That's right. That's the Loir, not the Loire. The Loir is a tributary river that runs to the north of the Loire and eventually feeds into the Loire river. It is one of the most northernly places in which vines are grown and wine is made and the wine is delicious. The varieties are chenin blanc for white and pineau d'aunis for red and rosé.
Domaine de Bellivière, Eric Nicolas is my favorite. Although admittedly it is hard to find Coteaux du Loir and Jasnières (a tiny part of C du L). This wine was being "closed out" by Chambers St wines. Because of the off-dry-ness of it Vielles Vignes Éparses were hard to sell. Well it was great for me. The wine is wonderful.
But hard to describe. Drinking it, and it was a couple of days ago, and then it was the third day the bottle was open but closed up with a cork in my fridge, an image of a dark silvery grey cloud hanging in a dark sky. It is not a sunny day but not cold. You can feel ions in the air. The wine is intensely mineral and austere. A wine for contemplation.
But greedily, not at all saintly, I wish I had bought more.
