Alain Brumont tasting
Harrogate Fine Wine Company
Tasted Thursday, May 31, 2012 by grafstrb with 572 views
Introduction
I attended a fun and interesting tasting last week at my local wine shop; it featured the wines of Madiran producer, Alain Brumont. Winemaker, Frabrice Dubosq, was in attendance, and speaking with him for a few minutes was quite pleasurable. The wines were somewhat hit and miss for me, but the hits were good enough to make me want to come back for more. I was, additionally, afforded the opportunity to stop back into the wine shop the following day to check back in on what remained in the bottles from the tasting the evening before. I selected four wines to taste on Day 2, and have made additional notes accordingly, below.
2011 Alain Brumont La Gascogne - Gros Manseng - Sauvignon Blanc
France, Southwest France, Gascony, Côtes de Gascogne
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 10 minutes --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 1.5 hours before I tasted it –
-- blend of Gros Manseng and Sauvignon Blanc --
Nose was expressive, with a pronounced orange oil scent. Medium-light bodied on the palate. Straightforward, and pleasurable, with rich tropical fruits and some background mineral; maybe a bit on the fat side, but at least the 12.5% alc. is not noticeable. Not a game-changer, but a very good cheap bottle of wine ($15). I will be buying some of this.
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2009 Château Bouscassé Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec Les Jardins de Bouscassé
France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 10 minutes; tasted an additional glass the following day, approx. 21 hours after bottle was opened --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 1.5 hours before I tasted it --
-- 80% Petit Courbu, 20% Petit Manseng --
Nose showed moderate+ expressiveness, and featured interesting notes of salad greens and anise seed. Medium-light bodied. Lots of mineral on the palate, with hints of grass and anise seed; 14% alc. not noticeable. My favorite of the three whites in this tasting. Very good, and excellent value at $22.
Day 2: Nose is still expressive: kiwi and mineral. Lots of smoky/oak/mineral/orange blossom on the palate; long finish of medium-strong intensity; nice acidity; medium-light bodied. Still like this a lot.
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2009 Château Montus Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec
France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 10 minutes --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 1.5 hours before I tasted it --
Oaky Nose, with rich fruit and a hint of powder. Medium bodied on the palate. Rich fruit flavors, but more oak than I would prefer; background mineral; medium-long finish of moderate intensity; 14.5% alc. is a little noticeable. Definitely made in the richer style. Others in the room liked this quite a lot, but I preferred the steelier “Les Jardins.” $34.
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2008 Alain Brumont Madiran Torus
France, Southwest France, Madiran
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 10 minutes --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 2.5 hours before I tasted it --
Nose seemed very “young” and inky, with hints of balsamic and spice. Medium-full bodied. Non-descript purple fruits; hint of leather; tannic; 13% alc. not noticeable; good acidity. This wine was fermented in cement and stainless steel, and is made from fruit of vines that are less than 15 years old.
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2008 Château Bouscassé Madiran
France, Southwest France, Madiran
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 10 minutes; tasted an additional glass the following day, approx. 22 hours after bottle was opened --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 2.5 hours before I tasted it --
-- 50% Tannat, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc --
Nose shows some powdery florals and balsamic red berries. Medium-full to full bodied. Purple berries, inky, and a hint of sweet balsamic on the palate; 14% alc. not noticeable; tannic; good acidity. I like this wine, and feel it offers good value. From vines ranging in age from 20 to 80 years.
Day 2: Expressive Nose: intense purple berry; floral. Medium-full bodied. Nice juicy acidity with non-descript purple fruits on the palate. Still think this wine is priced right to buy at $28.
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2007 Château Montus Madiran
France, Southwest France, Madiran
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 10 minutes; tasted an additional glass the following day, approx. 22 hours after bottle was opened --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 2.5 hours before I tasted it --
Inky garnet color. Nose was tight, with hints of cement and smoke. Full bodied. On the palate: oaky; roasted; inky purple fruits; tannic, with decent acidity (but could use more acidity); 14% alc.. Didn’t like this one. $34.
Day 2: still think this is a little odd: spicy; too oaky.
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2006 Château Bouscassé Madiran Vieilles Vignes
France, Southwest France, Madiran
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 10 minutes; tasted an additional glass the following day, approx. 22 hours after bottle was opened --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 2.5 hours before I tasted it --
-- 95% Tannat, 5% Cabernet Franc --
First bottle: a weird/spoiled/oxidized Nose; Palate was spicy, warm mulled fruits; slightly cooked/oxidized; tannic; good acidity; cement; weird.
Second bottle: much better, and a clear indication the other bottle was off. Nose had a powdery violet scent, as well as purple fruit aromas. Medium-full to full bodied on the palate. Inky; gentle spice; tannic; good acidity; 14.5% alcohol is well-hidden.
Day 2: bad bottle was completely nasty in all of its oxidized glory. Good bottle had nice lifted leather and dark fruit aromatics. Well-balanced on the palate; floral; slightly bitter; hint of Hoisin sauce; fine tannin; alc. not noticeable; medium-full bodied. Good to very good wine, but I balk at the $50 price tag.
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2000 Château Montus Madiran Cuvée Prestige
France, Southwest France, Madiran
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 10 minutes --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 2.5 hours before I tasted it --
Nose was expressive; strong leather; hints of green olive, mint, and old wood paneling; hint of brett; reminded me of how my former dentist’s office smelled. Complex flavors on the palate: leather; chocolate; purple berry; nice funkiness; tannic, with good acidity; long finish of medium-strong intensity; 14% alc. not noticeable; some obvious tertiary development, but nowhere close to fully mature. Very very good, but expensive at $113; such a price, however, isn’t totally unreasonable for the quality (and age) in the bottle. On the fence about buying some of this.
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2010 Alain Brumont Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Les Larmes Celestes Doux
France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 10 minutes --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 1.5 hours before I tasted it --
-- 100% Petit Manseng --
Medium-light golden orange color. Nose reminded me of a toasted onion bagel. Full bodied on the palate; orange; bit of wooly mineral; some spice; wonderful acidity; 13% alc. not noticeable; quite sweet, but with a fresh character. Very nice, but lacking the serious boldness of the Brumaire. Excellent value at $19 (to note this was a smaller bottle – 375mL or 500mL – I can’t remember which). I wish I could take the acidity from this wine and marry it to the flavors of the Brumaire; perhaps there’s a blending experiment in my future!
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2008 Château Bouscassé Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Brumaire
France, Southwest France, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh
-- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 5 minutes --
-- bottle has been open, and poured from, for approx. 1.5 hours before I tasted it --
-- 100% Petit Manseng --
Golden orange color – slightly darker than the Larmes Célestes. Expressive Nose: celery; orange; candied papaya and dried pineapple. Full bodied. On the palate: cinnamon; nutmeg; pineapple; oak on the finish; fat, with good flavor --- wish this had more acidity. 100 – 120 g/L of r.s.. Strictly late harvest --- no botrytis. If only I could take the flavors of this wine and the acidity of the Larmes Célestes … . Nonetheless, this is quite tasty. I think I prefer the fresher Larmes Célestes. Poor value at $34 for a smaller bottle (375mL or 500 mL --- I can’t remember which.)
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