Loire Valley Values

One of the great specialties of my colleague, David Schildknecht, is the Loire Valley, which he calls "the bargain garden of France." Here are some terrific white wine selections on the market now that are under $25 a bottle and represent sensational values. With fish and shellfish (even sushi), these wines are a marriage made in paradise.

88 points2007 Château du Cléray Muscadet de Sèvre et Main sur Lie Réserve Haute CultureThe Château du Cléray's 2007 Muscadet de Sèvre et Main sur Lie Réserve Haute Culture (from the house of Sauvion) originates in a flint and clay rich soil. This may lie behind its relative body and richness of peachy fruit, as well as the prominently saline mineral cast and a wealth of flowers and foliage that puts me in mind of walking into a greenhouse. This distinctive and impressively concentrated Muscadet should give pleasure over the next two years, and perhaps longer. $16