LAST CALL ON THIS WINNER!!
"Crisp, honeyed lemon grass notes intermixed with buttery citrus, lemon oil and a hint of gun flint are all present in this 2010 Pouilly Fume Vieilles Vignes. With stunning intensity, fragrant aromatics and a medium-bodied mouthfeel, it should drink well for 2-3 years. " (WA)
"The minute I tasted this terrific Pouilly Fumé from Régis Minet, I wanted oysters. Not just a half dozen but at least a couple dozen, chilled, naked and preferably Kumomotos. Minet's old-vine Sauvignon Blanc picks up a stony minerality and bracing acidity that would be perfect with most things from the raw bar. You can taste lime and grapefruit, too, in this intense, nervous white.
It's also a fine value for a wine of this quality." (LOS ANGELES TIMES)
"A 2010 ($17.95) LOIRE SAUVIGNON BLANC WITH RICH VARIETAL CHARACTER
2010 POUILLY-FUME, Est. Btld. REGIS MINET (Vieilles Vignes)
The 2010 Loire vintage, allowed for full ripe grapes and when you combine this ripeness with grapes coming from “older vines” (Vieilles Vignes) as in this estate bottled wine from Regis Minet, the end result is one with lots of body and richness combiner with an intense varietal character. The unmistakable Sauvignon Blanc origin of this 2010 comes forth with intense aromas and flavors or ripe pears and melons, banana oil, pineapples and noticeable herbal hints of anise and fresh mint.
The richness of this wine is very appealing, though I must admit that personally I would have liked a touch more crisp, sharp acid—but too many this high acid may be a bit of a turn-off and instead ends up giving this wine an added drink ability to many. The wine is now very pleasing and may even gain with another year of aging and keep well for another 3 or 4 years. Regular price is around $25, with L.A. Wine Co., having it on special for under $18."
RATING:90+
PRICE:$17.95,***bargain
WHERE:Los Angeles Wine Co.
(Martin's Guide to Wine Bargains)
Winery Notes:
One could easily consider Régis Minet the Loire Valley’s answer to an action hero. He may play it cool on the outside, but at closer look, one sees a man of brooding intensity on an insatiable quest for adventure. It may just be in the blood. His grandfather, Robert Minet, was an artisan tonnelier, or barrel-maker. At the beginning of the last century, Robert kept a mere three hectares of vines in the eastern Loire town of Pouilly-sur-Loire—just enough to make the family’s wine. He, too, was very independent, living autonomously off his own livestock and fresh vegetables from his farm. When he passed away in 1976, Régis left his studies to continue the work of the domaine without giving it a second thought. Since then, he has made this tiny farm a full-time domaine, and has succeeded in adding an additional eight hectares of vineyards to the holdings. It is certain that his love of his native terroir translates into his wines, although one sees it in many other aspects of his character as well. Watching him fervently serve a plate of crottins de chevre to guests, seeing his latest fossilized finds after a day of diving into the bottom of the Loire River, or watching him tinker with his motorcycle after an epic ride is proof enough that Régis shares both his grandfather’s rogue-ishness and love of the land.
Pouilly-sur-Loire produces one of the greatest Sauvignon Blancs in the world. Régis’ vineyards sit at 750 feet, surrounded by hills on the far east of the Loire River, and centered proudly on the prized limestone and clay of the Kimmeridgian chain. The scattered flint in these vineyards imbues the wines with a character quite distinctive from the neighboring village of Sancerre. In the eloquent words of KLWM Store Manager, Steve Waters, “You couldn’t ask for a cleaner, fresher, flintier, or truer expression of Sauvignon Blanc. Its mouth-watering acidity, depth of flavor, and fleshy texture will have you racing back for more.” |
