Wow! I was expecting to hate this wine and dump it down the drain, based on my prior experiences with this producer (prematurely oxidized and OTH has been my prior experience). I have to admit that at first whiff I wasn't sure I was going to like this, but first perception can sometimes be wrong! This is a strange and idiosyncratic wine, to be sure, and there is NO way that I would have called Sancerre on this. The nose offers up tart grapefruit and preserved lemon with only the very slightest hint of grassiness - and that likely only because I am trying hard to find it. Once one knows it is botrytised sauvignon blanc, it all makes sense. The acidity is obvious on the nose and comes through strong on the palate and is a great contrast to the botrytis. The flavor is like a mix of lemon/lime with grapefruit. This is REALLY tart with a great acidic cut, but it is palate coating, as well, and not at all austere. I keep going back for more. Really, really like this. Even better on day 2.
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Sebastien Riffault tasting at Red and White (Chicago, IL): The most sauvignon blanc-like wine of the flight (and it just seems in general that the 2008s show closest to the modern orthodoxy). Riper fruit and riper, but the expected green flavours make an appearance here. The natural wine flavours are less prominent here as well.
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Late-harvested Sauvignon Blanc, vinified dry and made from grapes (from a 30 yo vineyard) of which approx. 30% have contracted botrytis. The wine is aged for 36 months in old, neutral oak pièces of 228 liters and for another 12 months in bottles before release. Unfiltered. No sulfites employed at any point.
Quite cloudy, lemon-yellow color with moderately orange hue. Very pungent and quite overwhelming nose with heady yet still somewhat closed aromas of vegetal asparagus character, some lemony citrus fruits, a little bit of herbaceous grassy character and a hint of honeycomb. The wine is surprisingly fresh, light-bodied and quite tangy on the palate with flavors of sweet'n'sour lemon tones, ripe peach, some vegetal canned asparagus character, a little bit of saline tang, a hint of chalky mineral bitterness and a touch of honeyed richness. Overall the wine feels pretty structured with its high acidity. The finish is long, quite fresh and focused with flavors of stony minerality, herbal greenness, a little bit of canned asparagus, a hint of honeyed richness and a tart hint of lemon juice.
For a Riffault Sancerre, this wine is quite funky, but above all, surprisingly Sauvignon Blanc-y wine. Normally Riffault Sancerres are barely recognizable as Sauvignon Blancs, whereas this wine shows both typical Riffault "weirdness" and more classic, vegetal Sauvignon Blanc tones. I guess for most people this is a good thing, because the wine can be somewhat associated with the modern style of Sancerre. However, as I am less keen on the green, vegetal Sauvignon Blanc characteristics, I found this wine a bit less pleasant than the funkier and more atypically-Sauvignon Blanc-y Riffault wines. A weird but nice Sauvignon Blanc, but doesn't reach the level of the best wines of Riffault.
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Cloudy, unappealing appearance, looks like an unfiltered wheat beer. Weird nose at first, like pickled jalapenos and armpits. Canned beans and citrus blossoms? Benefits a lot from air, becoming more nectarine, gooseberry, honeyed, with only the faintest bit of bruised apple that hangs in the background but doesn't detract. A unusual juxtaposition of richness and ripeness with a peculiar mineral sense - like underripe lime on chalk. Much better cool rather than cold. Anyway, a nice surprise, and one that really challenges my palate and notions about "natural" winemaking. I'm sure there's tremendous bottle variation here, and this is presumably a good bottle, but I'd love to drink this again.
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What a difference two years makes. Or maybe the others were bad bottles? Either way, this was really unique and interesting and most importantly, Tasty! Went really well with pasta and vodka sauce last night. Crisp and acidic, with almost none of the bad apple cider taste. Strange wine.
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The wine is unfiltered and has a dull yellow golden colour.......fragrant slightly honeyed,mineral and hay/grassy nose....lean gooseberry,citric and flinty palate with steely acidity.Mouth developing long citric fruity finish which lasts for many minutes....lovely different Sancerre not your typical Savignon Blanc effort for this region.......I can almost imagine this wine receiving lees stirring to concentrate the flavours.......must try the other wines from this producer......wines for lovers of natural wines.......good wine but personally I would have liked to see it filtered and visually clean
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Looking at the notes, there must be a ton of bottle variation with this wine. I guess I had a lucky draw. I was prepared to taste something extremely funky, but instead got a wine which was friendly, focused and beautiful. This has clearly nothing in common with 99% of the sancerre out there. I poured a glass for my wife without telling her what it is and her first guess was Jura. This definitely tasted more like chardonnay and I thought it was a cross of Jura with maybe a touch of Chassagne delicacy. Flowers, honey and lime dominated a long mineral laden palate. I really thought it got better as it warmed up. This tastes young and should have a decent life in front of it. This is a really good Garagiste buy and I wish I had more.
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nose - wax/honeycomb mouth - quince, sour grapefruit, slightly oxidative but not as much as the nose suggested it might be. an attractive floral lift on the finish. I think this got quite a bit better as it warmed up.
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Hazy yellow gold(natural wine). Fully developed nose with herbal aromas, green tea, quince together with oxidative and mineral notes. Refreshing on palate with almost assertive acidity that lifts up body. Persistent aftertaste.
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Cloudy, pale yellow. Green tea, herbs, honey. A very sweet and interesting nose, quite atypical for a Sancerre or a sauvignon blanc in general. Medium-bodied, nicely balanced and long.
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'Natural Wines' tasting (Le Petit Sommelier restaurant Athens): I copy the notes from the last time I tasted the wine: The wine was slighlty cloudy and pale. Nothing wrong with the nose but ok, it's not your typical Sancerre. Nothing wrong with the nose apart from the fact that it's weird: herbaceouss, herbal and with floral honey at the same time, mineral tones, waxy, and appley. Palate with appley flavours and a smooth creamy texture reminiscent of a weiss beer. Slightly oxidative style but this is beautifully integrated. This time I enjoyed it more. The company seemed to like it a lot.
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'Natural Wines' tasting (Le Petit Sommelier restaurant Athens). Slightly cloudy. An odd nose as at first it doesn't remind me of a Sauvignon Blanc let alone a Sancerre. At first quite hoppy - blind you could think think was a light ale. Later I get some gooseberries, cat pee & grassy notes but with a honeyed edge. Very rich palate with a full body, granny smith apples & non descript herbs surrounding a savoury mineral core balanced by high acidity.
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After you got past the oxidative notes, there was very interesting underlying apricot fruit, with honey, minerals and searing acidity. Certainly more intellectual than pleasure driven, I found myself compelled by this wine.
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The wine was slighlty cloudy and pale. Nothing wrong with the nose but ok, it's not your typical Sancerre. Nothing wrong with the nose apart from the fact that it's weird: herbaceouss and with floral honey at the same time, mineral tones, waxy, and appley. Palate with appley flavours and a smooth creamy texture reminiscent of a weiss beer. Slightly oxidative style but this is beautifully integrated.
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There are a lot of negative comments about this wine below, and I am confused as this was a fantastic bottle of Sancerre. Wonderfully fragrant, well balanced and great acidity. Its a very good not great wine which demands food, with aromatics of baked apples yet quite flinty/mineral notes, then classic orange/lemon flavours with good biting acidity that would cut perfectly through pork rillettes. Very enjoyable!
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This was pretty nasty. I absolutely adored the last vintage of this that I tasted (2004 I think?) and bought a few of this vintage. It couldn't be more different. While the previous vintage was interesting, complex, yummy, and could pass as Sancerre, this is none of that. Nose of rotten apple cider. Better on the palate thanks to a high level of acidity. But simple, tastes of green apples. I will sit on my other bottle awhile as I can't imagine a situation where I would want to drink this. And who knows, maybe it will transmogrify into drinkable wine?
Edit: The wine was much improved on night 2. The dead/rotten apple spell blew off mostly. Still a very simple green apple taste and but at least it has sharp acidity. Now it could rank up there with your average super market plonk.
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Tasted at room temperature after glass decanting about 3 hours. Tropical fruit and candied apples on the nose, with some stone and floral notes, a just a bit of vanilla. Biting acidity on the palate with the same flavors as the nose. I really liked this.
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I must concur with previous postings, my first bottle of Akmenine had that sour apple flatness that others have written about (I poured out half the bottle). However, my second bottle is better -- reminds me of a Jura wine, and holds together much better than the first. So I decided to try it with some Swiss fromage, et voila! With Gruyere it's really quite pleasant ... Still can't rate it because it is so strange. I wonder whether extended bottle shock may have something to do with the weirdness. Will hold on to my 2 Auksinis for at least a year and hope for the best. I wish Jon had given a drinking window these, though.
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so disappointing since a previous vintage was one of my favorite whites ever. This had a strong apple cider smell when first opening that turned to oxidized (instant mashed potatoes) that was very off putting. Held half a bottle for 24 hours and the color went from dark gold to more of a dirty beige color. will hold the other two bottles for science, but have no real hope it will be any better.
Cloudy in the way that natural wines are. Rather golden in color with hints of oxidation on the nose but not veering on oxidized. Nose was bold and the chrysanthemum character was reminiscent of a Batard-Montrachet. Notes of cider too on the nose. Palate was quite concentrated and viscous yet with searing levels of acidity but perhaps not much precision. Definitely a food wine. Also notice that I did not refer to any Sauv Blanc character at all; it appears briefly at the finish. Intellectual.
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This bottle showed quite a bit better than the last, but I'm still not a convert. It doesn't speak to me of its grape or place, and what it does present doesn't move me.
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Cloudy, pale straw color. Nose is interesting, some saline, honey, maybe apricots, but on the palate all I can taste is apple juice that's just started turning into cider. Not especially mineral-y, finish fades quickly and leaves a lingering apple-y flavor. I'm not sure I like this. More as the evening progresses, maybe more air will help?
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OK, I violated the Rimmerman rule and opened one of these. Yes, it is oxidized. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and hold off on trying another one for a few months. If it wasn't travel shock, this is just way too hip for me. I love sous-voile Savagnin. This had none of the depth or mineral complexity those routinely show and had more of an apple-cider note that put me off. Here's to hoping it transforms itself. (A recent Cornelissen survived the journey much better.)
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Definitely "interesting". Initial mouth feel quite round, a little sweet, but offputting oxidation. Nice middle and finish, and the second glass was a bit better. Almost a bit of cider taste initially. Not your typical sancerre, and not really for me.
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Loire in de breedte - Dordtse wijnclub (Bij jeroen thuis, Dordrecht): "Appelsap"-troebel. Tja, wat moet ik hier van zeggen?! Vreemde chemische (en dat in bio-dynamische wijn :-) ) geur met wat appel, doet wat geoxideerd aan. In de smaak appel en gist, met wat bitterheid. Na een aantal uur een geur van appelmoes met yoghurt en smaak van melk dat een dag buiten de koeling staat. Vast heel goed voor het milieu, maar niet voor mij!
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The oxidative notes on the nose overwhelm all else. In the mouth, an enjoyable drink with Chenin like character as advertised, but hardly compelling. Hoping for some change over time, but not holding my breath. I'm just not that enthralled with oxidative whites, and if natural/biobuzzword wines are substantially more likely to end up like this, they will become an easy pass. Day 2: minimal change; the nose still more like apple cider and sherry than wine, and the palate is really interesting for about a glass and then gets tiresome. The finish has added a little grip, like powdered oyster shell. Ultimately just not what I'm looking for.
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I suspect the problem with these "hyper-natural" wines, like this one and the Tuderi, is that they either (a) don't travel well or (b) have off-the-charts bottle variation (both might be due to the low-sulphur natural winemaking?) In any case this wine had a nose of yeast and it just falls apart on the palate.. watery acid mineral juicewater. No finish whatsoever. I just can't imagine this is the "normal" state of this wine that would prompt Rimmerman from Garagiste to write of it as "a wine you will not easily forget".. I can only imagine this wine *should* have tasted somewhat like The Natural Process Alliance's '09 Sauvignon Blanc, which I find very enjoyable and unusual (a good thing.. amazing tertiary aromas), but there's a reason NPA only sells their wine within a 100 mile radius I guess.
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Largely agree with reviews of "grape juice" and "salil". Very unusual. Can't help but think that this isn't what the winemaker intended and that the wine is on the verge of turning into something that will taste worse than it does now. Still, for the adventurous, it's definitely worth trying.
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Alcohol : 13% Wow! What a nose! This is so special that hardly I will guess this is sauvignon blanc if its blind! Med golden color boost with cold perfumy nose of ripe white fruits, honey, spice, with mineral, nut, slight greenish and yeasty but with lots of freshness. Very fresh and lovely bright acidity entry, with underneath ripe fruits and herb for good balance that linger with citrus, spicy long mineral finish. This is nothing like NZ or Cal Sauv, a very stylish, character wine. Very interesting indeed and I like it a lot. Buy - Yes with its price
p/s: Note from Vincent that this wine will be gone if the serving temp at above 14deg.
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Really unusual stuff, well outside my frame of reference for Sauvignon Blanc. This is a sans soufre bottling, deep yellow in colour and quite cloudy with some yeast still visible in the bottle, and the aromatics are very un-Sauvignon-like - there are some bright grapefruit and faint tropical fruited flavours, but what stands out is the slightly oxidative flavour profile with elements of roasted nuts, beeswax and a yeasty overlay not unlike a fino sherry. Surprisingly fresh and precise in the mouth with bright acidity beneath the ripe fruit and a saline minerality on the back end. Really unusual, but very enjoyable and fascinating to explore with air.
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8/28/2019 - mdvino63 wrote: 92 Points
Wow! I was expecting to hate this wine and dump it down the drain, based on my prior experiences with this producer (prematurely oxidized and OTH has been my prior experience). I have to admit that at first whiff I wasn't sure I was going to like this, but first perception can sometimes be wrong! This is a strange and idiosyncratic wine, to be sure, and there is NO way that I would have called Sancerre on this. The nose offers up tart grapefruit and preserved lemon with only the very slightest hint of grassiness - and that likely only because I am trying hard to find it. Once one knows it is botrytised sauvignon blanc, it all makes sense. The acidity is obvious on the nose and comes through strong on the palate and is a great contrast to the botrytis. The flavor is like a mix of lemon/lime with grapefruit. This is REALLY tart with a great acidic cut, but it is palate coating, as well, and not at all austere. I keep going back for more. Really, really like this. Even better on day 2.
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11/25/2018 - John Nezlek wrote: 89 Points
Note: I use a scale on which 85 represent a very good wine.
Very nice bottle. Lots of interesting flavors, no signs of oxidization. Very well-balanced. No greenish flavors.
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12/4/2017 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Sebastien Riffault tasting at Red and White (Chicago, IL): The most sauvignon blanc-like wine of the flight (and it just seems in general that the 2008s show closest to the modern orthodoxy). Riper fruit and riper, but the expected green flavours make an appearance here. The natural wine flavours are less prominent here as well.
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9/10/2017 - fats1976 wrote: 86 Points
Strange nose, strange palate. Muddled, not crispness, weird acidity.
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11/12/2015 - forceberry wrote: 87 Points
Late-harvested Sauvignon Blanc, vinified dry and made from grapes (from a 30 yo vineyard) of which approx. 30% have contracted botrytis. The wine is aged for 36 months in old, neutral oak pièces of 228 liters and for another 12 months in bottles before release. Unfiltered. No sulfites employed at any point.
Quite cloudy, lemon-yellow color with moderately orange hue. Very pungent and quite overwhelming nose with heady yet still somewhat closed aromas of vegetal asparagus character, some lemony citrus fruits, a little bit of herbaceous grassy character and a hint of honeycomb. The wine is surprisingly fresh, light-bodied and quite tangy on the palate with flavors of sweet'n'sour lemon tones, ripe peach, some vegetal canned asparagus character, a little bit of saline tang, a hint of chalky mineral bitterness and a touch of honeyed richness. Overall the wine feels pretty structured with its high acidity. The finish is long, quite fresh and focused with flavors of stony minerality, herbal greenness, a little bit of canned asparagus, a hint of honeyed richness and a tart hint of lemon juice.
For a Riffault Sancerre, this wine is quite funky, but above all, surprisingly Sauvignon Blanc-y wine. Normally Riffault Sancerres are barely recognizable as Sauvignon Blancs, whereas this wine shows both typical Riffault "weirdness" and more classic, vegetal Sauvignon Blanc tones. I guess for most people this is a good thing, because the wine can be somewhat associated with the modern style of Sancerre. However, as I am less keen on the green, vegetal Sauvignon Blanc characteristics, I found this wine a bit less pleasant than the funkier and more atypically-Sauvignon Blanc-y Riffault wines. A weird but nice Sauvignon Blanc, but doesn't reach the level of the best wines of Riffault.
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11/22/2014 - John Nezlek wrote: 90 Points
Good bottle, not your typical Sancerre. Nothing too odd for me, although it was a bit off the beaten path -- can't be more specific sorry.
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1/22/2014 - andtheodor wrote:
Cloudy, unappealing appearance, looks like an unfiltered wheat beer. Weird nose at first, like pickled jalapenos and armpits. Canned beans and citrus blossoms? Benefits a lot from air, becoming more nectarine, gooseberry, honeyed, with only the faintest bit of bruised apple that hangs in the background but doesn't detract. A unusual juxtaposition of richness and ripeness with a peculiar mineral sense - like underripe lime on chalk. Much better cool rather than cold. Anyway, a nice surprise, and one that really challenges my palate and notions about "natural" winemaking. I'm sure there's tremendous bottle variation here, and this is presumably a good bottle, but I'd love to drink this again.
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6/27/2013 - tourette wrote: 91 Points
What a difference two years makes. Or maybe the others were bad bottles? Either way, this was really unique and interesting and most importantly, Tasty! Went really well with pasta and vodka sauce last night. Crisp and acidic, with almost none of the bad apple cider taste. Strange wine.
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8/18/2012 - CamWheeler wrote: 87 Points
Eurocentric Trade Tasting; 8/17/2012-8/18/2012: Cloudy coloured. Sweaty, apricot, chalk and minerals on the nose. Good length, cleaner on the palate with good acidity.
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7/14/2012 - nigec100 wrote: 90 Points
The wine is unfiltered and has a dull yellow golden colour.......fragrant slightly honeyed,mineral and hay/grassy nose....lean gooseberry,citric and flinty palate with steely acidity.Mouth developing long citric fruity finish which lasts for many minutes....lovely different Sancerre not your typical Savignon Blanc effort for this region.......I can almost imagine this wine receiving lees stirring to concentrate the flavours.......must try the other wines from this producer......wines for lovers of natural wines.......good wine but personally I would have liked to see it filtered and visually clean
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6/9/2012 - ikileo wrote:
Blind Tasting Group - 2nd Session (Orchard Parade Hotel - Tung Lok Classic): Cloudy looking wine.
Nose: Definite oxidative nose, chinese herbal tea (Hor Yan Hor), boiled potates and cider notes.
Taste: It was tart, oxidized and rather cidery.
Very interesting but not my favourite. Some debate whether this had been too oxidized. This is one hell of a weird Sancerre.
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3/20/2012 - pifcho wrote: 92 Points
Looking at the notes, there must be a ton of bottle variation with this wine. I guess I had a lucky draw. I was prepared to taste something extremely funky, but instead got a wine which was friendly, focused and beautiful. This has clearly nothing in common with 99% of the sancerre out there. I poured a glass for my wife without telling her what it is and her first guess was Jura. This definitely tasted more like chardonnay and I thought it was a cross of Jura with maybe a touch of Chassagne delicacy. Flowers, honey and lime dominated a long mineral laden palate. I really thought it got better as it warmed up. This tastes young and should have a decent life in front of it. This is a really good Garagiste buy and I wish I had more.
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3/19/2012 - soyhead wrote: 87 Points
nose - wax/honeycomb
mouth - quince, sour grapefruit, slightly oxidative but not as much as the nose suggested it might be. an attractive floral lift on the finish. I think this got quite a bit better as it warmed up.
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3/9/2012 - Dokken wrote: 89 Points
Hazy yellow gold(natural wine). Fully developed nose with herbal aromas, green tea, quince together with oxidative and mineral notes. Refreshing on palate with almost assertive acidity that lifts up body. Persistent aftertaste.
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3/8/2012 - Yiannis wrote: 90 Points
Cloudy, pale yellow. Green tea, herbs, honey. A very sweet and interesting nose, quite atypical for a Sancerre or a sauvignon blanc in general. Medium-bodied, nicely balanced and long.
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3/8/2012 - Stefanos T. wrote: 90 Points
'Natural Wines' tasting (Le Petit Sommelier restaurant Athens): I copy the notes from the last time I tasted the wine: The wine was slighlty cloudy and pale. Nothing wrong with the nose but ok, it's not your typical Sancerre. Nothing wrong with the nose apart from the fact that it's weird: herbaceouss, herbal and with floral honey at the same time, mineral tones, waxy, and appley. Palate with appley flavours and a smooth creamy texture reminiscent of a weiss beer. Slightly oxidative style but this is beautifully integrated. This time I enjoyed it more. The company seemed to like it a lot.
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3/7/2012 - KostaKats wrote: 90 Points
'Natural Wines' tasting (Le Petit Sommelier restaurant Athens). Slightly cloudy. An odd nose as at first it doesn't remind me of a Sauvignon Blanc let alone a Sancerre. At first quite hoppy - blind you could think think was a light ale. Later I get some gooseberries, cat pee & grassy notes but with a honeyed edge. Very rich palate with a full body, granny smith apples & non descript herbs surrounding a savoury mineral core balanced by high acidity.
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12/3/2011 - rmodak wrote: 90 Points
After you got past the oxidative notes, there was very interesting underlying apricot fruit, with honey, minerals and searing acidity. Certainly more intellectual than pleasure driven, I found myself compelled by this wine.
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11/27/2011 - Stefanos T. wrote: 89 Points
The wine was slighlty cloudy and pale. Nothing wrong with the nose but ok, it's not your typical Sancerre. Nothing wrong with the nose apart from the fact that it's weird: herbaceouss and with floral honey at the same time, mineral tones, waxy, and appley. Palate with appley flavours and a smooth creamy texture reminiscent of a weiss beer. Slightly oxidative style but this is beautifully integrated.
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11/24/2011 - esibox wrote: 89 Points
There are a lot of negative comments about this wine below, and I am confused as this was a fantastic bottle of Sancerre. Wonderfully fragrant, well balanced and great acidity. Its a very good not great wine which demands food, with aromatics of baked apples yet quite flinty/mineral notes, then classic orange/lemon flavours with good biting acidity that would cut perfectly through pork rillettes. Very enjoyable!
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10/25/2011 - hamiltoncd wrote:
consistent with my previous note, and still not for me. I suppose I "liked this better", but have no idea how to really evaluate.
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10/24/2011 - tourette wrote: 82 Points
This was pretty nasty. I absolutely adored the last vintage of this that I tasted (2004 I think?) and bought a few of this vintage. It couldn't be more different. While the previous vintage was interesting, complex, yummy, and could pass as Sancerre, this is none of that. Nose of rotten apple cider. Better on the palate thanks to a high level of acidity. But simple, tastes of green apples. I will sit on my other bottle awhile as I can't imagine a situation where I would want to drink this. And who knows, maybe it will transmogrify into drinkable wine?
Edit: The wine was much improved on night 2. The dead/rotten apple spell blew off mostly. Still a very simple green apple taste and but at least it has sharp acidity. Now it could rank up there with your average super market plonk.
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10/23/2011 - silton wrote: 86 Points
Similar to previous note.
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10/6/2011 - mmurry Likes this wine: 89 Points
Tasted at room temperature after glass decanting about 3 hours. Tropical fruit and candied apples on the nose, with some stone and floral notes, a just a bit of vanilla. Biting acidity on the palate with the same flavors as the nose. I really liked this.
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10/6/2011 - nysnootie wrote:
I must concur with previous postings, my first bottle of Akmenine had that sour apple flatness that others have written about (I poured out half the bottle). However, my second bottle is better -- reminds me of a Jura wine, and holds together much better than the first. So I decided to try it with some Swiss fromage, et voila! With Gruyere it's really quite pleasant ... Still can't rate it because it is so strange. I wonder whether extended bottle shock may have something to do with the weirdness. Will hold on to my 2 Auksinis for at least a year and hope for the best. I wish Jon had given a drinking window these, though.
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9/21/2011 - LikeABC wrote:
so disappointing since a previous vintage was one of my favorite whites ever. This had a strong apple cider smell when first opening that turned to oxidized (instant mashed potatoes) that was very off putting. Held half a bottle for 24 hours and the color went from dark gold to more of a dirty beige color. will hold the other two bottles for science, but have no real hope it will be any better.
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9/14/2011 - Dbrane wrote: 84 Points
Cloudy in the way that natural wines are. Rather golden in color with hints of oxidation on the nose but not veering on oxidized. Nose was bold and the chrysanthemum character was reminiscent of a Batard-Montrachet. Notes of cider too on the nose. Palate was quite concentrated and viscous yet with searing levels of acidity but perhaps not much precision. Definitely a food wine. Also notice that I did not refer to any Sauv Blanc character at all; it appears briefly at the finish. Intellectual.
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8/5/2011 - 14frimaire wrote:
Not sorry to see the last of these go.
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7/22/2011 - mtaczak wrote:
I'm still not convinced these survived the journey intact. Would not buy again, strong cider-y flavors and nose, not appealing at all.
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6/9/2011 - 14frimaire wrote:
This bottle showed quite a bit better than the last, but I'm still not a convert. It doesn't speak to me of its grape or place, and what it does present doesn't move me.
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5/7/2011 - mtaczak wrote:
Cloudy, pale straw color. Nose is interesting, some saline, honey, maybe apricots, but on the palate all I can taste is apple juice that's just started turning into cider. Not especially mineral-y, finish fades quickly and leaves a lingering apple-y flavor. I'm not sure I like this. More as the evening progresses, maybe more air will help?
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4/21/2011 - 14frimaire wrote:
OK, I violated the Rimmerman rule and opened one of these. Yes, it is oxidized. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and hold off on trying another one for a few months. If it wasn't travel shock, this is just way too hip for me. I love sous-voile Savagnin. This had none of the depth or mineral complexity those routinely show and had more of an apple-cider note that put me off. Here's to hoping it transforms itself. (A recent Cornelissen survived the journey much better.)
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4/17/2011 - Itriolo wrote:
It really does remind me of a semi-oxidized Savagnin from the Jura. Interesting and more-ish in a savory way, but completely atypical for Sancerre.
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3/25/2011 - hamiltoncd wrote: 84 Points
Definitely "interesting". Initial mouth feel quite round, a little sweet, but offputting oxidation. Nice middle and finish, and the second glass was a bit better. Almost a bit of cider taste initially.
Not your typical sancerre, and not really for me.
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3/14/2011 - Strikermax wrote: 80 Points
Loire in de breedte - Dordtse wijnclub (Bij jeroen thuis, Dordrecht): "Appelsap"-troebel.
Tja, wat moet ik hier van zeggen?! Vreemde chemische (en dat in bio-dynamische wijn :-) ) geur met wat appel, doet wat geoxideerd aan. In de smaak appel en gist, met wat bitterheid.
Na een aantal uur een geur van appelmoes met yoghurt en smaak van melk dat een dag buiten de koeling staat. Vast heel goed voor het milieu, maar niet voor mij!
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2/16/2011 - silton wrote: 87 Points
The oxidative notes on the nose overwhelm all else. In the mouth, an enjoyable drink with Chenin like character as advertised, but hardly compelling. Hoping for some change over time, but not holding my breath. I'm just not that enthralled with oxidative whites, and if natural/biobuzzword wines are substantially more likely to end up like this, they will become an easy pass. Day 2: minimal change; the nose still more like apple cider and sherry than wine, and the palate is really interesting for about a glass and then gets tiresome. The finish has added a little grip, like powdered oyster shell. Ultimately just not what I'm looking for.
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2/13/2011 - imalone wrote:
I suspect the problem with these "hyper-natural" wines, like this one and the Tuderi, is that they either (a) don't travel well or (b) have off-the-charts bottle variation (both might be due to the low-sulphur natural winemaking?) In any case this wine had a nose of yeast and it just falls apart on the palate.. watery acid mineral juicewater. No finish whatsoever. I just can't imagine this is the "normal" state of this wine that would prompt Rimmerman from Garagiste to write of it as "a wine you will not easily forget".. I can only imagine this wine *should* have tasted somewhat like The Natural Process Alliance's '09 Sauvignon Blanc, which I find very enjoyable and unusual (a good thing.. amazing tertiary aromas), but there's a reason NPA only sells their wine within a 100 mile radius I guess.
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1/29/2011 - le fouloir wrote: 89 Points
Largely agree with reviews of "grape juice" and "salil". Very unusual. Can't help but think that this isn't what the winemaker intended and that the wine is on the verge of turning into something that will taste worse than it does now. Still, for the adventurous, it's definitely worth trying.
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12/12/2010 - TT87 wrote:
rugbrød, surdej, bagt æble. samme træk som auksinis
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8/12/2010 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Alcohol : 13%
Wow! What a nose! This is so special that hardly I will guess this is sauvignon blanc if its blind! Med golden color boost with cold perfumy nose of ripe white fruits, honey, spice, with mineral, nut, slight greenish and yeasty but with lots of freshness. Very fresh and lovely bright acidity entry, with underneath ripe fruits and herb for good balance that linger with citrus, spicy long mineral finish. This is nothing like NZ or Cal Sauv, a very stylish, character wine. Very interesting indeed and I like it a lot. Buy - Yes with its price
p/s: Note from Vincent that this wine will be gone if the serving temp at above 14deg.
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8/12/2010 - salil wrote: 91 Points
Really unusual stuff, well outside my frame of reference for Sauvignon Blanc. This is a sans soufre bottling, deep yellow in colour and quite cloudy with some yeast still visible in the bottle, and the aromatics are very un-Sauvignon-like - there are some bright grapefruit and faint tropical fruited flavours, but what stands out is the slightly oxidative flavour profile with elements of roasted nuts, beeswax and a yeasty overlay not unlike a fino sherry. Surprisingly fresh and precise in the mouth with bright acidity beneath the ripe fruit and a saline minerality on the back end. Really unusual, but very enjoyable and fascinating to explore with air.
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