2013 Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny Clos de L'Echelier

Community Tasting Notes (12) Avg Score: 89.2 points

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  8/23/2023 - BiancoG Likes this wine: 89 Points

  5th bottle out of 6. Very primary but in a fruit-forward (think raspberries and blueberries) sort of way. Tannins a bit grippy, still monodimensional like a filtered wine of old but you gotta hand it to this guy, he makes fresh and lively juice even out of unpromising raw materials. abv 12,5% which while unsurprising given the season I do appreciate.

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  11/20/2022 - BiancoG Likes this wine: 89 Points

  fragrant nose of cherries and fresh lavender, smooth on the palate with a refreshing jolt at the end ending not so much with a smear - the tannins are beginning to melt - but a lovely pop. This is entering secondary zone, and it’s all the better for it. Consumed with a meatloaf simmered in a simple tomato sauce -

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  5/16/2022 - BiancoG wrote: 89 Points

  is this finally opening up? Open and floral to the nose, aromas of dried herbs (oregano, thyme). I even sense the graininess of the tannins, as if the wall of bitterness is beginning to disintegrate or better, thaw. the first two bottles had the mouthfeel of a white wine. this is different. is the 'ice' beginning to crack and reveal the structure underneath? I don't think the 2013s of this will ever be as charming as other vintages, still I look forward to seeing how my three remaining bottles evolve.

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  5/2/2022 - BiancoG Does not like this wine: 86 Points

  Same as the first bottle. I admire the 'courage' to release this 'as is', not that it would be commercially viable to skip a vintage. I am giving it an extra point as this is a 9yo wine after all — at least it's not dead or past its peak. Will it ever turn a corner though?

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  4/16/2022 - BiancoG Does not like this wine: 85 Points

  Dilute, green, and short. Ok with rich, buttery food, but this felt a bit like a chore. Not much improvement on Day 2.

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View all 12 Community Tasting Notes

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