WTN: Boring Bojo ('07 Chermette)

[David M. Bueker]

2007 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Beaujolais Vieilles Vignes Cuvée Traditionnelle
Just not a lot going on with this bottle. It's frankly boring. There's some tart red fruit, but no depth of flavor, and nothing interesting to grab onto. The sad part is this is the better of the 2 bottles I have had.

Odd; I've had several bottles of it that were splendid, and one (the most recent) that was more like you describe. Is there more than one bottling? Maybe just a phase?

[David M. Bueker]

Good question. Both bottles I bought of this have been less than good. The other 2007 bottling I bought (Brouilly) has been excellent.

Wow. I've yet to encounter anything from Chermette that wasn't top quality. Then again, feces occurs.

David,

I too had a bottle of this that was pretty dull. Couldn't understand the praise it was getting from others.

I really liked this wine last year, light but with plenty of depth, and have trouble believing it could fall apart that quickly. I don't usually think of basic Beaujolais as closing down. I guess it is possible there are multiple lots. Mine were very fresh. I'll check to see if I have any more (I don't usually enter the stuff in the "drink now under $20" rack into CT).

Curious, I love this wine. It really picked up pace after being opened for a while too. I've just picked up a bottle of the '08. As with the poster above, I've loved all of the Chermette I've had.

[David M. Bueker]

I had originally decided to not post a note on this wine (my note on my first bottle is in CellarTracker), but the wide acclaim for this producer (and wine) led me to post it to see if others had been disappointed as well.

It's certainly a mystery to me.

I only had one bottle of this back in spring 09, but I wasn't a huge fan then either.

I wonder if this is a low or no sulfur bottling? Perhaps that could explain the bottle variation?

I wonder if this is a low or no sulfur bottling? Perhaps that could explain the bottle variation?

I'd bet it is palate variation rather than bottle variation!

I wonder if this is a low or no sulfur bottling? Perhaps that could explain the bottle variation?

Ordinarily, I'd agree with this; I love the wines of many organic/biodynamic producers, but bottle variation (to put it kindly) is often an issue. In the last five years of tasting/drinking Chermette's wines, however, I haven't seen this at all.

A possible explanation for my experience: It may be because the wine comes from a quality importer (Peter Weygandt) and is distributed in my neighborhood by a quality distributor (Bordeaux Fine and Rare), and is sold by (ahem) a quality retailer (my employer), so the wine is well-handled from end to end.

Or it may be that I've been dumb lucky.

Or maybe it just plain doesn't suit David B.'s taste. That's a perfectly acceptable explanation, too.

I don't know exact levels, but Vissoux has always seemed much more stable than the fragile Lapierre, Thevenet, Breton, etc carbonic low sulfur folks..

[David M. Bueker]

I wonder if this is a low or no sulfur bottling? Perhaps that could explain the bottle variation?

I'd bet it is palate variation rather than bottle variation!

I'm not so sure Joe. I have liked virtually all of the highly praised Bojo bottlings, but this one was thin and nasty from both bottles I opened. It just had nothing to give. To put it in perspective, I liked a number of '04 Beaujolais (speaking of weedy/thin vintages), so I do not see your point.

I don't know exact levels, but Vissoux has always seemed much more stable than the fragile Lapierre, Thevenet, Breton, etc carbonic low sulfur folks..

You raise an interesting point: I have some '05 Breton Clos Senechal in the cellar..... I worry about how they will hold up over the years... but I found them too monolithic to drink young.. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

I wonder if this is a low or no sulfur bottling? Perhaps that could explain the bottle variation?

I'd bet it is palate variation rather than bottle variation!

I'm not so sure Joe. I have liked virtually all of the highly praised Bojo bottlings, but this one was thin and nasty from both bottles I opened. It just had nothing to give. To put it in perspective, I liked a number of '04 Beaujolais (speaking of weedy/thin vintages), so I do not see your point.

My experience with this wine is based on two bottles: one purchased at CSW and another a few months later at Wine Library here in NJ. Both were quite similar: not thin and nasty, but very ho-hum.

I don't know exact levels, but Vissoux has always seemed much more stable than the fragile Lapierre, Thevenet, Breton, etc carbonic low sulfur folks..

You raise an interesting point: I have some '05 Breton Clos Senechal in the cellar..... I worry about how they will hold up over the years... but I found them too monolithic to drink young.. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

I was talking about Guy Breton Morgon.

I don't think C&P Breton use carbonic or an especially low sulfur regime on their Senechal. That is a wine to age.

The Nuits d'Ivresse less so.

[David M. Bueker]

I'd bet it is palate variation rather than bottle variation!

I'm not so sure Joe. I have liked virtually all of the highly praised Bojo bottlings, but this one was thin and nasty from both bottles I opened. It just had nothing to give. To put it in perspective, I liked a number of '04 Beaujolais (speaking of weedy/thin vintages), so I do not see your point.

My experience with this wine is based on two bottles: one purchased at CSW and another a few months later at Wine Library here in NJ. Both were quite similar: not thin and nasty, but very ho-hum.

Well then except for more specific qualitative analysis we at least agree it's not an interesting wine.