2004 Loire
A wet summer made it look as though the Loire was heading for a disaster, but in the last week of August the sun arrived to save the day. The sun continued to shine throughout September and the wines have actually turned out very well.
The growers in the Pays Nantais and Anjou are counting this as a good vintage and saying that it may well turn out to be as good as 1996 or 1999.
If anything, reports from the central vineyards' appellations of Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre are even better. The wines are fresh with good acidity, particularly welcome after the almost over-ripeness of the 2003s.