Posts Tagged ‘Loire’
A quartet of naturals
Among the many attractions of SAT’s Foodlab is the short, constantly changing selection of natural wines, most of them available by the glass. (Among the few downsides of SAT’s Foodlab is the stemware: heavy and small, meaning the glasses are filled nearly to the brim and allow no room for the wine’s bouquet to develop.) We ordered four to accompany this week’s excellent Russian Easter menu, the high points of which were a clear borscht, a coulibiac of halibut and salmon and the dessert, a slice of dry, cardamom-perfumed cake and a slice of a pressed cheese obelisk garnished with candied fruit and almonds.
Bourgogne Aligoté 2010, François Mikulski (c. $25, Vini-Vins)
100% Aligoté from two Meursault parcels planted in 1929 and 1948. Initially muted (possibly the fault of the glasses). The nose’s white peach, quartz and hint of lemon are joined by green fruit (gooseberry?) in the mouth. Acid-bright but not sharp; indeed, it sits softly on the palate. Finishes on a faintly lactic, ashy, leafy note. Not profound but wonderfully drinkable.
Burgenland 2009, Blauburgunder, Meinklang ($25.30, La QV)
100% biodynamically farmed Blauburgunder (aka Pinot Noir). Extroverted nose: berries, beet, cola, earth and smoke. Medium-bodied (13%) and intensely flavoured, the ripe fruit sharing the stage with spices, slate and dried wood. Fluid texture. Light, firm tannins turn astringent on the finish. A vibrant Pinot Noir, not at all Burgundian yet very true to the grape. A winner.
Cour-Cheverny 2009, La Porte Dorée, Domaine Philippe Tessier (c. $28, Vini-Vins)
100% Romorantin from 40- to 90-year-old vines; 85% is aged ten months in demi-muids and barriques. Dry but lightly honeyed. Round, supple and fluid. Acid blossoms on the deliciously sourish finish. Minerals galore and a preserved lemon aftertaste. Pure, clean, long. A beauty.
Colli Piacentini 2010, Dinavolino, Azienda Agricola Denavolo ($27.04, Primavin)
Hazy bronze to the eye. Wafting nose of honey-candied yellow fruit, spice and a whiff of musk (not knowing anything about the wine, I wrote “Malvasian,” so it’s true to type). Quite intense on the attack – fruity, grapey, semi-sweet – it downshifts radically on the mid-palate, fading and drying to rainwater and minerals with a hint of tannins. Intriguing.
Quebec agent Primavin provides the following information on the wine, which is penned by the owner-winemaker, Giulio Armani, who is also the winemaker at La Stoppa:
Located at 500 m high, the vineyard DENAVOLO, named after the mountain upper the cellar and the locality where the vineyard is planted, spreads over 3 hectares in the Colli Piacentini area.
The vines are grown on limestone soil, the climate is hot and dry, but at this altitude, the temperature fluctuations between night and day are more than 10°C, explaining that freshness and minerality in the wines.
We only use local grapes : 25% Malvasia di Aromatica Candia, 25% Ortrugo, 25% Marsanne grapes and another not identified yet.
DINAVOLO and DINAVOLINO are produced as if they were red wines, the grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and then stay several months in skin maceration to release in the wine all the aromatic and phenolic components which are in the skin. The wines present a beautiful orange colour, a mineral and lightly flowerish nose, the mouth is well-structured with tannins and a good length.
The main difference between both cuvée comes from the location of the grapes in the vineyard. To produce DINAVOLINO, I selected grapes only located in the downer part of the hill, those grapes keep more acidity and the wine produced is completely different, freshner, younger and more aromatic.
MWG February 9th tasting: report (4/4)
Domaine Lemaire Fournier was a 30-hectare estate located in Vernou sur Brenne, close to Vouvray. In 2003, the estate was in its second year of conversion to organic farming. The wines were made with native yeasts and abjuring enzymes, chaptalization, deacidification, fining, added nutrients, tartric stabilization and sulphur. The estate’s remaining stocks of wine are being liquidated, which explains the reasonable prices.
We tasted the three wines on their own and then with four cheeses.
Vouvray 2003, Tartemains, Domaine Lemaire Fournier ($27.15, La QV)
Honey nose, brown sugar palate. Notes of beeswax, yellow apple, golden raisins. Medium-bodied, medium sweet. Soft texture despite the underpinning acidity. Lengthy finish with a hint of bitterness. Delicious, especially with the Tome de Savoie. (Buy again? Yes.)
Vouvray 2004, Demi-sec, Domaine Lemaire Fournier ($21.30, La QV)
Complex nose: apple, honey, herbs, fall leaves. Light, cidery and dryish on the palate, the residual sugar just taking the edge off the acid. Lingering cedary finish. Tasty and refreshing, the kind of versatile wine you could serve as an aperitif, with fish or pork dishes or with cheese (soft bloomy rinds, aged Gouda, mild blues). (Buy again? Sure.)
Vouvray 2003, Réveilleries, Domaine Lemaire Fournier ($27.15, La QV)
Oxidized and spritzy. Browned apple and a cheesy, volatile note. Odd, sour/bitter finish. An off bottle, as confirmed by a taster familiar with the wine, though not undrinkable. Strangely, it achieved a kind of synergy with the Bleu bénédictin. (Buy again? As a believer in second chances, yes.)
MWG February 9th tasting: report (1/4)
Demands on my time mean the notes for the Mo’ Wine Group’s latest tasting will be served, like the wines, in four flights.
Sancerre 2010, Les Chailloux, Domaine Fouassier ($28.15, La QV)
100% biodynamically farmed Sauvignon Blanc from 20-year-old vines; fermented with native yeasts. Chalk and bath powder, then boxwood and jalapeño, then a hint of peanut. Light, fluid and quite dry. More minerally than fruity, and what fruit there is is of a crystalline purity. Longish finish and a lingering impression of freshness. (Buy again? Yep.)
Sancerre 2010, Terroirs, Sylvain Bailly ($22.10, 10861808)
100% Sauvignon Blanc. Textbook nose: grass, cat pee, white fruit, gunflint. Taut and vibrant, with a smooth surface, acid undertow, minerals and green fruit. Long, bright finish. A classic Sancerre and great QPR. (Buy again? Def.)
Sancerre 2010, Domaine Vacheron ($30.25, 10523892)
100% biodynamically farmed Sauvignon Blanc. Closed nose hinting at seashells, hay, green pear. The driest of the four wines. Green fruit, grapefruit and minerals, bracing acidity. Long albeit muted/soft finish. Elegant. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Sancerre 2009, Cuvée Edmond, Domaine la Moussière ($56.50, 10269273)
100% biodynamically farmed Sauvignon Blanc from 40 to 70-year-old vines. Fermented in oak casks (60% new). Pale gold (quite the contrast to the other wines’ silvery-green). Complex nose of ripe yellow fruit, kiwi, camphor, custard, lemon verbena. Round and weighty in the mouth, showing a bit of residual sugar. Just enough acid to save the wine from heaviness. Long, honeyed finish. Imposing and impressive if atypically rich for a Sancerre or even a Cuvée Edmond. (Buy again? Probably not.)
MWG January 12th tasting: report
In reaction to the excesses of the holiday season, the Mo’ Wine Group’s January tasting traditionally focuses on affordable wines. This year was no exception. All bottles but one were purchased at the SAQ, and most are still available.
THE WHITES
Vinho Verde 2009, Loureiro, Quinta do Ameal ($18.30, 11459992)
100% organically farmed Loureiro. Floral and grapey in a Muscat kind of way; chalky, too. Light and fruity in the mouth, the slight residual sugar balanced by high acidity. Faint tingle, though whether from carbon dioxide or acid I can’t say. Minerally finish. (Buy again? Probably not, when the more compelling Deu La Deu is available at about the same price.)
Rueda 2009, Nosis, Buil&Giné ($18.95, 10860928)
100% Verdejo. Muted nose of dried lemon peel, wax and gooseberry. Fairly dense and oily though with enough acid to keep it from feeling heavy. Lemony, quartzy flavours and some residual sugar up front, dries and turns minerally as it progresses through the mouth. Lingers long. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Bourgogne Vézelay 2010, La Châtelaine, Domaine la Cadette ($22.05, 11094621)
100% organically farmed Chardonnay. 80% spends time in vats, 20% in barrels. Lemon, green apple and ashes on the nose. Green apple and oats on the palate. Bright acid. Seems disjointed and turns unpleasantly sour and lactic on the mid-palate. In view of the wine’s previous vintages and the embrace of the 2010 by the city’s more clued-in restaurateurs and wine advisors (it was reportedly the third biggest seller during the holidays at the Jean Talon Market SAQ), ours was probably an off bottle. (Buy again? To see what gives, yes.)
Alto Adige 2010, Kerner, Abbazia di Novacella ($22.95, 11451974)
100% Kerner. Fermented using natural yeasts. Sees only stainless steel. Floral, green grape, spice, quartz dust. Weighty in the mouth. Initial residual sugar. Fruity attack fades by mid-palate. High acid. A bit short and alcoholic (13.9% ABV). (Buy again? Maybe.)
Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh sec 2008, Château Montus ($23.55, 11017625)
100% Petit Courbu from 15-year-old vines. Honeyed pear. Dense, rich, quite dry. Strong acid. Lemon zest on very long finish. Tasty. (Buy again? Yes.)
Saumur 2010, Château Yvonne ($25.55, 10689665)
100% organically farmed Chenin Blanc. Fermented with native yeasts, matured in new barrels, unfiltered and unfined. Quince, quinine, chestnut honey. Medium-bodied and very acidic. Complex but giving the impression that there’s more in store. Long mineral-packed finish. Not as memorably out-there as some earlier vintages but still a fine bottle of Chenin. (Buy again? Yes.)
THE REDS
Burgenland Qualitätswein 2009, Zweigelt, Zantho ($15.90, 10790384)
100% Blauer Zweigelt. Fermented in stainless steel tanks; matured 95% in stainless steel tanks, 5% in used barriques. Farty, candied red fruit, graphite, dried herbs. Rustic, a bit jammy and one-noteish, despite some coffee and slate undertones. Drinkable but not delivering much excitement. (Buy again? Probably not.)
IGP Pays de l’Hérault 2010, Exorde, Clos Mathélisse ($21.30, La QV)
100% organically farmed Cinsault. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. Bottled unfiltered and unfined with very little added sulphur. Nearly the entire (very small) production is exported to Switzerland and Canada. A first bottle seemed out of character: Red fruit, herbal, hint of rubber. Light rustic tannins. Bright acid but moody, a bit red-vermouthy, not recognizably the same wine as from earlier bottles. A second bottle showed much better: a gush of bright fruit and raspy tannins, with earthy herbal overtones and a pomegranate-like tang – the proverbial “wine that puts a smile on your face.” Surprisingly, three or four hours after being uncorked, the tail-end of the first bottle had righted itself and was drinking beautifully. Such are the vagaries of natural wines… (Buy again? For sure.)
Menetou-Salon 2010, Domaine Philippe Gilbert ($26.50, 11154988)
100% biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir from 20-year-old vines. Natural winemaking. Bottled unfiltered with minimal sulphur. Exuberant red berries: ça pinote. Light but richening as it breathes. Ripe fruit, bright acid, fine, supple tannins. Good balance and length. A rectilinear but very pure expression of the grape variety. (Buy again? Yes.)
Toro 2009, Crianza, Bodega Viña Bajoz ($13.35, 10856195)
100% Tinta de Toro (aka Tempranillo). Crianzas must be aged for 24 months, with no less than 6 months barrel-aging. Plum, stinky feet, spice, a whiff of alcohol. Rich, ripe, fluid. Raspberry, cocoa, a hint of “high” meat. Some structure. A little alcohol and tannic astringency on the dried herby finish. Good, especially at the price, though not a wine for contemplation. (Buy again? Sure.)
Nemea 2008, Agiorgitiko, Driopi, Domaine Tselepos ($19.75, 10701311)
100% Agiorgitiko from 40-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Fermented in stainless steel vats with selected yeasts. Matured in 40% new oak barrels. Menthol, plum, tobacco. Fresh and juicy in the mouth, with leather and spice deepening the sweet fruit flavours. Good acid, plump tannins and a slatey finish. The ripe, round fruit speaks of a southern wine. (Buy again? Yes, especially when it’s grilling season again.)
Douro 2008, Quinta de la Rosa ($20.30, 00928473)
Traditional port varieties, mainly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz from 20- to 30-year-old vines. Manually harvested. Fermented in small stainless steel vats, then matured in French oak casks for 12 months before being minimally filtered and bottled. Volatile, spicy nose. Rich, vaporous, alcoholic (14.2% ABV). A mass of spicy/herby fruit. Good acid and plump tannins. Long, flowing finish. Intense but also a little plodding. (Buy again? Not sure.)
IGT Maremma Toscana 2009, Sinarra, La Fattoria di Magliano ($21.65, 11191447)
95% Sangiovese, 5% Petit Verdot. Manually harvested. Sees no oak. Bottled unfiltered. Typical Tuscan nose: leather, dust, dried cherry. Rich yet supple and fluid. The drying tannins are also true to the Tuscan type. Balanced, structured, long. Modern but quite enjoyable. (Buy again? Yes.)
Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence 2009, Château Revelette ($18.45, 10259737)
Organically farmed Syrah (55%), Cabernet Sauvignon (34%) and Grenache (11%) from 25-year-old vines. The constituent grape varieties are vinified separately. A fraction of the Grenache and Cabernet are aged in fifth-year barrels. Leather upfront. Spice, black fruit in background. Rich, dense and strucutred but not heavy. Lots of acid. Tarry tannins. Long, savoury, posh. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Fronton 2008, Cuvée Don Quichotte, Domaine Le Roc ($18.80, 10675327)
Négrette (60%) and Syrah (40%). Varieties are vinified separately. The grapes are crushed, as the winemakers feel this enhances the bouquet and softens the tannins. Matured in vats and barrels. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Wild red and black fruit with floral and animale notes. Dense fruit but fluid and bright. Supple tannins. Hints of licorice and dark chocolate on the longish finish. Perhaps showing less personality than in earlier vintages but still delivering good QPR. (Buy again? Yes.)
Montsant 2007, Vall del Calas, Celler de Capçanes ($22.75, 10858297)
65% Merlot, 30% Garnacha, 5% Tempranillo. All three varieties are vinified separately. Fermented with native yeasts. Spends 13 months with new, one- and two-year French oak barrels. Bottled unfined and lightly filtered. Blackberry and black cherry, pepper and gravel. A silky texture and open structure. Rich, ripe fruit along with some wood and chocolate. Fairly long, inky/minerally finish. Seemed quite young. (Buy again? Maybe.)
A star(t)ling Pinot Noir
Renowned for its Sauvignon Blancs, Sancerre is also the source of the Loire’s best Pinot Noirs.
Sancerre 2006, L’Étourneau, Domaine Fouassier ($29.75, La QV)
100% biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir from 25- to 45-year-old vines. Manually harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts, aged in oak barrels for 12 months. Nose of beet and red berries but also surprising baked earth, leather and dried herbs. Pure, fluid, medium-bodied (13% ABV) yet substantial. Initial sweet fruit submarines under the fine, tight tannins, racy acidity and minerals, then partially resurfaces, adding berry and cola notes to the faintly sour and astringent, flinty finish. Delicious now but – as the tail-end revisited the next day implies – smoother, suaver, more Pinoty with another two to four years in the bottle.
Hat tip to wapiti for the find and the flinty.
The Rodney Dangerfield of wines
If there’s a wine that doesn’t get the respect it deserves, it’s Muscadet – not surprising given the boatloads of thin, flavourless crap floating around. But in the hands of a master like Guy Bossard, the Muscadet grape’s principal vice, its neutrality, becomes a virtue, the perfect vehicle for expressing terroir. Enlightened farming, low yields, native yeasts, no pumping (gravity feed), non-interventionist winemaking, a low sulphur régime and, of course, a terroir worth expressing make all the difference.
Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine 2009, Expression de Granit, Domaine de l’Écu ($20.70, 10282873)
100% Muscadet (aka Melon de Bourgogne). The domaine has been organic since 1975, began converting to biodynamic practices in 1992 and is now Demeter-certified.
Lemon, green apple peel, chalk and, yes, some granite (or is it gun flint?). Rich texture and a hint of sugar on the attack. Wax and white-fruit flavours. Citrusy acid kicks in on the mid-palate and persists through the long, vaporous finish. Lingering notes of minerals, lemon oil and pine needles. A beauty that will only improve with time in the cellar (up to ten years). 12% abv.
MWG tasting with Pierre Breton: report
Loire winemaker Pierre Breton, who with his wife Catherine owns Domaine Breton, was in town for the Salon des vins d’importation privée. On Friday, November 4, just off the plane from Paris, he came to the MWG’s subterranean lair to lead a tasting of six wines from his current release.
As a group, the wines seemed like a reflection of the man: natural, precise, articulate, speaking of their place, never shouting, always repaying close attention.
Vouvray 2010, La Dilettante ($21.35)
100% Chenin Blanc. Undergoes malo to soften the acidity. Spends eight months in two- to three-year-old barrels. Nose of wax, chalk, hints of honeydew melon and wet wool, gaining a floral note as the evening wore on. Soft on the attack. Pure flavours as minerally as they are fruity. A refreshing sourness but no sharpness. Straightforward yet also layered and very long. Delicious and oh, so drinkable. Serve on its own or with fish, white meats, sweetbreads. A favourite of everyone at the tasting.
Bourgueil 2010, Trinch ($21.35)
Young-vine Cabernet Franc. Brambly red berries and black currants along with the leaves and stems, spice, hints of game, charcoal and eventually gingerbread. Soft on the palate: a light but velvety texture and very pure fruit. Clean finish with a slight tannic rasp. Simple but in no way boring. Served lightly chilled, a wine for pounding back. Not a keeper.
Chinon 2010, Beaumont ($21.35)
100% Cab Franc. The bottle at the tasting was, unfortunately, ever so slightly corked. It was still possible to see that this is a medium-bodied, well-balanced wine, more structured than the Trinch, with ripe fruit and some aging potential.
Bourgueil 2009, Clos Sénéchal ($29.60)
100% Cab Franc. A wine to cellar while drinking your Trinch and Beaumont. Closed but deep nose of spice, red fruit, green leaves and slate. Medium-bodied. Intensely pure fruit. Fine structure. Tight but not harsh tannins. Long. Give it four or five years in the cellar and it’ll be singing (or, if unable to defer the pleasure, carafe it for a couple of hours).
Bourgueil 2009, Nuits d’Ivresse ($45)
100% Cab Franc. The nose again closed, more spicy than fruity, with an underlay of leafmould and slate. Tight yet supple on the palate, the fruit, tannins and acidity adroitly balanced. Long, savoury finish and a lingering dryness. Not very expressive – a little austere, even – but full of potential.
Bourgueil 2009, Les Perrières ($30)
Price notwithstanding, Les Perrières is the domaine’s flagship cuvée. Made from old-vine (70+ years) Cab Franc, aged in one- to two-year-old casks. Pierre says that in good vintages it can last up to 40 years. The 2009 has a more expressive nose than the Nuits’s: dried dill, sweet fruit, spice box and a hint of oak. More supple and accessible. Pure and balanced, the core of sweet fruit wrapped in a tight net of tannins. Long, astringent finish. Will only improve with time.
Bourgueil 2005, Les Perrières ($35, importation valise)
Beginning to open up. Gorgeous bouquet, the kind you can get lost in: sweet fruit, violets, turned earth, planed wood and a whiff of spicy perfume. Still very young but the tannins are more evolved, less astringent than the 2009’s, the texture more caressing, with a promise of silkiness in store. Ripe fruit swells on the mid-palate. Long, earthy finish. A beautiful bottle.
All the wines except the last are brought in by oenopole, though they’re disappearing fast (I’ve already seen the Vouvray prominently featured on three restaurant wine lists).
November 3rd MWG tasting: report
To staunch the flow of carping about the infrequency of updates to this site, here are some quick notes – little more than a transcription, really – on the wines in the Mo’ Wine Group’s latest tasting. With one exception, the bottles are from the November 3rd Cellier release and, for once, many of them are still available.
THREE FRENCH SPARKLERS
Montlouis, Brut non-dosé, Méthode traditionnelle, François Chidaine ($22.95, 11537049)
Yellow apple, hint of citrus peel, gaining floral and winey notes as it warmed and breathed. Tiny, soft bubbles, fruity but dry. Acid-bright and clean. Long minerally finish with a faint bitter edge. (Buy again? Yes.)
Crémant du Jura 2008, Domaine Labet Père et fils ($20.80, 11549162)
Chalkier nose showing a little oxidation. A bit enigmatic. Simple upfront, the flavours tending to lemon and quartz, but maintaining a presence, a grip, after the flavours fade. Lingering sourness. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Vouvray, Brut, Domaine Huet ($26.95, 11537022)
Oxidized apple peel with notes of honey, ash and peach. Strong bead. Rich and dense with a strong current of acidity. Fruit slow-fades to minerals on the long finish. (Buy again? Yes.)
The two Loire wines were winners: the Chidaine lighter, fresher and full of immediate appeal; the Huet richer, slower to open up, built for the long haul. The Labet (a new arrival not in the Cellier release) was good but Tissot’s crémant at about the same price is even better.
THREE CHAMPAGNES
Champagne, Terre de Vertus, Premier cru, Larmandier-Bernier ($71.00, 11528011)
A blanc de blancs (100% Chardonnay) with zero dosage. Straightforward nose (apple, yeast, hint of lemon at first) that became more complex (“cream soda,” said one taster; “dried coconut” chimed in another). Light, elegant, clean. Delicate bubbles. Quite dry and long. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Champagne, Tradition Grand cru, Brut, Égly-Ouriet ($80.00, 11538025)
Mostly Pinot Noir. Nose of apple, toast and pastry cream, initially a little anonymous but slowly gaining character. Fine bead. Initially light and elegant, almost to a fault, but gaining complexity and depth in the glass. Pure and long but none of us got Phaneuf’s “multidimensionnel … doté de ces multiples couches de saveurs qui sont la marque des grands vins.” (Buy again? Probably not.)
Champagne, Grand cru, Blanc de Noirs, E. Barnaut ($46.25, 11152958)
Classic champagne nose of bread and hazelnuts with notes of oxidized apple. Winey texture enlivened by assertive bubbles. Clean and vibrant if a little short on depth and complexity. Unlike the other two, did not improve in the glass. (Buy again? Maybe.)
All were good but none knocked our socks off. The Barnaut’s QPR isn’t bad but it lacked some of the finesse of the other two. The group was evenly split when it came to declaring a preference between the fresher Larmandier-Bernier and the richer Égly-Ouriet.
FOUR JURA WHITES
L’Étoile 2008, Domaine de Montbourgeau ($21.90, 11557541)
Chardonnay with a dash of Savagnin. Complex nose with a sourish edge: oxidized apple, “caramel nuts,” “golden raisins in marc,” “fresh figs,” silage and a whiff of cheese. Winey yet fluid, fruit balanced by minerals and acid. Long, flavourful finish. The very model of a Jura white. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Côtes du Jura 2009, Fleurs, Domaine Labet Père et Fils ($22.90, 11556952)
Chardonnay that, unlike many traditional Jura whites, is not allowed to oxidize. The result here is a fairly pure expression of the grape variety. Fruity on the attack, round in the mouth, buttressed by a welcome acidity. Good finish with lingering notes of straw, honey and spice. (Buy again? Sure.)
Arbois 2009, Les Bruyères, Bénédictine et Stéphane Tissot ($35.75, 11542139)
100% Chardonnay. By far the most complex nose of the bunch: mushroom, turpentine, gunflint and sesame along with the expected apple and spice. Smooth and fluid on the palate, the sweet-seeming attack quickly giving way to layers of flavour and a rich fruitiness that belies the wine’s dryness. Long and balanced. A few years in the bottle will do it a world of good. (Buy again? Yes.)
Côtes du Jura 2005, Les Compères, Essencia ($25.95, 11544003)
100% Chardonnay. A bit of an oddball. Appealing if surprising nose of strawberry napoleons (fruit, puff pastry and pastry cream all there). Typically jurassien on the palate, a fruity density underpinned by refreshing acidity. Fairly long, nut-scented finish. Simple but fun. (Buy again? If looking for a white vin plaisir, sure.)
A popular flight, with just about everyone liking all the wines. Several of us considered the Montbourgeau the winner, a classic Jura white with a great QPR. The Labet was the closest to a non-Jura Chardonnay. The Tissot needs time but has potential. The Essencia was unlike any other white I’ve tasted, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
TWO LIGHTER REDS
Arbois 2009, Poulsard, Vieilles vignes, Domaine Rolet Père et Fils ($19.95, 11537090)
And now for something completely different. Pale transparent red, the Jura’s traditional corail (I’ve seen darker rosés). Double-take nose of strawberry, hay and black pepper (detractors in search of descriptors were more inclined to reach for body excretions). Light-bodied, high acid yet, oddly, intensely fruity. Tannins light but raspy. Stemmy finish. Cries out for some charcuterie. (Buy again? I just might.)
Veneto 2007, Primofiore, Giuseppe Quintarelli ($54.25, 11542518)
Take a green bell pepper, stuff it with spicy rice and meat and roast it in a tomato sauce: that’s the nose of this wine. Medium-bodied, fluid, with a perfumy mid-palate, light but firm tannins and just enough acidity. Long, spicy finish. Not particularly deep but full of character and unlike any other red I’ve encountered. (Buy again? Tempted but the price is dissuasive.)
A love-it-or-hate-it-flight. Some tasters were horrified, even outraged by the Poulsard and had trouble believing that several of us actually derived pleasure from the wine. Opinions were almost as divided by the Quintarelli, richer and spicier but still with a streak of green. I enjoyed it but not to the point that I’d fork over $54 for another bottle. (Edit: The taster who took home the tail-end of the bottle reports: “At the Thursday tasting I left the Quintarelli in my glass until the end of the evening to see if it improved – and it did, by a bit, so I brought home what was left in the bottle, and tried it the next day – the harshness and green pepper had completely blown off, and it was far softer and fruitier. Not that I would go running to drop $55 on another bottle of it, but it’s nice to know that it just really needed to sit, and wasn’t a dud Quintarelli.”)
THREE LEFT-BANK RED BORDEAUX
Haut-Médoc 2008, Château d’Agassac ($26.95, 11188336)
Textbook left-bank Bordeaux. Nose of cedar, cassis and oak with green bell pepper and black pepper notes. Good balance of fruit, acid and tannins. Pure flavours. Longish though not particularly deep. (Buy again? If looking for an everyday red Bordeaux, sure.)
Médoc 2008, Château d’Escurac ($23.80, 11194584)
Meatier and greener nose than the Agassac’s, showing some pencil lead. Tight, tannic, austere. Cedary finish. A bit flat. Doesn’t cohere.Might be better in a year or two but, on the whole, this lacks appeal. (Buy again? No.)
Saint-Julien 2008, Clos du Marquis (Château Léoville Las Cases) ($59.74, 11184520)
Nothing like earlier vintages we’ve tried. Spice, green pepper and an elusive mustiness that had us wondering whether it was corked or scalped. Disjointed and harsh in the mouth. Probably an off bottle. (Buy again? Moot.]
This flight was something of a let-down, with the potentially most interesting bottle not up to scratch. Would that I’d had the budget to go with my original idea: Clos du Marquis, Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon and Dominus.
A tale of two Chenins
It was the best of wines, it was a little less than the best of wines.
Jasnières 2009, Prémices, Domaine de Bellivière ($23.95, 11463140)
Jasnières is a small appellation on the Loir river (a tributary once removed of the Loire) about 35 km north of Tours. One of the appellation’s brightest lights, Domaine de Bellivère has been organic since 2005 and biodynamic since 2008, no small feat in such a damp and cool climate. The SAQ wine advisor who informed me of the wine’s arrival said it was a young vines cuvée; Bellivière’s website makes no mention of the vines’ age but rather presents it as an entry-level bottling. 12.5% ABV.
Classic Chenin nose of white fruit (pear, quince, grapefruit, maybe some honeydew melon), chalk and a whiff of honeysuckle. On the palate, the tense balance between the citrusy fruit, faint residual sugar and high acidity might put a blind taster in mind of a kabinett Riesling. But the texture isn’t German – it’s denser and weightier, though in no way ponderous – and there’s that quinine and honey finish. While the wine lacks some of the breadth, depth and length of its upmarket stablemates, it’s far from simple. Plus it has the advantage of being delightfully fresh and totally ready to drink. Hard to imagine a better pairing for shrimp berbère.
Anjou 2009, Chenin Blanc, Pithon-Paillé ($23.85, 10525345)
Another entry-level Chenin from Jo Pithon’s négociant arm. Made at least partially from organically farmed grapes. Fermented with native yeasts. 13% ABV.
Another textbook Chenin nose: pear, lemon, apple, chalk. Clean and bright in the mouth, the sharp acidity balanced by the ripe fruit and ample texture. Minerally finish with a hint of honeyed apples. Dry, pure, refreshing: a fine, straightforward wine if a little overshadowed by the refulgent Prémices.
Both wines have just arrived at the SAQ. Both tend to sell out quickly.
Brett happens 