Skip to main content

Lunch with Arnaud Saget and the Wines of Saget La Perriere, Loire Valley, France

photo


I relish writing about wine, especially when it allows me to meet the people who are behind the bottles of wine on store shelves. A bottle of wine means more to me after I know the history of the people making the wine. Matching a face to the label helps me too. This month, I had the opportunity to learn more about Saget La Perriere and their Loire Valley wines at a luncheon with Arnaud Saget. It was a true treat.

photo

The Saget family is among a handful of estates enjoying three centuries of vineyard and wine production. The modern Saget approach brings together crus and terroirs, vintages and cuvees from the Loire Valley in France. They have 890 acres to vine, six estates and long-term contracts with family owned vineyards. They create and blend a range of Loire Valley wines. An approach more closely associated with new world wine production. When you drink Saget La Perriere, you are tasting a more complex expression of the Loire Valley.

photo


Of note is that Saget La Perriere also uses varietal designation on their labels; Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadet, Pinot Noir. I have enjoyed tasting and reviewing several of the wines from Saget La Perriere.

photo

The wines of Saget La Perriere have consistently pleased and impressed at very reasonable price points. New to me at this lunch were the 2013 Muscadet, 2012 Pouilly-Fume' and the 2012 Vouvray. A lovely lineup of Loire Valley wines.

photo

These are the wines we tasted through:
  1. Le Clissages d'Or Muscadet Sevre et Maine AOC 2013 SRP: $15.99.
  2. La Petite Perriere Sauvignon Blanc 2013 - My review.
  3. La Petite Perriere Rose' 2014 - My review.
  4. La Petite Perriere Pinot Noir 2013 - My review.
  5. Domaine de la Perriere Sancerre 2013 - My review.
  6. Le Domaine Saget Pouilly-Fume' 2012 SRP: $28.
  7. Marie de Beauregard AOC Vouvray 2012 SRP: $19.99.
  8. Marie de Beauregard AOC Chinon 2012 - My review.
The wines we enjoyed at lunch are available via Pasternak Wine Imports.


photo

Arnaud Saget guided us through the wines before and during lunch. Arnaud is the General Manager for Saget La Perriere. He is responsible for improving the distribution of the family wines around the world. While he spends 50% of his time traveling, he remains involved with vineyard training policy, assisting with blending of wines and marketing Saget La Perriere for a global market. His goal is for Saget La Perriere to be the reference for Loire Valley wines. They come strongly recommended by me. Visiting the estate is now on my list.


photo

Strong attention at this lunch was given to the La Petite Perriere Rose' 2014. It is the first time they have released a dry rose' from free-run juice. I had the pleasure of receiving a bottle for review before this rose' was released. Demand is strong and they were almost sold out by the time of this luncheon.

Arnaud was quite fond of the Le Clissages d'Or Muscadet Sevre et Maine AOC 2013, which was served first. He recommended enjoying this wine with fresh oysters. I need to track down a bottle to review at home.

photo

Personally, I was quite taken by the Le Domaine Saget Pouilly-Fume' 2012. At 100% Sauvignon Blanc, this is an estate bottling from Le Domaine Saget. Delicious and a serious white wine. Another bottle I will have to track down.

photo
Arnaud Saget sharing wines of Saget La Perriere.

Thank you to Arnaud Saget, Saget La Perriere and Pasternak Wine Imports for a most enjoyable lunch and the pleasure of learning more about the wines of Saget La Perriere (the quiche at lunch was delicious). Whether shopping for wine or eating out, ask for Saget La Perriere.

Cheers!

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Sho Chiku Bai, Unfiltered Sake

Last month in Seattle, I purchased a bottle of Nigori sake at Uwajimaya. Uwajimaya is one of the largest Asian grocery retailers in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been visiting Uwajimaya for almost 40 years. When I was much younger, I’d buy model ship and plane kits, Japanese comic books (manga) and I never left without at least one steaming Humbow in hand. Today I buy the manga for my son; while I still enjoy the tasty steamed Humbows, now I never leave without at least one bottle of Sake in hand. Uwajimaya has a terrific selection of imported sake. This most recent visit, I left with a bottle of Sho Chiku Bai Nigori sake. Nigori sake is generally the sweetest of all sakes, with a fruity nose and a mild flavor, making a great drink to complement spicy foods or as a dessert wine. Typical sake is usually filtered to remove grain solids left behind after the fermentation process; however Nigori sake remains unfiltered, resulting in a cloudier beverage. Before serving, the bottle ...

Spirit Review: Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine White Lightnin' @OleSmoky

Today I have crossed the line from wine to spirits. At 100 proof the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine is definitely turning up the volume (ABV 50%). "Moonshine, white lightning, mountain dew, hooch, and Tennessee white whiskey are terms used to describe high-proof distilled spirits, generally produced illicitly...The word "moonshine" is believed to derive from the term "moonrakers" used for early English smugglers and the clandestine (i.e., by the light of the moon) nature of the operations of illegal Appalachian distillers who produced and distributed whiskey." Source Wikipedia My family is no stranger to Moonshine.  That is, my great-grandfather and grandfather were not strangers. Evidently the family occasionally produced their own spirits on their Oregon ranch. My grandfather told me about his younger brother getting into his dads stash with predictable results. Grandmother also told me stories about midnight runs and secretive deliveries d...

Col Solare Cabernet Sauvignon. The style has changed.

“There is something special going on at Col Solare." In mid-June 2022, I began working for Col Solare winery on the Red Mountain AVA in Washington state. The Red Mountain AVA and Col Solare are famous for stunning Cabernet Sauvignon. That I knew going in.  We are not here to make more wine... We are here to showcase place. At the end of June 2022, Col Solare winemaker Darel Allwine retired. Darel had been winemaker since 2013. Prior, he had been Col Solare assistant winemaker for Marcus Notaro. Marcus had been Col Solare winemaker when the Red Mountain facility opened and was winemaker before we had our Red Mountain facility.  On July 1, 2022, Col Solare assistant winemaker, Stephanie Cohen, was promoted to Col Solare winemaker. I was present for this change. It was the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Col Solare is the third winery I have worked for. I chose well.  Often, I am asked by Col Solare guests, as I was last week, “Tell me about Col Solare. Wh...