K&L Newsletter: A Tour of the Loire with K&L's Keith Mabry

[] Remarkable depth of rewarding selections: discover your next favorite bottle... Monday Mar 6th, 2023 [View in Browser]( [KL-emailheader.gif]( [Loire News]( [Today's Newsletter]( is Loire buyer Keith Mabry's travel diary, so to speak. Having just returned from the region, he's full of fresh insight and enthuisasm for an incredibly broad and diverse range of expressions, starting with a trio of standouts from Keith's many visits while he was on the road. Our direct-import Loire producers are firing on all cylinders, showcasing the reference-point class of Loire Sauvignon Blanc. Hidden-gem regions provide unbeatable value (and longevity) for jaw-dropping bargains, and Keith pays a long-awaited visit to an all-time favorite visionary in an up-and-coming appellation. - [Hand-Picked Hits From the Road](#section1) - [Our Favorite Direct-Import Stars](#section2) - [The Connoisseur's Hidden Gems](#section3) - [Spotlight on a Loire Genius](#section4) --------------------------------------------------------------- [Keith in Sancerre] --------------------------------------------------------------- Keith's Hand-Picked Value Highlights One of the true joys of wine travel is finding those unexpected winners that you wouldn't have found anywhere else, wine discoveries best summed up by the old phrase "You had to be there." The trio below were some of Keith's favorite surprises during his trip, delivering showstopping style and class for bargain prices. Vintage Item Name Retail Link 2021 Domaine du Vieil Orme Sauvignon Blanc Touraine Blanc $13.99 [View]( 2020 Sylvain Bruneau "Cuvée Reserve" St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil $17.99 [View]( 2021 Domaine la Clef du Récit (Anthony Girard) Sancerre $24.99 [View]( [Return to Top](#top) --------------------------------------------------------------- Central Loire's Finest Direct-Import Standouts Keith's extensive knowledge of the Loire has helped him bring in some of our all-time favorite direct-import producers. Year in and year out, Aurore Dezat, Cherrier, and Franck Millet provide us with many of our best-selling Sauvignon Blancs from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, as well as bargain finds from Menetou-Salon and singular, under-the-radar Pinot Noir expressions. Vintage Item Name Retail Link 2021 Aurore Dezat Sancerre $21.99 [View]( 2020 Aurore Dezat Sancerre Rouge $21.99 [View]( 2019 Aurore Dezat "Evidence" Sancerre Rouge $34.99 [View]( 2021 Domaine Cherrier Frères Sancerre $18.99 [View]( 2021 Domaine Cherrier Frères Menetou-Salon $16.99 [View]( 2021 Franck Millet Sancerre Blanc $19.99 [View]( 2021 Franck Millet "Insolite" Sancerre $29.99 [View]( 2021 Franck Millet Pouilly-Fumé $17.99 [View]( [Return to Top](#top) --------------------------------------------------------------- The Loire Insider's Hidden-Gem Hotbeds of Value The central Loire gets the lion's share of the region's press and notoriety, but astute Loire connoisseurs have long prized Muscadet and Saumur as two of the best sources for world-class quality and value. The famously long-lived white wines of Muscadet's Mélon de Bourgogne varietal shimmer with minerality and vivid structure yet still come in for shockingly affordable, case-buy prices. In much the same fashion, the Cabernet Francs of Saumur are now reaching the heights of the benchmark Chinon appellation, but these cellar-worthy overachievers are almost always a flat-out steal. Vintage Item Name Retail Link 2021 Bedouet "Clos des Grands Primos" Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie $12.99 [View]( 2019 Bedouet Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Le Pallet $19.99 [View]( 2020 Domaine des Amoureux Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie $11.99 [View]( 2015 Domaine des Amoureux Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Clisson $17.99 [View]( 2019 Château du Hureau "Tuffe" Saumur-Champigny $18.99 [View]( 2019 Domaine de l'Enchantoir "Le Pied à L'Étrier" Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame Rouge $19.99 [View]( [Return to Top](#top) --------------------------------------------------------------- Producer Spotlight: The Mad Genius of Jacky Blot What Jacky Blot does in Montluis-sur-Loire is extremely special, and his wines stand toe to toe with cult Chenin favorites such as Chidaine, Guiberteau, and Thierry Germain. His avant-garde philosophy and methods have earned him much renown among Loire aficinados, not just for his Chenins from Tailles Aux Loupes, but also for his superbly crafted Cabernet Francs from his Domaine de la Butte in Bourgeuil. If you're not yet familiar with one of the Loire Valley's most intriguing geniuses, here is your introduction. Vintage Item Name Score Retail Link 2020 Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups "Clos de Mosny" Montlouis-sur-Loire 96 $34.99 [View]( 2020 Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups "Clos du Hochet" Montlouis-sur-Loire $34.99 [View]( 2020 Domaine de la Butte "Le Haut de la Butte" Bourgeil 93 $29.99 [View]( 2020 Domaine de la Butte "Mi-Pente" Bourgeil $39.99 [View]( [Return to Top](#top) --------------------------------------------------------------- [New Feed]( [Auction]( [Local]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [On the Trail (K&L Blog)]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [BORDEAUX]( | [NAPA]( | [BURGUNDY]( | [CHAMPAGNE]( | [ITALY]( | [RHÔNE]( | [SPIRITS]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [My Account]( | [Wine Clubs]( | [Events]( |[Gift Cards]( | [Accessories]( | [Delivery]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Missed an offer? 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