Browse Tag

chenin blanc

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Domaine du Tariquet 2006 Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne Chenin Blanc/Chardonnay (Southwest France) – Apricot and grapefruit, with good acidity and a hint of minerality. Long and balanced, and bigger than most of this lineup. A nice wine. (3/08)

Beaulieu, no V

Papin “Château Pierre-Bise” 1997 Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Les Rouannières (Loire) – Structured but fruity, with metal-jacketed apple, sweet apricot, and a tangible sense of size dominated by a very intense sweetness. Very long, but wow is it sweet. Still, there’s enough structure for me to bet on its future, though not with 100% confidence. (9/08)

Mountain fortress

Château du Montfort 2005 Vouvray (Loire) – Chalky powdered sugar, yet not particularly sweet; it’s more a textural lilt than it is a palate-changing element. There’s actually not much else to the wine, though. It’s long-ish, but the sustain is mostly monotonal. It’s pleasant to drink. (8/08)

Chenin blanc, sittin’ in a trie…

[vineyard]Baumard 1997 Savennières “Trie Spéciale” (Loire) – Feels sugary, tastes like just-sprouted asparagus. It’s a weird combination, and there’s probably a reason you’ve never seen asparagus candy on the market. Maybe in Japan, I dunno. They’ll try anything. (2/08)

4-0

Foreau “Domaine de Clos Naudin” 2003 Vouvray Moelleux (Loire) – After the Yquem, this seems bracingly acidic…which demonstrates yet again the importance of separating Sauternes and its ilk from more structure-dominated wines. In a proper peer group, things might turn out differently. In any case, the acid does prod and spike and lash, which makes me wonder how it got that way. There’s no lack of sugar, certainly…in fact, it’s an intense, perhaps almost painful sear of sweetness that zips right past cloying and into the realm of liquid Saccharine. Yet it doesn’t seem out of balance, either. What aromatics there are dally in the realms of apple, leaf and lanolin…there’s no discernable chalk…and they’re entirely bound up by the residual sugar. If there’s a flaw – and there is – it’s the oppressive monotone volume of the wine; Philip Glass as interpreted by Scott Ian. In truth, it’s a little dull. But I can’t help but think that it’s a success for the vintage, at least, whether that says anything useful or not, and I must admit that I enjoy it. Will it age? Certainly. Well? I have no idea. (8/07)

Break the Habert

Chidaine 2005 Montlouis Clos Habert (Loire) – Big fruit in a brown-paper package wrapped a little too tightly with twine, to the extent that the result is a little suffocated and awkwardly inward-facing. Fine elements are on display – rainwater and chalk, Makrut lime, subtle hints of ginger and Pepino melon – but “primary” understates the case. Revisit in some yet-to-be-determined number of decades. (8/07)

0007

Blot “La Taille aux Loups” Montlouis Pétillant “Triple Zero” (Loire) – Flat and chalky, aromatically unexciting, and yet absolutely palate-cleaving. This is an…aggressive…choice for a by-the-glass pour, and (as I’ll find out later), it’s not alone in that regard. (4/06)

Tijou for two

Tijou “Château Soucherie” 2005 Anjou (Loire) – Chalk-dusted wax and a memory of honeycomb, round and supple with a long, lingering finish. Very pleasant. (5/08)

Closel the Vaults

Jessey “Domaine du Closel-Château des Vaults” 2004 Savennières “La Jalousie” (Loire) – Generous, chalky, and surprisingly fruit-forward for a chenin (though “fruit” here is very loosely-defined; this would be some sort of exotic melon after a chalkboard accident), with a pleasant approachability but the structure for short-term development. I wouldn’t push it too long, though it’s important to note that I’m not a fan of oxidized Savennières; those who like that expression should hold it with impunity. (5/08)

Oh, chenin, d’oh!

[hands]Sizanani 2006 Chenin Blanc (Western Cape) – Sour melon, leaves, and aspirin. Concentrated and thick, with a lack of light and a proportionally sludgy finish. This is a winery with an valuable mission for which winemaking is the venue, and I respect that…but you just can’t do this to chenin. (2/08)