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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 33 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Neecies on 8/31/2022: WT's. Medium yellow, clean floral nose, Vouvrayish, some wool, great minerality. Fantastic, and doesn't show its age on any level. (521 views) | | | Tasted by mdefreitas on 2/17/2022 & rated 93 points: Gorgeous wine. The fruit is showing maturity but the texture and acidity fills the wine with a sense of freshness. Some wet wool and minerals mix with the apple, peach and apricot notes. Nice saline finish. No rush on these, if perfectly stored (as this was). (578 views) | | | Tasted by depechemoroder on 7/2/2021 & rated 91 points: This has just crested over the hill, but still in a very nice place. Strong note of apples - somewhere between baked and wizened, but definitely not fresh. Classic hints of lanolin and straw, with some citrus freshness to balance. Definitely a touch oak spice, though well integrated. The acid is quite assertive, but it's not out of balance or unpleasantly sharp. There is still a sense of what was probably a classical crystalline structure in all its glory, but this needs drinking. (730 views) | | | Tasted by SteveG on 9/13/2018 & rated 91 points: Light gray gold, effusive tropical and ripe apple nose, ripe and full-bodied palate backed by expected acidity, long and refreshing finish. White fruit all the way, seemingly no residual sugar, with softer fruit than Vouvrays I have had. Enjoyed with honey soy broiled salmon. (1093 views) | | | Tasted by ctbob on 1/7/2018: Chenin funk on the mid-palate just starting to show, so this is in a great spot for most people. Delicious. (1234 views) | | | Tasted by ctbob on 3/5/2017: A little more chenin funk than the last bottle, but still a rich and full glass of wine with layers and layers of flavors. Drink or hold. (1309 views) | | | Tasted by SteveG on 11/25/2016 & rated 90 points: From memory. Somewhere between Vouvray and Savenierres stylewise, well done. (1418 views) | | | Tasted by ctbob on 8/14/2016: Absolutely delicious. Clearly chenin on the nose with excellent crispness and clarity and enticing depth. A delight, and it's showing no signs of decline. (1349 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 2/25/2016 & rated 90 points: Big, brawny wine with lots of lush fruit. Aromatic fruit intensity makes you think this will be rich and demi-sec, but this is a concentrated, bone-dry charmer. Good now, but this will continue to age nicely and improve. (1719 views) | | | Tasted by David Paris (dbp) on 6/12/2015 & rated 92 points: This smells absolutely amazing. Holy crap! So so rich and beautiful. Honeysuckle, sweet pickled cabbage, marcona almonds in oil, the inside of a bee hive and some preserved lemons. Incredibly rich and decadent, but completely dry, pure and thick. Palate texture is lush, smooth, and creamy, with flavors of more preserved lemon rind, high acid, bee pollen, nuttiness. Dominant note is that preserved lemon, and even feels like the preserved lemon juice in the mouth. Wow, fantastic beautiful soft blossom of rich acid on the finish. It opens beautifully and gradually, with no rough edges, like a time lapse of a Lilly opening. This isn't a "sharp" wine. It cuts, but with the blunt edge of a flower petal and you don't even realize you got cut because it feels so good. An absolutely incredible wine. So sad we won't be seeing more of it down the road. Very glad I let all my bottles sit for 6 additional years after purchase. I think these are already drinking fantastic though, so if the right opportunity strikes again I'll try not to hesitate to pop another, but there's also no reason to rush as the structure is completely in balance and this will last a long, long time. The Garagiste price at the time makes this one of the finest values I've had. 92-93 (2001 views) | | | Tasted by WST on 4/15/2015: Atypically large scaled Montlouis. Despite the vintage, this is bone-dry. Highly viscous, with great cut to keep it exciting. A fantastic interpretation of Chenin. So sad he's gone. (1893 views) | | | Tasted by Chaz Bham on 4/15/2015 & rated 90 points: Couleur jaune tres pâle. Nez délicat qui s’ouvre sur des arômes de fleurs blanches. Bouche précise, belle intensité avec à la fois des notes de poire et citron vert tout en offrant une belle sensation minérale. (1506 views) | | | Tasted by bambam on 12/28/2014 & rated 92 points: Putting on weight from the bottle I had two years ago. This is drinking really nice now. Pale straw in color, lemon meringue, honey. The acidity balances it out nicely. (1337 views) | | | Tasted by SadofskyDS on 11/27/2014: delicious - might add more notes tomorrow. (1119 views) | | | Tasted by SadofskyDS on 11/27/2014: full and crisp wine, very good for just drinking on its own. (1355 views) | | | Tasted by WST on 6/22/2014 & rated 92 points: Opened one based on notes below suggesting it's aging poorly. Fortunately, this bottle was fine (actually, exceptional). Spectacular surprise, beautiful Q/P. Screams Chenin Blanc Sec, and I wouldn't ever mistake this bottle for anything else. Not a subtle wine; quite unctuous. Apples and citrus, waxy lanolin notes. Very slightly sweet, but much more towards sec than demi. Strikingly dense but packs a walloping acidity that keeps it bright.
No hurry to drink up, but showing very nicely at the moment. (1512 views) | | | Tasted by guitarguy on 11/17/2013 & rated 84 points: Again an oxidized bottle that got a bit better on the second day, some smoke and a bit of acid. Disappointing, as a set. (1475 views) | | | Tasted by guitarguy on 10/28/2013 & rated 86 points: Creeping better than previous bottles, had a certain tar/resin quality that is both offputting and interesting. Had more acidity and snap than prior bottles, which kept it alive in the mouth. Still yet, not a great bottle of wine, but probably one that could be served to eonophiles for fun. (1375 views) | | | Tasted by guitarguy on 7/31/2013 & rated 85 points: Better than the last, recent bottle, this had less oxidation but also less fruit than my first bottle in 2010. Some molasses but not a lot of acidity there to make it strapping. (1480 views) | | | Tasted by guitarguy on 7/15/2013 & rated 81 points: This had little to give, a little green and funky, kind of plastic and medicinal. Drink these up, they are going, going, gone. (1481 views) | | | Tasted by vanpe003 on 4/6/2013 & rated 92 points: Pop/pour. Fairly delicate / reticent on the nose, at least early on, with a tarriness that reminds me a bit of some white burgundy. On the palate, drier than many Loire chenin blancs I've had. A very slightly sweet character sits on top of a crisp acidity, with a sense of drying tannin on the finish. Overall, quite complex. For the time being, I would pair this as I would a Chablis, albeit a slightly sweet on.
My last bottle was 3 years ago. Like that one, this comes across as still young and vibrant with plenty of life left. (1490 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 2/14/2012 & rated 91 points: Slightly reductive to start, then rich and lush aromas of apple and lemon oil. Starts with flavors of Gala apples and then more lemon and lemon oil flavors emerge, with a unctuous, waxy texture. Still just a baby. I have one more bottle, which I will set aside for at least another 5 years. (1675 views) | | | Tasted by bambam on 2/5/2012 & rated 91 points: This still has lovely complexity. Lemon and bees wax on the nose, followed by some of dry stone fruits. Strong acidity and a dry finish. This is starting to mellow from it's youthful vibrance. (1515 views) | | | Tasted by David_T on 12/19/2011 & rated 89 points: My first 100 point wine, then a second (Buffalo, NY): Served blind; this wine has a lot going on. Bracing minerality throughout the attack, midpalate and finish. Fairly acidic; medium bodied yet viscous. Stone fruit flavors come through along with a distinct saline note. (2835 views) | | | Tasted by Jorgy on 12/7/2011: Wow, amazing wine. I bought this a few years ago but haden't tried it yet. Opened as a starter to a mini 05 bordeaux check-in and nearly stole the show. Followed for 4 hours through dinner. Started with apple, straw, wax nose very complex and interesting. Amazing nose. Very silky texture with tons of fruit, oily/waxy feel, great length. As it warmed up more pear, strong apple and honey. Revisited after dinner it became sweeter, more honey, seemed richer and more lush. What a great wine, sad to find out yesterday that Stephane Cossais passed away at a very young age. Wish I had much more of this as I think it will age incredibly well. (1829 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jon Rimmerman
Garagiste (2/21/2009)
(COSSAIS Montlouis LE VOLAGRE) Le Volagre Dear Friends, A nice surprise arrived after midnight, an allocation of a wine I've been chasing since the cavalcade of 2005 Loire whites made their debut. As one of the more interesting dry wines of a lauded vintage, this Montlouis sec is worth noting (and then some). With a goal of surpassing Clos Rougeard, Stephane Cossais is brash, unpredictable and every bit the rogue but his 2005 Le Volagre already has a legion of underground punks that revere it as the modern emergence of Gaston Huet's ghost. Chidaine may get the distribution in the US but it is Cossais that excites in France - not so much for his superior wine but for its superbly wild style and potential ageing curve (I've heard as many as 50 years for the 2005). Made in a fully extractive, pent up style, this wine is bursting at the seams with a dry Chenin Blanc tonic of what drinks like layered fresh-pressed crystalline must that is still in tank or barrel. This is not a waif-like delicate wine, it is for the very long haul and the patient collector that has time to give this Montlouis its due (in the darkest and coldest corner of the cellar). Those of you that tasted the 1919 Huet at one of our Per Se dinners 3-4 years ago will understand the style Cossais is going for. For a few other opinions, please see (unrelated to us but respected bloggers): (You have to cut and paste this entire, enormous URL into your browser - all of the black and blue text - you can't just click on it or it will tell you "Blog not found") http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://loeilsurlevin.blogspot.com/2008/12/domaine-stphane-cossais-montlouis-37.html&ei=IjafSf42x7-2B-eOlIEN&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=9&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3D2005%2BCossais%2BMontlouis%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den (this one should be ok to click on) http://jimsloire.blogspot.com/2008/11/stphane-cossais.html HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for rarity and unique expression of Chenin Blanc: This parcel has impeccable provenance directly from the source at about the same price as the cellar door (the fact that a wine like this is still available speaks volumes about the pricing disparity between the greatest white wines of France): 2005 Stephane Cossais Montlouis-sur-Loire "Le Volagre" sec Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Loire9722 |
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