July 14, 2011 – Domaine de la Tournelle Tasting, The Wine Bottega, Boston, MA
Thanks to the Wine Bottega for this exciting lineup. This was the first time that I had tried anything from this producer, whose wines have just started to be distributed in Massachusetts.
All of the Tournelle wines are either unsulfured or minimally sulfured. In the case of the whites, whether they use any sulfur depends on the vintage. I’m guessing that the last four wines did receive small doses of sulfur because the tasting sheet did not specify that they had not added any SO2.
Although I greatly enjoyed these wines, they are not going to be for everybody because of the minimal SO2, and the oxidative aspects of some.
The prices listed reflect the cost of single bottle if purchased on the day of the tasting.
2010 Arbois “L’Uva Arbosiana”
100% Ploussard (Poulsard), unsulfured, carbonically macerated, from a small parcel of young vines. Light-bodied, delicate, well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Very mineral, with cranberry, earthy, dried leaves, and herbal aromas/flavors. Very good+. $23.
2009 Arbois Trousseau des Corvées
Old vine, single vineyard, unsulfured Trousseau. Funky/gamy nose. Medium-bodied, with moderate tannins and good underlying acidity. Tastes of cranberries and strawberries, with herbal, barnyard, and blood notes. Very good/excellent. $27.
2008 Arbois “Terre de Gryphées”
Unsulfured, non-oxidized, old vine Chardonnay from another single parcel. Earthy/slightly barnyard-y nose. Light in weight, airy, focused, very mineral, with notes of cider, hummus, and citrus fruit. Very good; not likely to improve, however. $23.
2007 Arbois “Les Corvées sous Curon”
Made from Chardonnay vines grown in blue marl, with some of the wine being aged under a partial voile. Oxidative, sherry-like nose. Medium-bodied, earthy/funky, mineral, with notes of Fino Sherry, nuts, and citrus fruit. Nice balance, structure, and focus. Excellent. $30.
2008 Arbois “Fleur de Savagnin”
Unoxidized Savagnin. Medium-bodied, well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Although the grapes are not fermented on their skins, I sensed some tannins. Very mineral; shows aromas/flavors of cider, hops, citrus fruit, and vegetable oil. Very good. $30.
2006 Arbois Savagnin de Voile
The Tournelle website describes this wine as a second wine of the Vin Jaune, and I think that this is an apt description. The process is the same, but the time under the voile is only about three years, instead of the period of six years and three months required for Vin Jaune.
Oxidative, Sherry-like nose. Full-bodied, elegant, well balanced, with good underlying acidity. Earthy, nutty, and mineral, with apple, citrus, mushroom, and mace notes. Excellent. $42.
2003 Arbois Vin Jaune
From clavelin. This is the first Vin Jaune that I have had. Given what I’ve read about Vin Jaune really needing at least ten years in bottle, I would expect this to develop even more depth and more pronounced aromatics in the future.
Saline/oxidative nose, reminiscent of Fino Sherry, but perhaps higher toned. Full, well balanced, elegant, nutty, salty, and mineral; with citric and acetic notes. Excellent. $65.