Château Gaudrelle Vouvray Ammonite 2010: An attractive nose, bright, rather minerally, but also with a soapstone, talcy perfume to it. This latter element seems to be a hallmark of the Gaudrelle style. This persists on the palate, which has a very soft, supple and caressing character, gently polished but at its core maintaining the soft, perfumed, soapy-papery style of young Chenin Blanc. There is a little minerality underneath it too. An attractive wine, in its own way. 15-16/20

Domaine des Aubuisières Vouvray Cuvée Silex 2010: Bright and flinty on the nose, elements of citrus fruit coming through, with a smoky edge, characteristics which both Chenin and Sauvignon show on this terroir I think. A beautiful substance on the palate though, obviously good flesh, but with a very clean minerally-talcy style which goes beyond papery-soapy femininity. Very fine acidity cutting through it too. A very elegant although youthful style which will be fine in 5-10 years time I think. 16-17/20

Château Gaudrelle Vouvray 2010: This wine also has the Gaudrelle style, all chalky-talcy elements laid over some straight, soft white fruit. A touch of sugar sweetness suggested on the nose, with a honeyed edge. Soft and fleshy on the palate, then more acid coming in, gentle but quite precise. Supple, slowly warming up in the mouth, but showing a lot more acid cut as it does so. An appealing freshness and a good wine to consider cellaring I think. Given time, this could be very good. 15.5-16.5/20

Domaine des Aubuisières Vouvray Le Marigny 2010: A touch of whisky mash on the nose here; I've learnt this is just a hangover from winemaking and it will fade. Underneath is the toothsome sweetness of the fruit, heady and perfumed, with a wild, thyme-honey edge to it. A solid style on entry, although the palate is led by a very fine acidity which persists through the palate although it is very well covered by the weight of sweet apple-pear fruit at times. This is very typical of a good, young, high-quality Chenin overall. Lots of substance here, lots of promise too. 16-17/20

Domaine des Aubuisières Vouvray Moelleux Le Plan de Jean 2010: This has a different style on the nose, more solid than the other wines, less perfumed, with a more stony and minerally character. There are notes of herby-honey, apple and pear, but these young-Chenin characteristics play a secondary role behind the stony notes which are more evident. This comes through on the palate as well, although there is some sweet fruit here there is also a very well defined but gentle core of acid, along with a mild but attractive minerality. Most notable is the fleshy substance of the wine, which comes from a handsome residual. It feels fairly light for a moelleux, so don't expect hedonistic sweetness from this wine. Nevertheless, very true to the appellation and full of potential. 16.5-17.5/20

Château Gaudrelle Vouvray Moelleux Réserve Spéciale 2010: From a half bottle. This is fresh, lifted and light on the nose, with pure and gently creamed white citrus fruits, along with a green apple skin and chalky-talcy freshness. A good substance on the palate, fresh and full, not the deepest or most honeyed of styles but very nicely lifted by its vibrant cut of acids and minerals. A good, sappy, biting structure to the finish. An attractive wine although it needs cellar time to show its best. 15.5-16.5/20

Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Montlouis Les Dix Arpents 2010: Honeyed, heady and very sweetly perfumed on the nose, full of pear and autumnal apple character. Despite this rather seductive aromatic profile the palate is crisply defined by a very beautiful core of gritty, crystalline acidity which streaks right through the centre of the wine, giving it a fabulous definition. Around this there sits all the sweet fruit suggested by the nose, but also a massive seam of lovely minerality. And the finish is defined, grippy and delicious. Lovely potential. 16-17/20

Domaine de la Bergerie Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2010: A very classically styled nose, with yellow capsicum fruit, but it does have that suggestion of softness and cream alongside the biting Sauvignon aromas though, which is welcome. Slightly challenging in terms of structure and flavour, which I like, with a touch of wildness to it. Nicely textured on entry, the flavour characteristics well reined in, bright, lightly fleshy, with really crisp acidity lending a white pepper spice to the palate. A good, firm and spicy finish, quite long too which is surprising, with plenty of that pepper in the length. An attractive wine superior to many New Zealand examples, and giving that varietal hit so many people crave. 15-16/20

Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Sauvignon Blanc Les Pierres Fines 2010: No real varietal suggestion on the nose here, not necessarily a criticism with Sauvignon I think. There is some slightly polished, sweet-candied fruit, but this element is very subtle and again this is not really a criticism. A nice acid cut on the palate, sherbetty minerality, and a rather papery style of fruit, bold and stony rather than expressive of Sauvignon fruit. In terms of character this is certainly very individual. A Sauvignon for drinkers who prefer Muscadet I think! 14.5-15.5/20

La Tour St Martin Touraine Blanc Hortense 2010: Old vine Sauvignon Blanc, rather a characterful nose, with some truthfully expressed and rather appealing varietal character, made all the more attractive by being packaged within a rather sweet, honeyed, creamy-citrus envelope. Good character on the palate that matches the aromatics, with bright fruit wrapped up in a very polished capsule of orange zest and talc, with a lot of minerally acid coming through too. Certainly a fascinating glassful, although it does seem a rather broad and bold rather than finessed style. 14.5-15.5/20

Domaine de la Bergerie Touraine Gamay 2010: A really appealing nose here, a glossy colour too. A smoky and concentrated fruit character, with stony forest fruit and plum stone. More expressive of terroir than variety I think. The palate has a lovely substance, soft and ripe, rather plush even, with moderate acidity well hidden beneath the fruit. A bit of grip to it, but the stony fruit character dominates despite the ripeness of the texture. A sooty-chewy finish. This is impressive! 15-16/20

Domaine de la Charmoise Touraine Gamay Première Vendange 2010: Juicy but not so dense as some of the 2009 Gamays that I have tasted. A very fresh style on the nose, bright and stony, with fresh fruit, and this is matched by the style found on the palate, which shows a bright and incisive acid backbone here, which shows through particularly well as the substance of the wine is not as dense as it might be in a richer vintage. Fine and stony fruit character, very clean and appealing, lightly grippy, dry and stony. Overall, a good effort, although with a rather short finish. 14-15/20

Couly-Dutheil Chinon Les Chatelières 2010: There is perhaps the suggestion of better definition here, reflecting the terroir perhaps. Fresh, bright, stony red fruit nose. A lovely light grip at the start of the palate, with something of a sandy texture to it, but there is a good frame around the soft fruit character. It does build quite nicely on the palate, showing a supple layer of fruit, and towards the finish there is a good grip coming in too. A very decent and drinkable Chinon. 14.5-15.5/20

Domaine de la Garenne Sancerre 2010: A very expressive nose here, showing a little more varietal character, with some herb-tinged yellow capsicum, and a suggestion of a gentle creaminess too. A quite solid style overall though. Very fleshy and lively on the palate, well composed, coming through the midpalate in a very controlled yet expressive fashion, here showing a more appealing face cream and lemon mousse style. Good grip in the finish too. Attractive, more so on the palate than the nose. 15-16/20

Pierre et Gérard Morin Sancerre 2010: Rather a bitter lemon edge, the fruit here is all pith rather than zest, but it certainly has a big, bright and incisive character led by the citrus notes. The same is found on the palate where well-honed acidity comes in first, and the gentle substance of the wine seems to follow on afterwards. It is attractive and has a good, crisp, citrusy style though. And a good bright finish too. 15-16/20

Florian Mollet Sancerre 2010: Rather a reserved and solid style on the nose here, with a broad sweetness to the fruit, perhaps suggesting a softer style than some of the preceding wines. Nicely composed, a touch herby, very typical in terms of style. And the character on the palate follows on from this first impression, the substance quite broad, gentle, with sweet but citrusy fruit and a well balanced acid core. An appealing wine with more cut and definition than I recall from the 2009 vintage. Very dry, sappy and bold. 14-15/20

Florian Mollet Sancerre Roc de l'Abbaye 2010: A brighter nose, defined, with the orange citrus tinge that comes with a flint terroir, and overall a more lifted and accessible feel to it. On the palate more incisive than the straight Sancerre, with sweetness to the fruit, lots of dry acid giving backbone and a little tangible extract too. This certainly has some appeal, especially through into the finish where it shows some really enticing minerality. 16.5-17.5/20

Domaine Laporte Sancerre Le Rochoy 2010: Really pale in terms of appearance, but this wine has a very bright and lifted nose which sings of peach skin and pear along with a light, ethereal suggestion of minerals. But most notable is the great lift than comes with it, as it leaps light-footed from the glass. A lovely character on the palate too, broad yet just brimming with incisive and gently prickling acidity, giving the pithy citrusy, fruit of the palate a real sense of focus. Very pure and white-fruited in style, this is a Sancerre I could definitely drink. 17-18/20

Vincent Pinard Sancerre Cuvée Florès 2010: An enticing nose here, the fruit defined and with a rich, citrus oil character to it, but there is also a trace of matchsticky reduction alongside it. I suspect this will go with time but at this low level I really don't mind its presence. Indeed, it quickly blows off in the glass leaving some pure fruit. Rather a solid style of wine, but with a bright and clean acid core, and a rich, flinty, stony sense to it. Real intensity and linearity here, laser-like precision despite the depth. Fine pithy substance at the end too. Excellent wine. 17-18/20

Domaine de Bel Air Pouilly-Fumé 2010: An attractive, gently polished style of fruit on the nose. A well reined-in character, quite solid and firm. There is a similar character on the palate, smooth-sided and well-polished, overall quite firm and attractive. This has a very classic style, rather bright in its composition, with good expression of terroir, on the whole charming and very typical. Plenty of good acidity too, and a fine, cream-tinged character too. 15.5-16.5/20

André Figeat Pouilly-Fumé Les Chaumiennes 2010: A water-white hue. This wine is loaded with matchstick reduction on the nose, and I get nuances of white fruit behind it. Leaving the wine for five minutes this does eventually give way to a very attractive and subtly interwoven melange of grapefruit and passion fruit. A nice presence on the palate, some nice grip at the middle with appropriate acidity, a little grassy-green in terms of fruit style here, but still very appealing. Still a little note of matchstick though. Give it time. 15-16/20

Florian Mollet Pouilly-Fumé 2010: A straightforward character on the nose, clean, not that expressive but not unappealing either. A bright acid core, the typical grippy-green fruit character of young Pouilly-Fumé, but with an appealing citrusy structure down the middle of it. A little sherbetty in terms of minerality. Attractive drinking and probably good value, not varietally restrained. But with that a hint of anonymity too. I like the vibrant, biting grip on the finish though. 14.5-15.5/20

Alain Cailbourdin Pouilly-Fumé Cuvée du Boisfleury 2010: This has well-honed fruit on the nose, all very polished and expressive. But it is presented in a very controlled, citrus-oil style, with appealing hints of pithy polished stone. A really appealing character on the palate, plenty of substance here but it is kept firmly in check by a fine acid frame, and a lifted, citrusy character, running through the wine with an acid and mineral edge. Well composed, with a balanced citrus bite, but with a softness to it as well. 16-17/20

Alain Cailbourdin Pouilly-Fumé Les Cris 2010: Like one or two other wines, this is showing a little sulphur on the nose today. In fact it seems quite difficult to get past it. On the palate though a very appealing substance, with a good acid bite underpinning a soft and broad layer of initially fuzzy-edged fruit although this really tightens up nicely at the end. An attractive grip overall. I just find it a little difficult on the nose at present though. 16-17/20

Florian Mollet Pouilly-Fumé Antique 2010: Unfined and unfiltered. This cuvée seems to bring a sweetness to the fruit which has rather taken me aback on previous tastings. Here it shows rather well, although fresh and clean, supple and broad, rather bold, with a soft feel to it across the middle of the palate. Attractive, bold, more prickly acid coming up from underneath in the middle of the palate. Rather a heady and perfumed style of fruit here, with a long, grippy, pithy finish. This is really rather good. Certainly way ahead of the softer 2009. 16-17/20

La Tour St Martin Menetou-Salon 2010: Rather green fruit here, greengage alongside the pear, with a solid and polished feel to it. Very nicely rounded off at the start, as perhaps suggested by the nose, but there is a really appealing central line of acid coming through with the texture as well, and this gently builds in the midpalate while staying all the time balanced and very appropriate. The fruit has a sweet pear feel to it but that will go with time in bottle. Lovely texture and substance, really fresh and yet totally composed and direct. Overall, delicious and impressive. 16.5-17.5/20