WTN: An embarassment of riches

2007 E. Vatan, Sancerre Clos la Néore:
13% alcohol; with goat cheese and crackers, the best possible of pairings; I have written about this wine several times – suffice to say, it is wonderful.
Third day: recorked and put in the fridge and then allowed to come to cool room temp. on the third day: more of everything – considerably more complex, more flavors, more aromas, more depth and more length – this wine continues to impress; it tastes of Sancerre and not just sauvignon blanc. A truly great wine with years of development ahead.

1999 Dom. Drouhin, Pinot Noir Louise:
13% alcohol and, from what I hear, a pretty rare bottle; this has all the pieces – grand cru concentration and intensity, seamless integration, great depth and acidity, terrific aromas and flavors, and an almost endless finish – it may be the single clearest expression of New World pinot I have tasted . . . but, it has no sense of place (other than New World). I have immense admiration for the building blocks of the wine and marvel at the way they fit together so perfectly, and yet, I find nothing here that excites emotionally. A technological wonder, sans soul.

2005 Foreau, Vouvray Sec:
13.2% alcohol; counter-point to the above wine – not only an extraordinary wine from the technical standpoint but also so evidently of its place and producer as to be all but unmistakable; bone dry but juicy, acidic yet smooth, full flavored but with lots of cut, lively and nervous in the mouth but deep and long. As good as the AOC will ever do at the sec level.

2005 Dom. Chignard, Fleurie Les Moriers:
12.5% alcohol; maybe my favorite wine of the past several years has been the ’05 Vissoux, Poncie – a Fleurie that takes my breath – and this is very close and may, given time in the cellar, exceed the ’05 Poncie. It is more angular (at the moment) but it is also deeper and more complex. The texture alone is enough to throw me into OMG mode. I suspect that this will become one of the very best red wines I have ever had. Sensational now with grilled chicken – my remaining bottles will stay in the cellar.
(Aside: I have had varied experience with aging wine; often, time as meant little or no difference; occasionally, it has meant a wine that could not hold up; rarely, it has delivered a wine that is so substantially different and engaging that I thought the wait was worth it. I can see something in this wine that gives me considerable confidence in saying – hold; the wait will be worth it.)

Best, Jim

Not sure I have ever said it before but thanks for the notes. I always enjoy them.

A technological wonder, sans soul.

I don't know this wine but I can relate to this with others I have consumed. Something that I have become more attuned to over the past few years. I can still enjoy those wines but the writing is on the wall and I see the day coming that I will feel exactly as you describe.

Aside: I have had varied experience with aging wine; often, time as meant little or no difference; occasionally, it has meant a wine that could not hold up; rarely, it has delivered a wine that is so substantially different and engaging that I thought the wait was worth it. I can see something in this wine that gives me considerable confidence in saying – hold; the wait will be worth it.

For perspective, how long are you generally talking about here. A decade, two decades, longer? I seem to drink almost everything between 5 and 10 years old. Sure I hold some Bordeaux, a few old school cal cabs and port longer. Other than that, I really have not felt the need to keep things much past that point. Rarely do I feel that the aging beyond a decade adds anything extra. I Drank the only remaining 1989 Vouvray this week and quite frankly it showed no benefit to its age. I have had wonderful aged tokaji and rieslings but can't bring myself to consider laying any down.

[David M. Bueker]

I bought a solo bottle of the Vatan, despite my well known hatred of the Sauvignon Blanc grape, purely based on your rapturous notes. It will likely be opened on March 27th & we will see if my soul can be redeemed without use of skins and/or amphorae.

That Chignard sounds like a wine I really must seek out. And Foreau is a producer I really need to buy some wines from. Thanks for the notes, a great read as always.

I bought a solo bottle of the Vatan, despite my well known hatred of the Sauvignon Blanc grape, purely based on your rapturous notes. It will likely be opened on March 27th & we will see if my soul can be redeemed without use of skins and/or amphorae.

Damn, we actually agree on something.

For perspective, how long are you generally talking about here. A decade, two decades, longer?

Aging, for me, is 1-20 years.
I have had a few longer than that but not enough to count.
Best, Jim

[David M. Bueker]

For perspective, how long are you generally talking about here. A decade, two decades, longer? I seem to drink almost everything between 5 and 10 years old. Sure I hold some Bordeaux, a few old school cal cabs and port longer. Other than that, I really have not felt the need to keep things much past that point. Rarely do I feel that the aging beyond a decade adds anything extra. I Drank the only remaining 1989 Vouvray this week and quite frankly it showed no benefit to its age. I have had wonderful aged tokaji and rieslings but can't bring myself to consider laying any down.

That's an issue I struggle with as well Brian. Wines that notably improve with age are a very small subset of the group of wines that can be cellared without falling apart over the short to medium term. I've talked about this more often than I should, but I truly believe that Beaujolais, Muscadet, Vouvray, most Riesling, even a significant amount of Bordeaux and Burgundy are rarely better for the aging, but rather just different. Then it comes down to stylisic preferences. Do you prefer youthful or advanced, bottle aged aromas/flavors.

For perspective, how long are you generally talking about here. A decade, two decades, longer?

Aging, for me, is 1-20 years.
I have had a few longer than that but not enough to count.
Best, Jim

I'm thinking the Chignard is not Barolo material. I opened my lone bottle of this years ago and it was delish, very good bojo. Would I want to keep it more than 10 years? No.

I bought a solo bottle of the Vatan, despite my well known hatred of the Sauvignon Blanc grape, purely based on your rapturous notes.

Chh-chh-chhanges....

It will likely be opened on March 27th...

Why wait that long? You can be a changed man as soon as today...unless you really (not so secretly) are an icorrigible sauvignon blanc hater.

[David M. Bueker]

Trust me Mark, I am an incorrigible Sauvignon Blanc hater.

I'm thinking the Chignard is not Barolo material. I opened my lone bottle of this years ago and it was delish, very good bojo. Would I want to keep it more than 10 years? No.

Mark,
If last night was any indication, you might rethink that.
I mentioned this on another board; I did not pick up the depth or complexity of this wine on release and shortly thereafter - at least not to the degree I got it last night.
While nothing is certain, I am confident this will be a more engaging, inspiring and developed wine after a decade.
Not Barolo, surely, but not what it was on release either.
Best, Jim