Champagne
René Geoffroy Champagne 1er Cru Pureté Brut Zéro NV
50% Meunier, 40% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay; 70% from 2004, 30% from 2003. Very pure fruit, earthy as typical of Meunier, vibrant; crisp and lemony yet with perfectly enough fruit to handle the zero dosage. Very nice.
René Geoffroy Champagne Brut 1er Cru NV
50% Meunier, 40% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay; 70% from 2004, 30% from 2003; dosage 9g/l. Earthy, fruit forward, wide fruit; apparently no malo so it is crisp despite the wide fruit, but it isn't as pure a style as the brut zero - maybe my least favourite of the Geoffroys.
René Geoffroy Champagne Empreinte 2003
28% Chard, 39% Pinot Noir, 33% Meunier; 2003; dosage 6g/l. A delineated and mineral style with quite a bit of floral notes but not as obviously earthy as the other cuvées with more Meunier. It does show quite a bit of fruit as expected from a 2003, but what is surprising is how crisp and mineral the wine is. It is focused and not flabby at all but very refreshing instead. Very nice.
René Geoffroy Champagne Volupté 2003
80% Chard, 20% Pinot Noir; 2003; dosage 6g/l. Beautifully expressive Chardonnay aromas of white fruit and green apple; crisp despite the wide fruit; impeccably balanced and didn't show the vintage's heat in a bad way. Precise and I would almost say incisive. Very nice.
René Geoffroy Champagne Rosé de Saignée 2005
Pinot Noir; 2005; dosage 11g/l. Very sweet and primary nose of strawberry jam. Quite heavy and inelegant - I think less dosage would work better? Alongside the other lovely Geoffroys this was quite a disappointment.
René Geoffroy Champagne Millésime 2000
30% Pinot, 70% Chardonnay; Dosage zéro; 5565 bottles made. Already quite a mature nose with some oxidative elements, very floral and orange-like aromas; crisp but pure fruit despite the oxidative notes. Lovely now. I'm not sure I'd keep it much longer.
Roussillon
(d.) de Blanes Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes Le Clot Rouge 2007
50% Grenache Noir, 50% Syrah. Very tightly bound scent: garrigue and dark fruit. The palate is much more giving with lots of sweet Grenache fruit, but though fruit forward, it is very lively and light on its feet. Nice!
(d.) de Blanes Côtes du Roussillon 2006
"75% Syrah of 10 years age and 15% (typo for 25%?) Grenache Noir of 40 years age." Blue flowers, very primary dark fruit, sweet and tobacco-like. Sweet but lively and light on its feet. Very enjoyable!
(d.) de Blanes Côtes du Roussillon Hautes Bernes Rouge 2005
45% Syrah (15yo), 25% Carignan (12yo), 20% Grenache Noir (40yo), 10% Mourvèdre (12yo). Slightly animal, lifted nose with lots of cranberry or some slightly sharp red berry, but darker fruit tones underneath. Full bodied, light on its feet, sweet fruit, very lively and long. Very nice.
(d.) de Blanes Côtes du Roussillon Impressions Blanc 2006
75% Grenache Blanc, 15% Grenache Gris, 10% Macabeu. Very sweet but very mineral; though full bodied and waxy it does have some acidity and isn't as ponderous as Southern whites can often be. Actually it is very pleasant.
(d.) de Blanes Muscat de Rivesaltes 2006
50% Muscat, 50% Muscat Alexandrie. A correct Muscat de Rivesaltes, but I have to confess I rarely find them interesting: sweet, very muscatty and fresh; though sweet and not terribly acidic, it stays together. Some minerality brings a bit of interest for me. Nice in its style.
(d.) de Blanes Maury 2006
Grenache Noir from over 100 yo vines. The scent is really lovely with a true Grenache character garrigue and sweet, red fruit, but there is also a very lovable hint of tobacco leaf. Tannic, very primary, but delightfully savoury so it isn't just a simple sweet wine, but has great personality and refinement. Lovely.
Jean-Philippe Padié Côtes du Roussillon petit Taureau 2005
50% Carignan, 30% Syrah, 10% Grenache Noir, 10% Mourvèdre. This smelled so much of shite that most of the other tasters thought it had to be off - I am infamously tolerant of bretty aromas, so I found it a very lovable wine. It was vibrantly fruity despite the animal notes, with garrigue and dark fruit, light on its feet and refreshing. I found it very enjoyable.
Jean-Philippe Padié Côtes du Roussillon Ciel Liquide 2005
30% Carignan, 30% Grenache Noir, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre (and 10% of what?). This smelled of new oak/Barrique and that was an instant turn-off for me - I just do not like that scent. Some garrigue underneath. Sweet and oaky. I had trouble getting to grips with this wine.
Provence
Clos Cibonne Côtes de Provence Cuvée Tendance 2006
Rosé from the Tibouren grape. Light pink. Fresh and slightly mineral nose, with some orange and tomato aromas; medium-full bodied, refreshing though certainly not a light rosé. Long and mineral aftertaste. Nice!
Clos Cibonne Côtes de Provence Cuvée Tradition Elevage en Foudre 2005
Tibouren rosé. A dark rosé. A deep and earthy scent, red fruit; sweet fruit and full body, a little tannic - which is nice -, moderate acidity. A heavy style of rosé, but still very enjoyable.
Clos Cibonne Côtes de Provence Cuvée Rosé Spéciale de Vignettes Elevage en Foudre 2004
Tibouren rosé. Orange. Deep and almost bread-like scent with red fruit - very impressive. Tannic, deep, darkly fruity palate, weighty for rosé but still refreshing. Very impressive.
Clos Cibonne Côtes de Provence Cuvée Prestige Caroline 2006
Tibouren rosé. What a disappointment after the previous three, wonderful Clos Cibonnes. This smelled of new oak and nothing else. Bitter oak on the palate too. Others liked this very much, but I found it quite frankly unenjoyable.
Bojo
Jean-Marc Burgaud Morgon Les Charmes 2006
A lovely, classic Beaujolais nose but the fruit is rather dark in tone. It is very gravelly and mineral - almost metallic, even! Quite full bodied, very intense, very primary, tannic and acidic - it is quite a wild wine just now, but I love it.
Cheers,
Otto