KOT Selections Tasting

This was a very interesting tasting organised to showcase the wines brought in by three very young, very passionate wine-lovers. Not quite the familiar brand-names that one would see plastered in the display windows of most wine shops, the focus here was more on artisanal, high-quality stuff form lesser-herladed regions that the importers themselves love to drink. More power to them I say! This was certainly one of the most fun tastings I have been to in a long-time, with each of them taking the time to sit down with us in different stations and having long chats about the wines, their origins and their makers. Singapore and the wine world at large could do with a lot more of such passionate importers. They have certainly found a customer in me.

• NV Laherte Frères Champagne Tradition Brut 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  Not bad. An unusual cepage with some 60 percent Pinot Meunier from old vines. Attractive nose here. Quite unusual as would be expected, with a nice floral uplift to a base of apple and melon fruit scents, a touch of stone fruit and hints of mineral. The palate was round, fruit-forward, with plenty of richness in its flavours of ripe red apples and some spice, all unerpinned by a certain fleshiness. In spite of that though, there was a serious spine of acidity that ran the length of the wine, ending with a squeeze of lemons, limes and mineral. A bit tart at the edges, so this may need some food, but otherwise a pretty nice, if rather straightfoward NV.

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• 2005 André-Michel Brégeon Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie 92 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie

  Lovely stuff - this was a top-notch Muscadet. I really liked the nose - this showed graceful white fruit flecked with chalk and seashelly mineral, a bit of spice, a touch of beeswax. Lovely stuff, rather neutral, yet with a bit of je ne sais quois which was beyond what most Muscadets would typically show on the bouquet. The palate was excellent too. Rich, creamy and layered from its time on lees, it showed breadfruit and white melons on the midpalate and a finish layered with salty, seashelly brine and solid granitic mineral notes. Nicely balanced, nicely fleshed out, yet well focused, defined and delineated. Brilliant stuff. My only issue was that this was a bit narrow on the flavour spectrum, but it should be fare much better as a foil for food. If paired correctly, say with shellfish, these top-end Muscadets tend to open up beautifully, fanning out with a peacock's tail of complementary flavours. At 6 years of age, this is at a good place right now.

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• 2010 Terre de l'Elu Anjou Terre! 89 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou

  Very decent. Interesting nose here - figs, limes, lemons, dried flowers, some tropical green mango notes. A world away from say your normal Marlborough SB, but not quite in the realm of regular Loire either. The palate was similar. Rich, ripe, fruit forward with tropical notes of mangoes, longans and kumquats layered over earthy, chalky notes. A bit high on the alcohol, rather big, but decently balanced. It finished with a nice persistence, lingering with bits of spice amongst the fruit. This was quite a mouthfull of flavour. It had good underlying material, and should get better with a couple of years as it sheds some baby fat. At the moment, very decent but with some parts sticking out at awkward angles.

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• 2010 Clos Roche Blanche Sauvignon No. 2 91 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine

  Very nice - a step up from the previous SB that we had. This one had an interesting nose too, with notes of asparagus, alfafa, a hint of nuts, some melons and green apple. Interesting spectrum of aromas. The palate had some richness in spite of its 12.5 percent sticker. Plenty of flavour auhority here, with a layer of ripe white fruit, fragrant spice notes and chalky mineral moving from a bright attack into a long zippy finish. I liked the focused, delineated feel here. Good stuff. This was another wine that would go wonderfully with food.

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• 2008 Domaine Dupasquier Gamay Vin de Savoie 87 Points

  France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie

  My first wine from Savoie. This was decent, drinkable stuff. The nose was very Gamay, with an overt bramble and herb powder accent riding alongside tons of floral expressiveness, with a rich layer of rose petals, violets and sweet strawberry scents. There was just a touch of green haunting the bouquet, but quite attractive nonetheless. The palate was rather simpler. It had lots of acidity and a fine layer of chalky tannins framing rather primary and very bright cherry and strawberry flavours. A bit less expressive than the nose, but rather more focused and balanced than I would have thought after that bouquet. Simple, but decent drinking stuff which should go well with food.

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• 2010 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Cuvée Gamay 90 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine

  I liked this. It had a lovely nose, with lots of sweet cherry, raspberry and rose petal aromas along with a touch of earthy bramble - all really perfumy and attractive. Just lovely balance on the palate too. Fresh yet meltingly delicious, this just glided across the mouth like a rustle of silk and an unfolding of pure red fruit, flower petals, and more minerally earthy, and brambly notes. Lovely focus, precision and energy. Not the mot complex wine in the world, but certainly a very enjoyable one.

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• 2009 Domaine J. Chamonard Morgon Le Clos de Lys 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon

  Excellent. This was another Morgon that showed off the strength of the vintage. Another lovely nose here, with rich ripe berries and strawberries, little bramble notes, violets, earth - lovely stuff, made all the more interesting in that it did not have the carbonic maceration character normally associated with Cru Beaujolais. Beautiful palate as well, great clarity and purity, with a silky mouthful of cherries and strawberries wafting around the mouth. This wine somehow showed the depth and richness of the 2009 vintage without ever being over-ripe or sweet. The lovely lingering finish had a nice layer of spice and earth as it pulled away in the back-palate. Beautiful stuff, with lots of character. This is an age-worthy Morgon.

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