Pascal Janvier Coteaux Loire Rouge Cuvee de RosierOne boring day at the wine store many years ago, I was looking through a wholesalers closeout wine list, and I saw a back vintage of one of Pascal Janviers wines. Misreading the Coteaux du Loir, a tiny region off of the Loir River, for the Loire Valley, the expansive region along the Loire River, I thought, Hey, Jasnires rhymes with Savennires, and Chenin Blanc from Savennires lasts a long time. I betcha this wine might still be good! (This episode

which turns out to be wonderful news for wines like this

even though the other 32 are exactly the same wine

in charge of vineyard management

The 2013 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino belongs to that very small club of bottles that manage to be both seismic and disciplined

tangelo peel

It holds tremendous promise

Its carbon footprint and global warming potential are far less than glass

this opens with red currant

bright energy

cool-fruited yet deep in tone — while a small proportion of Graciano adds the tangy herbal lift that keeps the wine vibrant

confident hum

and deep place