Celebration in Loire Valley

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Refreshing

Langlois's signature Brut Reserve: minimum 58 percent Chenin Blanc, balanced with Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc, 10 percent reserve wines, and a minimum 24 months on the lees (double the appellation minimum). Linden blossom and baked pear on the nose, creamy mousse with biscuit and a mineral finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Fruity

Langlois's Cabernet Franc-dominant Cremant de Loire rose. Over 60 percent of the blend comes from clay-limestone terroirs of Montreuil-Bellay and Le Puy Notre-Dame, with 18 months on the lees: pale pink with copper notes, red berry and peach aromatics, fresh and easy on the palate.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

Langlois's icon Cremant de Loire. Chenin Blanc-led with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc, fully five years on the lees: dried apricot, toasted brioche and candied lemon, with a long honeyed pear and saline mineral palate.

Sweet · Full-bodied · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Botrytised sweet Chenin Blanc from a south-facing tuffeau parcel. The estate's rare dessert cuvee: candied apricot, honey and saffron over a saline mineral spine, built for decades.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Single-vineyard Coteaux du Layon from Baumard's Clos Sainte Catherine. Late-harvest Chenin with honey, peach and chalky lift, the Baumard's most approachable sweet wine.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Botrytis Chenin Blanc from schist parcels above the Layon. Honey, apricot and preserved citrus over Anjou Noir schist's mineral spine.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Ogereau's flagship Coteaux du Layon Saint-Lambert from Clos des Bonnes Blanches. Botrytis Chenin Blanc with honey, apricot and saffron over chalky depth.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Nicolas Joly's 7-hectare biodynamic monopole AOC on schist over the Loire. quince, honey and waxy texture over an electric mineral spine.

Dry · Light-bodied · High acidity · Festive · Refreshing

The Bretons' pet-nat Vouvray, made in the ancestral method with no dosage. Saline, citrussy Chenin Blanc with a fine bead and a dry, refreshing finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing · Festive

Saigne-method Cabernet Franc Cremant de Loire. Intense pink-salmon hue, wild strawberry and ripe peach aromas, a broad and gently tannic palate with a soft mousse.

Dry · Full-bodied · Firm tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

The Foucault brothers' cult cuvee, born from a single tuffeau-limestone parcel at Chace. Dense, perfumed Cabernet Franc with cedar, graphite and a chalky, mineral length that defines what Saumur-Champigny can be.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Cult Anjou Chenin from a 0.7-hectare parcel of centenarian vines planted 1910 on chalky-clay plateau. A few thousand bottles a year of cellar-worthy dry Chenin Blanc, virtually impossible to find.

Dry · Medium-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Cult Anjou Chenin from a 0.45-hectare parcel of 80-year-old vines on light limestone upstream of the Layon. The most lifted of Bernaudeau's three bottlings.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Festive

Ackerman's iconic Cremant de Loire, named for the son of founder Jean-Baptiste Ackerman. Chenin, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc each vinified separately, blended for harmony: ripe white and red fruit, brioche and dried fruit length, with a delicately spiced white-pepper finish.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Buisson Renard (formerly Buisson Ménard) is the broader, more exotic side of Dagueneau. Yellow plum and exotic spice over a full, ripe-fruited Sauvignon frame.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Elegant · Savoury

Pur Sang, established 1988, sits at the heart of Dagueneau's range. Citrus, saline mineral and flint smoke from a Kimmeridgian-clay terroir.

Dry · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Pouilly-Fumé from Saint-Andelain flint terroir. Didier Dagueneau's flagship cuvée since 1990; pure pierre à fusil signature on a powerful, age-worthy frame.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Botrytis-affected Chenin Blanc from Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru AOC. Honey, apricot and preserved citrus on a multi-decade-cellar frame, the Baumard's flagship dessert wine.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Botrytis-affected Chenin Blanc from Pierre-Bise's Quarts de Chaume parcels. Honey, apricot and saffron over a multi-decade-cellar frame.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Patrick Baudouin's botrytis Chenin Blanc from Quarts de Chaume schist. Intense honey and apricot over Anjou Noir schist's mineral spine; multi-decade-cellar.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Festive

Ackerman's Chardonnay-led Cremant de Loire Royal. 36 months on the lees lend tertiary dried-fruit and almond notes, balanced by zesty lemon and a buttery, biscuity Chardonnay character with a long, dry finish.

Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Elegant · Contemplative

The Bouvet prestige Saumur Brut and the house's early oak-fermented cuvee. Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay vinified in French oak barrels, then a minimum 24 months on the lees: brioche, cream, lemon peel and roasted peach with a long, mineral finish.

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Botrytis-affected Chenin Blanc from Clos du Bourg in late-harvest conditions. Honey, apricot and preserved citrus over the cuvée's signature chalky acidity.

Dessert · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Foreau's most rarefied Moelleux. Produced only five times in the domaine's century-long history (1947, 1990, 2011, 2015, 2020).

Sweet · Full-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Contemplative · Elegant

Botrytis-affected late-harvest Chenin Blanc from Foreau's tuffeau-limestone parcels in Vouvray. Bottled only a few times per decade, with documented multi-decade cellaring potential.

Dry · Light-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Festive

Méthode ancestrale Chenin Blanc from all three Huet crus. A gently sparkling, soft-fizz Vouvray with chalky drive and notable cellaring capacity.

Dry · Light-bodied · Low tannin · High acidity · Refreshing · Festive

Brut Nature sparkling Vouvray from organic Chenin Blanc on clay-limestone and clay with silex. Expressive nose with subtle roasted-almond aromas and great freshness.