This recent, Loire Valley-focused event marks (I believe) the first time I’ve experienced a wine tasting without touching a red wine — rose sparkling wine doesn’t count, right? The Loire Valley is home to dozens of very affordable wines, heavy on Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, Reuilly), Chenin Blanc (Vouvray), and Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet) — with a splash of red thrown in here and there. Nothing tasted at this event knocked me off my blog, but many of these wines are well worth their sub-20 dollar price tags. Thoughts follow.

Tasting Report: Loire Valley White Wines 2011

2010 Jean Vincent Sancerre $12 / B+ / big mineral notes

2009 Vincent Vatan Pouilly-Fume $12 / B / big and chewy

2008 Domaine des Baumard Savennieres $15 / C / thin

2008 Domaine des Baumard Savennieres Clos du Papillon $19 / B / bigger, more alive

2004 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume $35 / A / extremely sweet white, lush fig and mango character

2010 Les Hopsices Sancerre $15 / B+ / nice tropical notes

2009 Clos de Nouys Vouvray Demi-Sec $13 / B / solid, finish is off

2009 Clos de Nouys Vouvray $20 / B / something of a cheese character

2008 Gratien & Meyer Saumur Brut Millesime $16 / A- / easy sparkler

2009 Gratien & Meyer Saumur Brut Rose Millesime $16 / A- / bigger and bolder, with longer finish

2010 Alphonse Lellot Sancerre la Moussiere $18 / A- / big bodded Sancerre, lovely

2010 Chateau la Tarciere Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine $9 / B- / uninspired

2010 Domaine Andre Vatan Sancerre les Charmes $14 / A- / big minerals

2007 Domaine Georges Brunet Vouvray $13 / A- / works, good balance

2008 Vignobles Laffourcade Savennieres $15 / B / big herbal notes, unusual

2009 Ludovic Chanson Montlouis-sur-Loire les Cabotines $18 / B+ / touch of honey, floral

2009 Vignobles Laffourcade Chateau Perray Jouannet Bonnezeaux les Menus Clos $25 / A- / lots of herbs to go with the sweetness

2010 Cave de Vins de Sanerre Sancerre les Chataigniers $11 / B / plain

2010 Domaine de Bois Saint Denis Sancerre $13 / B / lots of acid, citrus notes

2010 Domaine de Bois Saint Denis Reuilly $11 / A- / much more fruit, tropical

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