Brett happens

Yet another wine that the Mo’ Wine Group used to order cases of when it was a private import has shown up at the SAQ. How cool would it be if the same producer’s fresh and delicious Sauternes, Château Roûmieu-Lacoste, joined it on the monopoly’s shelves?

Graves 2012, Château Graville Lacoste ($21.35, 12211358)
Sémillon (75%), Sauvignon Blanc (20%) and Muscadelle (5%) from vines between 45 and 50 years old. The vineyard’s microclimate is cooler than most in the area. The Sémillion is picked by hand, the Sauvignon Blanc by machine. The varieties are vinified separately and blended just before bottling. The wine sees only stainless steel. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts is at 18°C and lasts ten to 15 days. During maturation, the lees are stirred every three days until January. Racked and fined but not filtered. Bottled in the first half of the year following the vintage. About 85,000 bottles are produced. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Intriguing if discreet nose: melon, citrus zest, crushed limestone, whiffs of grass, flowers (honeysuckle?) and eventually white peach. Round and smooth on the attack, more so than in earlier vintages. Waxy textured. Not what you’d call fruit-forward but rich in extract. At the same time, there’s an ethereal quality to the fruit. Stealth acidity adds a sour edge and nips any incipient honey flavours in the bud. The Sauvignon, which in other vintages seemed to dominate the wine in its youth, is here apparent mostly on the long, dry and tart, chalk- and gooseberry-inflected finish. While the 2005 aged beautifully for the better part of a decade, this strikes me as a wine to drink in the next three or four years. In any case, you won’t find a better white Bordeaux for the price. And like the wine, the label is a model of elegance. (Buy again? Yes.)

Part of the September 4th Cellier release, the wine has already sold out at several Montreal area stores.