Château du Hureau Saumur Rosanna 2008: The second vintage of Rosanna from Philippe Vatan, mostly Cabernet Franc with a little Chenin Blanc. This wine has an amazing pink vibrancy, showing great depth and yet a pretty hue rather than anything too electric. The nose is full of exuberant red fruits, summer fruit compote with raspberry, strawberry and redcurrant leading the way, all with a leafy edge and a stony-sherbetty freshness behind the superficial fruit layers. There is also, alongside this fruit richness, a Maillard-like character which seems immediately flattering. There is a fine flesh on entry, with a fresh and vibrant mousse, dry fruit, leafy but vibrant, with a great, vivacious, palate-pleasing character. A short finish, but on the whole this is a delicious wine. 16/20

Domaine des Baumard Crémant de Loire Carte Turquoise Brut NV: Purchased summer 2010. Yet again another of Baumard's crémants shows its best with a year in bottle. This wine still has a very restrained, green-tinged hue, but aromatically it is much more open and alluring. It still has an impressive bead to it as well. On the nose while it remains firm, with a lemon citrus streak in the background, there is also a delightfully full lemon-peach sherbet element to it, nuances with hints of tangerine zest. The palate brings a cream-soda feel to it, the creamy mousse sitting over some biting acidity, and overall the impression is very attractive even if it is rather challenging. But this direct nature means it is perfect as a summer apéro. Lovely. 16/20

Domaine des Baumard Crémant de Loire Carte Corail Brut NV: Purchased summer 2010. A very fine, pale pink, pale onion skin hue, and a plentiful swirling bead. The nose is enticing, full of peachy fresh fruit, nuanced with early tinges of honeycomb, and showing seams of red fruits sprinkled with mint, all delivered with a vibrant, sherbetty vivacity. Full, absolutely packed to the brim with fresh and vivacious fruits, a lively acidity underpinning the lightly fleshy fruit, and delicious hints of strawberry and cream, sprinkled with notes of black pepper. Long, biting, actually fairly challenging on the palate despite being also very seductive in terms of its forward fruit. Fine stuff. 16.5/20

Domaine des Baumard Crémant de Loire Brut Rosé NV: Purchased summer 2010. A fine, slightly bronzed tinge to this pale peachy-pink wine with its moderate bead. A fresh and evocative nose, with plenty of peachy-stony red fruits. Very firm on the palate, very confident, full of sherbet-tinged pink fruits and lots of bright acidity, zip and freshness. Crisply defined and very beautifully lifted, with a little zesty tangerine towards the end, and a lovely, slightly bitter, tingling finish. Lovely stuff, with an attractively bitter grip that keeps you coming back for more. 16.5/20

Langlois-Chateau Crémant de Loire Quadrille 2002: A very fine central bead in the glass, and a very refined, pale-straw hue. The nose is lovely, very grey in terms of its flavour profile, a touch smoky, with a firm citrus fruit character, and a creamy yet lifted note of crushed, pureed cashew nuts. A lightly honeyed edge to the fruit, with warm and ripe apples. There follows a lovely character in the mouth, starting off soft and appley, but then really livening up in the middle, with a lightly juicy fruit character lifted by bright acidity and a really delightful pin-prickle mousse which carries along a little note of bitterness. Beautifully composed, direct but with a rather sour edge, with a creamy counterpoint along the lengthy finish. Really good. 17/20

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Brut NV: I've had numerous bottles of this now, each one slightly more expressive and seductive than the last. This is no exception; the colour pale gold, the bead effervescent, but most importantly of all the nose is brilliantly aromatic, stuffed with very minerally, smoky elements laid over ripe, gamey, golden fruits. On the palate it is fleshy and polished, yet framed by a firm edge of acidity, and just packed with crushed rock, smoky acidity, even a little ash, although this is subtle and it sits well within the context of the wine. A nicely gentle mousse, with golden fruits spiked with orange zest and all polished off with a lightly creamy texture. Delicious, not long, but absolutely fabulous on the palate. 17.5/20

Philippe Foreau Vouvray Brut Réserve 2002: A very polished, solid gold hue here, with initially a very exuberant and swirling bead in the glass although this settles down to form a stream of tiny bubbles. The nose offers classic Chenin fruit with a minerally seam, all golden and crunchy with tinges of volcanic rock and smoke. The palate is similarly expressive, the texture of the wine building into the midpalate where it shows intense citrus and peach tones, mixed with a creamy mousse and bright acidity. Very finely drawn but undeniable frame, showing great freshness and shape in the finish. The wine is full of grip and vigour despite its softer character underneath it all. And in the end, it shows a bitter pithiness that really appeals and calls to mind other great styles of Chenin, whether still, sparkling or sweet. Wonderful fizz with continued potential for the cellar. 18/20

Vincent Carême Vouvray Brut 2008: Every time I pull another bottle of this from the cellar I love it just a little more. Immediately after releasing the cork it shows an array of sweet fruit, pineapple and other tropical fruits with a dried edge, tightening up into scents of lemon zest  but always with a supple, warm, welcoming feel to it. Quite richly styled on the palate, with a svelte and creamy feel to the texture of the wine, perhaps reflecting the wine's rather low pressure, as it has a rather creamy, crémant feel. It is increasingly broad and yet seductive, with peppery and gingery-spicy grip at the back, with some lovely acids. This is just delightful, and has to be one of the most delicious examples of the appellation I have tasted. 18+/20

Vincent Carême Vouvray L'Ancestrale 2008: The residual sugar here is between 17 and 18 g/l. A fine golden hue with a very fine swirl of bubbles in keeping with this wine's ancestrale method. The nose is open and expressive, and rather richer than I recall - the benefit of a few more months in the bottle perhaps. Plenty of crystalline, rich, honey-tinged citrus fruits here. Just as seductive as ever on the palate, floral and citrusy, and certainly lifted up by the rich seam of residual sugar which seems quite apparent on this taste, perhaps as the wine relaxes into a slightly more honeyed, golden character. It has a creamy edge, but with a pithy-sherbetty vigour, the backbone of the wine bitter and grippy, and this persists into the finish and lingers on and on as the flavours fade. As this wine evolves more honeyed flavours it seems to be displaying its sweetness more prominently, perhaps this was previously hidden behind the zesty acidity and lively mousse, both now fading. Both of these components still give the wine a lovely cleansing edge though. 18/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant 2000: Previous bottles have shown a fading mousse, and this trend continues here in this wine, which shows not a trace of pétillance when it hits the glass. Quite a rich, golden hue here. The nose is impressively aromatic, with notes of honey-lemon rubbed minerals, with a lovely chalky-sherbetty feel to it, and there are notes of evolved richness too, in particular a subtle caramelly edge. It has a fine substance on the palate, with a very low level but nevertheless very appealing pétillance here. Underneath this there is a sour edge to the fruit, backed up by a solid vein of acidity, but lovely substance, and notes of lemons and face cream. None of that evolved caramelly sweetness here, this is all very dry and even a touch challenging. This is a lovely wine, although one that needs to be viewed with a somewhat forgiving attitude; and those looking for bubbles should look elsewhere. 17/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant 2001: One very appealing feature of Huet's pétillant Vouvray is the glorious colour, deep and shimmering vibrant gold, and yet on the palate they have a fabulous dry structure and lively pétillance. The 2001 is no exception. In the glass it has a rich golden hue, with a very fine bead. The nose is just beautiful, with notes of almond paste and sweet stone fruit, with a crunchy-crispy outer shell, alongside more petulant notes of green apple. On the palate there is immediate substance and breadth, countered from the outset by a superbly bitter, pithy grip and savoury fruit presence, and as it sits tickling the tastebuds the mousse builds into a creamy weight whish caresses the end of the palate, leading into a clean and vibrant finish. Supple, fresh, reserved, dry and slightly sappy-sour - this is lovely. 18/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant 2002: A glorious rich golden hue here, and as if that weren't exciting enough the aromatic profile, for such a young wine, is just stunning. The aromas suggest liquid stone, a sort of pure, polished and yet generous and approachable minerality, strewn with flower petals and fresh almonds, and then a bright layer of tangy fruit, redolent of sweet apples drizzled with lime juice and zest. It is glorious. And the palate is just as stunning; bold and forthright, backed up by a very dry structure and vibrant pétillance, the flavours are broad and pervasive. There are suggestions of nutty evolution, little hints of oatmeal and coffee, but these are kept firmly under lock and key by the vibrant structure of the wine. Absolutely delicious, and showing huge evolution, countered by wonderful freshness, since my last bottle. 18.5/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant 2005: A plentiful but very fine bead here, and a nose of soft white fruits, still very youthful in terms of style, and still showing the young, floral and lightly mineral nuances of Chenin Blanc. There are primary suggestions of green apple, pear skin and citrus zest. The palate is broad and exuberant, rather full and rich with a very primary character still. A good freshness to it as might be expected, with the prickling mousse and fine acidity carrying along the stony white fruit. Good, slightly bitter grip in the very finish, and a long, defined end to it all. Good, very stylish, reserved, but with a lot of character tightly wound up inside the acid and chalky minerality. Time to leave these alone for a while, I think. 17.5/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Réserve 1998: A fresh golden hue, vibrant and bright, still showing that this is still a youthful wine. Although the bead, little streams of incredibly fine pinprick bubbles, perhaps suggests differently. There is evolution on the nose, a fine minerality reminiscent of chalky powdered rocks, along with notes of vibrant citrus fruits, ginger and cinnamon. The palate just bursts into life on entry, the wine showing prickling pétillance with a creamy-chalky-substance behind it, lending the wine a fabulous texture throughout the palate from start to finish. And to the fore there is spicy-gingery fruit, deep and rich and yet lively and forthright too. Overall this has a lovely presence on the palate; it is wonderful stuff, showing just what this appellation is capable of when there is a fine producer with his hand on the tiller, even in a less than prodigious vintage. And there is still room for improvement in the cellar here. 18+/20

Domaine Huet Vouvray Pétillant Réserve 2002: A deliciously rich golden hue here, and despite a rather gentle release of gas when relieving the bottle of its cork, a remarkably persistent pétillance in the glass and in the mouth. The nose starts off quite rich and leesy, giving it a very warm feel, but alongside this the wine has a silvery-grey feel, with all sorts of smoke and stone elements reflecting the protective qualities of the lees. Later, with a little more exposure to the air, it shows more Vouvray typicity, with golden pear fruit and apples, almond paste and ginger complexities. Fresh on the palate, immediately showing that leesy element but alongside there comes all the minerality from the Chenin. Really dry composition despite the warmth of the flavours, with an incisive, slightly challenging stony cut, like the sharp edge of a flint dragged across the finger - not enough to do any damage, but certainly enough to make you notice it. Long, stony, minerally, with crumbled volcanic rocks and just a hint of cheesy richness, this is delicious. A totally different style to the straight 2002, nevertheless I'm not sure which I prefer - both are stunning in their own way. 18.5+/20

Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Montlouis Pétillant Brut Tradition NV: A pale hue, and a very gentle bead, quite fine though, with just one or two little streams of lazy bubbles. A lightly floral nose, expressive although not exuberant, with notes of white peach and flower petals, but also rather more exciting elements redolent of citrus fruits. Very polished on entry, smoothly defined and full, especially as it moves into the midpalate. Here it shows an appealing combination of punchy acid-framed fruit, with a stony backbone. It has a good fleshy presence, well balanced and appropriate but still offering a little note of flattery. A lovely crisply-defined mousse keeps it all fresh and lively. I find myself increasingly enamoured with this cuvée, against the Triple Zero. 17/20

Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Montlouis Pétillant Triple Zero NV: I admit to having very much an on-off relationship with Jacky Blot's Triple Zero. Sometimes it really sings, fresh and expressive, but sometimes it just seems bald and lean. Happily, this seems to one of the former moments. It has a very faint bead at first, setting down to a subtle, fine, central stream. The nose opens out to reveal a fine, golden, crunchy fruit character, and it seems to speak very clearly with that soft, orchard fruit character of the appellation, with a crystalline-straw edge. The palate follows the same theme, the crystalline fruit develop into a richer, sweet, autumn-apple feel, always cut through by vibrant acidity and sparkling mousse, and a bright, flint, incisive finish. This is a really delicious showing for this cuvée; maybe I hit it at just the right moment? 17/20