VINTAGE 2010 Dinner (Galletto Ristorante, Modesto Ca.): Splash decanted then open in bottle for 4hrs...best bottle I've had to date! This wine was LOADED with exotics and crushed geology...huge citrus attack...ripe orchard and tropical fruits...banana skin ...exotics of quince paste, candied limes, lanolin wax, smoked herbs, wild honey...it was floral, it was salty, chalky...electric and SO fascinating! Was consensus white wotn, and my wotn in a company of a lot of great wines!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
"I'm not having a glass of wine; I'm having six. It's called a tasting and it's classy." (Chicago, IL): This was one of our favourites from a Vatan vertical over five years ago, so I was incredibly excited to get to try this wine again. Unfortunately this bottle showed somewhat advanced, with a somewhat flaccid demeanor. Mostly, it reminds me of premoxed white Burgundy. A real shame as I had been waiting to revisit this bottle for years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Open in bottle for 2.5hrs...2 people thought if was corked, not on the nose, and not the musty kind, but on the palate and finish...seemed muted and "off" I guess? I, as well as others, couldn't for the life of us see it! Maybe less expressive than the last bottle I had 3yrs ago...but this was ALL crazy crushed geology...with zingy citrus cut of lemons and limes...sour green apple skin...exotics of quince paste, lanolin oil, fresh flowers and herbs. LOVE the chalky, salty crushed rocks in these wines...makes it so unique and special when integrated with the bright electric citrus. Maybe not the most exciting finish...mellow...some wet wool and sour apple...but I still dug it! A fascinating wine to drink throughout the night, as there is always something else you pick out with each small pour. And more pours for me, as the 'corked' guys were scaring people away! Such a fun drink!
Paglierino riflessi verdolini, naso profuma di fiori e frutta gialla con note minerali, poi vira su cenni tipo canfora e camomilla fino a virare a note di clorofilla. Bocca fresca, richiama il naso e lascia un finale pulito, leggermente diluito come intensità... non ha un allungo che pensavo avesse maturato. Grazie Paolo ;)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Notes much the same as the last bottle. I broke my own warning and drank another bottle... this is so good and hard not to drink. The remaining bottle will last a lot longer - hands off!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A small gathering with COVID safety measures at Bryan's (Undisclosed location in McLean, VA): Not premoxed but a bit awkward. Not terribly expressive nose, granny smith, pyrazine, honey, spicy spices and a hint of limestone. Good concentration, packed slightly coiled yellow fruit, medium acidity and mineral, and a medium long finish with pyrazine and honey at the end. Adam mentions that the bottle from three night ago was better. Not the wine that I would seek based on bottle variations.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light golden, pale yellow. Nose is grapefruit, and stones, with other light citrus and a very interesting dark licorice note on the end. Very well balanced with great mineral fruit and acid. DO NOT DRINK REMAINING BOTTLES FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 5 YEARS..... Excellent juice.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
6th Annual Wilson School Auction Tasting (A Wine Adventure): . Tasted over 30 minutes -translucent pale green-gold -waxy, lanolin, grapefruit citrus -med acidity, quinine mild oxidative notes grapefruit -interesting this has some features similar to a BdB Champagne without bubbles, definitely not a typical profile for sauvignon blanc, unique
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wining Around New York; 3/6/2019-3/10/2019 (Various Venues, New York): Light yellow. Reticent at first, then hay, flowers, and citrus-aromas unlike any other Sancerre. Medium weight, inimitable quininine and crushed stone through the mid-palate and finish. Grapefruit plus a more exotic fruit (guava?), brisk acidity though not as punishing as other younger vintages. Amazing length. A great, singular wine for its feel and flavor profile. Could easily see its 30th birthday in pristine shape.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Spontaneous Mini-Paulée-Roumier, Rousseau, Raveneau... (Burgundy): That unique combination of stone and quinine with a deep core of acidity that makes this wine so different than any other Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Plus, with 8 years of age, some more flesh and glycerine around that core. This just cuts through the mouth. Singular wine that "out-Chablis-ed" some great Chablis we had today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Fu's Juge traveling road show (Clovis Ca.): The 11(my first) blew me away with that minerality; then the 09 was a hot alcoholic mess. Now this 10 gets me back to that Vatan magic! Intense citrus with the limes and lemons, the exotic tropical fruits...LOADED with insane chalky, salty, crushed rock, smoky geology...clean petrol, pretty blossom florals...purely balanced and precise. So much energy and tension, yet it manages to drink in super balance and focus. SO unique and interesting...a true joy to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Vatan Vertical (TDS): Similar to the '08, this has fireworks in the nose with young, pure and vibrant green apple that goes on and on. This has richness and concentration with so much depth and length. A parade of fruit and minerals riding electric acidity. Great mineral crescendo in the finish. Wow. WOTN.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Vatan-a-thon at TDS (Chicago, IL): Easily my favorite of the whole night. This is absolutely stunning wine, with a combination of depth, precision, and balance I only find in the greatest white wines. It has the same classic Vatan flavours of tart citrus/green apple fruit, fresh mint, and chalky minerality (and a whole lot more), but what stands out here is the sense of purity and lightness on the palate, and the tension and focus that the acidity adds on the palate. This is already a jawdropping wine, and I can only imagine it getting better as this develops further.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Vatan (2002 rouge, 2004-12) (Chicago, IL): Probably my wine of the night. The nose has some flavours of Fuji apple, among many, many other things. It's one of the most intense and powerful of the wines tonight. There's so much to discover in this wine, with its minerality, fruit, acidity; really feels like the complete package. This is the wine I wish I had more of.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted over 3 hrs and day 2 -translucent pale gold/green -grapefruit grass apple touch of waxy lanolin -med/med+ acidity peeks in at the backend, lean and focused med- weight with sappy residue, bitter white grapefruit, good length; gains complexity and depth on day 2 -just barely starting to show some early signs of maturity on the nose more than palate, still very fresh; blossoms on day 2 - really could be magical over the next decade
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner in Orlando (Robert's House): A very good showing. This is the 6th time having this wine and this was right up there with the best of them. Lots of depth, and complexity with a beautiful, airy, white floral note. Great white peach, & pear gave it some subtle tropical notes, and then there were the minerals. Razor sharp with a firmly acidic finish. The pinnacle of Sauvignon Blanc for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
No so che vino abbiano bevuto gli utenti che hanno sparato punteggi così alti, nè tantomeno la cricca di Parker. A partire dall' etichetta che è inguardabile per tocco hippie-chic-trasandato-fintosemplice-ma-non-sono! Da subito chiusissimo, ha bisogno di 2 ore di aria per liberare aromi molto cristallini e puri,da vero Sauvignon del freddo. Anche in bocca poco spazio alla ruffianeria e all' esotismo, dimenticate i Sancerre fruttati e avvolgenti, qui siamo di fronte a un grande potenziale lirico, al momento inespresso. Si avverte la pregevole fattura e l' armonia, ma è tutta una speranza.... Dimenticare in cantina
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A stunning bottle of Vatan Sancerre. It starts out as a mineral bomb, incredibly flinty and chalky on the palate, and with air tart grapefruit and other citrus flavours emerge, with other herbal and faint floral notes developing with more time. There's amazing depth here, great focus and lightness on the palate with a powerful acid spine beneath, and remarkable length. Vatan never fails to deliver.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner at Browntrout (Browntrout - Chicago, IL): Unbelievable wine and the best 2010 Vatan Sancerre I've had to date. This was popped and poured and the floral and herbal aromas leaped out of the bottle. I didn't want to stop smelling this wine as it had one of the best aromas I've come across lately. The palate was dense with flavor, but light as air. Lots of pear, lime, and lemons with an airy white floral tone. Acidity was off the charts too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chicago Wine Flock..."Wines that Bill B Loves" (goosefoot - Chicago IL): Served double blind, but easily identified as Loire Sauv Blanc because of a slip-up in the prior blind flint. Very powerful with great, fresh lemon and lime (fruit and zest) with chiseled minerality. Impressed with the layers and nuance already coming through so young.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice this one, an incredible grapefruit on the nose, it's medium to full bodied, salty e with a beautiful pureness, the final is fresh and quite long. I do liket it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner with the Jim's (Chez Simo Bistro): A beautiful, edgy sauvignon. Some really nice herbal tones, melons, and tropical fruits all with lots and lots of minerals. A long distance runner, it was fun checking in on this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bernard Burtschy dinner at Taberna del Alabardero (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Pop and pour, wet stone, mineral, clean white fruits. With only a bit of air, honey, mint, perfume and seashell. Beautiful cool and clean palate, lovely lemon zest in the finish. Bernard informed us that the wine is straight and I agree. There are a lot of different flavors but the expression is very linear. Lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consumed over three hours and the wine continued to evolve beautifully. I suspected the wine was somewhat shut down and opted to decant a quarter of the bottle. Initially consumed with a red wine braised oxtail which paired well because the acidity of the wine cut right through the rich elements of my appetizer. Thereafter, consumed with salmon. Very complex wine but it needs time. I enjoyed the wine in the decanter better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
One day, while chatting with La Beaugravière’s Chef Guy Jullien, I learned that I should look out for a Sancerre producer…named Vatan… whose cuvée, bottled with green wax and thinly labeled with a green band. Apparently this was to him one of the best French white wine out there… Six months later, while visiting Le Bon Marché’s new wine shop, I saw two of these bottles, left for 35€ each. With a consumerist reflex, I quickly grabbed them and put them in my cellar. Today, I wanted to give them a shot. So I went back to l’Huitrerie Regis, got myself some great #3 oysters and poped this beauty. At first, the wine was really chilled. Its robe was light, and its nose was beautifully showy on classical Loire’s notes. The rest showed perfectly but extremelly silently. At this point in time, I said to myself: “well, a very good wine.” But, hey!, that doesn’t worth such a long introduction! I let the wine get some degrees up, refine itself and show me what it got in its guts….and damn yeah, some guts it has! Its legs, interestingly getting fatter, revealed a great soundy nose, full of apple, “branches” and finished by some apricot. It mouth went from 2 dimensional to -more than 2- multidimentionl, offering layers of aromas kicking back in my mouth with a somptuous harmony. Those components need age to build up a more structured final, and when it will…wait for something really special! Ok…the score will look conservative as it’s “only a 95+”, but this was an awesome experience based on a simple tips given by a brilliant Chef from the Southern Rhone! (95+ points)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner at Palena (Palena - Washington, DC): It's hibernation time for the 2010 Vatan I think. While the nose is still incredible, the palate has really firmed up offering only hints of what I tasted over the summer. Will sit on the rest of my bottles for a while.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bottle of Pain dinner (Ibiza, New Haven, CT): Stunning as ever. High toned minty and herbal notes, a core of pure grapefruit flavours and a chalky mineral undercurrent all conveyed with amazing elegance, focus and a finish that never leaves. This is incredibly young right now and needs so much more time, but the balance, depth and purity here make it absolutely compelling.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Shows typically Vatan upfront with its steely profile that's intensely mineral with lemon and herbal notes. Surprising weight across the midpalate and, unfortunately, a bit unbalanced with the alcohol way too obvious. It's listed as 13.5%, but it definitely wasn't contained in this bottle. B+/B.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Slow-ox 1 hr, tasted over 3 hrs -translucent pale yellow -complex, white grapefruit, occasional whiff of tropical, floral -med+ acidity, power without weight, graceful mouthfeel, mod complexity, good length -great young Vatan wiith a lot of upside, big WIN!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2005 Burgundy Nite (Dino): Very different from the 2009. I imagine the alcohol must be lower, although I forgot to note the %, but in spite of that this comes across as the richer wine. The fruit flavors are deeper and the texture has an almost oily richness to it. The aromatics are pretty much as clean as can be with a scent that you could easily find in something from Bath & Body Works.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Celebrating Bob's birthday (Maude's Liquor Bar, Chicago IL): nose: loaded with crushed rocks and other mineral tones along with bits of fresh picked herbs, acacia flowers, and some flinty tones as well. Very good depth with some layering as well.
taste: medium/full bodied with very sharp medium/high acidity. The acidity is a bit overpowering currently, but beautiful tones of crushed rocks, minerals, fresh picked herbs, and flinty tones.
overall: This was a real experience. My first Vatan and it was a completely different sauvignon blanc experience than I've previously had.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bob's Birthday Dinner (Maude's Liquor Bar - Chicago, IL): I'm a firm believer that Edmond Vatan makes the best sauvignon blanc in the world, and this only helped strengthen my case. Explosive nose of dusty stones, dense herbs, lilies, and melon. Loved the palate too with great depth and weight - you'd hardly know you're drinking a sauvignon blanc. Despite the heft to the palate, I found the flavors elegant and nicely composed. Great florals and herbs continued to bombard my palate and the chalkiness was exotic. Great stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Giallo paglierino scarico riflessi verdolini, naso leggera sensazione solforosa, poi note minerali , pesca bianca ,fiori bianchi, camomilla, sambuco, sedanino in sottofondo. Bocca attacca minerale con leggera sensazione verde di foglia di pomodoro e sedano, bella acidità che supporta il corpo del vino. Ha una beva pericolosa in questa fase....
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still awesome. Just a thrilling wine; vivid minerality, minty herbal flavours and fresh fruit conveyed in a seamless package with tremendous precision and clarity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another excellent bottle. Vivid chalky mineral, herbal and minty seasonings around a core of fresh, slightly tart grapefruit flavours. There's wonderful cut, purity and balance here, and it's a thrilling wine to sit down with and follow over a few hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A really classic, layered Vatan; the same grapefruit, minty herbal and chalky flavours but conveyed with a greater sense of restraint, elegance and focus than in the last couple of vintages. There's lots of depth here, wonderful balance and it's a truly outstanding wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Incredible. Beautifully complex nose of cool mint, grapefruit, fresh herbs and florals. This was one of those wines that had incredibly powerful, exotic and layered flavors yet the wine seems as light as a feather. It's a winning combination for me and this vintage of Vatan nails it. It had expressive mineral tones, citrus and floral notes throughout the palate and seemed to have an electric current running through it. Flavors were precise, acidity was kicking - brilliant wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Small taste. Nose of minerals, herbs, almost an iodine quality, little grapefruit, Palate of white grapefruit, lemongrass, sea shells, little cream, herb. The finish was above average and a nice mouthfeel as well. Great bottle of vino, 91-92.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/6/2024 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 98 Points
VINTAGE 2010 Dinner (Galletto Ristorante, Modesto Ca.): Splash decanted then open in bottle for 4hrs...best bottle I've had to date! This wine was LOADED with exotics and crushed geology...huge citrus attack...ripe orchard and tropical fruits...banana skin ...exotics of quince paste, candied limes, lanolin wax, smoked herbs, wild honey...it was floral, it was salty, chalky...electric and SO fascinating! Was consensus white wotn, and my wotn in a company of a lot of great wines!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2023 - salil wrote: flawed
Smells like premoxed white Burgundy. BOO! (To confirm, I was booing, not saying Boo-urns.)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/15/2023 - acyso wrote: flawed
"I'm not having a glass of wine; I'm having six. It's called a tasting and it's classy." (Chicago, IL): This was one of our favourites from a Vatan vertical over five years ago, so I was incredibly excited to get to try this wine again. Unfortunately this bottle showed somewhat advanced, with a somewhat flaccid demeanor. Mostly, it reminds me of premoxed white Burgundy. A real shame as I had been waiting to revisit this bottle for years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2023 - hprphf wrote: flawed
Completely oxidized, quite sherry-like.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
5/28/2022 - paulst Likes this wine: 96 Points
Complex; lemon and melba with supporting acidity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2021 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Open in bottle for 2.5hrs...2 people thought if was corked, not on the nose, and not the musty kind, but on the palate and finish...seemed muted and "off" I guess? I, as well as others, couldn't for the life of us see it! Maybe less expressive than the last bottle I had 3yrs ago...but this was ALL crazy crushed geology...with zingy citrus cut of lemons and limes...sour green apple skin...exotics of quince paste, lanolin oil, fresh flowers and herbs. LOVE the chalky, salty crushed rocks in these wines...makes it so unique and special when integrated with the bright electric citrus. Maybe not the most exciting finish...mellow...some wet wool and sour apple...but I still dug it! A fascinating wine to drink throughout the night, as there is always something else you pick out with each small pour. And more pours for me, as the 'corked' guys were scaring people away! Such a fun drink!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
11/23/2021 - Benoit Hardy wrote: flawed
ox'ed :(
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/4/2021 - vespa110 wrote: 93 Points
Paglierino riflessi verdolini, naso profuma di fiori e frutta gialla con note minerali, poi vira su cenni tipo canfora e camomilla fino a virare a note di clorofilla. Bocca fresca, richiama il naso e lascia un finale pulito, leggermente diluito come intensità... non ha un allungo che pensavo avesse maturato.
Grazie Paolo ;)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2020 - ovenmitt wrote: 94 Points
Notes much the same as the last bottle. I broke my own warning and drank another bottle... this is so good and hard not to drink. The remaining bottle will last a lot longer - hands off!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/25/2020 - dcwino wrote: 89 Points
A small gathering with COVID safety measures at Bryan's (Undisclosed location in McLean, VA): Not premoxed but a bit awkward. Not terribly expressive nose, granny smith, pyrazine, honey, spicy spices and a hint of limestone. Good concentration, packed slightly coiled yellow fruit, medium acidity and mineral, and a medium long finish with pyrazine and honey at the end. Adam mentions that the bottle from three night ago was better. Not the wine that I would seek based on bottle variations.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2020 - paulst Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Oxidized; second bottle like this; sad.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/10/2020 - jpsm4444 wrote:
Rhyan at Hillstone with JP and Mark .
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2019 - ovenmitt wrote: 93 Points
Light golden, pale yellow. Nose is grapefruit, and stones, with other light citrus and a very interesting dark licorice note on the end. Very well balanced with great mineral fruit and acid. DO NOT DRINK REMAINING BOTTLES FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 5 YEARS..... Excellent juice.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2019 - Cote d'Or wrote:
6th Annual Wilson School Auction Tasting (A Wine Adventure): .
Tasted over 30 minutes
-translucent pale green-gold
-waxy, lanolin, grapefruit citrus
-med acidity, quinine mild oxidative notes grapefruit
-interesting this has some features similar to a BdB Champagne without bubbles, definitely not a typical profile for sauvignon blanc, unique
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:
Wining Around New York; 3/6/2019-3/10/2019 (Various Venues, New York): Light yellow. Reticent at first, then hay, flowers, and citrus-aromas unlike any other Sancerre. Medium weight, inimitable quininine and crushed stone through the mid-palate and finish. Grapefruit plus a more exotic fruit (guava?), brisk acidity though not as punishing as other younger vintages. Amazing length. A great, singular wine for its feel and flavor profile. Could easily see its 30th birthday in pristine shape.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/15/2018 - paulst Likes this wine: 91 Points
Austere with some lemon and light peach; some slate; acidity.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/18/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:
Spontaneous Mini-Paulée-Roumier, Rousseau, Raveneau... (Burgundy): That unique combination of stone and quinine with a deep core of acidity that makes this wine so different than any other Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Plus, with 8 years of age, some more flesh and glycerine around that core. This just cuts through the mouth. Singular wine that "out-Chablis-ed" some great Chablis we had today.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2018 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fu's Juge traveling road show (Clovis Ca.): The 11(my first) blew me away with that minerality; then the 09 was a hot alcoholic mess. Now this 10 gets me back to that Vatan magic! Intense citrus with the limes and lemons, the exotic tropical fruits...LOADED with insane chalky, salty, crushed rock, smoky geology...clean petrol, pretty blossom florals...purely balanced and precise. So much energy and tension, yet it manages to drink in super balance and focus. SO unique and interesting...a true joy to drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2018 - Nanda wrote: 97 Points
Vatan Vertical (TDS): Similar to the '08, this has fireworks in the nose with young, pure and vibrant green apple that goes on and on. This has richness and concentration with so much depth and length. A parade of fruit and minerals riding electric acidity. Great mineral crescendo in the finish. Wow. WOTN.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2018 - salil wrote: 95 Points
Vatan-a-thon at TDS (Chicago, IL): Easily my favorite of the whole night. This is absolutely stunning wine, with a combination of depth, precision, and balance I only find in the greatest white wines. It has the same classic Vatan flavours of tart citrus/green apple fruit, fresh mint, and chalky minerality (and a whole lot more), but what stands out here is the sense of purity and lightness on the palate, and the tension and focus that the acidity adds on the palate. This is already a jawdropping wine, and I can only imagine it getting better as this develops further.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2018 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Vatan (2002 rouge, 2004-12) (Chicago, IL): Probably my wine of the night. The nose has some flavours of Fuji apple, among many, many other things. It's one of the most intense and powerful of the wines tonight. There's so much to discover in this wine, with its minerality, fruit, acidity; really feels like the complete package. This is the wine I wish I had more of.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/11/2016 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Tasted over 3 hrs and day 2
-translucent pale gold/green
-grapefruit grass apple touch of waxy lanolin
-med/med+ acidity peeks in at the backend, lean and focused med- weight with sappy residue, bitter white grapefruit, good length; gains complexity and depth on day 2
-just barely starting to show some early signs of maturity on the nose more than palate, still very fresh; blossoms on day 2 - really could be magical over the next decade
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/16/2016 - tooch wrote: 95 Points
Dinner in Orlando (Robert's House): A very good showing. This is the 6th time having this wine and this was right up there with the best of them. Lots of depth, and complexity with a beautiful, airy, white floral note. Great white peach, & pear gave it some subtle tropical notes, and then there were the minerals. Razor sharp with a firmly acidic finish. The pinnacle of Sauvignon Blanc for me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2015 - galenico wrote: 90 Points
No so che vino abbiano bevuto gli utenti che hanno sparato punteggi così alti, nè tantomeno la cricca di Parker. A partire dall' etichetta che è inguardabile per tocco hippie-chic-trasandato-fintosemplice-ma-non-sono!
Da subito chiusissimo, ha bisogno di 2 ore di aria per liberare aromi molto cristallini e puri,da vero Sauvignon del freddo.
Anche in bocca poco spazio alla ruffianeria e all' esotismo, dimenticate i Sancerre fruttati e avvolgenti, qui siamo di fronte a un grande potenziale lirico, al momento inespresso.
Si avverte la pregevole fattura e l' armonia, ma è tutta una speranza....
Dimenticare in cantina
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/5/2015 - prufrocksabogado wrote: flawed
Corked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/13/2014 - salil wrote: 94 Points
A stunning bottle of Vatan Sancerre. It starts out as a mineral bomb, incredibly flinty and chalky on the palate, and with air tart grapefruit and other citrus flavours emerge, with other herbal and faint floral notes developing with more time. There's amazing depth here, great focus and lightness on the palate with a powerful acid spine beneath, and remarkable length. Vatan never fails to deliver.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2014 - cellarid wrote: 94 Points
Ridiculous with "air"
Leave lone now k
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/6/2014 - tooch wrote: 96 Points
Dinner at Browntrout (Browntrout - Chicago, IL): Unbelievable wine and the best 2010 Vatan Sancerre I've had to date. This was popped and poured and the floral and herbal aromas leaped out of the bottle. I didn't want to stop smelling this wine as it had one of the best aromas I've come across lately. The palate was dense with flavor, but light as air. Lots of pear, lime, and lemons with an airy white floral tone. Acidity was off the charts too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Chicago Wine Flock..."Wines that Bill B Loves" (goosefoot - Chicago IL): Served double blind, but easily identified as Loire Sauv Blanc because of a slip-up in the prior blind flint. Very powerful with great, fresh lemon and lime (fruit and zest) with chiseled minerality. Impressed with the layers and nuance already coming through so young.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2014 - Bogho wrote: 91 Points
Very nice this one, an incredible grapefruit on the nose, it's medium to full bodied, salty e with a beautiful pureness, the final is fresh and quite long. I do liket it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2014 - vespa110 wrote: flawed
Ultima bottiglia non apposto, pannosa molle, burro, peccato
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/12/2014 - Bogho wrote:
This bottle was rather strange, I'd bet on defective one. It smells of cheese and it lacks freshness.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2013 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Dinner with the Jim's (Chez Simo Bistro): A beautiful, edgy sauvignon. Some really nice herbal tones, melons, and tropical fruits all with lots and lots of minerals. A long distance runner, it was fun checking in on this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/1/2013 - dcwino wrote: 93 Points
Bernard Burtschy dinner at Taberna del Alabardero (Taberna del Alabardero, Washington D.C.): Pop and pour, wet stone, mineral, clean white fruits. With only a bit of air, honey, mint, perfume and seashell. Beautiful cool and clean palate, lovely lemon zest in the finish. Bernard informed us that the wine is straight and I agree. There are a lot of different flavors but the expression is very linear. Lovely wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2013 - vespa110 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Giallo paglierino scarico, naso molto chiuso, pompelmo rosa, sedano, minerale , bocca sapida, scattante nervosa, bellissimo finale cristallino...un vino che trasuda beva!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/4/2013 - raginbajan wrote: 95 Points
Consumed over three hours and the wine continued to evolve beautifully. I suspected the wine was somewhat shut down and opted to decant a quarter of the bottle. Initially consumed with a red wine braised oxtail which paired well because the acidity of the wine cut right through the rich elements of my appetizer. Thereafter, consumed with salmon. Very complex wine but it needs time. I enjoyed the wine in the decanter better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2013 - cr84 wrote: 95 Points
One day, while chatting with La Beaugravière’s Chef Guy Jullien, I learned that I should look out for a Sancerre producer…named Vatan… whose cuvée, bottled with green wax and thinly labeled with a green band. Apparently this was to him one of the best French white wine out there…
Six months later, while visiting Le Bon Marché’s new wine shop, I saw two of these bottles, left for 35€ each. With a consumerist reflex, I quickly grabbed them and put them in my cellar.
Today, I wanted to give them a shot. So I went back to l’Huitrerie Regis, got myself some great #3 oysters and poped this beauty.
At first, the wine was really chilled. Its robe was light, and its nose was beautifully showy on classical Loire’s notes. The rest showed perfectly but extremelly silently. At this point in time, I said to myself: “well, a very good wine.” But, hey!, that doesn’t worth such a long introduction!
I let the wine get some degrees up, refine itself and show me what it got in its guts….and damn yeah, some guts it has!
Its legs, interestingly getting fatter, revealed a great soundy nose, full of apple, “branches” and finished by some apricot. It mouth went from 2 dimensional to -more than 2- multidimentionl, offering layers of aromas kicking back in my mouth with a somptuous harmony. Those components need age to build up a more structured final, and when it will…wait for something really special!
Ok…the score will look conservative as it’s “only a 95+”, but this was an awesome experience based on a simple tips given by a brilliant Chef from the Southern Rhone! (95+ points)
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/19/2012 - tooch wrote: 91 Points
Dinner at Palena (Palena - Washington, DC): It's hibernation time for the 2010 Vatan I think. While the nose is still incredible, the palate has really firmed up offering only hints of what I tasted over the summer. Will sit on the rest of my bottles for a while.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2012 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Bottle of Pain dinner (Ibiza, New Haven, CT): Stunning as ever. High toned minty and herbal notes, a core of pure grapefruit flavours and a chalky mineral undercurrent all conveyed with amazing elegance, focus and a finish that never leaves. This is incredibly young right now and needs so much more time, but the balance, depth and purity here make it absolutely compelling.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2012 - BradKNYC wrote:
Shows typically Vatan upfront with its steely profile that's intensely mineral with lemon and herbal notes. Surprising weight across the midpalate and, unfortunately, a bit unbalanced with the alcohol way too obvious. It's listed as 13.5%, but it definitely wasn't contained in this bottle. B+/B.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2012 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Slow-ox 1 hr, tasted over 3 hrs
-translucent pale yellow
-complex, white grapefruit, occasional whiff of tropical, floral
-med+ acidity, power without weight, graceful mouthfeel, mod complexity, good length
-great young Vatan wiith a lot of upside, big WIN!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/26/2012 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 90 Points
2005 Burgundy Nite (Dino): Very different from the 2009. I imagine the alcohol must be lower, although I forgot to note the %, but in spite of that this comes across as the richer wine. The fruit flavors are deeper and the texture has an almost oily richness to it. The aromatics are pretty much as clean as can be with a scent that you could easily find in something from Bath & Body Works.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2012 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Celebrating Bob's birthday (Maude's Liquor Bar, Chicago IL): nose: loaded with crushed rocks and other mineral tones along with bits of fresh picked herbs, acacia flowers, and some flinty tones as well. Very good depth with some layering as well.
taste: medium/full bodied with very sharp medium/high acidity. The acidity is a bit overpowering currently, but beautiful tones of crushed rocks, minerals, fresh picked herbs, and flinty tones.
overall: This was a real experience. My first Vatan and it was a completely different sauvignon blanc experience than I've previously had.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2012 - tooch wrote: 93 Points
Bob's Birthday Dinner (Maude's Liquor Bar - Chicago, IL): I'm a firm believer that Edmond Vatan makes the best sauvignon blanc in the world, and this only helped strengthen my case. Explosive nose of dusty stones, dense herbs, lilies, and melon. Loved the palate too with great depth and weight - you'd hardly know you're drinking a sauvignon blanc. Despite the heft to the palate, I found the flavors elegant and nicely composed. Great florals and herbs continued to bombard my palate and the chalkiness was exotic. Great stuff.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/17/2012 - Jossik wrote:
Acidità spaventosa, ancora indietrissimo ma davvero molto molto buono
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2012 - vespa110 wrote: 91 Points
Giallo paglierino scarico riflessi verdolini, naso leggera sensazione solforosa, poi note minerali , pesca bianca ,fiori bianchi, camomilla, sambuco, sedanino in sottofondo. Bocca attacca minerale con leggera sensazione verde di foglia di pomodoro e sedano, bella acidità che supporta il corpo del vino. Ha una beva pericolosa in questa fase....
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2012 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Still awesome. Just a thrilling wine; vivid minerality, minty herbal flavours and fresh fruit conveyed in a seamless package with tremendous precision and clarity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/6/2012 - salil wrote: 93 Points
Another excellent bottle. Vivid chalky mineral, herbal and minty seasonings around a core of fresh, slightly tart grapefruit flavours. There's wonderful cut, purity and balance here, and it's a thrilling wine to sit down with and follow over a few hours.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2012 - salil wrote: 93 Points
A really classic, layered Vatan; the same grapefruit, minty herbal and chalky flavours but conveyed with a greater sense of restraint, elegance and focus than in the last couple of vintages. There's lots of depth here, wonderful balance and it's a truly outstanding wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2012 - tooch wrote: 95 Points
Incredible. Beautifully complex nose of cool mint, grapefruit, fresh herbs and florals. This was one of those wines that had incredibly powerful, exotic and layered flavors yet the wine seems as light as a feather. It's a winning combination for me and this vintage of Vatan nails it. It had expressive mineral tones, citrus and floral notes throughout the palate and seemed to have an electric current running through it. Flavors were precise, acidity was kicking - brilliant wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2012 - manonthemoon wrote: 92 Points
Small taste.
Nose of minerals, herbs, almost an iodine quality, little grapefruit,
Palate of white grapefruit, lemongrass, sea shells, little cream, herb.
The finish was above average and a nice mouthfeel as well.
Great bottle of vino, 91-92.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment