It seems to be the moment to think of Loire reds. A couple weeks ago, the New York Times' The Pour column dwelled on the Cabernet Franc-derived wines of this eternally undervalued region, their value when considered in the context of a recessionary economy, and their relative unpopularity when compared to other world reds.
Around this time, I was invited to a tasting of several Loire reds at Gotham Bar & Grill. I had no objection to attending. As I've started before, I'm a fan of the wines of the long Loire valley, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean (Muscadet land) to the east, all the way to the middle of France, where it terminates in Sancerre, which produces what is probably the most famous of the region's whites. Along the way one passes through the tight cluster of Chinon, Bourgueil, St. Nicholas de Bourgueil and Saumur-Champigny, and it was from these AOCs that the wines of the night hailed.
