“Here’s the Wine Access review for this wonderful sparkling wine: “In a hotel room overlooking the placid Loire River, highly regarded wine broker Anne-Sophie issued us a challenge: If we correctly identified the Crémant de Loire in a lineup of Champagnes, she would pay for dinner.
“We took in the aromas of all five wines, reveling in the telltale toasty notes that typify the best bubblies. Every single wine danced on the palate with Astaire-like grace, and every one finished with the tongue-tingling crispness that makes your mouth water. We would have taken any one of the bottles at $40 or $50, and when we shook our heads in amazement, Anne-Sophie thought she had us licked.
“But just before she could point out the interloper, we beat her to it. ‘This one,’ we said, pointing to the glass that held the Domaine des Trottières La Pierre Couverte Crémant de Loire. Anne-Sophie’s face fell—she couldn’t believe we knew. ‘It’s the ripe apple and a touch of honey from the Chenin,’ we explained, but we definitely got her point: With its fine fusillade of bubbles, biscuity nuttiness, mouthwatering finish, and overall quality, there was no difference between this wine and the twice-as-expensive Champagnes on the table.”
Does it sound like hype? It certainly does . . . but it’s all true. This is delicious stuff. I ordered eight bottles at $17 or so. I tasted it about three days after it arrived and immediately bought eight more. I’d give it a 90-92-point score. Find it on Wine Searcher or simply use Google, with a search for “Domaine des Trottieres Cremant de Loire Brut $.”
