Thursday, June 23, 2011

Two Wineries, Two Chateaus and One Big Ass Wheat Field

Unfortunately we only made it to two vineyards today as we took our time visiting Chateaus, eating long meals and leisurely driving around the Loire.  Truth be told, we got a late start, got lost in a wheat field (despite having two GPS systems) and spent way too much time eating.

After visiting the lovely Chateau de Chenonceau where Laura and I decided it was much better to be the mistress than the Queen, we made our way to Caves Monmousseau in Montrichard.  It was a little too commercial for my tastes, BUT, we tried a really interesting sparkler called "Spicy Bubbles."  We thought it was going to have a spicy pepper taste, but what they meant by spicy, was spiced.  It tasted like sparkling wine with a few teaspoons of cinnamon and nutmeg.  It was better than I expected and tasted like something you'd have over the holidays which is why Jen bought a few bottles for her famous Christmas cookies and cocktails (and now "Spicy Bubbles") party.  You're all invited!

The next winery was a lot more fun - Domaine Des Roy in Pontlevoy, the town next to Montrichard.  We pulled up to a small house and walked in to find a sweet older man, a long table and a bunch of white and red wines.  We tasted alongside a French couple who I believe made some jokes about young people and wine tasting.  At least I think we laughed at the right moment. 

At Domaine Des Roy, my favorite wines were the Cot (which is what they call Malbec in the Loire) and a wine they called Les Linottes which is almost 100% Gamay.  Gamay is a red that grows really well in the Eastern part of the Loire (which is where we are) as well as in Burgundy.  It's also one of my favorite summer reds because it tends to have a nose and palate full of berries and is lighter bodied (despite being a pretty dark ruby color).  Domaine Des Roy's Les Linottes is a classic Gamay and at 6 Euros per bottle, I just had to pick one up.  The Cot was also quite good, though different from Argentinian Malbec.  The Cot had a lot more Cabernet-like notes of green pepper and earth - not surprising given that Cabernet Franc is the dominant red grape in these parts.  I also picked up a bottle of the Cot. 

For those keeping count, that puts me at 3 bottles which means I'll be buying a bag to carry my clothes on the plane with me.....

Until the next sniff, sip, quaff and wine shopping binge,

Cheers,

Alli M.

p.s.  The above picture is what I look like while frolicking in wheat fields. 

7 comments:

Elliej said...

Only three bottles? You're slowing down.

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