2014 Domaine de l'Ecu Mephisto

Community Tasting Notes (10) Avg Score: 90.8 points

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  10/27/2020 - forceberry wrote: 78 Points

  Cuvée MMXIV, Vin de France. Biodynamically farmed Cabernet Franc, destemmed, fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, macerated for 12 days, aged for 15 months in amphorae, vinified and bottled without any SO2. No fining or filtration. 12% alcohol. Total production 5000 bottles and 100 magnums.
  
  Dark, somewhat hazy and quite opaque - slightly murky - Burgundy red color. Brooding, somewhat funky and slightly animalistic nose, lacking clarity. Aromas of wizened dark berries, some farmyard tones of merde, light earthy notes of damp clay, hints of autumnal forest and a touch of crowberry. Nothing particularly Cabernet Franc here, at least in the nose. The wine is dry, crunchy and light-to-medium-bodied on the palate with - at first - a slightest hint of prickle and a rather noticeable streak of bitterness along with somewhat tart flavors of lingonberries and crowberries, some leafy tones, light gravelly mineral notes, a little bit of unripe bilberry, a hint of leather and a touch of barnyard funk. The wine is high in acidity with quite delicate and mellow tannins. The finish is dry, crunchy and medium in length with flavors of savory leafy tones, some tart lingonberry, a little bit of crunchy crowberry, light leathery tones, a hint of blood and a touch of something unclean which might evolve into mousiness if the wine was left opened for too long.
  
  A drinkable but not particularly interesting nor attractive weekday red from the naturalist end of the spectrum. Light, simple and refreshing, but offers quite little typicity. Not a catastrophe - like the Ange Pinot Noir was - but honestly nothing special to write home about either.

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  4/16/2020 - Tydecell Likes this wine: 87 Points

  Purchased in 2016, opened during the Spring Apocalypse 2020 aka Covid-19 pandemic. Initial nose had that slightly damp cellar funk that I associate with traditional French reds. Then there was bright red fruit — cherry upon reflection. And also perhaps a bit of mint / menthol? Super bright and fresh on the nose. Palate confirmed this. Plus screaming acidity - in a good way. Acidity has a citrus note - sort of OJ / orange zest. And floral too, I would echo the lavender that someone else mentioned. This wine is delicately strong, or strongly delicate, not sure how to say it. And, all else being equal, gotta love a bottle with a devil penis ;-)

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  3/24/2019 - waywardsailor Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Elegant. But enough funk to make it interesting. Well balanced. A bit of effervescence. Price makes it a great every day drinking wine. Need to get more.

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  10/31/2018 - Gece wrote:

  Air it or age it. Very closed initially, no fruit worth mentioning, very stony, slightly floral (lavender?), beer yeast, sourdough. High acidity, low tannins, slightly spritzig. Very natural, in a slightly pejorative sense, but beneath all that, there's a hint of very nice red fruit which slowly, slowly gains strength with air. Unfortunately, once the wine had reached there today, this particular guzzler was more or less done with the bottle. Not super impressed today, but I'd like to return here in a few years to see what happens.

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  3/31/2018 - Timothy Sung wrote: 89 Points

  A good loire biodynamic franc.
  Nothing more than just that.

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