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).
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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One of the better $20 Loire selections from Garagiste. I got lead pencil/graphite on the nose with some citrus and apple. Mouthwatering - citrus, apple and floral flavors. Got just a bit of the "wax" others mentioned in their notes. Good acid. Complex and lasted well for three nights. Especially good with lemon sole dish. Not a "run of the mill" Chenin Blanc.
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Hint of volatile acidity on opening. Mouthwaterering kiwi flavors with good acidic backbone and a mouthcoating oily characteristic. Some length on the finish. This drinks better not too cold or warm, go figure that out.
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Complex! All kinds of things going on in this wine. Light golden color. Oak, honeysuckle, lemon, pine, wax on the nose. Dry and tight. All kinds of things going on in the finish, tart lemon, pine sap, grapefruit, bees wax, mineral water. I'm looking forward to see how this ages.
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Pure light gold throughout the glass. Exceedingly unique and charming on the nose with notes of bee’s wax, citrus, minerals, honeysuckle, oak, tree sap, slate, and apple. I thought this wine might be over the top from the nose and entry but it mellows out gorgeously on the palate and finish. The flavor and texture are like a concoction of bee’s wax, lemon juice, and crushed stones. There is some underlying oak present and plenty of Granny Smith apple character on the finish. Great components all around here with fresh acidity, tremendous fruit and mineral density, and a supple silky texture. I saved some in the cellar and on day two the aromas are more soft and sweet with citrus, melon, and white flowers. The palate is still very dense and fresh with supple texture, great balance, and superb persistence. The last glass picks up a stunning slate essence that is just intoxicating. I have to say this wine is much closer to Grand Cru Burgundy than twenty-dollar Loire. Tragically, Stéphane Cossais passed away recently, what another tremendous loss for the Loire region as he was obviously very talented.
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Super interesting wine, especially for the price. When it was first opened, it had a lot of reductive notes, very closed on the nose and very strong spicy black pepper notes. I have never smelled black pepper in a white wine! After about 10-15 minutes, the reductive notes blew off and opened into a complex and open nose. Really really well made and well balanced, with beeswax, apples, lemons and wet rocks in the mouth carried by great acidity. Excellent wine. I think that this could age almost endlessly.
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Had a lil blind tasting w/this. I knew it wasn't new world right away, haha. The nose had me puzzled and entertained the entire time. There was something very prodominante that was recognizable to me but I just could not place it (man that drives me crazy!). What I could describe would be an oxidized quality surrounding old apples, lemon zest and a mineral quality. On the palate it was honeyed and viscous, just great weight on the palate. I didn't get the pungentness from the nose on the palate. It was very clean w/a touch of sweet fruit, light acids, and just a roundness that was so pleasurable. We had it w/a plate of various cheese from creamy to stinky to hard and it was the perfect marriage to all of them. It had that rare combonation of being so tasty to want to chug it but the complexity to make you want to savor every sip. Really one of the most versatile wines I've had and I am completely sold on this region if others are anywhere in it this ballpark!. And to top it all off my friend said it was under 20bucks. Can't wait 2 try more!
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This wine made me want to drink Chenin young and wait til its old all at the same time. Pretty good balance now but maybe wanting some more time sideways. Some lemon, an apple that had been cut and laid out on the table for an hr or so, chalk, honey, and quince on the nose. Most moved over to the palate, especially the bruised apple along with some white flowers, some minerals, apricots, and tart citrus. Went extremely well with misc cheeses, especially a goat. Heavy and viscous on the palate like a Viognier with the slight sweetness of a Riesling as well. Seriously, I don't ever see myself buying a domestic white again. Liore rocks!
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Garagiste Test Drive; 4/3/2009-4/5/2009 (Minnesota): I saw a blog note on this describing it as honeyed, but balanced with acidity and minerality. It's very nice now, but I see this coming together over time to be an even more appealing package, with individual flavors better married. No idea how these age, but the rest of my bottles are going offsite to age a bit. 5 years?? Has a lot of similarities to a white burgundy. Some of this bottle is ending up in G's pasta carbonara, which seems like a shame!
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8/31/2022 - Neecies Likes this wine:
WT's. Medium yellow, clean floral nose, Vouvrayish, some wool, great minerality. Fantastic, and doesn't show its age on any level.
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2/17/2022 - mdefreitas wrote: 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).
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7/2/2021 - depechemoroder Likes this wine: 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.
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9/13/2018 - SteveG wrote: 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.
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1/7/2018 - ctbob Likes this wine:
Chenin funk on the mid-palate just starting to show, so this is in a great spot for most people. Delicious.
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3/5/2017 - ctbob Likes this wine:
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.
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11/25/2016 - SteveG wrote: 90 Points
From memory. Somewhere between Vouvray and Savenierres stylewise, well done.
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8/14/2016 - ctbob Likes this wine:
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.
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2/25/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 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.
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6/12/2015 - David Paris (dbp) wrote: 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
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4/15/2015 - Chaz Bham wrote: 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.
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4/15/2015 - WST Likes this wine:
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.
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12/28/2014 - bambam Likes this wine: 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.
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11/27/2014 - SadofskyDS wrote:
full and crisp wine, very good for just drinking on its own.
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11/27/2014 - SadofskyDS wrote:
delicious - might add more notes tomorrow.
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6/22/2014 - WST wrote: 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.
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11/17/2013 - guitarguy wrote: 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.
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10/28/2013 - guitarguy wrote: 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.
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7/31/2013 - guitarguy wrote: 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.
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7/15/2013 - guitarguy Does not like this wine: 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.
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4/6/2013 - vanpe003 wrote: 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.
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2/14/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote: 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.
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2/5/2012 - bambam wrote: 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.
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12/19/2011 - David_T wrote: 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.
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12/7/2011 - Jorgy wrote:
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.
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2/21/2011 - tederf wrote: 90 Points
One of the better $20 Loire selections from Garagiste. I got lead pencil/graphite on the nose with some citrus and apple. Mouthwatering - citrus, apple and floral flavors. Got just a bit of the "wax" others mentioned in their notes. Good acid. Complex and lasted well for three nights. Especially good with lemon sole dish. Not a "run of the mill" Chenin Blanc.
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8/23/2010 - guitarguy wrote: 90 Points
Hint of volatile acidity on opening. Mouthwaterering kiwi flavors with good acidic backbone and a mouthcoating oily characteristic. Some length on the finish. This drinks better not too cold or warm, go figure that out.
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4/25/2010 - bambam wrote: 93 Points
Complex! All kinds of things going on in this wine. Light golden color. Oak, honeysuckle, lemon, pine, wax on the nose. Dry and tight. All kinds of things going on in the finish, tart lemon, pine sap, grapefruit, bees wax, mineral water. I'm looking forward to see how this ages.
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8/17/2009 - Badfish wrote: 93 Points
Pure light gold throughout the glass. Exceedingly unique and charming on the nose with notes of bee’s wax, citrus, minerals, honeysuckle, oak, tree sap, slate, and apple. I thought this wine might be over the top from the nose and entry but it mellows out gorgeously on the palate and finish. The flavor and texture are like a concoction of bee’s wax, lemon juice, and crushed stones. There is some underlying oak present and plenty of Granny Smith apple character on the finish. Great components all around here with fresh acidity, tremendous fruit and mineral density, and a supple silky texture. I saved some in the cellar and on day two the aromas are more soft and sweet with citrus, melon, and white flowers. The palate is still very dense and fresh with supple texture, great balance, and superb persistence. The last glass picks up a stunning slate essence that is just intoxicating. I have to say this wine is much closer to Grand Cru Burgundy than twenty-dollar Loire. Tragically, Stéphane Cossais passed away recently, what another tremendous loss for the Loire region as he was obviously very talented.
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5/17/2009 - aktormedic wrote:
Super interesting wine, especially for the price. When it was first opened, it had a lot of reductive notes, very closed on the nose and very strong spicy black pepper notes. I have never smelled black pepper in a white wine! After about 10-15 minutes, the reductive notes blew off and opened into a complex and open nose. Really really well made and well balanced, with beeswax, apples, lemons and wet rocks in the mouth carried by great acidity. Excellent wine. I think that this could age almost endlessly.
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5/4/2009 - bajayngo wrote: 92 Points
Had a lil blind tasting w/this. I knew it wasn't new world right away, haha. The nose had me puzzled and entertained the entire time. There was something very prodominante that was recognizable to me but I just could not place it (man that drives me crazy!). What I could describe would be an oxidized quality surrounding old apples, lemon zest and a mineral quality. On the palate it was honeyed and viscous, just great weight on the palate. I didn't get the pungentness from the nose on the palate. It was very clean w/a touch of sweet fruit, light acids, and just a roundness that was so pleasurable. We had it w/a plate of various cheese from creamy to stinky to hard and it was the perfect marriage to all of them. It had that rare combonation of being so tasty to want to chug it but the complexity to make you want to savor every sip. Really one of the most versatile wines I've had and I am completely sold on this region if others are anywhere in it this ballpark!. And to top it all off my friend said it was under 20bucks. Can't wait 2 try more!
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5/1/2009 - Vinsant wrote: 91 Points
This wine made me want to drink Chenin young and wait til its old all at the same time. Pretty good balance now but maybe wanting some more time sideways. Some lemon, an apple that had been cut and laid out on the table for an hr or so, chalk, honey, and quince on the nose. Most moved over to the palate, especially the bruised apple along with some white flowers, some minerals, apricots, and tart citrus. Went extremely well with misc cheeses, especially a goat. Heavy and viscous on the palate like a Viognier with the slight sweetness of a Riesling as well. Seriously, I don't ever see myself buying a domestic white again. Liore rocks!
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4/4/2009 - vanpe003 wrote: 91 Points
Garagiste Test Drive; 4/3/2009-4/5/2009 (Minnesota): I saw a blog note on this describing it as honeyed, but balanced with acidity and minerality. It's very nice now, but I see this coming together over time to be an even more appealing package, with individual flavors better married. No idea how these age, but the rest of my bottles are going offsite to age a bit. 5 years?? Has a lot of similarities to a white burgundy. Some of this bottle is ending up in G's pasta carbonara, which seems like a shame!
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