A couple of weeks ago I resumed something that has been a regular periodic activity of mine for more than 15 years: traveling for wine. More specifically, I embarked on my first press junket in more than 20 years to attend a wine event that I was supposed to join in April of 2020, and that, like so many events, has been postponed multiple times in the past 24 months.

Put on every year by InterLoire, the regional organization in charge of promoting the Loire Valley, Val de Loire Millésime is a convocation of journalists and members of the trade brought together to learn and experience the breadth of what the Loire Valley has to offer. This event happens in conjunction with the Concours de Vins du Val de Loire, the region’s annual wine competition.

The evening of our third day, we attended a wine tasting that was remarkable in two respects. The first was that every single wine at the tasting was worthy of attention. This was particularly notable given the nature of these large regional press events, which usually have to include wines from all of their constituents, regardless of quality or reputation.

The second thing that made this tasting notable was that it was on a boat.

It turns out that the second fact was responsible for the first. The tasting wasn’t just on any boat, it was on BarcoVino, the floating wine bar in Angers, France that is my new favorite wine bar in the world. And instead of simply renting out the venue, the Val de Loire Millésime organizers did something clever. They asked the owners of BarcoVino to select a bunch of wines from their (excellent) list, and then they invited all those producers to come pour their wines for us.

The result was a near-perfect event for wine geeks like me. Gorgeous setting on the river (with the Angers cathedral and old city walls rising up to catch the evening light), fabulous wines made by small, thoughtful producers, and great food in the form of charcuterie, cheeses, bread, and other small snacks prepared by BarcoVino.

If you ever find yourself within striking distance of Angers, I highly recommend a stop at BarcoVino for a few hours of serious drinking tasting.

In the meantime, here are the wines we tasted that evening and what I thought of them.

Tasting Notes

Sparkling and White Wines

2020 Domaine Vincendeau “Loire Gold” Crémant De Loire, Loire Valley, France
Pale gold in the glass with fine bubbles, this wine smells of nutty herbs and wet chalkboard. In the mouth, the wine is deeply stony, with flavors of citrus pith, herbs, and a touch of lemongrass all borne on a soft mousse. Excellent acidity. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $36. click to buy.

2018 Domaine Vincendeau “Le Carré Du Puits” Anjou Blanc, Loire Valley, France
Light gold in the glass, this wine smells of poached pear and dried herbs. In the mouth, flavors of baked apple and quince have a distinctly tannic grip to them and a deep stony underbelly. Notes of herbs linger in the finish. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $??

2018 Domaine Les Grandes Vignes “La Varenne De Combre” Anjou Blanc, Loire Valley, France
Light greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of smoky herbs and roasted nuts. In the mouth, gorgeously bright saline flavors of lemon and grapefruit mix with a flinty quality. Fantastically juicy with acidity and stony minerality. Delicious. Spends one year on its fine lees in an amphora. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: around 9.5. Cost: $64. click to buy.

2020 Les Sables Verts “Les Rouères” Saumur Blanc, Loire Valley, France
Pale blonde in color, this wine smells of bright quince and lemon aromas. In the mouth, incredibly juicy flavors of lemon pith, membrillo, and grapefruit burst on the palate with a hint of salinity and fantastically bright acidity. Lovely crackling minerality. 100% Chenin Blanc ages for 12 months in an old oak foudre. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $??

2021 Mathieu Cosme “Le Facteur Su’L Vélo” Vouvray, Touraine, Loire Valley, France
Near colorless in the glass, this wine smells of wet stone and lemon pith. In the mouth, lemon pith, wet stones, grapefruit, and pear flavors have a nice hint of salinity and a dash of peach aromatics. Excellent acidity and depth. Delicious. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: around 9. Cost: $20. click to buy.

2020 Mathieu Cosme “Le Facteur Su’L Vélo” Vouvray, Touraine, Loire Valley, France
Pale gold in color, this wine smells of wet stone, flowers, and lemon pith. In the mouth, wonderfully saline flavors of lemon pith grapefruit and Asian pear have a faint tannic grip. Excellent acidity and minerality. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $20. click to buy.

2019 Mathieu Cosme “Le Facteur Su’l Vélo – Bénasse” Vouvray, Touraine, Loire Valley, France
Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of white flower, citrus pith, and vanilla. In the mouth, vanilla and citrus flavors mix with pear and a hint of lemongrass as the wine flows silkily across the palate but with a nice stony underbelly. Great acidity. Grown on limestone soils. Spends 12 months in oak. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: around 9. Cost: $??

2019 Terra Vita Vinum “Grandes Rogeries” Anjou Blanc, Loire Valley, France
Palest gold in the glass, this wine smells of smoky lemongrass and citrus pith. In the mouth, the wine is positively explosive with flinty lemon pith, grapefruit, and a crackling, crystalline saline quality that is positively mouthwatering. Incredible acidity and deeply stony depths are accompanied by a light tannic grip on the palate. Grown biodynamically on rhyolite soils, this single plot of grapes ages for 18 months in a combination of barrels and amphorae. Only some of the juice goes through malolactic conversion. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: between 9.5 and 10. Cost: $34.

2020 Domaine Ogereau “Saint Lambert” Coteaux du Layon St Lambert, Anjou, Loire Valley, France
Pale gold in the glass, this wine smells of honey and white flowers. In the mouth, honey, Asian pear, and white flowers have a clean, bright mineral quality to them. This wine tastes basically dry, though the aromatics let you know in the end that it’s a little sweet. Made from a selection of lightly botrytized fruit. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: around 9. Cost: $??

2020 Domaine Ogereau “Bonnes Blanches” Anjou Blanc, Loire Valley, France
Palest gold in color, this wine smells of quince, flowers, and vanilla. In the mouth, the wine has a round fullness, with flavors of vanilla, quince, grapefruit, and citrus pith. Very good acidity and a light tannic grip. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $??

2019 Domaine Aux Moines Roche Aux Moines, Savennières, Anjou, Loire Valley, France
Pale gold in color, this wine smells of bruised apples and herbs. In the mouth, savory yellow herbs mix with apple and pear flavors with a decent acidity and nice clean minerality. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $38. click to buy.

2021 Domaine Arnaud Lambert “Brézé – Clos De Midi” Samur Blanc, Loire Valley, France
Pale blonde in color, this wine smells of vanilla cream and pear. In the mouth, that creamy sensation continues with lemon pith, grapefruit, and pear flavors. Excellent acidity and brightness. Made without any added sulfur. Spends 6 months in tank. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: around 9. Cost: $30.

2021 Manoir de la Tête Rouge Tête D’Ange Saumur Blanc, Loire Valley, France
Pale blonde in color, this wine smells of apples and pears. In the mouth, bright pear, apple, and lemon pith flavors have a nice snap thanks to good acidity. Somewhat straightforward, but good flavors. 100% Chenin Blanc. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $23. click to buy.

Red Wines

2019 Domaine Arnaud Lambert “Clos Tue Loup” Saumur Rouge, Loire Valley, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of earth, plums, and wet leaves. In the mouth, soft, plushy tannins wrap around a core of plum, cherry, and earth that has the bright sour tinge of plum skin. Notes of dried flowers and the freshness of green herbs linger in the finish. Juicy acidity. Very tasty. 100% Cabernet Franc. Score: around 9. Cost: $39. click to buy.

2018 Manoir de la Tête Rouge “Enchantoir” Saumur Puy Notre Dame Rouge, Saumur, Loire Valley, France
A medium hazy garnet in color, this wine smells of plum and dried flowers. In the mouth, there’s a rustic honesty to this wine, whose fleecy tannins wrap around a plummy core of earth and plum skin. Made from vines planted in 1959, and ages for 12 months in amphorae with no added sulfur before bottling. 100% Cabernet Franc. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $38. click to buy.

2020 Les Sables Verts “Les Poyeux” Saumur-Champigny, Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of nut skin, spices, plum, and dried flowers. In the mouth, the wine has great freshness even as fleecy tannins wrap around a core of plum, dried flowers, herbs, and the bright tang of plum skin. Grown on clay studded with limestone. 100% Cabernet Franc. Score: between 9 and 9.5. Cost: $??

2019 Domaine Grosbois “Clos Du Noyer” Chinon, Touraine, Loire Valley, France
Medium purple in the glass, this wine smells of dried flowers, plums, and herbs. In the mouth, the wine is incredibly smooth and supple, with powdery tannins that wrap around plum and earth and dried herbs. Dried flowers and herbs linger in the finish but the wine has a great stony, mineral depth to it that is fantastic. Excellent acidity and length. 100% Cabernet Franc. Score: around 9. Cost: $52. click to buy.

2020 Domaine Grosbois “Gabare” Chinon, Touraine, Loire Valley, France
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of earth, plum, and plum skin. In the mouth, cherry plum, and nut skin flavors are buffed by leathery tannins and scented with green herbs. Very good acidity. 100% Cabernet Franc. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $??

2018 Domaine Amirault “Le Fondis” Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Touraine, Loire Valley, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of herbs, dried flowers, and plums. In the mouth, flavors of plum and earth are nestled into smooth, velvety tannins, and there’s a slight saline quality to the wine. Made from 63-year-old vines grown in deep gravelly soils cut into terraces, this wine undergoes carbonic maceration in old barrels, which are rotated like a roto-fermenter. 100% Cabernet Franc. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $??

2020 Domaine Amirault “Ferme Des Fontaines” Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil, Touraine, Loire Valley, France
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of plum and earth. In the mouth, juicy plum and plum skin flavors mix with nuttier more herbal notes as soft tannins caress the edges of the palate. Great acidity and length, and a lovely stony depth. Aged in concrete tanks buried in the earth for 9 months. 100% Cabernet Franc. Score: around 9. Cost: $??

2017 Domaine Les Grandes Vignes “Les Cocainelles Village” Anjou Rouge, Loire Valley, France
Medium garnet in the glass, this wine smells of earth, plum, and wet leaves. In the mouth, earthy flavors of dried flowers, dried herbs and plum have a nice acidity and quite savory depth. Destemmed and spends one year in oak. 100% Cabernet Franc. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $??

2020 Terra Vita Vinum “Chant De La Pierre” Anjou Rouge, Loire Valley, France
Light to medium garnet in color, this wine smells of dried flowers and mulberries. In the mouth, flavors of blood oranges, raspberry, and sour cherry are dusted with faint powdery tannins, and notes of dried herbs linger in the finish. Great acidity and length. Grown on schist and quartz. Score: around 9. Cost: $??