2005 Baudry, Chinon La Croix Boisée:
14% alcohol; dark fruit and stem aromas, some smoke; big, rich, dense wine with palate weight and the texture of fine sandpaper; very concentrated and long with grip. Certainly young and very slightly disjointed but pretty generous, considering. With a pasta dish with peppers, tomatoes, chicken and cheese, it was twice the wine.
(Aside: I recognize this as a fine and distinctive wine; surely an exemplar for its place and type. I’m just not fond of it. It’s the stemmy/cigar box thing, and while it certainly does not overwhelm here, I only really enjoyed the wine when the food seemed to defeat that element of it.
I think I will stick with the Les Granges bottling from Baudry; so fresh and fruit driven . . . and no green.)
1989 Gastaldi, Rosso:
14% alcohol; I’m guessing it was hot in Neive that year . . .; this smells of tannin and torrefied earth, little fruit, maybe some old roses, plenty of tar; but in the mouth, the texture is all satin, a good balance of fruit and earth, some grip and lots of length. At this point, a wine of interest but not much pleasure. Good with pasta puttenesca.
2005 Dom. de Vissoux, Moulin à Vent:
13% alcohol; so . . . you have been in the raspberry patch and you are bringing the berries home and somehow, you slip and your hand crushes some and you breath it in . . . the most intense and extraordinary nose of raspberry/black raspberry you can imagine, absolutely astonishing; the same in the mouth, so incredibly smooth and lively with great depth, perfect balance, deep concentration and an endless finish. On any given day, the best wine you ever had.
Pierre-Marie Chermette has something singular in this vineyard and this vintage shows it. Fantastic wine, with or without food!
Best, Jim