brief impression. deep gold color. apples, nuts, honey, and herbs on the palate. medium bodied with medium acidity. cider like palate with golden apples and layers of depth and complexity. showed incredibly well in a lineup of loire benchmarks and stole the show.
Oxidative but not oxidized, if that makes sense. Amber colored, but lively acidity provide lift to the honey and citrus notes. More interesting than enjoyable, this really defies any easy classification. I’m glad I got to experience it, but I’ll rely on Hüet & Piñon to scratch my Chenin Blanc itch going forward.
40th anniversary tasting (L'Esprit du Vin - Axelborg): My notes from this fantastic gigantic tasting are in general extremely short (because of the many wines) but with ratings. We spent a whole day tasting and tasting quality wines.
This wine: Tasted 3 vintages: 2014, 2013, 2009. Unfortunately I have almost no verbal notes but they were all excellent. 2014: 92. 2013: Herbaceous 93. 2009: First bottle was oxidized, second bottle was very oxidative but not too old. 92. I loved it but drink now! I am not experienced with Joly but the wines were served by the winemaker himself, so I believe the wine's advanced development stage has nothing to do with storage conditions.
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Deeper orange color than a typical bottle of Serrant. Clean flavor with no indications of oxidation, etc. Beeswax, honey. In a great place with well balanced acidity and alcohol. Paired well with potato and leek soup. Lovely
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Brought by Brian. Slow ox'ed the night before in wine fridge but still tight. Decanted at 8a in wine fridge then into bottle at 5:30p. Drank 6:30. Aromas of ripe apple, apricots, honey, herbs and minerals. Palate also with ripe apples, apricots, minerals, and herbs. Full body with nice acids and a mildly waxy mouthfeel. Juicy, complex and delicious. 13.5% abv which is substantially less than other renditions of this bottlings that I've had in the past (which were 15%). Most likely why I like this 2013 rendition better - more balance with no heat on the finish. Drinking well now but this is in its early days given the track record of this wine to age. 92+
67PM: Very natural with a little reductiveness on the nose. Felt like it had some skin contact with a orange and grapefruit notes, screechy acid that I didn’t love. Think the others liked this more than me.
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Very intriguing and complex nose of apples, citrus, and ripe fruit. Nice acidity on the palate with grapefruit and orchard fruit flavors. The wine is quite structured with noticeable tannins and a slight orange zest note on the finish. Long finish. Excellent wine that tastes great now but will probably continue to improve. Would love to try again in 5-7 years. 94-95+
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Rich, full and very spicy nose. Characteristic. Apricot and minerals. Almost oily impression. Slight botrytis hints. Off-dry, fullish palate that is pure, long and balanced. Fresh high acidity provides back-bone. Apricots, spices and oily minerality. No wet wool. And not funky. A very clean and fresh example of this sometimes odd wine. 5 more years would add greater complexity. But this is very appealling now.
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Tim's 50th Dinner #2: Double decanted in the morning. Orange and tropical nose with mango, apricot, musk, stonefruit and lime. Really good flavour, with lots of texture and interest. Drinking well in a youthful spot, more time won't hurt the complexity but I like it now too.
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Der wohl unvergleichbarste Wein. 12 Std. vor Konsum dekantiert. - Gleich nach dem Öffnen ziemlich penetrante Aromen von Branntwein und Sherry, etwas alkoholisch; - nach ca. 6 Std. bereits zugänglich, zitrusfruchtige Primäraromen, etwas salzig; - nach 12 Std. elegantes Säure-Fruchtspiel: lemonenschale, immer dezentere Sherryaromen, das trockene und etwas salzige immer noch da, leichte Herbe von Eukalyptus, etwas Thymian. Jeder Schluck ist anders; bei 13-15*C optimal. Leider habe ich die Flasche zu jung getrunken.
Den 17er u. 18er lasse ich mindestens 20 Jahre reifen.
Unvergessliches Weinerlebnis.
Zu gegrilltem Seeteufel und Tomaten-Koriander-Salsita. Karfreitag 2020.
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How special is this 7 hectare Chenin Blanc vineyard? It is one of only a handful of vineyards in France that is an appellation unto itself (the others include Romanee-Conti in Burgundy and Chateau-Grillet in the Rhone). Sections of the vines are 100 years old. The vineyard was planted by Cistercian monks in the year 1130. Joly refuses to use clones and takes cuttings from his oldest Chenin vines when he must replant to conserve the typicity of the vineyard. The grapes are picked by hand in up to 5 passes. 2013 is the 882nd consecutive vintage of this wine.
Joly has managed this family estate since 1977. He is a freak about biodynamic farming and has been the leader in this field since 1980. How much of a freak? He has his own herd of 10 organically fed cows to get the proper manure for his vines; he encourages a dozen different native plant species to grow among the vines to avoid the need for herbacides and brings in a special flock of sheep in the winter to cull this cover crop; and, if snails appear he brings in portable chicken coops to get rid of the problem. The wine is not racked off its lees, it is not fined, natural yeasts are used, cold fermentation is avoided, it is naturally clarified and only 3-4% new oak is used every year.
Vigorously decanted 7 hours before drinking. Medium yellow color. Some ginger and honey on the nose. Rather spicy with an oxidative quality. Notes of peach pits, wet stones, apple cider and cinnamon. Solid acidity and a long finish. Full bodied wine. Give this time. 93 points.
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Straw yellow colour. Green apples, yellow fruits and lemons on the nose. Taste of green apples, lemons and minerals. Long and intense finish with lots of minerals. Something quite unordinary, and not the usual chenin blanc you would expect. Goes well with fish, poultry and cheeses.
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superb just now, i could see the upside to just drinking this up and not holding. just depends on how you prefer your chenin. having had many older savenierres i feel like im preferring the freshness this offered.
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SLDS Monthly Tasting April 16: Golden colour. Ginger, touch of herb in the background, some honey, wild florals, saline notes and straw. Good acidity throughout, has plenty of spark and drive. Does have depth and there are layers of complexity starting to come together. Excellent and even better than the 2011 which I loved.
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Well now there is a clear expression of chenin, and, of course, a very good wine. Been a vineyard since 1130, and one of the oldest of France, along with DRC and one other. It's its own AOC. And the other is Chateau Grillet (but do we care?).
South facing, shizt, quartz and sand, 35-40 year old vines, oldest being 80 years.
Big and showing, with a green tea kinda thing (does it have some oak), just opened, so it's baby, we'll see how it develops... its all there.
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4/24/2024 - bps2266 wrote:
brief impression. deep gold color. apples, nuts, honey, and herbs on the palate. medium bodied with medium acidity. cider like palate with golden apples and layers of depth and complexity. showed incredibly well in a lineup of loire benchmarks and stole the show.
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4/11/2024 - MrOctoberfest Likes this wine:
Oxidative but not oxidized, if that makes sense. Amber colored, but lively acidity provide lift to the honey and citrus notes. More interesting than enjoyable, this really defies any easy classification. I’m glad I got to experience it, but I’ll rely on Hüet & Piñon to scratch my Chenin Blanc itch going forward.
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3/19/2024 - astroman Does not like this wine: 91 Points
Dinner with DBY (Imperial Treasure Great World City): Oxidative, nutty on the aroma but fresh with good acidity. Interesting white.
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11/17/2023 - cos65 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bright gold bordering on orange,
Bright tart bruised apple and pear flavors and honeyed beeswax.
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10/21/2023 - Kim Gerner wrote: 93 Points
40th anniversary tasting (L'Esprit du Vin - Axelborg): My notes from this fantastic gigantic tasting are in general extremely short (because of the many wines) but with ratings. We spent a whole day tasting and tasting quality wines.
This wine: Tasted 3 vintages: 2014, 2013, 2009. Unfortunately I have almost no verbal notes but they were all excellent.
2014: 92.
2013: Herbaceous 93.
2009: First bottle was oxidized, second bottle was very oxidative but not too old. 92. I loved it but drink now! I am not experienced with Joly but the wines were served by the winemaker himself, so I believe the wine's advanced development stage has nothing to do with storage conditions.
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2/8/2023 - Renevin Likes this wine: 90 Points
Couleur ambrée. Nez plutôt discret, note de miel, pomme, pomme cuite. En bouche, l acidité domine, manque un peu de fruits, mais demeure agréable.
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1/7/2023 - Eric Wright Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deeper orange color than a typical bottle of Serrant. Clean flavor with no indications of oxidation, etc. Beeswax, honey. In a great place with well balanced acidity and alcohol. Paired well with potato and leek soup. Lovely
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11/25/2022 - Benoit Hardy Does not like this wine: 86 Points
Quite particular on a bitter orange acidity which I didn't like.
Or maybe I didn't understand this wine
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10/30/2022 - James Kim Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brought by Brian. Slow ox'ed the night before in wine fridge but still tight. Decanted at 8a in wine fridge then into bottle at 5:30p. Drank 6:30. Aromas of ripe apple, apricots, honey, herbs and minerals. Palate also with ripe apples, apricots, minerals, and herbs. Full body with nice acids and a mildly waxy mouthfeel. Juicy, complex and delicious. 13.5% abv which is substantially less than other renditions of this bottlings that I've had in the past (which were 15%). Most likely why I like this 2013 rendition better - more balance with no heat on the finish. Drinking well now but this is in its early days given the track record of this wine to age. 92+
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6/18/2022 - ThijsV Likes this wine: 93 Points
Loire trip 2022; 6/15/2022-6/19/2022 (Loire, France): [At Domaine Joly] Tasting with Virginie Joly, no notes taken
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3/13/2022 - melvinyeowq wrote: 88 Points
67PM: Very natural with a little reductiveness on the nose. Felt like it had some skin contact with a orange and grapefruit notes, screechy acid that I didn’t love. Think the others liked this more than me.
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11/4/2021 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very intriguing and complex nose of apples, citrus, and ripe fruit. Nice acidity on the palate with grapefruit and orchard fruit flavors. The wine is quite structured with noticeable tannins and a slight orange zest note on the finish. Long finish. Excellent wine that tastes great now but will probably continue to improve. Would love to try again in 5-7 years. 94-95+
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1/23/2021 - Argrath wrote: 94 Points
Rich, full and very spicy nose. Characteristic. Apricot and minerals. Almost oily impression. Slight botrytis hints.
Off-dry, fullish palate that is pure, long and balanced. Fresh high acidity provides back-bone. Apricots, spices and oily minerality. No wet wool. And not funky. A very clean and fresh example of this sometimes odd wine. 5 more years would add greater complexity. But this is very appealling now.
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7/17/2020 - CamWheeler wrote: 92 Points
Tim's 50th Dinner #2: Double decanted in the morning. Orange and tropical nose with mango, apricot, musk, stonefruit and lime. Really good flavour, with lots of texture and interest. Drinking well in a youthful spot, more time won't hurt the complexity but I like it now too.
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4/10/2020 - Mipesu Likes this wine: 95 Points
Der wohl unvergleichbarste Wein. 12 Std. vor Konsum dekantiert.
- Gleich nach dem Öffnen ziemlich penetrante Aromen von Branntwein und Sherry, etwas alkoholisch;
- nach ca. 6 Std. bereits zugänglich, zitrusfruchtige Primäraromen, etwas salzig;
- nach 12 Std. elegantes Säure-Fruchtspiel: lemonenschale, immer dezentere Sherryaromen, das trockene und etwas salzige immer noch da, leichte Herbe von Eukalyptus, etwas Thymian.
Jeder Schluck ist anders; bei 13-15*C optimal. Leider habe ich die Flasche zu jung getrunken.
Den 17er u. 18er lasse ich mindestens 20 Jahre reifen.
Unvergessliches Weinerlebnis.
Zu gegrilltem Seeteufel und Tomaten-Koriander-Salsita. Karfreitag 2020.
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4/26/2019 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Courtesy of VM. Notes of apple, florals, ginger and spice. White fruit and spice on the palate. Nice length and balance.
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4/26/2019 - Vino Me wrote: 93 Points
How special is this 7 hectare Chenin Blanc vineyard? It is one of only a handful of vineyards in France that is an appellation unto itself (the others include Romanee-Conti in Burgundy and Chateau-Grillet in the Rhone). Sections of the vines are 100 years old. The vineyard was planted by Cistercian monks in the year 1130. Joly refuses to use clones and takes cuttings from his oldest Chenin vines when he must replant to conserve the typicity of the vineyard. The grapes are picked by hand in up to 5 passes. 2013 is the 882nd consecutive vintage of this wine.
Joly has managed this family estate since 1977. He is a freak about biodynamic farming and has been the leader in this field since 1980. How much of a freak? He has his own herd of 10 organically fed cows to get the proper manure for his vines; he encourages a dozen different native plant species to grow among the vines to avoid the need for herbacides and brings in a special flock of sheep in the winter to cull this cover crop; and, if snails appear he brings in portable chicken coops to get rid of the problem. The wine is not racked off its lees, it is not fined, natural yeasts are used, cold fermentation is avoided, it is naturally clarified and only 3-4% new oak is used every year.
Vigorously decanted 7 hours before drinking. Medium yellow color. Some ginger and honey on the nose. Rather spicy with an oxidative quality. Notes of peach pits, wet stones, apple cider and cinnamon. Solid acidity and a long finish. Full bodied wine. Give this time. 93 points.
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1/27/2018 - Weston3220 wrote: 99 Points
Apple, oxidative, good body, a "interesting wine"
Opened at 11am drinking at 7pm
Unique, good for wine nerds not for people who wanna drink wine
As my wife says "if your grandma's gold 1973 drapes had a taste this would be it"
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7/30/2017 - SuperSomm wrote:
Straw yellow colour. Green apples, yellow fruits and lemons on the nose. Taste of green apples, lemons and minerals. Long and intense finish with lots of minerals. Something quite unordinary, and not the usual chenin blanc you would expect. Goes well with fish, poultry and cheeses.
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6/25/2017 - mike l. Likes this wine: 93 Points
superb just now, i could see the upside to just drinking this up and not holding. just depends on how you prefer your chenin. having had many older savenierres i feel like im preferring the freshness this offered.
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5/3/2017 - kstoddard Does not like this wine:
Not a fan
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4/13/2016 - CamWheeler wrote: 94 Points
SLDS Monthly Tasting April 16: Golden colour. Ginger, touch of herb in the background, some honey, wild florals, saline notes and straw. Good acidity throughout, has plenty of spark and drive. Does have depth and there are layers of complexity starting to come together. Excellent and even better than the 2011 which I loved.
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3/14/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Well now there is a clear expression of chenin, and, of course, a very good wine. Been a vineyard since 1130, and one of the oldest of France, along with DRC and one other. It's its own AOC. And the other is Chateau Grillet (but do we care?).
South facing, shizt, quartz and sand, 35-40 year old vines, oldest being 80 years.
Big and showing, with a green tea kinda thing (does it have some oak), just opened, so it's baby, we'll see how it develops... its all there.
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