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2 weeks in France
Provence and Dordogne
Tasted April 14, 2012 - April 28, 2012 by DanR with 1,135 views
Introduction
The first part of the trip was spent with friends at a vacation rental in Cheval-Blanc, in Provence outside Cavaillon. The second part of the trip was spent at the Simply Canvas resort, in the Cotes-de-Duras AOC, Southwest France.
Flight 1 - Various wines drunk at the house in Provence (22 notes)
The wines in this flight were purchased by friends who had driven to Provence from Paris by way of Champagne and Burgundy, the local Hyper-Intermarche (in Cavaillon), and at restaurants/wine shops in the region.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Déhu Père & Fils Champagne Grande Réserve Brut
Tasted from Magnum. Big, sweet, and rich, large bead, with biscuit-y, toasty, brioche and yellow apple flavors. Easy to drink, but I would have preferred more lift.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Jean Moutardier Champagne Carte d'Or Brut
Tasted from double magnum. Racy, small bead and fine mousse. Still tight, this comes off as elegant and pretty, on the delicate/feminine side of the spectrum, with tart citrus notes and a yeasty, bready finish. Brisk and lively in the mouth, but without much weight, this large format bottle was probably consumed too young. Very good.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut
Yeasty, with a metallic edge to the ripe, fall fruit and citrus flavors. Nice wine, but a little generic and lacks the excitement factor.
Rosé - Sparkling
N.V. Geoffroy Champagne Premier Cru Rosé de Saignée Brut
Gorgeous watermelon-red color. Huge, full, deep nose of red currant, cherry and wild strawberry. Explosive, exciting palate that spans the gamut of red fruits - I get cherry, pomegranate, cranberry, as well as a pleasant, pithy citrus peel note on the finish. Great purity, very generous. Totally delicious.
Red
2008 Geoffroy Pinot Meunier Coteaux Champenois Cumières Rouge
This was reminiscent of cru Beaujolais, in the nose and in the mouth. Purple fruit and carbonic maceration/bubble gum on the nose. Very bright, mid-weight with a linear attack of wild strawberry and raspberry fruit, leading to a savory, earthy finish, with subtle tannin. Racy. Tasty.
White
2010 Château de Beaupré Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Blanc
Served too cold, where the wine showed as very steely and sharp, with little discernible flavor. As the wine warmed up, a creaminess of texture began to emerge, as well as pretty tropical fruit and ripe peach flavors. The wine had sufficient acidity, but just enough body as well, to cut through the richness of, and make an ideal companion to, the bouillabaisse at l'Epuisettes in Marseilles. Very tasty.
White
2010 Domaine La Ferme Blanche Cassis Blanc
Crystal-clean and very pretty. Alluring nose of peach, anise, and strawberry. Good definition and precision to the racy peach, melon, and gooseberry flavors, with the anise note coming in on the finish. Other than the anise, this would be a dead ringer for a good NZ SB. Excellent with Cioppino.
White
2011 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
Purchased at the winery, recently bottled. Huge aromatics of peach pit, rose, and vanilla. Showing some oak right now, mid-weight, but with good texture, and plenty of honeyed stone fruit and floral flavors lurking in the background. This should flesh out and plump up in time, and likely be outstanding, a 90-92 pt type of wine.
White
2009 Stéphane Montez / Domaine de Monteillet Condrieu Les Grandes Chaillées
At first, served straight out of the fridge, very cold, where it showed as tight and steely, with lemon curd and white peach notes. As it warmed up, an oak and butter component began to emerge. I liked it better cold.
White
1998 Caves Réunies du Couvent des Cordeliers Meursault
Tasted from Magnum, purchased at the cellar. Gorgeous deep, golden yellow color. The color actually belied the vibrancy and perception of youth of the wine in the mouth, where it was still tight as a drum when first opened. Opened up after about an hour, with fairly simple and straightforward, although tasty, apple and pear flavors. Medium bodied with high acidity, which gave it an almost raspy texture. What this lacked in depth and richness it made up for in purity and cleanliness.
Red
1979 Caves Réunies du Couvent des Cordeliers Chambolle-Musigny
Tasted from magnum. Thick and cloudy, with an almost syrupy consistency. Something not right here, this tasted murky, with raspberry and cranberry flavors overlaid by a strange, earthy, savory flavor that fell somewhere between wet wood and pond water. Not brett, and not TCA, and not good.
Red
1989 Caves Réunies du Couvent des Cordeliers Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes
Tasted from Magnum, purchased at the cellar. Advanced color, with obvious browning at the rim. Like the '98 Mersault from the same producer, the wine was actually much more fresh in the mouth than the color would lead one to believe. Sappy, racy, strawberry jam, red cherry and tobacco flavors were at the forefront for about an hour, when things turned deeper and darker, towards the mushroom/bouillon end of the spectrum. Interesting wine, I thought it showed well.
Red
1976 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Tasted from magnum. This is well into its denouement. Faded, with a hint of red cherry, caramel, and wood. This still had some acidity left to give it some buoyancy, but is well past its prime.
Red
2006 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Big, and richly flavored, with a gamy twang to the red fruit profile and a earthy/mineral note on the finish. Good structure and acid, ultimately, the final impression is one of a generous-yet-balanced wine that is drinking very well at the moment and should continue to for some years. Very tasty.
Red
2006 Château Prieuré-Lichine
Tasted from magnum, decanted for 4 hours. Upon opening, showed a ferile, barnyard note in the aromatics, which blew away with time in the decanter. This opened up well, with cassis, plum, cedar, and soil notes framed by round, ripe tannins and a kiss of spicy oak. Surprisingly brisk acidity on the finish. I really enjoyed this. While I have no doubt it will improve with more bottle age, this bottle tasted really good at this point in its development.
Red
2006 Château Lynch-Bages
Decanted for 4 hours. Explosive nose of cassis, plum, violets, and cedar. Tasty, with toast, currant, and boysenberry flavors that picked up body and sweetness as I periodically checked in on this wine in the decanter. I was surprised both by its acidity, and the manageability of its' tannins, which I didn't find to be chewy or astringent in the least, and gave to me an impression of accessibility to this wine. This was my first LB, and while I'm sure it will continue to age gracefully, I found it polished and drinkable now. Excellent.
Red
2005 Caves Saint-Pierre Hermitage Préférence
Earthy, meaty, dark fruit nose, with a nice hint of perfume-y violet as well. Still tight, with savory, peppery, spicy dark fruit and earthy notes, with moderate tannin and acidity on the finish. Could use a few years more bottle age, at this point in its' evolution, it was somewhat straightforward and monotonous with its hugely savory flavor profile, and a bit tiresome to drink more than a glass. Hopefully it will unwind and sweeten up a bit. This could use a few years.
Red
2005 J. Vidal-Fleury Côte-Rôtie
Very tight, with raspberry, garrigue, and soil flavors delivered on a beam, with an acid, oak finish. Just ok. Needs time.
Red
2006 Domaine Saint Andéol Cairanne
Overtly fruity, with a sour edge to the simple, straightforward, cherry and grapey/foxy flavors.
Red
2007 Baron Gassier Bandol Les Malautiers
Plump and juicy, simple, and straightforward with its gamy, spicy dark fruit and dark berry notes. Soft, smooth, and uncomplicated, this will do in a pinch.
Red
2010 Rigal Malbec L'Instant Truffier
Juicy but somewhat lean, with simple, straightforward gamy, peppery red berry notes and not much else.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2005 Château Doisy-Daëne
Intensely smoky, with good weight to the tropical fruit and citrus flavors. Just enough cut to work with fois. A pleasant, bitter botrytis tang reveals itself on the finish. While it might not have the depth or complexity of more pedigreed examples from the vintage, this was simply very tasty and fun to drink, and a good value to boot.
Flight 2 - Visit to Vignerons de Caractere in Vacqueyras (8 notes)
If it wasn't for the self-serve bulk wine section in the back, this place would fit in perfectly in Napa. Just outside the town center, this was a large, modern, stylish facility that frankly didn't fit in that well with its' surroundings. All the accoutrements are here - large tasting bar, restaurant, plenty of swag, critical reviews conspicuously posted, even a children's area. The theme was repeated in the wines themselves, all stylish, modern, correct, without a clunker in the bunch. Despite the glitziness, the hosts here were knowledgeable and gracious, and I greatly enjoyed my visit and the wines.
White
2011 Vignerons de Caractère Vacqueyras Blanc Seigneur de Fontimple
Sampled at the tasting room. Pretty orange hue. Explosive stone fruit aromas. Sweet and ripe on the entry, mouth-filling and somewhat viscous, with abundant peach and citrus flavors, and a kiss of oak on the surprisingly brisk finish. Hedonistic and delicious. 50% Viognier, 25% GB
Rosé
2011 Vignerons de Caractère Vacqueyras Rosé Seigneur de Fontimple
Sampled at the tasting room. Spicy, floral, citrus rind nose. Watermelon, strawberry, and cream flavors are abundant and delicious. This has good weight and brisk acidity. Killer rose. 75% Cinsault.
Red
2010 Rhonéa Vacqueyras Seigneur de Fontimple
Sampled at the tasting room. Exotic spice and blackberry liquor nose. Mid-weight but with good stuffing, with focused blackberry flavor and other dark fruits lingering underneath. Seamless and polished. Finishes with good grip. Impressive. 70% grenache in concrete, 20% syrah in barrel, 10% mourvedre.
Red
2010 Vignerons de Caractère Vacqueyras Les Hauts du Castellas
Sampled at the tasting room. Violet and earthy aromas. Earth and granite/slate on the palate, with black fruits in the background, but with a sour edge. Tannins clamp down on the finish. Much more rustic than the SdF. Ok.
Red
2009 Vignerons de Caractère Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes
Sampled at the tasting room. Gorgeous, lifted, high toned blackberry liquor nose. Intense and super concentrated, with a panoply of black fruit delivered on a lazer beam of acidity. Finishes with ripe but dusty tannin. Excellent.
Red
2010 Domaine Mas du Bouquet Vacqueyras
Sampled at the tasting room. Earth, spice, dark berry aromas. Intense and concentrated, with sweet, dark fruit and cassis on the entry, chased by earthy notes on the finish. Good acid and structure. Excellent.
Red
2009 Domaine de Carobelle Vacqueyras
Sampled at the tasting room. Coffee, tobacco, cherry on the nose. Soft, plum entry, the savory/cherry theme is repeated in the mouth. Good, but lacking the concentration and structure of the better wines in the lineup.
Red
2009 Vignerons de Caractère Gigondas Eloquence
Sampled at the tasting room. Berry jam and coffee aromas. Mid-weight and elegant, with a supple texture, featuring red fruit, wild berry, and floral notes. Acid and tannin are there, but the focus is on the fruit. Good definition, very pretty. Excellent.
Flight 3 - Lunch at Restaurant l'Oustalet in Gigondas. (4 notes)
The quintessential French country restaurant, located in the heart of Gigondas town. The culinary highlight of our trip, out of many memorable meals, and blew away the food we had at a few one-star Michelin places that were more than twice as expensive. 2 of us ate here with our precocious 3-year old daughter, and despite the small, intimate size of the restaurant, never were we made to feel bad about her presence there. Elegant and sophisticated, without any pretension and snobbishness. Simply a must for anyone visiting the area.
White - Sparkling
2007 Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Premier Cru Terre de Vertus
BTG pour at l'Oustalet in Gigondas. Racy bead, fine mousse. Very savory on the nose, with the yeasty/fresh baked bread notes complimented by a rocky/slate-y element. Tight and dry, with lemon, ginger, graphite, and brioche notes delivered on a wire, framed by very high acidity and steely structure. Excellent. This worked very well paired with season's first asparagus - the earthiness in the dish merged with the savory elements in the wine, sort of cancelling each other out, putting bright, pure citrus fruit at the forefront.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Pol Roger Champagne Brut Réserve
BTG pour at l'Oustalet in Gigondas. A fruity style, with a nose of yellow fruit and ripe pear. Medium weight and a touch sweet, with yellow apple and pear fruit of good intensity on the palate. On the round side. Pretty and easy to drink, nice wine.
Red
2005 Château des Tours Vacqueyras
BTG pour at l'Oustalet in Gigondas. Intensely fragrant, with red berry jelly, strawberry, floral, and cocoa aromas that explode from the glass. Great purity and definition to the red berry, strawberry, lavender, soil, and chocolate flavors that effortlessly coat the mouth upon entry. Rich, intense, and concentrated, but maintains a sense of finesse. Outstanding, a 93-95 point type of wine.
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Red
1999 Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas
BTG pour at l'Oustalet in Gigondas. Very inky/dark. Earthy, cherry aromas. Earth is the focus here, with soil, garrigue, and herbal flavors layered above the maraschino cherry core. In a good place, with nicely integrated tannin and just enough acidity to stand up to food. Worked surprisingly well with epoisses, the earthiness of the cheese played well off the similar elements in the wine. Rustic but quite enjoyable.
Flight 4 - Visit to Domaine Des Bosquets in Gigondas (5 notes)
During lunch at l'Oustalet, the sommelier recommended a visit to this winery, right down the street from Gigondas town. We were discouraged by the appearance of closure upon arrival, but soon were greeted by the young maitre de chai, Benoit Laurent, who graciously opened a number of bottles from the Brechet family's 4 estate holdings in the area. Phiippe Cambie is the consultant. After the tasting, Benoit showed me the cellar. Primary fermentations take place in modern, stainless steel tanks. The wine is then gravity drained to the lower level, where ML takes place and the wines are finished in large concrete tanks for the grenache, and used barrels for the syrah.
White
2011 Château de la Coulerette Côtes de Provence Elixir Blanc
Sampled at the tasting room. Exuberant nose of anise and grapefruit. Intensely linear, with excellent cut to the anise, provencal herbs, and pithy citrus flavors. Maybe I'd been drinking too much of the stuff, but this wine was definitely evocative of white pastis. Very clean and precise, with a persistent finish. Good stuff. Rolle (Vermentino).
Rosé
2011 Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas Rosé
Sampled at the winery. Intense, spicy, bubble gum, red fruit, and anise nose. Anise note repeated in the mouth, with clean, bright, tart cherry and strawberry flavors. Full of flavor and very fresh. Very nice rose. My notes say 100% grenache, that could be in error.
Red
2010 Domaine de la Jerome Côtes du Rhône Villages
Sampled at the winery. Dark fruit, spice, and smoke on the nose. This was on the lighter side, with a linear beam of dark fruit that could use a bit more weight to balance the acid and tannins, which have a green edge. Hopefully will flesh out more in time. This would be much better with food. 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah.
Red
2009 Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas
Sampled at the winery. High pitched, alluring nose of black fruit and earth. Ripe, sweet fruit is displayed with good concentration, intensity and clarity on the round, broad palate; where the black fruit theme is repeated and chased by ample acidity, and framed by ripe but substantial tannin. Good balance. A bit tight at this point, this should improve over the course of the next few years. Stylish and modern. Impressive.
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Red
2009 Château de Vaudieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Sampled at the winery. Gorgeous, high toned nose of red fruit and red berry. Forward and generous on the palate, with red cherry, raspberry, a floral element, and a hint of oak on the finish. Tasting pretty good right from the get go. Like the Gigondas, this had a modern, stylish flair.
Flight 5 - Week 2, Dordogne (5 notes)
We lodged in the heart of the Cotes-de-Duras AOC, The notes for this flight are compiled from day trips to Bordeaux and St. Emilion. We did taste some good local wine at Domaine Mouthes le Bihan, but seeing as the tasting was conducted with the family, sitting around the dining room table, taking notes seemed inappropriate. In general, the whites were better at this estate, especially the semillon-based "Pérette et les Noisetiers" (the 2010 going into bottle that day, with a higher proportion of Muscadelle, was insane). The top red cuvee, merlot-based "Les Apprentis", was no slouch either. The culinary highlight of this portion of our trip was l'Envers du Decor in the heart of St. Emilion. Unpretentious, relaxed atmosphere, serving honest food, this place seemed to be a hit with tourists and locals alike.
Red
2009 Château Coquillas
Tasted from .375, at Bistro le Edoard, Bordeaux. Aromas of dark berry, cassis, and funk. Plump and full, with cassis, wild berry, soil, and smoke flavors. Good acidity helped this work well with rich, buttery bistro fare, and the fat of an Andouillette sausage provided a nice foil for the rustic tannin. Good enough wine, made better by the flavors and ambience of local cuisine and restaurant.
Red
2005 Château Yon-Figeac
Tasted from .375, at Brasserie l'Europe, Bordeaux. Super expressive, deep aromas of dried cherries, cacao, licorice, and vanilla. Intense and concentrated, with dark berry, chocolate, and licorice flavors, carried by a plush, velvety texture, and ending with a long, detailed finish. I don't drink much Bordeaux, but given that this scored in the mid-80's by the major critics, perhaps I should drink more. Outstanding, in the .375 format anyway.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2009 Château Roûmieu-Lacoste
BTG pour at l'Envers du Decor in St. Emilion. Exotic aromas of honeysuckle, quince paste, and date leap from the glass. On the palate, the flavors turn more conventional, with botrytised, honeyed apricot, fig, and dried pineapple notes of moderate intensity, but with good clarity and cut. Yup...this works with fois. Tasty stuff.
Red
2005 Château La Grave Figeac
BTG pour at l'Envers du Decor in St. Emilion. Somewhat closed aromatically, vigorous swirling revealed just a hint of dark fruit, earth, and herbs. Medium bodied but with good palate saturation, and more generous with flavor than the nose would imply. Blackberry, plum, tobacco, herbal/sage notes, with rustic tannins clamping down on the finish. Good wine, nothing special. Probably could use some more time.
Red
2008 Château Cantenac
BTG pour at l'Envers du Decor in St. Emilion. Deeper and darker than the Graves-Figeac. Barnyard/shit, dark wild berry, and oak aromas. Medium bodied, very earthy on the palate, with fecal notes, dirt and autumn leaves covering up some red berry fruit. Somehow the cheese plate this was served with helped to soak up some of the off flavors. Not terribly pleasant.
Flight 6 - Visit to Grande Maison, Monbazillac (4 notes)
I was surprised to find out, when I arrived, that Thierry Despres had recently sold the Grande Maison, and all inventory, to the Chabrol family. Based on my conversation with the affable and erudite Benjamin Chabrol, the venerable estate is in good hands, and the future is bright. Highly recommended if in the area.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2008 Grande Maison Monbazillac Cuvée des Anges
Sampled at the winery. Super racy, with notes of dried pineapple of only moderate intensity. Searing acidity. Just ok. 80% Semillon, remainder SB and Muscadelle.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2007 Grande Maison Monbazillac Cuvée Exotique
Sampled at the winery. Medium sweet, with citrus and apricot notes, and a hint of botrytis on the finish. Brisk acidity. Good.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2004 Grande Maison Monbazillac Cuvée du Château
Sampled at the winery. Citrus fruit and botrytis on the nose. Intense, sweet and smoky, with a dried tropical fruit character on the palate, apricot on the midpalate, and a pleasantly bitter, botrytis finish. Very nice. 70% Semillon, 30% Muscadelle.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2005 Grande Maison Monbazillac Cuvée des Monstres
Sampled at the winery. Intense, super exotic, botrytis nose. Dripping with honey, it seems futile to describe the ever-changing flavor profile in the glass; tropical, stone, and citrus fruit all came to the party. Incredibly complex. This was rich and syrupy, but it finished with lazer acidity which prevented it from being heavy or cloying in the least. This was insanely delicious, and will probably live forever. Wow.