2021 Baumard Coteaux du Layon Carte d'Or Half Bottle 375ml, Loire Valley

Half Bottle 375ml

Sweet pear flesh with a matchsticky overlay on the nose. It has a little honeyed apricot, but on the whole the style is light and open. The palate shows a very appealing concentration, with white peach, white pear flesh, a delightfully match-sticky freshness and also a beautifully bright acidity. For an entry-level cuvée this has very nice fruit and tension, but also a delicious minerally frame for it all. Very good indeed.

Chris Kissack thewinedoctor.com

Florent Baumard is one of the world’s best winemakers, and you probably don’t know him. That’s because he produces Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, an all-too-often overlooked region. Baumard produces a range of dry and sweet wines, topped by his Quarts de Chaume. And perhaps the best part of Baumard’s new wines is that they are now all under screw cap. Bravo to Florent Baumard for making this decision based on quality, not marketing.

James Molesworth winespectator.com