Tasting Report: 7 Wines of the Loire Valley paired with Sushi

What wines go well with $360 worth of sushi? Well, for the 9 of us in attendance on Sunday at the Wine Club gathering (at Yamato Sushi- review to come), I think we’d agree that something from the Loire Valley (France)would work quite nicely.

Overall we had a great time working through the 7 wines (tough work but someone has to do it!). The only sparkling wine in the group came from Louis de Grenelle, a large estate in Saumur (home of some great red wines). We worked through 4 Vouvray’s and two other Loire whites, ending with my favorite wine from the Loire Valley, a red wine from Chinon (100% Cabernet Franc). There wasn’t a bad wine in the bunch, with two being great (89 pts!) and all being wines I’d gladly drink again.

Below are my tasting notes on each of the wines we had. Thanks to all that attended- I look forward to seeing you next month!

N.V. Louis de Grenelle Brut (Saumur): Light and refreshing with flavors of citrus, bright apple, tangerine and honey yet very minimal bubbles after the first few minutes. Still (no pun intended) it was a very enjoyable wine and one I’ll look for again especially at $18. My rating: 88 pts, GV (good value)
Pairing: Good to very good- had the necessary components (light, crisp) and flavors to pair well. More bubbles would have boosted this up to a great pairing.

2007 Souvion (Sancerre): Light, crisp acidity with grapefruit and lemon rind. My rating: 84 pts, OKV (OK value)

Pairing: OK- A good Sancerre would be a great pairing, but being just an OK wine makes this an OK pairing!

2007 Domaine du Salvard Cheverny Delville: A favorite of many in the group among the white wines, this young and fresh Chinin Blanc brought serious floral, apricot, honey and ginger notes with great balance and structure. A touch more acidity and a better finish would have brought this up a few points in my book. Still a nice wine. My rating: 89 pts, VGV (Very good value)

Pairing: Good. Although the wine itself was very good, the acidity it lacked on the finish took away from its potential to really go great with the fish. I’d drink this any day with sushi (it’s a great wine), but it’s not the optimal pairing.

2006 François Pinon Cuvee Tradition (Vouvray): Notes of pear, flint, minerals and fresh flowers on the nose. The wine has great balance with sharp acidity that contributes to the long finish. My rating: 89 pts, VGV

Pairing: Great- Here we have nice mineral notes and great acidity. A perfect match for the sushi.

2006 Domaine Pichot Vouvray Coteau de la Biche (Vouvray): Heavy on the apricot, pinapple, tropical fruit front- with good acidity and balance. A “fresh” tasting wine that went great with the sushi. My rating: 88 pts, GV

Pairing: Good to very good. The acidity of this wine isn’t as sharp as the Pinon (above) but it was enough to cleanse the palate of the creamy fish while the tropical fruits went great with the sweet ocean taste in the fresh seafood.

2007 Domaine Pichot Vouvray Domaine le Peu de la Moriette (Vouvray): Very floral on the nose- on the palate the wine was quite sweet which everyone noted. There are many different citrus flavors throughout with medium acidity. Decent wine, just not something I would recommend as a dinner wine (good with spicy Thai food perhaps?)- better with a cheese. My rating: 86 pts, OKV

Pairing: Not good. Too sweet of a wine for the sushi in my opinion- would be much better with a cheese or a spicy dish.

2005 Charles Joguet Chinon Cuvée Terroir: Hints of earth, bell pepper, celery with creamy, smooth tannins and a medium finish. A very nice pairing with a big chunk of sashimi. My rating: 89 pts, VGV

Pairing: Very good to great. I don’t know if everyone was on board here, but with big chunks of sashimi I can’t find a better pairing. The earth notes and smooth tannins really complement the fish nicely without overpowering it.