Cazin “Le Petit Chambord” 2009 Cour-Cheverny “Cuvée Renaissance” (Loire) – Presents as quite sweet, and I’d be surprised if there wasn’t an above-threshold level of residual sugar in this wine. It doesn’t detract at all, but it’s good to know before trying to set the wine up on a date with any particular food. Aside from the ripe, round sweetness, there’s honeyed brass, white peach, and a suffusing inner glow of summery warmth that seems…well, almost un-Loire-like, in the sense that most of the region’s wines tend to present as being of just about any other season. Fulsome and long. I can’t quite decide if it lacks sufficient acidity or if the fruit is just so generous that it seems like there’s a lack. In any case, history is on this wine’s side regarding future development, and while it’s immensely appealing at the moment, the appeal is like a more sophisticated version of the fresh, youthful appeal of South African chenin blanc. The things that make this wine potentially great, rather than just appealing, will not be apparent for a while. (12/11)