Browse Tag

france

The ties that bind

[de moor]de Moor 2012 “À Ligoter” (Vin de France) — From magnum. Beige to amber, still moving, but now turning simultaneously away and inward, leaving the memory of a sand-worn leaf in its wake. Even from a plus-sized bottle, I’d drink this soon. (4/16)

Horse at 11

[coudert]Coudert 2005 Fleurie Clos de la Roilette (Beaujolais) — Autumn into winter, with the structure slightly exposed. I wouldn’t think this would hold much longer, but I’ve been wrong before. Nonetheless, I’m drinking mine. (4/16)

Urbain decay

Zind Humbrecht 1997 Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain (Alsace) — Like an oloroso made by ferrets to which has been added stale bathwater and molten lead. Beyond undrinkable. (4/16)

Émmy award

[cfe]Trimbach 1998 Riesling “Cuvée Frédéric Émile” (Alsace) — Fully mature. The dust of a once-mighty civilization, reduced to corroded steel and acid rain. Like drinking a raw nerve. Absolutely delicious, and everything I ever hoped when I chose to age this by the case. (4/16)

Duplexing

Duplessis 2012 Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru (Chablis) — Mineral salts, but whence the oxidative nature? It’s broadening at the moment, and thus pleasant, but I wonder if this isn’t suffering under a failed cork, because the note seems to surprise everyone who’s had or sold the wine. (4/16)

Intimidation

[cfe]Trimbach 1995 Riesling “Cuvée Frédérique Émile” (Alsace) — From magnum…and let me say, for the record, that the John Holmes-ian stature of a Trimbach magnum is a sight to behold. Wielding this giant phallic symbol deftly enough to connect wine with glass is a multi-handed operation, yet the wine is far less forbidding than its pour. In fact it’s a fairly straightforward CFE, its iron and steel fully exposed but with the filigreed detail eroded. It’s lost none of its nerve nor its high-polarity lines of force, yet the overall energy feels diminished and buffeted. Perhaps catching it a bit younger would have been better? (Disclosure: this bottle was a gift from Jean Trimbach, from a 1998 visit to the winery.) (4/16)

Where fools dert to tread

Coudert 2005 Fleurie Clos de la Roilette (Beaujolais) — Was there a Tardive in 2005? (Checks.) There was. And yet, this clings, and clings well. It’s not robust, it’s not vibrant, it’s not singing. It’s pale and wizened and rather beautiful. It’s a beloved memory, well-preserved. (4/16)

He is not a sandwich!

Truchot 2005 Morey-St-Denis “Vieilles Vignes” (Burgundy) — Almost carbonic, in the spiky freshness of the wrinkled cherry fruit. A hint of brett. But so, so vibrant and alive. (4/16)

Happy crew

Champalou 2002 Vouvray “La Cuvée des Fondraux” (Vouvray) — Very advanced for a 2002, soft lanolin and lotion and fluff. A pillow of a wine. That Kermit Lynch thinks this is the Vouvray he should import is a bigger story than the wine itself, frankly. (4/16)

Rachais, chantais

[boulard]Francis Boulard Champagne Brut Nature “Les Rachais” (Champagne) — 100% chardonnay, 2005 harvest, disgorged 11 April 2011. Peanuts, mild oxidation, broadness, length, depth. I wouldn’t hold it, but it’s fascinatingly iconoclastic right now. (4/16)