A buddy brought out this bottle of 2010 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant to help toast a great achievement this past weekend. One can probably imagine my excitement as I’m a massive fan of these wines by Nicolas Joly. However, I feel compelled to admit that they are not for everyone. They may vary wildly from one vintage to the next and there can often be quite a bit of bottle variation to boot. None of this has swayed me from my position; that these are amongst the most exciting, singular expressions of a place that I have ever experienced.
Popped and poured. The 2010 pours a deep golden color with medium+ viscosity and no signs of particles or gas. On the nose, the wine is redolent of white tree flowers, desiccated apples and apricots with orange marmalade, honey, lanolin, marzipan and light clove. On the palate, the wine is dry with borderline high acid that is somewhat masked by the equally high alcohol (15%). Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and remarkably rich with wooly, unctuous texture. The high alcohol only becomes apparent as the finish lingers but there is so many other more fascinating things for me than to get distracted by it. Is it oxidative or not? That’s an argument that other people can have. I’m content to simply appreciate these wines for what they are. You can drink these now but knowing how these react favorably to air, it’s probably best to open it well in advance and probably even better to decant. Otherwise, I would expect sound, well-stored examples to live through 2040.
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Pleasure to come back to this extraordinary Chenin made by a Godfather of biodynamic viticulture. Fully ripen grapes, a portion affected by noble rot. Made from 35-80+ year old vines, aged for 8 months in old large oak barrels. Medium amber, golden hue. Intense, explosive aroma of dried apples & yellow plums, honey, apricots, lanolin, dried acacia. Full body, luscious and powerful, creamy & viscous texture, pleasantly tangy high acidity, deep and long honeyed fruit flavours, touch of caramel. Everlasting finish.
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Amber color with a golden/orange hue. Nose of acacia, apricots and white flowers. Slightly oxidative in a delicious way. On the palate apple, tangerine, spices, honey. Great mouthfeel, nice viscosity, slight sweetness. L o n g finish. Intriguing wine: truly one of a kind.
Drank it over 5 days. On the last day this wine was still very enjoyable.
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I've held this bottle since release. Opened with a group of friends and fellow tasters. Not particularly my cup of tea. Not a wine that I find to be particularly delicious but it is definitely interesting. Oxidized flavors of cantaloupe, honey and dried apricots. Another taster remarked notes of sherry and marc/brandy. 15% abv but it hid it well. The palate does have a glycerol, weighty texture to it and surprisingly bright acidity that carries the flavors through a long finish.
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Double decanted. First notes from 30 min open. Lanolin, honey, soft pineapple, lemon oil, herbs. Fantastic aromatic complexity. On the palate: densely fruited, wet stone, honey, grapefruit, almost tannic and a long finish. Lovely as always! We'll see what time open brings.
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P&p. First time drinking aged chenin, and I can see why it’s loved. Gold and amber as others mentioned, served blind I would’ve thought skin contact orange wine. Another reason is it has tannic notes to it. Pineapple, brioche, and then boom grapefruit skin (zest plus tannins). There’s not a lot of tannins like a red, but very noticeable so it was highly interesting, definitely present but really works to balance out the more fruity notes. Apricot as well, and as others mentioned, it has characteristic aged white notes of oxidized fruit but I did not feel this bottle was overly oxidative. I was almost expecting natty wine kind of an experience based on other reviews, but no this is seriously good wine. Such power and finesse but also proper restraint. Delicious
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Cork. 15.5% alc. Gold/orange colour, which when served blind gets some raised eyebrows. And then the oxidative, acetone, aldehyde notes are the first to be recognised. And after, the clean and distinct sweetness of apricots, honey, florals. Medium weighted, clean finish with decent length. Highly idiosyncratic wine, and will be good to revisit it in a few years.
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Eighth bottle of this vintage I've opened and the best one yet. Sherry-like notes but without the strong oxidative notes of some prior bottles. I decanted this 8 hours before serving. Late into the first glass, drunk without food accompaniment, I noted some strong melon flavors that disappeared later in the presence of cheese and salty crackers. Given bottle variation, I won't generalize, but I would say this particular bottle drank fabulously and wowed my friends unfamiliar with this unique wine.
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Orange in color, it’s beautiful, sure it’s showing oxidation but it’s measures and intentional. There’s candied fruit and wax and a bit of VA but it is what it is; and it’s executed flawlessly and intentionally. Balance is remarkable and it’s intense. You can criticize it if you don’t like the flavor but you have to respect the winemaking
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Amber colored, with an orange tint; Acacia flowers/ acacia honey on the bouquet, with some volatile acidity hovering around...Overall quite a sweet impression but to me the sweetness emanates from the ripe grapes and the extract content, not so much from residual sugar.. On the palate mouth-filling and smooth with a hint of Turkish delight. Overall I much prefer this wine/ bottle to the one tasted about four years ago when I opened the first bottle of this wine and vintage. The premox aspect has much receded into the background and I am appreciating the wine for its idiosyncrasies and "funk"
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Lenoir wine dinner for 16 friends (Lenoir restaurant): Fifth time enjoying this wine over the years from an original case. It's such a distinctive wine with its oxidative style and a touch of sweetness. Always a fun experience for wine lovers who haven't tried it before.
Follow-on note from day 3 of an open, decanted bottle. Yes, it's probably even better than on day one after its initial 7-hour decant. Joly recommends enjoying over 3 days, and this is the first time I've done that. This wine does not degrade over that timeframe; it evolves and improves. My rating of 95 reflects my taste enjoyment and preference, but if I were rating this on provocativeness and distinctiveness, it would hit the high 90s.
Deep straw in color with an orange hue. Nose of ginger, honey, and ripe apricot. Intriguing tastes of apple cider, tangerines, figs, autumnal spices, and hints of lanolin and honey. Well balanced wine with nice viscosity and mouthfeel. My 5th and final bottle of this vintage and is drinking well and better integrated than when younger. Despite an oxidative character this wine has at least another 4-8 of pleasurable drinking life.
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Poured double blind in a flight of other Loire Chinon, this stuck out like a sore thumb, with people immediately guessing Joly. Consensus was that this was one of the ‘good’ bottles. Semi oxidative and moderately funky. I enjoyed it, but given the variability and unique profile, don’t need to own a lot.
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I TRE TENORI (WESTIN MILANO): Vino pazzesco. L' annata gioca un ruolo fondamentale nella pulizia e definizione aromatica di questo orange wine asciutto, senza macerazione, né tannini. Complessità di profumi e stratificazioni sensoriali tali da far dimenticare il 15,5% di alcool. Un turibolo fatato, tipo lampada di Aladino in grado di emettere ogni tipo di frequenza e impulso. Molto migliore di altre annate recenti, degno della sua fama.
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Pinkish/orange color reminiscent of a "natural wine". Bouquet of nuts and dried/ candied fruit (apricots), whiff of acetone; on the whole rather reticent.. On the palate it shows oxidized aspects (again: those "natural" wines), a touch of sweetness probably owed to high levels of extract and - again - more than a whiff of acetone. Also, some "jasmine/ fruity tea" discernable. The wine is smooth, has a very attractive middle palate and is lithe + supple considering the high alcohol content (15.5%). The finish is rather short. Quite a peculiar, highly idiosyncratic wine..Is it worth its -by European standards -relatively high price? I am not sure.
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Dinner with the wine group (Cafe Boho): Aromatic, slightly oxidative, orange, slightly sherried; palate is medium bodied, slightly oxidative, listed as 15% alcohol but holds it well, high acidity with some freshness and lightness, medium-long finish with slight sweetness. 88, not quite what I remember with my last bottle but it may not hold up well with comparisons tonight.
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A rich golden-orange, almost brassy. Worrying like this was going to be oxidised in style. However, unlike most reviews here I got a fresh bouquet of wispy fruit and flowers. Hints of hay. Palate elegant and nicely fruited, though it's lean fruit. Not sharp or acidic, but beautifully elegantly proportioned. Hints of butter, but this is a fruit-driven style. Very elegant and very beautiful. Very fresh and but a bit timid perhaps. Still probably one of the best Chenin blanc I have ever tried. 92-93
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52nd TWIGS Meeting (KC and Molly's place): Cork. Alc 15.5%. Decanted 2 hours. Deep yellow/orange. Complex aromas - lemon, orange, camphor, molasses, syrupy, honey, oxidation, touch of botrytis. Challenging nose for sure! Palate is rich, clean and long. The acidity is prominent, but balanced by the richness. There's crisp apple, spice, saline and sherry notes. There's a great drive on the palate. It's weighty but seamless and linear too. Finishes with a little heat. The palate seems much less confronting than the nose, but the combination is unique. Fascinating Chenin Blanc.
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PNP Dark honeyed color, turning to amber - astonishing for such a young wine! The first impression on the nose is : oxidized , reminiscent of an aged sherry, then a good bit of acidity and then a whiff of honey. On the palate it is first quite subdued and quite mellow. As the wine warms up and is getting exposed to air, a bit of body develops, definitively off dry but balanced by a decent amount of acidity.There is also a whiff of ascetic acid which is throwing the wine off balance. Very hard for me to judge or assess as I have no experience with this type of wine nor this producer. From a personal point of view I'd say the wine, which seems to be aging prematurely, is "weird". From some of the other tasting notes I would have imagined it to be reminiscent of the 1990 Clos Ste. Hune by Trimbach but obviously I was drastically mistaken. For me the wine is a big disappointment. It is not nearly complex enough to warrant its high price. On day 2; re-tasted at daylight: orange/amber color, somewhat akin to an aged cider. The ascetic acid on the nose is still clearly discernible and continues to the palate. there is some complexity to the wine which brings forth flavors of quince and also pine pitch. However, to me it seems all muddled as if the wine had not decided which way to turn. I am glad my wife liked it at least. I am definitively not a fan of it. Overall I think Mr. Joly overdoes it with the reduction/elimination of SO2. A pinch more would probably have allowed the wine to settle down and age at a slower pace and given it the opportunity to gradually gain complexity.
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Took a little while to open up, but man there is some serious complexity here. Approach is sweet, cider-like, with mostly honey, but that opens up to notes of soap, herbs, dirt, wax, smoke, tar, and lots more. Too much to even keep track of! It's suprisingly tannic, a bit hot, and could probably pass for a red if you were blindfolded.
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Fascinating wine. Bright intense deep gold color, nose seems a little oxidized - like sherry - honey, lemon, tropical flowers. Very rich mouthfeel. Botrytis is evident. A wine that demands your thoughtful attention.
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Had at the beach with family. Notes from day 2. N strong fantastic nose of apiciot, lanolin, white flowers, hints of diesel P quince, botrytis, beeswax, golden apples cider and spice F long in length, fantastic acidity and great mouthfeel. Overall a fantastic bottle of Joly, should do very well in the future as well.
I was disappointed by my first bottle of this. Decanted for 24 hours. A little flat on the palate, tasted like 15% abv apple juice. Going to wait a few days and check in again.
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tasted blind and guessed to be Joly mildly oxidative on the nose mouth -- crisp, apple, a touch sherry-like. enjoyed by me but viewed by others with great skepticism
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Chave and co.: Lemon, botrytis, apricot, cherry and a light oxidative note. The palate has spark and drive, with the same interesting characters asserting themselves. Good length.
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Rich color. Strong flavors that went well with the exotic, varied meal we had. Unique. Botrytis was very clear (tobacco) but not the sweetness. Balanced.
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Served double blind, a friend of mine said "Coulee de Serrant" as the first words out of his mouth. That's just how uniquely recognizable this wine is. I opened this on a flier to go with some Korean chicken wings, and it turned out to be a fantastic pairing. Rich and pleasantly oxidized (as opposed to the '08 Leflaive that was already long in the tooth in a bad way). For me, no reason to not drink any time, i.e. good now, but obviously a long life ahead.
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immediately recognizable for what it is, ie a wine in its very own stylistic class (ala Bea, Quintarelli, Bonneau, etc). I wouldn't want to drink this regularly, and prefer them younger vs older, but fun to mix it up.
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Final Lunch Club Tasting: Complex aromas of orange peel, apricot, spice, apple, beeswax and lemon. Fantastic on the palate, the acidity is bright and compliments a deep core of fruit. Excellent length.
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amazing. never had a chenin blanc like this before. deep golden hue in color. reminded me almost of a tokaji in color. nose has some petrol/diesel hints. very intense bright core of sweet fruit with good acidity in the backbone. oak is there and needs to calm down - but you can tell it will. i need to buy one more bottle!
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Coravin 6/20/14: Surprisingly deep golden color for such a young wine; intense but complex nose with beeswax, lanolin, citrus fruit, apricot, very slight baking spice; palate is medium-full bodied, fully dry, good acidity at first and throughout while still being a bit waxy and coating on the palate (good!), a bit jarring at first with the flavors like each thing hits you in turn without gliding into the next, needs a lot of time to integrate, some white fruit throughout that fills into apricot towards the end, great freshness, very slight salinity towards the end; finish is long and ends with a minerality/salinity not seen on most of the rest of the palate, high acidity is refreshing for the next sip. This is fascinating. A completely different experience from every other Chenin Blanc I'v'e tried, this is obviously very high quality, young, needs a lot of time to integrate, and is a serious wine. I could just smell the nose all day. A great buy at K&L given the discount, and my last two bottles will be spread out over the next 10-15 years. 94-95++ with potential for even more greatness. Update: As this warms up, it gets even more integrated and even more complex on the palate with some citrus rind. This is a true world-class wine even now, and I'm looking forward to what it will become. Opened 6/26/14: Still just as wonderful. This is a world class 95+ point wine with great complexity, great acidity on the palate, mouthwatering flavors and aromas.
Gorgeous. Focused and intense. High-toned acidity ushers you in to a labyrinth of quince, lanolin, beeswax and white floral notes on the nose a palate. The acids perfectly balance the weight so that you really have no idea you are drinking such a full, seamless, weighty wine. I know this wine often gets panned for oxidative notes, but this has none. It has a very pure essence and superlative length. It's just a baby and I would sit on this for another 3-5 years before opening another.
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(Tasted and purchased at winery.) The best (and most expensive at US$60/btl) of the Chenin Blancs we tasted on our Loire Valley trip. Good structure, acidity, complexity, and the right amount of sugar for a demi-sec. A range of floral and fruit notes presented. A pleasure to drink by itself and will hold up well against food or strong cheese when one wants a bit of sweetness. Too bad I was driving and had to spit.
4/6/2024 - thesternowl wrote: 94 Points
A buddy brought out this bottle of 2010 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant to help toast a great achievement this past weekend. One can probably imagine my excitement as I’m a massive fan of these wines by Nicolas Joly. However, I feel compelled to admit that they are not for everyone. They may vary wildly from one vintage to the next and there can often be quite a bit of bottle variation to boot. None of this has swayed me from my position; that these are amongst the most exciting, singular expressions of a place that I have ever experienced.
Popped and poured. The 2010 pours a deep golden color with medium+ viscosity and no signs of particles or gas. On the nose, the wine is redolent of white tree flowers, desiccated apples and apricots with orange marmalade, honey, lanolin, marzipan and light clove. On the palate, the wine is dry with borderline high acid that is somewhat masked by the equally high alcohol (15%). Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and remarkably rich with wooly, unctuous texture. The high alcohol only becomes apparent as the finish lingers but there is so many other more fascinating things for me than to get distracted by it. Is it oxidative or not? That’s an argument that other people can have. I’m content to simply appreciate these wines for what they are. You can drink these now but knowing how these react favorably to air, it’s probably best to open it well in advance and probably even better to decant. Otherwise, I would expect sound, well-stored examples to live through 2040.
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3/27/2024 - ataraxy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Perfect with Chinese food!
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3/22/2024 - Ernestas Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pleasure to come back to this extraordinary Chenin made by a Godfather of biodynamic viticulture. Fully ripen grapes, a portion affected by noble rot. Made from 35-80+ year old vines, aged for 8 months in old large oak barrels. Medium amber, golden hue. Intense, explosive aroma of dried apples & yellow plums, honey, apricots, lanolin, dried acacia. Full body, luscious and powerful, creamy & viscous texture, pleasantly tangy high acidity, deep and long honeyed fruit flavours, touch of caramel. Everlasting finish.
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2/28/2024 - Porco do vinho Likes this wine: 95 Points
Amber color with a golden/orange hue. Nose of acacia, apricots and white flowers. Slightly oxidative in a delicious way. On the palate apple, tangerine, spices, honey. Great mouthfeel, nice viscosity, slight sweetness. L o n g finish. Intriguing wine: truly one of a kind.
Drank it over 5 days. On the last day this wine was still very enjoyable.
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2/11/2024 - mattyboy_ wrote:
I've held this bottle since release. Opened with a group of friends and fellow tasters. Not particularly my cup of tea. Not a wine that I find to be particularly delicious but it is definitely interesting. Oxidized flavors of cantaloupe, honey and dried apricots. Another taster remarked notes of sherry and marc/brandy. 15% abv but it hid it well. The palate does have a glycerol, weighty texture to it and surprisingly bright acidity that carries the flavors through a long finish.
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12/25/2023 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Double decanted. First notes from 30 min open. Lanolin, honey, soft pineapple, lemon oil, herbs. Fantastic aromatic complexity. On the palate: densely fruited, wet stone, honey, grapefruit, almost tannic and a long finish. Lovely as always! We'll see what time open brings.
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11/6/2023 - funderwood10 Likes this wine: 91 Points
P&p. First time drinking aged chenin, and I can see why it’s loved. Gold and amber as others mentioned, served blind I would’ve thought skin contact orange wine. Another reason is it has tannic notes to it. Pineapple, brioche, and then boom grapefruit skin (zest plus tannins). There’s not a lot of tannins like a red, but very noticeable so it was highly interesting, definitely present but really works to balance out the more fruity notes. Apricot as well, and as others mentioned, it has characteristic aged white notes of oxidized fruit but I did not feel this bottle was overly oxidative. I was almost expecting natty wine kind of an experience based on other reviews, but no this is seriously good wine. Such power and finesse but also proper restraint. Delicious
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11/1/2023 - fizz wrote:
Cork. 15.5% alc.
Gold/orange colour, which when served blind gets some raised eyebrows. And then the oxidative, acetone, aldehyde notes are the first to be recognised. And after, the clean and distinct sweetness of apricots, honey, florals.
Medium weighted, clean finish with decent length.
Highly idiosyncratic wine, and will be good to revisit it in a few years.
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2/9/2023 - neil wrote: flawed
Deep orange color tasted very oxidized.
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1/29/2023 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 96 Points
Eighth bottle of this vintage I've opened and the best one yet. Sherry-like notes but without the strong oxidative notes of some prior bottles. I decanted this 8 hours before serving. Late into the first glass, drunk without food accompaniment, I noted some strong melon flavors that disappeared later in the presence of cheese and salty crackers. Given bottle variation, I won't generalize, but I would say this particular bottle drank fabulously and wowed my friends unfamiliar with this unique wine.
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9/13/2022 - vintage_whine wrote:
Orange in color, it’s beautiful, sure it’s showing oxidation but it’s measures and intentional. There’s candied fruit and wax and a bit of VA but it is what it is; and it’s executed flawlessly and intentionally. Balance is remarkable and it’s intense. You can criticize it if you don’t like the flavor but you have to respect the winemaking
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9/10/2022 - Bandreas Likes this wine:
Amber colored, with an orange tint; Acacia flowers/ acacia honey on the bouquet, with some volatile acidity hovering around...Overall quite a sweet impression but to me the sweetness emanates from the ripe grapes and the extract content, not so much from residual sugar..
On the palate mouth-filling and smooth with a hint of Turkish delight.
Overall I much prefer this wine/ bottle to the one tasted about four years ago when I opened the first bottle of this wine and vintage. The premox aspect has much receded into the background and I am appreciating the wine for its idiosyncrasies and "funk"
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10/18/2021 - Montesquieu Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lenoir wine dinner for 16 friends (Lenoir restaurant): Fifth time enjoying this wine over the years from an original case. It's such a distinctive wine with its oxidative style and a touch of sweetness. Always a fun experience for wine lovers who haven't tried it before.
Follow-on note from day 3 of an open, decanted bottle. Yes, it's probably even better than on day one after its initial 7-hour decant. Joly recommends enjoying over 3 days, and this is the first time I've done that. This wine does not degrade over that timeframe; it evolves and improves. My rating of 95 reflects my taste enjoyment and preference, but if I were rating this on provocativeness and distinctiveness, it would hit the high 90s.
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3/12/2021 - efeldhake@yahoo.com Likes this wine: 92 Points
Deep straw in color with an orange hue. Nose of ginger, honey, and ripe apricot. Intriguing tastes of apple cider, tangerines, figs, autumnal spices, and hints of lanolin and honey. Well balanced wine with nice viscosity and mouthfeel. My 5th and final bottle of this vintage and is drinking well and better integrated than when younger. Despite an oxidative character this wine has at least another 4-8 of pleasurable drinking life.
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2/27/2020 - jerhardt wrote:
Poured double blind in a flight of other Loire Chinon, this stuck out like a sore thumb, with people immediately guessing Joly. Consensus was that this was one of the ‘good’ bottles. Semi oxidative and moderately funky. I enjoyed it, but given the variability and unique profile, don’t need to own a lot.
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10/17/2019 - LoireFan wrote: 93 Points
Finally an excellent one!
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1/28/2019 - galenico Likes this wine: 95 Points
I TRE TENORI (WESTIN MILANO): Vino pazzesco. L' annata gioca un ruolo fondamentale nella pulizia e definizione aromatica di questo orange wine asciutto, senza macerazione, né tannini. Complessità di profumi e stratificazioni sensoriali tali da far dimenticare il 15,5% di alcool.
Un turibolo fatato, tipo lampada di Aladino in grado di emettere ogni tipo di frequenza e impulso.
Molto migliore di altre annate recenti, degno della sua fama.
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1/8/2019 - Bandreas wrote:
Pinkish/orange color reminiscent of a "natural wine".
Bouquet of nuts and dried/ candied fruit (apricots), whiff of acetone; on the whole rather reticent..
On the palate it shows oxidized aspects (again: those "natural" wines), a touch of sweetness probably owed to high levels of extract and - again - more than a whiff of acetone. Also, some "jasmine/ fruity tea" discernable.
The wine is smooth, has a very attractive middle palate and is lithe + supple considering the high alcohol content (15.5%).
The finish is rather short.
Quite a peculiar, highly idiosyncratic wine..Is it worth its -by European standards -relatively high price? I am not sure.
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9/18/2018 - aagrawal wrote: 88 Points
Dinner with the wine group (Cafe Boho): Aromatic, slightly oxidative, orange, slightly sherried; palate is medium bodied, slightly oxidative, listed as 15% alcohol but holds it well, high acidity with some freshness and lightness, medium-long finish with slight sweetness. 88, not quite what I remember with my last bottle but it may not hold up well with comparisons tonight.
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6/25/2018 - Rob-Rah Likes this wine: 93 Points
A rich golden-orange, almost brassy. Worrying like this was going to be oxidised in style. However, unlike most reviews here I got a fresh bouquet of wispy fruit and flowers. Hints of hay. Palate elegant and nicely fruited, though it's lean fruit. Not sharp or acidic, but beautifully elegantly proportioned. Hints of butter, but this is a fruit-driven style. Very elegant and very beautiful. Very fresh and but a bit timid perhaps. Still probably one of the best Chenin blanc I have ever tried. 92-93
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2/24/2018 - fizz wrote:
52nd TWIGS Meeting (KC and Molly's place): Cork. Alc 15.5%.
Decanted 2 hours.
Deep yellow/orange. Complex aromas - lemon, orange, camphor, molasses, syrupy, honey, oxidation, touch of botrytis. Challenging nose for sure! Palate is rich, clean and long. The acidity is prominent, but balanced by the richness. There's crisp apple, spice, saline and sherry notes. There's a great drive on the palate. It's weighty but seamless and linear too. Finishes with a little heat. The palate seems much less confronting than the nose, but the combination is unique. Fascinating Chenin Blanc.
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4/18/2017 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #018: Nicolas Joly; Savennieres, Loire, France. (by DJ): In the bouquet polishing wax and some minerals. On the palate slightly oxidized, dry honey, melon, marzipan, good acidity, some impressions of nuts as well as a touch of botrytis. Beautiful wine.
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12/24/2016 - Bandreas Does not like this wine:
PNP
Dark honeyed color, turning to amber - astonishing for such a young wine!
The first impression on the nose is : oxidized , reminiscent of an aged sherry, then a good bit of acidity and then a whiff of honey.
On the palate it is first quite subdued and quite mellow. As the wine warms up and is getting exposed to air, a bit of body develops, definitively off dry but balanced by a decent amount of acidity.There is also a whiff of ascetic acid which is throwing the wine off balance.
Very hard for me to judge or assess as I have no experience with this type of wine nor this producer.
From a personal point of view I'd say the wine, which seems to be aging prematurely, is "weird".
From some of the other tasting notes I would have imagined it to be reminiscent of the 1990 Clos Ste. Hune by Trimbach but obviously I was drastically mistaken.
For me the wine is a big disappointment. It is not nearly complex enough to warrant its high price.
On day 2; re-tasted at daylight:
orange/amber color, somewhat akin to an aged cider.
The ascetic acid on the nose is still clearly discernible and continues to the palate. there is some complexity to the wine which brings forth flavors of quince and also pine pitch. However,
to me it seems all muddled as if the wine had not decided which way to turn.
I am glad my wife liked it at least. I am definitively not a fan of it.
Overall I think Mr. Joly overdoes it with the reduction/elimination of SO2. A pinch more would probably have allowed the wine to settle down and age at a slower pace and given it the opportunity to gradually gain complexity.
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8/20/2016 - lifeattable Likes this wine: 95 Points
Took a little while to open up, but man there is some serious complexity here. Approach is sweet, cider-like, with mostly honey, but that opens up to notes of soap, herbs, dirt, wax, smoke, tar, and lots more. Too much to even keep track of! It's suprisingly tannic, a bit hot, and could probably pass for a red if you were blindfolded.
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8/4/2016 - acorelli Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fascinating wine. Bright intense deep gold color, nose seems a little oxidized - like sherry - honey, lemon, tropical flowers. Very rich mouthfeel. Botrytis is evident. A wine that demands your thoughtful attention.
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7/18/2016 - manonthemoon wrote: 95 Points
Had at the beach with family.
Notes from day 2.
N strong fantastic nose of apiciot, lanolin, white flowers, hints of diesel
P quince, botrytis, beeswax, golden apples cider and spice
F long in length, fantastic acidity and great mouthfeel.
Overall a fantastic bottle of Joly, should do very well in the future as well.
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11/14/2015 - christyler wrote:
I was disappointed by my first bottle of this. Decanted for 24 hours. A little flat on the palate, tasted like 15% abv apple juice. Going to wait a few days and check in again.
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11/14/2015 - soyhead wrote:
tasted blind and guessed to be Joly
mildly oxidative on the nose
mouth -- crisp, apple, a touch sherry-like. enjoyed by me but viewed by others with great skepticism
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10/3/2015 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Chave and co.: Lemon, botrytis, apricot, cherry and a light oxidative note. The palate has spark and drive, with the same interesting characters asserting themselves. Good length.
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6/21/2015 - drdorado wrote: 93 Points
Rich color. Strong flavors that went well with the exotic, varied meal we had. Unique. Botrytis was very clear (tobacco) but not the sweetness. Balanced.
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2/16/2015 - jerhardt wrote: 92 Points
Served double blind, a friend of mine said "Coulee de Serrant" as the first words out of his mouth. That's just how uniquely recognizable this wine is. I opened this on a flier to go with some Korean chicken wings, and it turned out to be a fantastic pairing. Rich and pleasantly oxidized (as opposed to the '08 Leflaive that was already long in the tooth in a bad way). For me, no reason to not drink any time, i.e. good now, but obviously a long life ahead.
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11/5/2014 - j45 wrote:
Is it the terroir or is it the botrytis?
Ugh, it's the botrytis.
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10/25/2014 - jerhardt wrote: 92 Points
immediately recognizable for what it is, ie a wine in its very own stylistic class (ala Bea, Quintarelli, Bonneau, etc). I wouldn't want to drink this regularly, and prefer them younger vs older, but fun to mix it up.
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8/19/2014 - CamWheeler wrote: 93 Points
Final Lunch Club Tasting: Complex aromas of orange peel, apricot, spice, apple, beeswax and lemon. Fantastic on the palate, the acidity is bright and compliments a deep core of fruit. Excellent length.
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8/3/2014 - Silveradoup wrote: 97 Points
If you can find this buy it, best Chenin I have ever had and maybe most unique white wine I've ever had
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7/11/2014 - winelover1808 wrote: 93 Points
amazing. never had a chenin blanc like this before. deep golden hue in color. reminded me almost of a tokaji in color. nose has some petrol/diesel hints. very intense bright core of sweet fruit with good acidity in the backbone. oak is there and needs to calm down - but you can tell it will. i need to buy one more bottle!
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6/20/2014 - aagrawal wrote: 96 Points
Coravin 6/20/14: Surprisingly deep golden color for such a young wine; intense but complex nose with beeswax, lanolin, citrus fruit, apricot, very slight baking spice; palate is medium-full bodied, fully dry, good acidity at first and throughout while still being a bit waxy and coating on the palate (good!), a bit jarring at first with the flavors like each thing hits you in turn without gliding into the next, needs a lot of time to integrate, some white fruit throughout that fills into apricot towards the end, great freshness, very slight salinity towards the end; finish is long and ends with a minerality/salinity not seen on most of the rest of the palate, high acidity is refreshing for the next sip. This is fascinating. A completely different experience from every other Chenin Blanc I'v'e tried, this is obviously very high quality, young, needs a lot of time to integrate, and is a serious wine. I could just smell the nose all day. A great buy at K&L given the discount, and my last two bottles will be spread out over the next 10-15 years. 94-95++ with potential for even more greatness.
Update: As this warms up, it gets even more integrated and even more complex on the palate with some citrus rind. This is a true world-class wine even now, and I'm looking forward to what it will become.
Opened 6/26/14: Still just as wonderful. This is a world class 95+ point wine with great complexity, great acidity on the palate, mouthwatering flavors and aromas.
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8/11/2013 - wine vino lover wrote: 91 Points
Great example great man!
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4/21/2013 - shaftlet Likes this wine: 95 Points
Gorgeous. Focused and intense. High-toned acidity ushers you in to a labyrinth of quince, lanolin, beeswax and white floral notes on the nose a palate. The acids perfectly balance the weight so that you really have no idea you are drinking such a full, seamless, weighty wine. I know this wine often gets panned for oxidative notes, but this has none. It has a very pure essence and superlative length. It's just a baby and I would sit on this for another 3-5 years before opening another.
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9/20/2012 - Tigg wrote: 93 Points
(Tasted and purchased at winery.) The best (and most expensive at US$60/btl) of the Chenin Blancs we tasted on our Loire Valley trip. Good structure, acidity, complexity, and the right amount of sugar for a demi-sec. A range of floral and fruit notes presented. A pleasure to drink by itself and will hold up well against food or strong cheese when one wants a bit of sweetness. Too bad I was driving and had to spit.
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