October 2, 2021 - This is an amazing surprise. On my recent visit to England my sister in law told me she had a case of my wine in her ‘cellar.’ It was clearly my handwriting on the box saying don’t drink, but I have no recollection of acquiring this wine or leaving it behind when we moved back to the USA 15 years ago.
Given that I knew nothing about wine back then, and my sis in law’s ‘cellar’ is not the kind made for storing wine, I figured it would be some stewed plonk. I couldn’t seem to find it on CT but obviously didn’t look hard enough so here it is.
Brought one bottle home in my suitcase and gave it a try, figuring I would be telling her to throw away the rest after tasting it.
The last two reviews say it all. This has aged beautifully and could not be more in my wheelhouse. Still fruity but so complex, wonderful acidity, leather and other fascinating tertiaries.
It might have been better a few years ago or with better storage, but I love mature wines and this really hit the spot.
I will be telling her to take very good care of my remaining bottles until I can get them home!!
October 13, 2020 - "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety".
I think this could be applied to most Loire reds, but it certainly applies to this one:
I first discovered this five years ago. I didn't know much about older Loire reds at the time and was expecting something rather tired and weak, so the first bottle was a revelation, but I continued to approach each subsequent bottle with trepidation, convinced that the first one was a fluke. In my defence, I don't think that 2001 was a particularly stunning vintage.
After finishing my first stock of four, I went back for more, then again, and again - I must be up to two cases by now.
Last night's was the last of my current stock so I will have to find yet more - because it really is good.
The nose is full of dark forest fruits and leather, but with spikes of plum and cherry. The attack is still incredibly fresh and fruity, full of ripe cherry and cranberry, but then the magic starts and the wine goes right down to the bass lines, with some serious depth and character, before rising back up to the top of the palate with touches of violet, cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant, easing into a long, broad finish.
"Infinite variety" applies because with each sip, you get different flavours - one or more of them takes over, but never the same one.
It's not even the best Couly I've had, but it's a wonderful wine and remarkable value at under 20€ a bottle. There are the first signs of age, but it still has a long way to go.
July 16, 2020 - Classic Chinon in a ripe year - plush blue/black fruit, medium acid, ripe pepper/tomacco leaf, salty minerals, chalky tannins, and a couple spoonfuls of bretty horse saddle. Just a faint touch of oak. Depth and length is there, with secondary umami/old library notes. A lot packed in to just 12.5% alc. Not that many wines made like this these days.
May 1, 2019 - A bouquet of cherry and plum, with a little leather and vanilla, is followed by a vibrant, intense mouthful of dark cherry, redcurrant and cranberry, finishing with a hint of blackcurrant before a last, persistent wave of dark cherry, closing on a a very slight hint of chalk to remind you that it's a Chinon. Perfectly balanced, without the slightest hint of green, this continues to improve. Excellent wine, the best yet. The second batch I bought has been better, more vibrant than the first, so if you see some with a lighter coloured vintage label, get them!
January 17, 2018 - The colour is certainly bricking at the edges but it's still quite vibrant. There's an elegant bouquet of cherry and plum, without a hint of bell pepper. The first sip is underwhelming at first, with notes of dark cherry and hints of cranberry, but then the wine slowly reveals itself, almost as an after-thought: the flavours are nuanced and subtle, coming in beguiling waves which are fun to identify - it's like analyzing a watercolour, identifying the brush strokes and colours that the artist has used to give his work depth and nuance:
Oh, there's a bit of plum, oh and some violet, ah, back to the cherry, then a bit of raspberry pops up, then quite a strong wave of redcurrant mid palate, before returning to the cranberry. By the second sip, the persistent, vibrant fruit is more dominant and the finish becomes longer. In fact the finish is the most impressive aspect, since in spite of the elegance of the tastes, the finish is very insistent, filling the palate long after the wine has slipped down the back of the throat.
It's a wonderful experience.
Not really a food wine, this is to be savoured on its own.
December 27, 2017 - Post-Christmas Blinds (Chez Nanda): Served double blind. Attractive nose of herby black cherry and plum with prominent bell pepper notes. The palate is leaner with bright plum with earth and more bell pepper. Good freshness. A bit lean and light on the back palate.
December 27, 2017 - Blinds at Rich's (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. Tons of pyrazine and a palate riddled with ash makes me go to red Loire right away. This has a moderate amount of funk and earth, and the fruit profile here is clean enough that I thought it was a lot younger than it actually was (I was thinking something like 2005).
December 24, 2017 - Lovely juice. Elegant nose of sweet cherries, violets, horse saddle, and horse poo. Just a joy in the mouth, savory Chinese preserved plum, plum wine, uncured tobacco, juicy red currant acidity, weightless, still grippy tannins, with a finish that goes on and on. If the last bottle was very good, this is positively singing.
September 13, 2017 - Couly-Dutheil Chinon Tasting (K&L SF): Drinking very youthfully. This pours on the darker end of things. The nose is of candied berries, blue fruit, blackberry, black rasapberry, and crushed rock. Tannin is quite grippy. IMO this is one to wait a little while longer on.
July 17, 2017 - P&p, needs 15+ minutes of air in the bottle to start opening/freshening up. Cherries, black tea, tobacco, weeds; spicy, dusty; bare hint of vinegar, which works well, seeming to lift and propel the other aromas. Tasty; snappy acidity; nice typicity; nothing profound, but certainly enjoyable and a good value.
Worked well with a Jarlsberg and dandelion greens sandwich on sourdough.