Community Tasting Notes 7

• Jammy Wine wrote: 90 points

  January 8, 2024 - Another lovely vintage from Richard Leroy. While the 2018 is not as reductive as the 2013, it offers a clean and expressive array of apple-ly and citrus-y fruits, subtle tone of natural yeast (reminds me of Claire Naudin whites). Drinking well already and should continue to age for another decade. Slightly heady at 14% alcohol but balanced nicely with razor-sharp acidity. (90/100)

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• gayocamuzet69 Likes this wine: 92 points

  July 23, 2023 - Generously donated by Lukas D. and did not disappoint. @nmmnori shed actual tears prior to vomiting it all back up on the West Side Highway. Too bad.
  
  The wine itself mostly lives up to the extreme level of hype that it has come to have. Beautiful reduction upon opening, with some VA, both of which blew off quickly.
  
  The wine to me is reminiscent of my first experience with Richard Leroy, 2016, and ultimately superior. A wine with an incredible attack and acidity that slaps you across the face, and contrary to past experiences some more structure and complexity. Would probably have kept getting better if it had lasted more than 90 minutes due to @nmmnori overconsumption.
  
  Interesting comparison with the Pierre Menard Anjou, also 2018 and a much more traditional (IMO) style of chenin.
  
  Infanticide. 92 / 100.

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• nmmnori Likes this wine: 98 points

  July 22, 2023 - Fuees Dinner (DJCV as host) (Brooklyn, NY): Stunning. Simply stunning. Super reduction and almost leroy-like insane sesame aromatics. Say what you will about these wines. They may lack balance and finesse, but what they lack in these departments they more than make up for in character. One of the most emotional wines I have had in recent memory. Incredible.

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• Mathiouzzz Likes this wine: 89 points

  March 16, 2023 - The potential is obvious, but we opened the bottle too early (2023): would deserve to evolve for at least 5 to 10 years more

  Comment

• vintage_whine wrote:

  October 20, 2022 - was expecting something more natural, but the small amount of sulfur in play here was wisely chosen, along with the wise pick date that keeps the fruit in a perfectly succulent state without any sense of being overripe despite 14% on the bottle (7C). 15 minutes later the ethyl acetate pokes out, and we get wallpaper glue and green guava and pineapple, you know the stuff that drives hipsters wild. what also builds is the sense of power, at first opening, i was underwhelmed, and thankful I paid 85€ instead of the normal retail price, bc this wine seemed unremarkable in terms of concentration or intensity, but it is a very big wine and needs some air to make that statement. it's also is completely in line with other wines at the 85€ mark from savennieres, and id be hard pressed to justify the hype that pushes the price to $300-$400. The finish has caramelized and smoky notes which is the only place where the oak shows its presence, its brown-toned and savory. but again, the EA and VA are jarring and ruin what would be an otherwise lovely experience. for all the othr folks that adore this wine simply because of its fame, well , it doesnt take much brains to do that, but lets call this what it is, natural wine, with fantastic terroir that is barely managed by an idealist winemaker. there is even a slight tinge of residual gas but the VA squeezes the throat on every swallow and you have to wince just a bit (more if you've paid full price). at 30 min, the red fruit component to the nose comes out, and you notice the red raspberry component and the pine resin, just like in a great jurancon sec from souch (1/10th the price). At the end of the day we're left to conclude that there are great terroir in Anjou for dry Chenin that have traditionally been used for sweet, but in this bottle youre paying for the vigneron but enjoying the terroir. this is not a unique phenomenon. 1 hr in, still VA and EA, with brown caramelized apple tones, and interestingly the hollow thinness of the wine that was apparent at openeing returns. meh. emperor.new.clothes

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Wine Definition

• Vintage 2018
• Type White
• Producer Richard Leroy
• Varietal Chenin Blanc
• Designation Chenin
• Vineyard Les Noëls de Montbenault
• Country France
• Region France
• SubRegion n/a
• Appellation Vin de France

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 6 (4%)
• In Cellars 118 (83%)
• Consumed 19 (13%)

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