WTNs w/Dinner: Cremant de Loire, Burgundy

Baumard Cremant de Loire Brut NV Carte Turquoise
I love this sparkler as an inexpensive Champagne alternative and it has become my house bubbly. Explosive apple, lime and melon rind on the attack, with sourdough, steel and wonderfully penetrating bubbles. The perfect spring aperitif. $17

Eric Forest Pouilly-Fuisse Les Crays 2004
Eric is one of the most exciting and dynamic Pouilly-Fuisse producers I've come across in a long time. Apple-pie, banana peel, straw, and honeycomb flavors mingle nicely with raw-chalky mineral and tongue-whipping acidity. Very well made, but in a style that pushes the envelope -ambitious, not refined. Served with pan seared scallops with maple beurre blanc on cider hibiscus cous cous. $34

Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune du Chateau Blanc 1er Cru 2004
Crunchy yellow apple flesh, lemon pie, with a very slight mineral element. Leaner and more linear than the PF to be sure, but a nice wine and not at all 'Neutral Beaune Blanc'. Served with honey and marshmallow roasted apple and arugula salad with shallot vinaigrette and pried pineapple. $35

Jean Garaudet Monthelie Rouge 2003
Red raspberry fruit, kirsch, raisins and fennel spice with a rich and opulent mouthfeel. The showy, crowd-pleaser of the bunch -and in defense of the wine, not as one-dimensional as a lot of 2003's. Worked well with smoked pork loin stuffed with cornbread and bing cherries, poached peach, vanilla cherry sauce and broccolini $27

The last wine was Patrick Javillier Aloxe-Corton 2004. I've had this wine a few times before. At present, It is showing high-toned strawberry fruit, cranberry, and dried pemmican flavors as well as fresh herbs of thyme and sage. The acid is aggresive now and could use some sleep to relax and calm down a little. Good -even though it is a little awkward at the moment.

The last wine was Patrick Javillier Aloxe-Corton 2004...dried pemmican flavors..

Aside from the fact that I hope this pemmican was not part of your meal, how was the oak on this wine? I think I've had red wines from Javillier in the past, although I don't really remember anything about them (perhaps not a good sign) and then last night's 01 Les Serpentieres was definitely "well made" but the taste of the oak distracted from the purity for me and I probably wouldn't want to pay for it to be around when it finally hits maturity.

Rahsaan,
Javillier is absolutely a Meursault Blanc producer first. The reds (especially the Savigny-Les-Beaune) are top-notch for value, and occasionally excellent (I really love his '02 Aloxe-Corton). He is rather particular about oak usage, and will use barrels for up to about 7 or 8 years, mixing and matching to suit his needs (new barrels are used for whites, but never 100% new oak). The '04 AC is probably 3-4 year old in my estimation.

The reds (especially the Savigny-Les-Beaune) are top-notch for value, and occasionally excellent

Thanks for your insight. I didn't think this particular bottle was top-notch for value ($40-45), but that's not necessarily a function of Javillier and perhaps a function of the shop where I purchased. Still, there were good things going on, and I could see them coming together in different vintages/vineyards, etc, if not necessarily in that bottle.

The reds (especially the Savigny-Les-Beaune) are top-notch for value, and occasionally excellent

Thanks for your insight. I didn't think this particular bottle was top-notch for value ($40-45), but that's not necessarily a function of Javillier and perhaps a function of the shop where I purchased. Still, there were good things going on, and I could see them coming together in different vintages/vineyards, etc, if not necessarily in that bottle.

That much? The Savigny-Les Beaune Grands Liards '04 is about $32 here. With Les Serpentieres going for a few bucks more.