Since I have no Italian white wine in the house, I opened a 2005 Domaine du Closel Savennières Clos du Papillon, $33, Louis/Dressner Selections, which worried me with its alcohol and bulk two years ago, and has not improved, I'm sorry to say. Cookin' with Brooklynguy Closel Loire Valley SavennièresIt's worth using twine.

In the way that the general wine drinking public under-values Loire red wines, I think that us Loire lovers under-value the wines of Domaine Filliatreau. love the Vieille Vignes, but the last vintage that I've seen here is 2005 -that was two years ago. The wines deliciously express terroir and are modestly priced.

2005 François Chidaine Montlouis sur Loire Les Tuffeaux , $23, Louis/Dressner Selections. This wine might have done better with a young chalky goat cheese from the Loire Valley. There are some great cheeses produced in New York and Vermont. Hudson Red is not the stinkiest of washed rind cheeses, but it's not tame.

Dressner did cut a few corners this year, for example by refusing to hire staff for the tables and thereby forcing wine makers from small villages scattered throughout the Loire Valley to travel all the way to NYC to pour the wines themselves. loved the 2005, not as much the 2006, never saw the 2007, and now we have the 2008.

still love Pinot, but moreso the wines of Burgundy, Cheverny in the Loire Valley, or the Jura. 2005 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Ribbon Springs Vineyard , $44. 2005 Adelsheim Pinot Noir Elizabeth's Reserve , $44. 2005 St Innocent Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard , $35. 2005 St Innocent Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard , $39.

remember loving the 2005 almost immediately upon release because it was so open and expressive. Tags: Muscadet Loire Valley Domaine de la Pépière I heard a story that I liked recently about Frédéric Mugnier , who makes some of the finest red wine in the world: he was asked what he drinks when he drinks white wine.

Cour-Cheverny is high-acid wine, even by Loire Valley acid freak standards. Not warm and easy ripening like 2005, not as bad as 2001, typical perhaps, classic. Tags: Tastings Domaine des Huards Cour Cheverny Domaine de Moulin Loire Valley Domaine de Montcy François Cazin Domaine Philippe Tessier Just mute.

Our bottle of 2007 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Clos des Briords was corked, sadly, as was our 2005 Luneau-Papin L D'Or. The palate was as youthful as the 2005 I had a few months ago. Domaine de la Pépière's Granite de Clisson is an example of this kind of wine - a superb wine last produced in 2005. Someone said pineapple.

It was November of 2005, BrooklynLady and I went to France together for the first time. Mathieu showed us cement vats full of fermenting juice - we saw and smelled the glorious 2005's as they bubbled away, turning sugar into alcohol. Tags: Wine of the Week Loire Valley Bernard Baudry Chinon Which is a good thing.

The 2005 Reynald Héaulé Vin de Table L'Insoumis de Village , or 'Black Sheep of the Village' (about $30) is a serious country wine made by one of the new wave Loire Valley natural wine hipsters. The 2005 Wilfred Rousse Chinon Les Puys (about $30) was, to me, a classic. I asked Ariel, Savio Soares' wine rep. had a blast.

Many people consider these to be the finest Chenin Blancs from the Loire Valley and in the world. 2007 was not an easy year in most of the Loire Valley, and Vouvray was not spared the rainy cool summer that dampened prospects for many growers all over the region. And happily, I can afford to buy and drink them.

The northern most vineyards in western France are in the Loire Valley appellations of Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir. In the late 1990's inspired wine making came to Jasnières and Coteaux du Loir in the form of Eric and Christine Nicolas who own and operate Domaine de Bellivière. An incredibly strange wine, but I love it.

In this first posting, John discusses what would be in his cellar if he were starting collecting today, what he drinks at home on a Tuesday night, the most underrated wines for aging, where Lafite 2005 will be in five years, and what would be his “desert island wine.&# Will a case of Lafite 2005 be higher or lower in 12 months?

2005 was the vintage of the century in Bordeaux, the vintage of the millennium in Burgundy, the finest post-World War II vintage in the Rhône, and the greatest vintage in recent memory in the Loire. Isn't it tempting to check in on your 2005's? know you love Muscadet - what's your take on the 2005 vintage?

Recently it was our turn to host wine group and I chose Loire Chenin Blancs as the theme. This night for me was further proof for me that the Loire Valley offers truly profound white wines at reasonable prices. Other than H uët's, I have yet to be truly wowed by any Loire sparkling wine, I must say. Beautiful stuff.

I'll be pouring 2005 Boxler Sylvaner and 2007 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Gamay at my Thanksgiving dinner this year. All good bloggers are supposed to tell you about the wines they will open for Thanksgiving. First of all Did you know that wine can be corked even if it is sealed with something other than cork? It, oddly, was also corked.

And as far as I know, 1988 wasn't a particularly great vintage - just a normal working class year in the Loire Valley. The 2006's from Chidaine are quite good, although if you're used to the 2005's they will seem light. The 2006's are probably typical and the 2005's are probably extra rich and intense. And under $25.

2005 Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Grezeaux , $23, Louis/Dressner Selections. How good is that wine, the 2005 La Croix Boisée? Make your morning coffee at home - why pay almost 3 bucks for it each day? Bring your lunch to work - why pay almost 10 bucks for it every day? There are many little ways to reduce spending.

Wine Tasting News I had the 2005 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet Clos des Briords the other night, and it was awesome. had the 2005 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Tuffeaux the other night and it was honestly just amazing. If you want to know why the cool kids all seem to love Loire Cab Franc, drink this wine

I'm sure that there is a river of Alsace plonk out there, as there is in Burgundy, the Loire Valley, and in every other great wine region. 2005 Dirler Pinot Blanc Cuvée Vieilles Vignes , $27, Imported by Robert Chadderdon Selections. 2005 Albert Boxler Sylvaner , $23, Imported by Robert Chadderdon Selections.

BrooklynLady requested a Sancerre with this dinner and it happens that we had only one in the cellar, the 2005 Domaine Pascal Cotat Sancerre Les Monts Damnés , $42, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines. And that was my plan - drink one of these young, enjoy the wonderfully ripe 2005 fruit, and hold one for about 10 years.

Last night I had the arduous task of tasting through some wines made from Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley with some contemporaries. And my favorite wine of the bunch was the 2005 Savennières "Clos Papillon", Closel. You know, the life of a wine industry professional is real tough. And a third seemed to have been flawed.

Sancerr e might as well be in another wine region, for all of the attention it gets in our Loire Valley-lovin' house. 2005 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese ** , $27 (375 ml). This past month I made a point of opening a few bottles that we don't normally drink. And you know what - we really liked them. Not me.

The modern wines, though, seem to divide people, even groups of Loire lovers. 2005 Nicolas Joly Savennières Les Clos Sacrés , $27. I know - I just wrote that I might have to change direction, think about wrapping it up here at Brooklynguy, and now only a few days later I write the longest post in the history of blogging. That rhymes.

He brought a lovely gift of a bottle of 2005 Bouzeron crafted by the master M. We enjoyed the remaining half of a bottle of 2005 Desvignes Morgon Javerni è res, 2nd Upper Terrace Bottling , on its second day open. I don't want to write about wine today, no tasting notes. Aubert de Villaine. We'll see.

2005 Clos Siguier Cahors , $10, (Jenny & Francois). So yes, both whites are Loire Valley. I just got back from a weekend in Tallahassee, Florida. For those of you who weren't paying attention in 5th grade social studies class, Tallahassee is the capital of Florida. The trees were shockingly beautiful. This wasn't easy!

Thierry Puzelat, along with his older brother Jean-Marie, is responsible for a big lineup of delicious wines from the Touraine and Cheverny appellations in the eastern part of the Loire Valley. 2005 Puzelat Touraine La Tesni è res , $19. The style may change depending on the year, but not the level of quality. It works. Sushi!

bought a bunch (by my small NYC cellar standards) of Loire Valley reds and whites from the heralded 2005 vintage, and most of them require some cellaring in order to show at their best and most complex. 2005 Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal , $28, Louis/Dressner Selections. We'll have to wait and see.

You see, while we were talking about career changes and all sorts of other things, I spilled most of my glass of 2005 Louvetrie Muscadet Fief du Breil all over him. I had a great time at Alice Feiring's book party in Manhattan the other night. and publishing types. And I cornered Dion Graham for a while also. Not at all the case.

I purchased both these Loire Valley wines as part of a case of under $20 wines at Smith & Vine last week. The Bourgueil was deep and dusky with cabernet franc typicity - loam, graphite, and sweet blackberries. The Savennieres was gold, with honey, musk and white peaches. Both are good values

Moving to the Rhone valley in France I tried some wines from Eric Texier. wine I really loved and found quite unique was the 2005 Domaine de Roally Vire'-Clesse' from the Macconnais, France. Domaine Francois Pinon from the Loire Valley makes some demi-sec (semi sweet) wines from Chenin blanc. don't know. great wine.

And the 2002, a great year in this part of the Loire Valley, should still have plenty of ripe fruit to go along with complexity and some sweetness. Struggling but very talented Yankees' rookie pitcher Phil Hughes - 2005 Blandine Chauchat Pic St Loup les Tonillières. The other night Alice Feiring stopped by for a glass of wine.

It certainly went well with steak, but it was not memorable, didn't inspire me to buy the 2005 version ($35) and lay it down. wonder.does my wine fridge have the right humidity to perform this kind of alchemy on a bottle of the newly released 2005 Sec Tendre? BrooklynLady and I loved this wine when we visited Adelsheim Winery.

Domaine Filliatreau, Saumur-Champigny - the 2005 Saumur-Champigny Grande-Vignolle was one of my favorite Loire Valley everyday reds, when it was around. But the superstar in the portfolio on this day was the 2005 Saumur-Champigny Vieille Vignes. And it probably needs a bit more time in the bottle. Very long and intense.

My first time tasting a wine of 100% Menu Pineau, one of those old Loire grapes that has mostly faded from memory. If you're into Loire whites, this is one to try. The 2005 Domaine de Roally Viré Clessé has an intoxicating nose that screams "pure Chardonnay!" But of course I missed some great stuff. Pinon's wines. Not with M.

But then Peter Liem in his truly excellent blog Besotted Ramblings and Other Drivel wrote about Damien Laureau's Savennières in his February 9, 2008 post (to which I cannot seem to create a link), calling it the finest example of Savennières from 2005. 2005 was a very good year in Savennières, as it was in most of France. Rabbit?

The version David tasted was made from a different vintage, this one is 2005 grapes, I believe. NV Fabrice Gasnier La Cravantine , $19, Fleet Street Imports. missed Wine Blogging Wednesday this month, silly me, and the theme was French Cabernet Franc. Many people reviewed wines by Fabrice Gasnier , a producer I am not familiar with.

Even though the Euro commands more than one and a half dollars, there are serious and beautiful wines to be had from the Loire Valley for under $20. Here are two very fine examples : 2005 Château d'Epiré Savennières Cuvée Spéciale , $18. Cellar-worthy wines too. This wine really blew me away. Deeper than that.

2005 is one of the most fabled vintages in French history. An exceptional vintage like 2005 means that the quality of the wines from everyone is racheted up: normally good producers make very good wine; very good producers make exceptional wine, etc. 2005 Bordeaux in my experience has had a somewhat mixed showing thus far.

I've been checking in on my 2005 Loire wines lately, just to see how things are going. Loire-lovers have been touting 2005 as a great vintage, as good as 05 in Burgundy or Bordeaux. 2005 Foreau Vouvray Sec Clos Naudin , $29, Rosenthal Wine Merchant. This is beautiful wine, I've had it a couple of times now.

We drank a 2004, a vintage that might not need as much time to unwind as say, 2000, 2003, or 2005. The one negative thing I can say is this: the wine doesn't have the same energy that I experience in my favorite wines from Burgundy, Beaujolais, or the Loire Valley. I'm not trying to stoke the fires of the debate. Do you do that?

Here are a few Loire Valley '05s that I enjoyed when I first tasted them, but that I really loved when drinking them recently. always liked the Loire '05s, but this is ridiculous - 2005 in the Loire is just sick, and an amazing value. Don't let the wines get lost amidst the cacophony of 2005 Bordeaux and Burgundy.

You know by now how fond I am of Loire Valley wines. The 2005 Domaine de Bellivière Coteaux du Loir Le Rouge-Gorge , $20, is a wine that I was stunned to find that I didn't like. Bellevi è re is the amazing vigneron who is bringing Jasnieres and Coteaux du Loir back to greatness. He likes everything.

Here are two lucky examples of this, both from the Loire Valley. bought six bottles of 2005 Domaine du Closel Savennieres Clos du Papillon without so much as a drop passing my lips. So when the perfect 2005 vintage hit the shelves, I didn't mess around. And what of the 2005 Bernard Baudry Chinon Cuvee Domaine ?

honestly do not remember how I knew to visit Adelsheim when BrooklynLady and I toured Willamette wine country in the unusually sunny and warm first week of January, 2005. We've enjoyed many a fine Adelsheim bottle since that trip in 2005. Adelsheim was born in 1978, although the work began in or before 1971. But back to Pinot.

BrooklynLady and I went to France together for the first time in October of 2005. We went to the Loire Valley and our plan was to see the various villages, and Tours, of course, but also to feast on the wonderful food and wines of the region. And if I ever go back to the Loire Valley This goes for about $55.

On Wednesday there was a Crozes Hermitage flight, a Portuguese red flight, a New- World Sauvignon Blanc flight, and a flight of local wines from the Willamette Valley. enjoyed a flute of NV Ampelidae Armance, a Loire Valley bubbly that Nick G. It was pouring on Wednesday in Portland. don't own a car and I don't often drive.

Top three include 2006 Domaine de Cassagnoles Vin de Pays des Côte de Gascogne Reserve Cuvée Gros Manseng, 2005 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Sur Lie Clos des Briords, and 2005 Le Bourcier Mâcon Cuv é e Elena. Dry Loire white : Foreau 2005 Vouvray Sec Clos Naudin. That's a lot of writing about wine and food. So good.

The first is another great winter white, the 2005 Domaine du Vieux Pressoir Saumur Blanc Elegance , ($13 Sip Fine Wines). L'Arpent Rouge is made from Pineau D'Aunis , an old and not much used anymore grape that a few Loire Valley producers like Clos Roche Blanche and Belliviere are reviving. Why, drink wine, of course.

Recently BrooklynLady and I tasted two Chinons, two bottles of each wine, from the 2005 vintage by Jacques Grosbois. Here are the specifications that differ: the 2005 Grosbois Chinon comes from vines averaging 35 years old. The 2005 Grosbois Chinon Vieille Vignes comes from vines averaging 60 years old. don't know. Thoughts?

2005 Bisol Prosecco di Valdobiaddene Crede Brut , about $15 - the best Prosecco I know of. Red: 2005 Chateau de Hureau Saumur-Champigny Grande Cuveé , about $14 - this is among the better under $15 Loire Cab Francs of the season, in my opinion. I'm kind of behind on posting these days. Um hmm. This one is 11.5%

went with a Gamay from the Loire Valley, a glass of 2006 O. 2005 Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Tuffeaux (about $23, Dressner stuff again, might be sold out at this point but there are other Chidaine wines on the shelf - try one). I used to call this kind of post "Recent Sips," but I think I like this better.

couple of general thoughts: the Loire wines kind of blew the others away. Happily for consumers, there are many producers making great wine in Touraine, Cheverny and other parts of the Loire, many of the wines at this price. Good friends NorthCarolinaGuy and Gal were in town for a few days and what better reason to have a wine tasting?

Chenin Blanc is, in my opinion, the superstar white grape of the Loire Valley. Amazing dry and off-dry wines from famous ouvray and Savennieres, and upstart appellations such as Montlouis sur Loire, Anjou, Jasnieres, and Coteaux du Loir. 2005 Domaine du Closel Savennieres La Jalousie , $20 (Chambers Street Wines).

Some interesting wines from July that did not get individual posts: Loire Valley 2006 Olga Raffault Chinon Rose , $15 ( Chambers Street Wines ). 2005 Francois Cazin Cour-Cheverny Vendanges Manuelles , $13.50 (Chambers Street Wines). Cour-Cheverny is a tiny appellation in the north-west part of the Loire Valley.

If you are really into wine from the Loire Valley you know that Gamay appears in some Touraine wines. 2005 in Burgundy is the mother of all vintages, apparently, and Beaujolais is part of the Burgundy region, so the wines, even those from the "lowly" Beaujolais appellation should be high quality. Okay, that's it. Now, the wine.

No matter how familiar (so-so, at best actually) I start to feel with the Loire Valley, I taste something new and remember how many skilled producers there are making wine. When I first read this piece I got excited about the sweete wines - I have a serious thing for Loire sweet wines. And I have tasted so little of it.

2005 Domaine du Vissoux Beaujolais Vieille Vignes Cuvee Traditionnelle , $14 (Chambers Street Wines, NY). 2005 Domaine Bart Fixin , $22 (Chambers Street). Loire Valley 2005 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine Sur Lie , $10 (Chambers Street). The name of this wine is a little pun in French." Holy cow!

And La Jalousie - let's just say that I cannot wait until the other 2005 Closel wines are released. 2005 Domaine du Closel Savennieres La Jalousie , $20. Scallops have always been difficult for me in the kitchen. So, my non-stick pan, high heat for a few minutes before the oil even went in. Then heat the oil for a few more minutes.

2005 Paul Pernot Beaune Clos du Dessus des Marconnets , $22. 2005 Desvignes Morgon Javernieres , $21. 2005 Jean Manciat Macon Charnay Franclieu , $17. Loire 2003 Delesvaux Coteaux du Layon Selection de Grains Nobles , $30 (secondary market). Rhone 2005 Eric Texier O' Pale , $15. Not likely - it's only 2007. Wrong.

Languedoc, Loire Valley, and other "less famous" wine regions dominate. LOVED the 2005, and I'm still experimenting, but I think I'm a big fan in general of Roches Neuves. Not as plush and extracted as the 2005, but dark and aromatic, fruity and herbal, excellent with food. Leave us alone, for goodness sakes! Vegetarian?

An Oregon Pinot from cult producer Peter Rosback, but not from the Willamette Valley. 2005 Belle Pente Willamette Valley Pinot Gris , $17. Loire Valley 2004 Cazin Cour-Cheverny , $12. 2005 Domaine de Belliviere Jasnieres Les Rosiers , $28. 2005 Mark Angeli Anjou La Lune , $26. Buy carefully in 2001.

So for all of you who want to poke your toe in the waters of the Loire, here is my case. Not a case from all over the world like Lyle's and Joy's, but Brooklynguy's case of Loire wine, a case that I believe will make anyone who likes wine a Loire lover. Most are from 2005, a wonderful vintage. That's pretty intense.

In the end I settled on an experiment that interested me from the Loire Valley - Bernard Baudry's 2004 wines. have enjoyed this wine very much in recent years, although the 2005, supposedly a great year in the Loire Valley, is not yet drinking well in my opinion. This wine is a real step up in price at about $25.

We enjoyed this soup tremendously with a hunk of bread and a glass of Muscadet, specifically the 2005 Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Clos des Briords Vieille Vignes, $14. This is not exactly a young drinking Loire red - this is an age worthy wine to be sure. Their fish is always delicious, the freshest and must flavorful I can get.

Domaine du Closel makes some of my favorite wines, not just white wines, or Loire Valley wines, but some of my favorites, period. At Chambers Street last Saturday I tasted the 2005 La Jalousie and I liked it a lot, enough to bring a bottle home and give it the old dinner test. usually buy a few of both wines in each vintage.

If you like Loire wines, you're not going to do better than this. 2005 Eric Texier Vins de Pays O Pale , $16 - This is a sweet wine made entirely from Viognier grapes. 2005 Marechal Pommard La Chaniere , $50 - who would have thunk it? 005 Chidaine Montlouis sur Loire Clos Habert , $26 - Yum! Impossible in this venue.

This is a tasting of an amazing portfolio of producers primarily from the Loire Valley, but also including one or two from Burgundy, Beaujolais, Languedoc-Roussillon, Bugey, Bordeaux, and Piedmont. There are also special American Pinot tastings, such as "Oregon 2005 Vintage Horizontal." Aimez-vous Pinot Noir?

So, what happens when you put seven people in a Brooklyn apartment full of 2005 Gruner Veltliner? 2005 Hiedler Gruner Veltliner Maximum , $40 (prices at Prospect Wine Shop. think I liked it so much because it reminded me of other wines that I love from the Loire Valley. 2005 Hirsch Gruner Veltliner Lamm , $33.

So why, when I decided to research and report on Pinots that cost less than $25, did I all of the sudden take a little break from Pinot, and re-discover my passion for the reds (and whites) of the Loire Valley? get less pleasure from them than I do from a $15 Loire red, for example. Why not? So that's it?" Overnight - washout.

BrooklynLady and BrooklynBaby, a few good friends, a little something tasty to eat, 6 bottles of wine, young red wine from the Loire Valley.you cannot really do much better than that on a Thursday night, or any night, I daresay. There are many appellations in the Loire Valley and several grapes are used to make red wine.

We continue our foray into blind tasting Thursday night, and the theme is young Loire red wine. I've been so focused on Burgundy lately that I haven't had a Loire red in a little while. So over the past few days BrooklynLady and I exercised our palate a bit, went to the red Loire gym, if you will. And really cheap too.

Muscadet ( mus-ka-DAY) is a region in the western part of the Loire valley, near the city of Nantes. Better yet, try this one, an absolute beauty for under $15: 2005 Domaine de la Pepiere (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie Clos des Briords, $14. She asked if I had ever tasted a Muscadet. And it was a good date.

But I also noticed from reading Jack and Joanne's biodynamic wine producers guide , that many of the wines that I love and cellar are right there on the list, particularly in the Loire Valley: Closel, Breton, St. Maybe biodynamic wines ARE better, or maybe I just love wines from the Loire Valley. cents. Next time.

2005 Catherine and Pierre Breton Bourgueil Trinch ! , $17. really liked it though, and I imagine that it is amongst the best such Cabernet Franc wines of the Loire Valley. The Bretons are, to me, amongst the most reliable producers of red wine in the Loire Valley right now. 2001 Palacios Remondo Rioja Propiedad H.

We had 2005 Domaine Roulot Bourgogne Aligote with the soup, and it was exactly as it should be - light, crisp, clean tasting, briny and citrusy acidity. Very nice minerality also, with, to me, a rainwater purity that I usually associate with Loire Valley wines. BrooklynLady and I put together the rest of the wine. loved it.

Whites - You can be confident that the 2005 Clos Roche Blanc Touraine Sauvignon , $12 will be a tasty and fruity Loire Sauvignon Blanc. If your wine shop has it, I recommend the Kabinett Gewurztraminer from either 2004 or 2005. You can be proud to open the 2004 or 2005 Chinon Les Granges , $14, or the 2003 Chinon Domaine , $16.

little context this time - Domaine Huet is one of the most well respected producers in the Loire Valley, and probably is the biggest name in Vouvray. The Wine Doctor posted a bunch of tasting notes and plenty of interesting information about Domaine Huet as part of his Loire Profiles series. And the home made spaetzle.a

We visited the Domaine during our Loire trip a year ago - one of the highlights of the trip. We opened the 2005 Dr. Stephan Reuter Findling Trocken Qualitatswein Riesling that our friends brought with the soup. We opened a bottle of 2005 Hermann J. Some darn good eatin' and drinkin' this weekend, yeah.

Our menu: Fried green tomatoes with home made green goddess dressing Pan roasted hanger steaks with piri-piri sauce Roast pink potatoes Boiled magenta radishes with butter and salt We had the 2005 Huet Vouvray Demi-sec Clos du Bourg , $34 with the tomatoes. Now, the weekend's wines. Sort or reminded me of a Pinot Noir, actually. Wrong.

The 2005 vintage is supposed to be so good in many French wine regions, and the Loire Valley is one of them. Chamber Street, by the way, has a truly fantastic selection of Loire Valley wines, both the whites and the reds. We opened a bottle of 2005 Foreau Sec. 2005 Foreau Sec Vouvray, Clos Naudin, $29.

We opened a bottle of 2004 Domaine des Roches Neuves Terres Chaudes, a cabernet franc from Saumur Champigny in the Loire Valley. BrooklynLady and I never made it to Saumur Champigny when we visited the Loire Valley last year. Lamb is probably my favorite carne - such intense flavor, rich and kind of gamey. and bok choy.