of Sauvignon harvested at perfect maturity, as we like them. The clear, limpid colour is a pretty straw yellow. On the palate, there is a perfect balance between minerality and sweetness. It is long, salivating and so good that we want more!

Producer: François Saint-Lô
Grape: Chenin Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2017
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil:
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: The very first vintage of a new cuvée of Chenin Blanc that comes from a parcel that François is now leasing from Sylvain Dittiere. The parcel is situated in an old river bed and the vines are about 30 years old. A third of the harvest macerated whole bunches for about 2 weeks, while the rest were pressed directly. They were kept separate in 600L barrels plus the Stockinger (1200L), then the whole thing was put together a few weeks before bottling. Super texture, incredible fruit, almost tropical but with lots of minerality. If the day is any indication...!

Producer: Sébastien Riffault
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc 
Color: White
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Centre
Alcohol: 13%

Aging in wood: No
Soil: Volcanic
Added S02: Yes

Funkyness: Clean

Tasting Notes: Sancerre - flowers, citrus, fresh, drink every day

Producer: Côme Isambert
Grape: Cabernet Franc 
Color: Red
Sparkling: -
Vintage: 2017
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Anjou-Saumur
Alcohol: 13.5%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Limestone
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Mild

Tasting Notes: Conversely, the Little Robin uses the press juice from the same Gamay as went into his Onomatopee wine in 2019. This is then put into old barrels before being blended with a large proportion of Cabernet Franc from 2017 which had already had a long thirty month ageing in in barrel to smooth out the tannins. He likes to make this blend to give fruit and acidity to the depth and structure in the Cabernet. The wine is elegant, soft and spicy, a great bottle for dinner, particularly with grilled meats.

Producer: Domaine Vallée Moray
Grape: Pinot Noir 
Color: Rosé
Sparkling: Pet Nat
Vintage: 2019
Country: France
Region: Loire
Subregion: Centre
Alcohol: 12%

Aging in wood: Yes
Soil: Clay
Added S02: No

Funkyness: Funky

Tasting Notes: Amazing bubble from Loire Valley