WTN: 2002 Brisbarre Vouvray Moelleux Grande Réserve

I really enjoyed this wine over the last couple of nights. A previous bottle had an off-putting smell and was probably flawed, but this bottle - my last of course - was singing. You don't see many notes at all from this producer, who certainty isn't top rank in Vouvray, but this wine from a top vintage overdelivered and was great QPR.

• 2002 Vignobles Brisebarre Vouvray Moelleux Grande Réserve - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (6/17/2014)
  Given my last experience with this wine, I wasn't sure what to expect, but this was a nice surprise. None of the weird nose notes on this bottle, just lots of honey and stonefruit with some regular funky Loire chenin notes - a lovely nose. A very unctuous, well balanced, mouth-coating palate follows, with more honey, apricot, pear, pineapple, lime and quince. A nice long finish follows for this great dessert style wine. Ar peak now, I think. (A-)
  

[Jenise]

Good note. Vouvray is probably what we all should have been buying all along--especially in light of how many bad bottles of white burgundy we're tossing out these days!

[David M. Bueker]

Vouvray is probably what we all should have been buying all along--especially in light of how many bad bottles of white burgundy we're tossing out these days!

Are you familiar with the premox issues for Huet? Makes White Burgs look like stable products.

[Jenise]

Vouvray is probably what we all should have been buying all along--especially in light of how many bad bottles of white burgundy we're tossing out these days!

Are you familiar with the premox issues for Huet? Makes White Burgs look like stable products.

No, I'm not. Have never had a bad one, personally, so it hasn't crossed my path.

[David M. Bueker]

Huge premox problems with 2002 Huet. Debate on whether it hits other vintages or other producers.

I picked up four of the 2002 Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut Lieu at a decent price some years ago. The first bottle was wonderful. The next three were oxidized to beat the band. I have been leary of Huet since then.

I've got a fair bit of various Huet wines and vintages, so I'm a little leery, but - touch wood - I'm like Jenise and haven't had many problems yet. Certainly oxidation is a problem throughout the Loire, although I don't think (hope?) it's to the same extent as Burgundy.

Oxidative notes have long been a feature of mature Loire chenin, particularly Savennières, and with all the premox paranoia around it is tempting to dismiss out of hand bottles displaying these features. I must, however, say that I have been disconcerted to find them so clearly in two recent bottles of Vouvray from Foreau, particularly the demi-sec 2000 about which I wrote a few days ago and to a less extent tonight's 2002 sec. The wines were, however, complex and still quite enjoyable. I have a couple more bottles of both and will record their performance with interest.

Oxidative notes have long been a feature of mature Loire chenin, particularly Savennières...

Savennieres is very different from the wines from further east. But without being too nitpicky, I thought the oxidative notes were from the in-between stage, before they got properly mature. At least 'traditionally'.

[David M. Bueker]

Oxidative notes are fine. When a 10-12 year old demi-sec from a top producer is deep orange and shows nothing but dried orange peel and caramel, that is premox.