At restaurant Carelia I got to try some Loire wines - rare treats in Finland. What can I say? Huet rocks!
NV Jean Vesselle Champagne Brut Réserve - France, Champagne, Bouzy, Champagne
Floral and red toned aromas, fleshy, nicely bready. Drier and more crisp than the scent promised, racy even. Nice!
NV Pierre Gimonnet Champagne Brut Cuis 1er Cru - France, Champagne
Obvious Blanc de Blancs aromas of white flowers and minerals; quite a fat wine, slightly sweet even for a Brut, but with perfectly enough acidity. I prefer my B de B taut and nervous like Pierre Peters, but I don't mind drinking a glass of this. Good, but not great.
2010 Huët Vouvray Sec Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
This was beautiful, but tight and young. Green apples and flowers; racy, taut palate, the finish opens up like a peacock's tail. It has 9g/l RS which is IIRC a bit more than some earlier years of the sec. But as I always loved the demi-sec, and this veers slightly toward that, I won't complain. Lovely.
2008 Domaine Patrick Baudouin Anjou Les Saulaies - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou
Rather oaky. It does have some nice honey aromas underneath, but the oak does dominate. Paradoxically both dry and honeyed. Quite rich. Too much oak that I could really see the Chenin here.
2005 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny
Still young. But it did have nice earthy aromas; it is quite the Bordeaux-clone. This cuvée IIRC sees once used oak, and that has sometimes seemed a bit too much for my oakophobic tastes, but though this still is young, the oak seems to be going to the background. Refreshing, racy but elegantly rich palate. I think this will turn out to be fantastic, but it needs time.
2009 Patrick Baudoin Anjou Coteau d'Ardenay - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou
A blend of Franc and Sauvignon. A bit of oak. But otherwise this is a nice, lighter type of red Loire - not a heavy style, but more an easy drinking, fresh one. The oak doesn't bother me so much on the palate, which is pleasantly light and racy. But overall, the oak scents are a bit too much for me to give this great praise.