WTN: '04 Issan, '02 Huet, '02 Bouchard

Friday Betsy made turkey stuffed with goat cheese and spinach, but left for dress of Pirates of Penzance before I got home. I had leftover whites (Bourgogne and Riesling) with dinner, but felt like a red afterwards. I opened the 2004 Ch. d'Issan (Margaux), my first 2004 Bordeaux. Nose of berries and flowers, good ripe blackcurrant and black cherry fruit. With time some elements of spice and cedar. Tannins are ripe and well-integrated, acidity is enough to keep it lively. Tasted again tonight, the fruit has a light licorice edge, and a bit of smoke, nice balanced wine. The downside of this wine is that it is a bit short to qualify as top-notch Bordeaux, but I think this will be a welcome companion at the dinner table for the short to mid term. B+

Tonight we had an early dinner before she headed to city. Pierre Franey's basil/pinenut stuffed scallops, mushroom rice, and brocolli-rabe/pea dish. I went with the 2002 Bouchard "Le Clous" Meursault. Good for village level, a bit fat but not flabby, toast and butterscotch over Bosc pear fruit. Maybe a little thin in the middle, but ok for mid-$20s. B

Over 4 nights the 2002 Huet Le Haut Lieu Vouvray (from 375) showed fairly well. Some oxidative notes, but strangely never got worse. Baked apple Betty with honied apricot notes, lively acidity, long finish. B+

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

2002 Huet Le Haut Lieu Vouvray (from 375)

Was this sec, or demi sec? This is the second positive note I've seen recently on the 2002 Huets. You guys almost have me ready to dig to the bottom of my wine closet and pull out a bottle to try.

Thanks for the note on the 2004 D d'Issan. I haven't tried any 04 Bdx yet and this seems like a decent one to look for.

Oops, should have noted it was demi-sec.
I'm sure the true Huet-heads would consider this infanticde, butI had several and wanted to just take a glance. The oxidative note worried me at first sip, but as the wine held up for several days guess no worry. It's funny, I get more funny/false notes in just opened Chenin than any other type of wine. I can't count how many Chenins I've thought were corked at first sniff, that ended up being fine. And some wines I thought shot from oxidation have been fine, also.
I'm no fan of oxidation in white wines, which is why I've decided I might as well drink most of my white Burgs young- why take a chance.

If you're looking for really classic Bordeaux, I'd call the Issan a bit more of a mid-modern, which is why its pretty accessible right now. But it's not a heavily extracted superoaky wine.

I went through a couple of bottles of five-year-old Baumard Savenierres (a super dry Loire chenin-based wine) a few years ago that I thought were completely madeirized; turned out this is a characteristic of this wine's shut-down phase. A few years later this wine re-emerged with considerable power and character. Perhaps good Vouvray develops the same way.

Cheers.

I tried the 2002 Huet a couple of years ago, and was extremely impressed:

Light gold in color, with a moderate nose of stonefruits, lime, and lanolin. The palate is absolutely electric, though: amazing purity and depth, a rich texture, and awesome balance. A melange of tropical and citrus fruits, minerals and a hint of butterscotch on a medium-full bodied palate. Perfect balance of dryness and sweetness. 'A' now, but I'll leave my last bottle for another 5-7 years, and it will no doubt improve. Bravo!

The purity and balance of this wine was absolutely spectacular.

Savenieres are a real minefield with oxidation, but the Vouvrays don't seem to suffer the same fate. Whether it's the greater RS in Vouvrays or not, I'm not sure, but they seem to be largely spared this issue. Anybody else agree, and, if so, have a reason for this?

Savenieres are a real minefield with oxidation, but the Vouvrays don't seem to suffer the same fate. Whether it's the greater RS in Vouvrays or not, I'm not sure, but they seem to be largely spared this issue. Anybody else agree, and, if so, have a reason for this?

Claude Papin seemed to think it was the schiste soil in Savennieres/Anjou that affected maturity differently from the limestone in Vouvray. I forget the details, but it was related to different compounds in the wine and he thought it explained why the shutdown period was more severe.

But, he also seemed to think he could reduce the severity of the shutdown period in his Savennieres/Anjou wines by pushing for greater phenolic maturity.

So, in the future we'll have to compare his cranky wine from the mid and late 90s with vintages like 02, 04, 05 to see.

Thanks for the potential explanation, Rahsaan!

I think the 02 Huets are really great wines.

Ian, I have some 96 and 97 Baumards, do you think they might be ready?