Shared by a very generous mentor, was under vacuvin for a day.
Pretty interesting and singular wine. Nose showed a hint of grass but it was dense and layered, maybe with some waxy character to it. The palate had density and coiling and weight with a slightly oily texture. The finish had supple minerality.
Have to say I am a big Sauv Blanc fan and I've never had one like this. It is certainly singular. Very grateful to have tasted this as a reference point. Can only imagine what this was as a fresh bottle.
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Dîner de Noël des anciens C&S (Restaurant Bagatelle): Nez qui nous faisait hésiter chenin ou sauvignon...Un vin frais, d'une belle densité, avec une texture noble et une finale ample, précise. Très bon, il pâlit toutefois face aux deux suivants, n'ayant pas la même concentration peut-être en raison du millésime plus léger. 92 pts
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Tasted over 3 hrs and day 2, bottle from secondary market -translucent light/med gold with green -restrained faint white fruit floral -med acidity, med/med- weight with generous viscosity that greases the rail for a delivery of sappy mineral grapefruit pith intensity on the backend with a tangy long finish, with additional air gets more complex with some floral elements quinine and the faintest hint of oxidation otherwise no overt maturity; still lovely long elegant and complex on day 2 -really quite interesting and lovely, has evolved considerably in 8 years but in no way tired in fact this may still have some additional upside
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Aerated for an hour in advance (and I wish I had given it even more time). Dull medium yellow. Subdued aromatics at first, then gradually a wee bit of herbs and grapefruit. Remarkably little green and no Sauvignon pungency whatsoever. Medium body that starts out with some glycerine sheen but ends lean and stony. Neutral flavors on the attack before white grapefruit, huge acidity, and minerality kick in midway through all the way to the finish. At 13/14 years of age (Happy almost New Year!), it is crystalline and still coiled, a true freak of the white wine universe. This could go on for another 20 years. Completely unlike any other Sancerre. A truly great, unique wine but only if you are seeking geologic gratification rather than raging fruit.
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Light straw colored, delightfully fresh-looking. From the bottle, not fresh but still youthful; not yielding much flavor or aroma at first, as you would find in a still-young Neore or Clisson Muscadet. Intimations of very fine acidity and complex depth with small sips. With aeration, these features are more pronounced, and the wine gets more exciting. Reminds me of Ponsot 2004 Aligoté Mont Luisant, more than anything else I've tasted.
I was much relieved by this bottle: the last one I opened (about half a year ago) was a maderized mess, and I have four more after this one. I read somewhere the Neore takes 20 years to reveal itself, and I can believe it after this bottle. Good as it is, tho, I can't wrap my lobes around the $300 price you find for this vintage - with intervening vintages at $350. Maybe I'll see the light in another seven years; otherwise, give me a Raveneau Chablis or Corton Charlemagne, if we're shopping in that price range.
Magical wine. Popped and poured. 1/2 bottle served in burgundy glasses at lunch @ Cordeillan Bages. Rest of bottle will follow on the first course in the eve zing. Not sure how to rate it but a not-so-technical approach to a 95 sounds about right. Robe has golden reflects tinted with shades of green; burnt underwood and apple nose. Bitter notes at the start in mouth which mellowed into beautifully elegant butter halfway in. Marvellous acidity enquiring depth. Can’t wait to see it again in the evening, followed by an aged Cote Rôtie.
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La robe commence à se dorer. Le vin est d’abord assez mutique et ne s’exprime que difficilement en se réchauffant et avec une agitation vigoureuse. On sent la puissance, le vin est large et riche. Mais probablement à attendre.
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Esta es la última añada que Edmond vatan elaboró de su Clos de La Neore así que da no poca tristeza saber que sus precisas elaboraciones cada vez van siendo más escasas. Tampoco he probado los vinos que elabora su hija siguiendo sus huellas y tal vez sean fieles a las manos del maestro. De color dorado, comienza algo cerrado, incluso hay algún toque reductivo y unos marcados toques minerales. La reducción desaparece para mostrar notas de frutal tropical jugosa pero también matices de hierba fresca recién cortada, con profundidad y notable complejidad. En boca hay sensaciones de vainilla, muy buenos amargos, excelente acidez, largo y con una magnífica definición.
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Dinner at MingHin (Chicago, IL): This is a wine that has always shown a little waxy to me, and this was no exception. A slight bit of volatility here that I didn't like (nor did I get a chance to revisit this bottle, so I don't know if it blew off). Very high toned, but plenty of acidity on the palate too.
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Vatan Vertical (TDS): Gorgeous nose is big and rich with orchard fruit and grass/hay notes. The palate follows suit with bigger, rounder fruit that is matched by racy, powerful acids. Great medley of mineral, white fruit and hay. Terrific.
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Vatan-a-thon at TDS (Chicago, IL): This has not changed much since my notes from 2012. Still a lovely wine, incredibly fresh and vibrant with superb balance though perhaps slightly overshadowed in comparison to the 2008 alongside.
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Vatan (2002 rouge, 2004-12) (Chicago, IL): This is the first wine where I found a little touch of sauvignon blanc grassiness on the palate. But that's all held in check by the ripe elements here. There's an almondy note that pokes out here as well, but unlike so many other aldehydic elements in wine, this one doesn't seem to be bitter.
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Still a baby at age 10. Very pale with a greenish tinge. Complex fruit and minerality are hinted, not shouted. Acidity is held very much in restraint. Will allow my only other bottle 5 years to develop full expression. Potentially (94).
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Un nez citronné qui m'évoquait spontanément un riesling ... Belle pureté, c'est sec, frais, de belle longueur, c'est fin et élégant. Pas le plus long, mais c'est large et salin, un pur délice. 92-93 pts
Beaucoup mieux que ma dernière expérience.
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Quelle curiosité... je crois qu'à l'aveugle j'aurais parié sur un grûner veltliner de la wachau... Il ne ressemble à aucun sancerre que j'ai pu boire. C'est citroné et assez vert/végétal au nez - mais pas le végétal herbacé du sauvignon - avec un beau volume en bouche et une finale avec une fine amertume, très curieux, mais bon
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This is totally in the zone. Added some heft with air. Beautiful floral nose. Citrus lemon, lime, grapefruit with mint. little bit of wooliness revealed itself after time. Drink up. This is in a very good spot
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Looking for best Sauvignon blanc: So very clean and almost steely after all the rich Dagueneau wines we had. Nettle on the nose, flinty character, like a 1er Cru Chablis. Lots of tart green apple, juicy and saliva inducing, but underripe. Give it time.
Souper Pango à Montréal (Restaurant Tandem): Le nez me paraissait un brin fatigué. La bouche est droite et fait très Sancerre, d'une année moins riche que d'autres, ce qui m'a fait dire 2007. C'est minéral, salin, avec un arôme étrange en finale que j'avais du mal à définir (salin-mouillé dit Michel, pas fou). J'ai trouvé qu'il manquait un peu de dimension, mais c'est bon. 89-90 pts
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Any remaining angularity has been smoothed over the past couple of years. Demure, elegant, perfectly balanced. The perfect expression of Sauvignon Blanc- one of the best whites we've consumed this year.
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Finally settling into maturity, and a glorious maturity it will be. Compared to the ordinary Sancerre, like Domingo compared to your local church choir soloist. Wierd in youth, all over the place, a gangling adolescent, but now settling down for 20 years of profundity. Every element of great Sancerre is chiseled, etched, raised to the third power -- cubed, as it were.
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This wine is clean and, with air, at cool room temperature, nicely intense, showing iodine and seaweed, along with plenty of acidity. Doesn't wow, however, and it's hard to understand the $100+ price tag I see attached in the market today. Perhaps it needs more time to reveal its glory.
February Rotating Wine Dinner (Mon Ami Gabi - Chicago, IL): Decanted for 2 hours before dinner. I had high hopes for this wine, but it was muted to me. Had the floral, airiness on the nose that I was looking for, but the palate was firm and only showing some bright citrus tones. Just didn't have the second or third level of complexity I usually hope for with Vatan's sacnerres.
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My favourites by Luis Gutierrez (plus private dinner at La Piperna) (Vila Viniteca - Madrid): Metallic and austere. Mineral? Weeeeell, admitting every absurd of this world, why not?. A bit of artificial chicken soup too. Creamy texture but biodynamic or matural way leve this bottle. It isn't for me. Not in this moment. I wonder how much marketing is on this brand. The real thing, gurus, seemed to love this wine. Probably I am wrong again, don't I? People's choice but as one of the poorer elections of the nite.
Metálica y austera. ¿Mineral? Bueeeno, admitamos pulpo como animal de compañía pero no. Un poquito de Avecrem incluso. Textura cremosa pero la biodinámica, la naturalidad no prevalecen. No para mi. No en este momento. Me pregunto cuánto marketing tiene. A los gurús pareció satisfacerles. Seguro que de nuevo estoy equivicado, verdad? Vino elegido por el pueblo como uno de los peores de la cata.
Opened for 1 hour Served @ 57 F in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stems Clear with medium yellow lemon color, Nose medium intensity, dominated by citrus, floral perfume, and minerals. Palate was dry, medium high acid, huge concentration with a medium body and very nice long finish. Required a good hour air time to open.. One of the best Sancerres I have ever tasted Outstanding
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Light yellow. Herbs but very little in the way that shouts "Sauvignon" on the nose. Lean, angular, light and amazingly powerful with great acidity and a huge dusting of stone at the end. I also get a bit of quinine that I've picked up before in Vatan. This is almost more like a really brisk Muscadet-only very late does it pick up a little musky grapefruit pith. I must say that there is Sancerre, and then there is Clos la Neore. It is unique even in this Kimmeridgian appellation, and it rivals the most uncompromisingly stony wines I have had from any region in the world.
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Tasted this 2007 Vatan Close la Néore shortly after 1983 Coulée de Serrant, which did not show the Vatan to its advantage. It was almost impenetrable, by nose and tongue, no fruit, no smoke. However, after a 50-mile drive home the next day, and by the fourth day open, the remaining Vatan itself had opened sufficiently to show its promise if not its almost inevitable glory. This will be wonderful in time to come, though it will probably not last as long as the aforementioned '83 Coulée de Serrant, which had not yet attained the honey of the lately drunk 1981 but was superior to that one nonetheless and had the aroma of an old Burgundy, the color of (sorry) post-marathon urine, and a finish that lasted longer than the grin it inspired. The '83 Coulée de Serrant was the wine of the night, which included (among the reds) a 1948 Latour and a 1978 Mouton Rothschild. It should drink well for another twenty years.
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I have enjoyed this wine since release, and it keeps getting better and better. Remarkably fresh nose is packed with fruits (asian pear, apple, kiwi, mango, cantaloupe, and fresh pineapple), complimented by intense, concentrated, elements of custard (lemon custard, key lime pie, etc) and a fascinating essence of basil/anise oil. I grew up near an alpine environment and I keep smelling high altitude floral elements with a distinct stoniness: the ultimate "fresh air" sense of purity. Great balance on palate with a laser-like precision of acid. Great wine.
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PopnPour, tasted over 3 hrs and Day 2 -translucent light-med gold -waxy, creamy lemon -med acidity, some herbal/floral complexity, great minerality -very good, this bottle not as complex or interesting as either the 2005 or 2010
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Initially served a bit too cool, this blossomed after opening. Lemon and grapefruit on the nose. Complex palate of crushed limestone and citrus. There is an interesting richness in this that only emerges after extended opening. A terrific introduction to classic Sancerre.
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Various Wines @ Salil's (Vernon, CT): A bit closed on the nose, but the palate provides a clean, citric and mineral dusted experience. Initially tight, but this took to air like a fish to water, slowly unwinding and providing increasing pleasure. Lean, svelt and a touch of herbs (mint?).
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Weekend drinks at my place (Vernon, CT): Another stunning wine from Vatan; a core of fresh citrus fruits tinged with fresh herbs and a vivid stony and chalky minerality. There's that sense of purity and lightness here that Vatan always seems to show, fantastic balance and it's incredibly refreshing.
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Pale light straw. White pepper, crushed rock and a hint of green mango. The wine really expands in mouth to coat palette with high acid mineral delight. Long finish. Fantastic sauvignon blanc.
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intially lots of anise, oddly, but with time opening up and morphing more into a very rich and deep Sancerre. Great purity and clarity, with a paradoxical richness with focus and transparency. Huge minerlaity and fantastic depth here. I suspect there is much to follow in this wine. Very young and with a bright future. 93+ pts
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Tightly wound initially, but this opens out with some air to show a lovely scent of pale white fruits and grapefruit flecked with minerals and light herbal accents. Very light, gentle and understated, the flavours don't hit you at once but slowly unravel with time with really good precision and a long, expansive finish.
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Young, young, young! Really not showing much, but I've had great experience with holding Vatans for a few years. That's what I'll do with the rest of these.
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My first bottle was corked; this one had wine stains up 3/4 of the cork... I'm more than a bit worried for the rest of my case. Anyway, this wine... Much less intense than the '06; but the wine tends to hit on the lower end of the register with savory notes and the ubiquitous minerals. There's something slightly hollow/watery about the otherwise nice finish. While good, I'll try to open another bottle within a year or so, as this has not convinced me like the '06 did.
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Absolutely delicious. Popped and poured. At first was tight - showing rocks but not a lot of heft. So, decanted for 1/2 hour. With air, this wine came to life. This is all about minerality, with a luscious mouthfeel great weight and balance. Nice acidity, but not overwhelmingly tart. Very dry, but with subtle fruit on top of the wonderful stones. This is a singular wine.
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4/3/2024 - Rbhan12 wrote:
Shared by a very generous mentor, was under vacuvin for a day.
Pretty interesting and singular wine. Nose showed a hint of grass but it was dense and layered, maybe with some waxy character to it. The palate had density and coiling and weight with a slightly oily texture. The finish had supple minerality.
Have to say I am a big Sauv Blanc fan and I've never had one like this. It is certainly singular. Very grateful to have tasted this as a reference point. Can only imagine what this was as a fresh bottle.
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3/6/2024 - Floral wrote: flawed
This was a complete nothing-burger. Hugely confusing given the reputation here.
Some faint grass and orchard fruit, no one was home.
Could this have been that shut down? Low level TCA stripping the joy? Will assume it was defective.
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3/20/2023 - tooch wrote: flawed
Slightly corked.
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12/16/2022 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Dîner de Noël des anciens C&S (Restaurant Bagatelle): Nez qui nous faisait hésiter chenin ou sauvignon...Un vin frais, d'une
belle densité, avec une texture noble et une finale ample, précise. Très bon, il pâlit toutefois face aux deux suivants, n'ayant pas la même concentration peut-être en raison du millésime plus léger. 92 pts
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6/4/2021 - Cote d'Or Likes this wine:
Tasted over 3 hrs and day 2, bottle from secondary market
-translucent light/med gold with green
-restrained faint white fruit floral
-med acidity, med/med- weight with generous viscosity that greases the rail for a delivery of sappy mineral grapefruit pith intensity on the backend with a tangy long finish, with additional air gets more complex with some floral elements quinine and the faintest hint of oxidation otherwise no overt maturity; still lovely long elegant and complex on day 2
-really quite interesting and lovely, has evolved considerably in 8 years but in no way tired in fact this may still have some additional upside
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12/30/2020 - drwine2001 wrote:
Aerated for an hour in advance (and I wish I had given it even more time). Dull medium yellow. Subdued aromatics at first, then gradually a wee bit of herbs and grapefruit. Remarkably little green and no Sauvignon pungency whatsoever. Medium body that starts out with some glycerine sheen but ends lean and stony. Neutral flavors on the attack before white grapefruit, huge acidity, and minerality kick in midway through all the way to the finish. At 13/14 years of age (Happy almost New Year!), it is crystalline and still coiled, a true freak of the white wine universe. This could go on for another 20 years. Completely unlike any other Sancerre. A truly great, unique wine but only if you are seeking geologic gratification rather than raging fruit.
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7/21/2020 - fitzi wrote:
Light straw colored, delightfully fresh-looking. From the bottle, not fresh but still youthful; not yielding much flavor or aroma at first, as you would find in a still-young Neore or Clisson Muscadet. Intimations of very fine acidity and complex depth with small sips. With aeration, these features are more pronounced, and the wine gets more exciting. Reminds me of Ponsot 2004 Aligoté Mont Luisant, more than anything else I've tasted.
I was much relieved by this bottle: the last one I opened (about half a year ago) was a maderized mess, and I have four more after this one. I read somewhere the Neore takes 20 years to reveal itself, and I can believe it after this bottle. Good as it is, tho, I can't wrap my lobes around the $300 price you find for this vintage - with intervening vintages at $350. Maybe I'll see the light in another seven years; otherwise, give me a Raveneau Chablis or Corton Charlemagne, if we're shopping in that price range.
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8/9/2019 - Neuneuil Likes this wine: 95 Points
Magical wine. Popped and poured. 1/2 bottle served in burgundy glasses at lunch @ Cordeillan Bages. Rest of bottle will follow on the first course in the eve zing.
Not sure how to rate it but a not-so-technical approach to a 95 sounds about right.
Robe has golden reflects tinted with shades of green; burnt underwood and apple nose. Bitter notes at the start in mouth which mellowed into beautifully elegant butter halfway in. Marvellous acidity enquiring depth. Can’t wait to see it again in the evening, followed by an aged Cote Rôtie.
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2/21/2019 - Beachfan wrote: flawed
Corked
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2/19/2019 - THT wrote:
La robe commence à se dorer. Le vin est d’abord assez mutique et ne s’exprime que difficilement en se réchauffant et avec une agitation vigoureuse. On sent la puissance, le vin est large et riche. Mais probablement à attendre.
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10/19/2018 - PacoHigon Likes this wine:
Esta es la última añada que Edmond vatan elaboró de su Clos de La Neore así que da no poca tristeza saber que sus precisas elaboraciones cada vez van siendo más escasas. Tampoco he probado los vinos que elabora su hija siguiendo sus huellas y tal vez sean fieles a las manos del maestro. De color dorado, comienza algo cerrado, incluso hay algún toque reductivo y unos marcados toques minerales. La reducción desaparece para mostrar notas de frutal tropical jugosa pero también matices de hierba fresca recién cortada, con profundidad y notable complejidad. En boca hay sensaciones de vainilla, muy buenos amargos, excelente acidez, largo y con una magnífica definición.
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8/1/2018 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at MingHin (Chicago, IL): This is a wine that has always shown a little waxy to me, and this was no exception. A slight bit of volatility here that I didn't like (nor did I get a chance to revisit this bottle, so I don't know if it blew off). Very high toned, but plenty of acidity on the palate too.
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1/31/2018 - collin wrote:
This is just super ripe; fruit comes across as tropical- like mangoes in a freshly mown lawn. Delicious, but definitely idiosyncratic
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1/21/2018 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Vatan Vertical (TDS): Gorgeous nose is big and rich with orchard fruit and grass/hay notes. The palate follows suit with bigger, rounder fruit that is matched by racy, powerful acids. Great medley of mineral, white fruit and hay. Terrific.
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1/21/2018 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Vatan-a-thon at TDS (Chicago, IL): This has not changed much since my notes from 2012. Still a lovely wine, incredibly fresh and vibrant with superb balance though perhaps slightly overshadowed in comparison to the 2008 alongside.
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1/21/2018 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Vatan (2002 rouge, 2004-12) (Chicago, IL): This is the first wine where I found a little touch of sauvignon blanc grassiness on the palate. But that's all held in check by the ripe elements here. There's an almondy note that pokes out here as well, but unlike so many other aldehydic elements in wine, this one doesn't seem to be bitter.
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9/18/2017 - Vinomane Likes this wine:
Still a baby at age 10. Very pale with a greenish tinge. Complex fruit and minerality are hinted, not shouted. Acidity is held very much in restraint. Will allow my only other bottle 5 years to develop full expression. Potentially (94).
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6/29/2017 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Un nez citronné qui m'évoquait spontanément un riesling ...
Belle pureté, c'est sec, frais, de belle longueur, c'est fin et élégant. Pas le plus long, mais c'est large et salin, un pur délice. 92-93 pts
Beaucoup mieux que ma dernière expérience.
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3/26/2017 - sebastienjm wrote: 91 Points
Quelle curiosité... je crois qu'à l'aveugle j'aurais parié sur un grûner veltliner de la wachau... Il ne ressemble à aucun sancerre que j'ai pu boire. C'est citroné et assez vert/végétal au nez - mais pas le végétal herbacé du sauvignon - avec un beau volume en bouche et une finale avec une fine amertume, très curieux, mais bon
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1/20/2017 - Nick4378 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is totally in the zone. Added some heft with air. Beautiful floral nose. Citrus lemon, lime, grapefruit with mint. little bit of wooliness revealed itself after time. Drink up. This is in a very good spot
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11/2/2016 - gblacave wrote: flawed
DOA. VA dominated with a weird sweet characteristic. Unfortunate.
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7/4/2016 - AV2012 wrote: 92 Points
Looking for best Sauvignon blanc: So very clean and almost steely after all the rich Dagueneau wines we had. Nettle on the nose, flinty character, like a 1er Cru Chablis. Lots of tart green apple, juicy and saliva inducing, but underripe. Give it time.
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10/27/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 89 Points
Souper Pango à Montréal (Restaurant Tandem): Le nez me paraissait un brin fatigué. La bouche est droite et fait très Sancerre, d'une année moins riche que d'autres, ce qui m'a fait dire 2007. C'est minéral, salin, avec un arôme étrange en finale que j'avais du mal à définir (salin-mouillé dit Michel, pas fou). J'ai trouvé qu'il manquait un peu de dimension, mais c'est bon. 89-90 pts
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8/1/2015 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 95 Points
Any remaining angularity has been smoothed over the past couple of years. Demure, elegant, perfectly balanced. The perfect expression of Sauvignon Blanc- one of the best whites we've consumed this year.
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7/14/2015 - Vinomane Likes this wine: 93 Points
Finally settling into maturity, and a glorious maturity it will be. Compared to the ordinary Sancerre, like Domingo compared to your local church choir soloist. Wierd in youth, all over the place, a gangling adolescent, but now settling down for 20 years of profundity. Every element of great Sancerre is chiseled, etched, raised to the third power -- cubed, as it were.
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5/25/2015 - fitzi wrote:
This wine is clean and, with air, at cool room temperature, nicely intense, showing iodine and seaweed, along with plenty of acidity. Doesn't wow, however, and it's hard to understand the $100+ price tag I see attached in the market today. Perhaps it needs more time to reveal its glory.
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2/21/2015 - ehodin Likes this wine: 94 Points
A truly great Sancerre, which, in my book means a truly great white wine - wish I had more than the 1 remaining bottle
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2/16/2015 - tooch wrote: 87 Points
February Rotating Wine Dinner (Mon Ami Gabi - Chicago, IL): Decanted for 2 hours before dinner. I had high hopes for this wine, but it was muted to me. Had the floral, airiness on the nose that I was looking for, but the palate was firm and only showing some bright citrus tones. Just didn't have the second or third level of complexity I usually hope for with Vatan's sacnerres.
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1/20/2015 - Harley1199 wrote:
My favourites by Luis Gutierrez (plus private dinner at La Piperna) (Vila Viniteca - Madrid): Metallic and austere. Mineral? Weeeeell, admitting every absurd of this world, why not?. A bit of artificial chicken soup too.
Creamy texture but biodynamic or matural way leve this bottle. It isn't for me. Not in this moment.
I wonder how much marketing is on this brand. The real thing, gurus, seemed to love this wine. Probably I am wrong again, don't I? People's choice but as one of the poorer elections of the nite.
Metálica y austera. ¿Mineral? Bueeeno, admitamos pulpo como animal de compañía pero no. Un poquito
de Avecrem incluso.
Textura cremosa pero la biodinámica, la naturalidad no prevalecen. No para mi. No en este momento.
Me pregunto cuánto marketing tiene. A los gurús pareció satisfacerles. Seguro que de nuevo estoy equivicado, verdad? Vino elegido por el pueblo como uno de los peores de la cata.
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12/16/2014 - profiler54 wrote: 95 Points
Opened for 1 hour Served @ 57 F in Riedel Vinum Bordeaux stems Clear with medium yellow lemon color, Nose medium intensity, dominated by citrus, floral perfume, and minerals. Palate was dry, medium high acid, huge concentration with a medium body and very nice long finish. Required a good hour air time to open.. One of the best Sancerres I have ever tasted Outstanding
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12/7/2014 - drwine2001 wrote:
Light yellow. Herbs but very little in the way that shouts "Sauvignon" on the nose. Lean, angular, light and amazingly powerful with great acidity and a huge dusting of stone at the end. I also get a bit of quinine that I've picked up before in Vatan. This is almost more like a really brisk Muscadet-only very late does it pick up a little musky grapefruit pith. I must say that there is Sancerre, and then there is Clos la Neore. It is unique even in this Kimmeridgian appellation, and it rivals the most uncompromisingly stony wines I have had from any region in the world.
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8/9/2014 - jamesdlandis wrote: 89 Points
Tasted this 2007 Vatan Close la Néore shortly after 1983 Coulée de Serrant, which did not show the Vatan to its advantage. It was almost impenetrable, by nose and tongue, no fruit, no smoke. However, after a 50-mile drive home the next day, and by the fourth day open, the remaining Vatan itself had opened sufficiently to show its promise if not its almost inevitable glory. This will be wonderful in time to come, though it will probably not last as long as the aforementioned '83 Coulée de Serrant, which had not yet attained the honey of the lately drunk 1981 but was superior to that one nonetheless and had the aroma of an old Burgundy, the color of (sorry) post-marathon urine, and a finish that lasted longer than the grin it inspired. The '83 Coulée de Serrant was the wine of the night, which included (among the reds) a 1948 Latour and a 1978 Mouton Rothschild. It should drink well for another twenty years.
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4/28/2014 - gordoyflaca wrote: 95 Points
This is amazing. snowflowers, peachpulp, baking spices, melonrind, limepeel, kiwi, every taste a new scent
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6/16/2013 - Brandon Sparks-Gillis Likes this wine:
I have enjoyed this wine since release, and it keeps getting better and better. Remarkably fresh nose is packed with fruits (asian pear, apple, kiwi, mango, cantaloupe, and fresh pineapple), complimented by intense, concentrated, elements of custard (lemon custard, key lime pie, etc) and a fascinating essence of basil/anise oil. I grew up near an alpine environment and I keep smelling high altitude floral elements with a distinct stoniness: the ultimate "fresh air" sense of purity. Great balance on palate with a laser-like precision of acid. Great wine.
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3/17/2013 - Cote d'Or Likes this wine:
PopnPour, tasted over 3 hrs and Day 2
-translucent light-med gold
-waxy, creamy lemon
-med acidity, some herbal/floral complexity, great minerality
-very good, this bottle not as complex or interesting as either the 2005 or 2010
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9/2/2012 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 92 Points
Initially served a bit too cool, this blossomed after opening. Lemon and grapefruit on the nose. Complex palate of crushed limestone and citrus. There is an interesting richness in this that only emerges after extended opening. A terrific introduction to classic Sancerre.
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6/24/2012 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Various Wines @ Salil's (Vernon, CT): A bit closed on the nose, but the palate provides a clean, citric and mineral dusted experience. Initially tight, but this took to air like a fish to water, slowly unwinding and providing increasing pleasure. Lean, svelt and a touch of herbs (mint?).
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6/24/2012 - salil wrote: 92 Points
Weekend drinks at my place (Vernon, CT): Another stunning wine from Vatan; a core of fresh citrus fruits tinged with fresh herbs and a vivid stony and chalky minerality. There's that sense of purity and lightness here that Vatan always seems to show, fantastic balance and it's incredibly refreshing.
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6/23/2012 - indiscriminate palate wrote:
Long overdue short notes from Salil's (Vernon): Closed nose with a bit of heat that took some time to open. Very lean and steely.
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6/23/2012 - BobJohnson1 wrote:
Pale light straw. White pepper, crushed rock and a hint of green mango. The wine really expands in mouth to coat palette with high acid mineral delight. Long finish. Fantastic sauvignon blanc.
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4/30/2011 - Oruor wrote:
It is really nice, but not outstanding. I guess the limited production makes it so speciall. Mineralic, quite austere, crispy and delightfull wine.
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2/5/2011 - cct wrote: 93 Points
intially lots of anise, oddly, but with time opening up and morphing more into a very rich and deep Sancerre. Great purity and clarity, with a paradoxical richness with focus and transparency. Huge minerlaity and fantastic depth here. I suspect there is much to follow in this wine. Very young and with a bright future. 93+ pts
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7/23/2010 - MJHDC wrote:
Still young, hold
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4/8/2010 - salil wrote: 91 Points
Tightly wound initially, but this opens out with some air to show a lovely scent of pale white fruits and grapefruit flecked with minerals and light herbal accents. Very light, gentle and understated, the flavours don't hit you at once but slowly unravel with time with really good precision and a long, expansive finish.
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3/17/2010 - Sterling Minor Likes this wine: 92 Points
At 50 degrees this has sumptuous flavor. Clean. Not complex, yet.
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3/4/2010 - j45 wrote:
Another great bottle with more fruit, mint/menthol and citrus fruit coming to the fore.
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2/9/2010 - joe d wrote:
Young, young, young! Really not showing much, but I've had great experience with holding Vatans for a few years. That's what I'll do with the rest of these.
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1/5/2010 - j45 wrote:
Delicious and even chalkier and more minerally on the second day.
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12/8/2009 - collin wrote:
My first bottle was corked; this one had wine stains up 3/4 of the cork... I'm more than a bit worried for the rest of my case. Anyway, this wine... Much less intense than the '06; but the wine tends to hit on the lower end of the register with savory notes and the ubiquitous minerals. There's something slightly hollow/watery about the otherwise nice finish. While good, I'll try to open another bottle within a year or so, as this has not convinced me like the '06 did.
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10/7/2009 - j45 wrote:
Minty/menthol, a bit disjointed; needs time.
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9/7/2009 - jwsmith wrote: 88 Points
Not much to this wine, it did put on a little weight over the past 6 months.
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4/27/2009 - herberto wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely delicious. Popped and poured. At first was tight - showing rocks but not a lot of heft. So, decanted for 1/2 hour. With air, this wine came to life. This is all about minerality, with a luscious mouthfeel great weight and balance. Nice acidity, but not overwhelmingly tart. Very dry, but with subtle fruit on top of the wonderful stones. This is a singular wine.
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