Top 10 Loire Red Producers According to Me

Loire Reds, consisting mostly of Cabernet Franc, but also Cot, Pinot Noir and Pineau d'Aunis were another one of those categories that I drank as a young wine retailer.  They were cheap, interesting and some of them were great values.  You could also source old stuff with some effort, which was fun. Winebid was a goldmine back in 1999-2005.

Looking back on it, many of them were tinged with Brett and were often somewhat underripe.  There is really no reason, from a terroir standpoint, that in the new post-climate change era, that a good winemaker can’t make very good red wine in the Loire.  And there are now at least two (Rougeard and Guiberteau) that have achieved the coveted #Unicorn status (with diminished availability and skyrocketing prices accompanying the hipster somm instagram pics).  Roches Neuves is at the level of quality of the unicorn brothers, at least.  It’s getting pricey and harder to find as well. Kermit Lynch just picked it up and prices are predictably expensive.

Fortunately, there are a decent number of producers that are making wines that are almost as good (if not quite as Instagram worthy).  Given the general rapidity of the spread of human knowledge, I’d expect more in the future.

In short, this is a category worth exploring for value and high quality.  So, without further ado, here’s my list.

1. Clos Rougeard - The Big Daddy. The Unicorn of Unicorns. Used to sit on shelves because it was too expensive. Now anybody will pay anything to get a bottle. Woody when young, but when aged it's like Musigny. This is the best mono varietal Cabernet Franc in the world. They need time. Drinking them young is a waste in my opinion.
2. Roches Neuves - If Clos Rougeard is like a Gentaz , the staunch traditionalist, then Roches Neuves is like Allemand, the polished traditionalist. The wines can be enjoyed young, but do benefit from age. But not a crime to open a young one. For me, here, it starts with the Marginale, then the Franc de Pied, then the Echalier and then the Memoires in terms of accessibility, rarity and quality. Now that Kermit and Verity have them, I see them skyrocketing in price. I was one of the first to offer them (and the cheapest).
3. Guiberteau - If your mentor is a Foucault at Clos Rougeard and you're not a moron, and you have epic terroir you're gonna make great wine. Maybe better known for their whites, the reds are just as eye-popping, but require a bit more patience. The Arboises is the one to get. A brilliant wine with almost a Bordeaux-like structure. The regular Saumur and Motelles are also terrific. They cannot do any wrong.
4. Baudry - I mean if we are talking about Chinon, let's talk about Baudry. For me the undisputed king in a polished traditional style. There is terrific Chinonisity but also deep, dark fruit, sometimes red like in Granges but mostly dark red and black fruits. The Croix Boissee is the big boy and his Grand Cru and needs 10-15 years at a minimum. Never had a mature one and have had them back to '96. The Les Granges is what I recommend to everyone who has never has Cabernet Franc. The Les Grezeaux is like his hommage to Pessac-Leognan and is my personal favorite. So weedy, so tobacco-like, so great!
5. Domaine de l'Ecu - This is a very recent development since it was sold to Fred Niger and he started making reds in Amphorae at the estate. Who knew the Pays Nantais could kill for reds? Ange, the Pinot Noir is my favorite, but the Mephisto Cabernet Franc is no slouch either. Invictus is the top Cabernet Franc thatthey make and if you can find it, you are in for an experience. These wines have insane fruit, depth, freshness and complexity.
6. Collier - Another estate with a Foucault influence. The two reds, the regular Saumur-Champigny and the Charpentiere, are world class wines in the mold of Clos Rougeard, and age wonderfully for 10-15 years. I've had the least experience with these on my list, but the few I have had, I really really have loved.
7. Vacheron - An interesting choice but these Pinot Noirs are very serious and merit a place on this list. The high end Belle Dame, for me, might be the greatest Pinot Noir in the Loire Valley. It has ludicrous amounts of fruit and a terrific supple quality and that terrific Sancerre minerality which gives it a unique type of brightness and freshness.
8. Francois Cotat Sancerre Rouge - Really rare stuff. Francois blocks the malo in this wine so it is technically a VDT, but it is a crazy wine, like Volnay meets Chavignol. Just so silky, so Pinot, so deep, a tiny bit of green, deep layered fruit and so complex and texturally compelling. I think one of the top 3 Pinot Noirs in the Loire Valley.
9. Clos Roche Blanche - The famous Touraine estate that makes so many great wines for little scratch. I know, 2014 is the last vintage but, if you can find them, the Cot, Gamay and Pif are my favorites. Mineral as fuck, these wines can age longer than one would/could expect. Charmingly rustic and deep.
10. Catherine & Pierre Breton - Famous for their wild, natural Bourgueils, that can age wonderfully (still sitting on ‘02 and ‘05) and have flummoxed many a wine geek with their sometimes excessive brett, but when on, Clos Senechal is one of the greatest wines of the Loire Valley. The Perrieres is nice as well but Clos Senechal is better terroir.

Honorable mentions - Noella Morantin, Chateau Coulaine, Couly-Dutheil (only Echo and Olive), Charles Joguet, older Joel Taluau.