WTN: 2004 Frank Peillot Roussette du Bugey Altesse

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• 2004 Frank Peillot Roussette du Bugey Altesse de Montagnieu - France, Savoie, Roussette du Bugey (4/2/2006)
  $22 at K & L Wines, 12%. 100% altesse, a grape used in Tokaji, though in Hungary it's known as furmint. I had been itching to try this ever since bringing home a bottle from the Real Wine Assault (Notes typed up, but I need to enter them into CellarTracker). Lovely nose of underripe strawberries (I know, wrong color scent for this already golden wine) that I also get from Cerdon du Bugey that contains no altesse. The "T" word at work? Also mineral and faintly resinous aromas. Faithful palate, superbly balanced, delicious with lingcod in lemon-caper sauce, and if I'm not mistaken, rounded by a half percent of residual sugar. Very Good.

Posted from CellarTracker.

[Jenise]

Walt, we had a bottle of this wine last year, and really enjoyed it. It tasted like a blend of which half was old vine chenin--I don't know what the other half would have been, but something with stronger acidity that grows well in warm climates.

'Makes me thirsty - I just love the grape and producer but haven't found it at retail yet.
Best, Jim

Walt,

Did you try the 03 version of this wine? I was wondering how they compared. For me this was one of the whites from The year of the Sun that I thought was pretty successful.

Thanks for the note.

Best,

Thanks for the note. Is it really true that Furmint and Altesse are the same grape? I'd heard they were related, but not that they were the same grape under different names.

One thing I'd add is that while this is a terrific wine young (and the pinnacle of fondue wines, I think), in my experience it hasn't aged the way I expected. I think I have 1 of the 1998s left, and the last two bottles were nearly dead; a '99 also faded more quickly than I expected. I'm hoping for a resurrection on the last 1998 . . .

Walt,

Did you try the 03 version of this wine? I was wondering how they compared. For me this was one of the whites from The year of the Sun that I thought was pretty successful.

Marc,

I have not had this before in any vintage, but it wouldn't surprise me that 2003 could be delicious, given the cool climate of the Loire.

David,

In this case I'm repeating what I heard from the winemaker, which could be incorrect. I'll check the Oxford companion and see. Too bad you are on the wrong continent, I would be extremely curious to try an aged version, despite falling apart. This was my only bottle, so I won't have a chance to see what happens with time.

Walt

I looked at the Oxford Companion, and Mrs. Robinson says that M. Galet says that furmint and altesse look mighty similar growing side by side. However, there's no concrete evidence that they are the same.

Interestingly, she also says that altesse ages well, but that in Bugey often chardonnay is (legally) used for Rousette de Bugey. Just when you think you have a handle...

Walt

Walt,

Thanks for the sleuthing. Where are the UC Davis types when you need them? I guess I really have no way of guessing from taste how similar they seem to be, since I've never had either a dry furmint or a botrityzed Altesse made with a putton.

As for the aging, all I know is that the '98-'99 Peillots didn't fare well even 5 years out. I guess further research will be needed, in the name of science.

David

Coming in late here! I did some sleuthing too and came up with Rossette de Savoie. Wonder if Jamie has anything on this one?