WTN: Layon it on pretty thick

[Jenise]

2001 Château Coutet Barsac Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
Half bottle. Light petroleum notes with marmalade and toasted brioche. Typical Coutet and normally quite welcome but heavy in the company of Baumard Coteaux de Layons below.

2005 Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon Clos de Sainte Catherine Chenin Blanc
OMG. Long and intense with rich apricot and hazelnut lifted by a hint of lemon curd. Incredibly concentrated. Yet rich as it was, sampled alongside an otherwise very fine 01 Coutet Sauternes, the Coutet felt viscuous and cloying where this Baumard was clean and fresh. Only 12.5% alc--how do they do that?

2005 Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon Cuvée Le Paon Chenin Blanc
So happy were we with the Baumard that the following night we opened and tasted this one. Equally incredible, but more tangerine, and without the lemon curd element that in my taste bud's rear view mirror at first seemed less desirably acidic but then came on as simply more precise. Impossible for me to say one was better than the other. They were both superfine.

Thanks. Looks like I have '05 Carte d'Or & Le Paon, but not Ste. Catherine.
Last year I bought I think, more likely to do Huet or Foreau these days
Fun notes

[David M. Bueker]

How does Baumard do that? Allegedly they do it by violating AOC rules.

Was it particular vintages where they were freezing grapes?

Nice notes, Jenise, which capture beautifully the difference between Sauternes and Loire sweeties. I had a similar experience at RVF's millenium tasting when I found that a 1947 from Huet quite outshone the Yquem 1967.

From Coteaux du Layon, I have greatly enjoyed Pierre-Bise and Ogereau as well as Baumard. It was Loire blogger Jim Budd who went after Baumard but I can't remember precisely why. I notice that Baumard no longer appears in RVF's Meilleurs vins de France but that could be far several reasons, including a dispute about the rating.