($14, Vineyard Brands):  Muscadet remains one of the bargain wines in the world.  True, many can be thin and vapid.  But when they have depth and concentration, like this one, their lemony acidity just amplifies their pleasure.  An appealing chalky earthy character accompanies its citrus qualities. … Read more

($23, Vineyard Brands):  Patient Cottat is one of the labels that Fournier Père & Fils, an excellent Loire producers based in Verdigny, uses for wines from his own vineyards.  It’s a lovely Sancerre with the depth and length you’d expect from 30+ year-old vines planted on limestone soil. … Read more

($41, Premium Wine Company):  Les Monts Damnes (literally, damned mountains), so named because of the steepness of the slope, is one of the best sites in Sancerre and would be categorized as Grand Cru if that system existed in the appellation. … Read more

($13, Fruit of the Vine):  Quincy is a tiny (400-acre) appellation west of Sancerre where regulations mandate Sauvignon Blanc for white wines just as in Sancerre.  This wine speaks more of the grape with zesty citrus flavors than underlying minerality, but it is easy to recommend with raw or simply prepared seafood, especially at this bargain price.… Read more

($20, Jean-Marie Dechamps):  Despite the “fume” in its name, I don’t find smokey notes consistently in wines from Pouilly-Fumé.  Benoît Roumet, the director of Les Vins du Centre Loire, says he often has difficulty distinguishing wines from Pouilly-Fumé from its across the river town of Sancerre since the soil in many spots on both sides of the river is similar.  … Read more

($16, Martin Scott):  A slighter softer expression of Vouvray, there’s nonetheless enough acidity to keep the wine clean and fresh.  Delicate and floral when tasted alone, it blossomed when consumed with savory sausages.  The barest hint of sweetness became a perfect foil for the spice of the meat. … Read more

($12, Pasternak Wine Imports):  The Clissages d’Or label is a part of the estate of Guy Saget, the very talented Loire producer, and represents their best vats of Muscadet.  And it is very good Muscadet, indeed.  It delivers the bracing vibrant–almost tooth rattling–acidity of Muscadet, but with an enticing chalky element and depth. … Read more

($24, Pasternak Wine Imports):  Anyone who wants a lesson in the French concept of terroir–the notion that where the grapes grow determines the nature of the wine–should taste this Sancerre and Saget’s 2008 La Petite Perrière (also reviewed this week) side by side.  … Read more

($23, Vineyard Brands):  The 2009 vintage was excellent in the Loire Valley, as it was in much of France.  And this wine shows it.  With many a Sancerre today coming across as dilute and lacking the unique character of the appellation, it’s a real pleasure to taste Delaporte’s. … Read more

($20, Michael Skurnik Wines):  Although a less well-known Loire appellation, Quincy wines are popular around Boston because of the suburb of the same name (but a different pronunciation  (the wine is pronounced, “cahn-see”).  This is a lively and intense expression of crisp and slightly earthy Sauvignon Blanc with a captivating floral component. … Read more

($10, Pasternak Wine Imports):  With clear Sauvignon Blanc character, this wine falls somewhere between the riper style common in California and the electrifying signature of the ones coming from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.  Although it lacks the chalky minerality–and the price–of Saget’s Sancerre (also reviewed this week), it’s a good choice as a vibrant everyday kind of wine to complement take-out Thai food.… Read more