Over the course of per week, I style a bunch of wine, normally with associates, and nearly at all times with my spouse. Listed below are a few of the wines we tasted over the previous few weeks. These are wines that had been not despatched as samples—normally, I really paid for these wines (though just a few have been given as presents).
2019 Domaine Cherrier Père et fils Sancerre Les 7 Hommes, Loire Valley, France: Retail $50. Accountable Bottle (559g; 19.7oz). DIAM3. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. I final popped this over a yr in the past and I’ve now had six of the eight bottles I bought. As I’ve acknowledged numerous instances, I don’t like Sauvignon Blanc; Sancerre is 100% Sauvignon Blanc; I like Sancerre. As Yoda would possibly say: “A conundrum certainly that is.” However, it is a conundrum simply solved: the Sauvignon from Sancerre is often wealthy, layered, and creamy, removed from the harsher, tarter, and extra acerbic Sauvignons from nearly all over the place else. This five-year-old iteration of the perfect Sauvignons on the planet is reserved, for certain, but in addition improbable. Strong fruit, balancing acidity, wealthy, multi-faceted, and complicated, this won’t attraction to deep adherents to the range, however for me? That is on a path to the perfect of the style. Glorious. 92 Factors.
2017 Georges Dubœuf Juliénas Château des Capitans, Beaujolais, Burgundy, France: Retail $20. Accountable Bottle (568g; 20oz). 100% Gamay. I used to be in search of a DuBœuf Chardonnay and I believed this was it. Flawed. Moron. Oh nicely, that ought to not distract from this wine, which is stellar. Since I believed this was a white, I chilled this for a bit and that was absolutely the proper name. Darkish fruit, a little bit of earth, a mineral notice. Glorious. The palate is gorgeous, even improbable with equal components black fruit and tarty goodness. Very near a whoa. Glorious. 92 Factors.
2012 Weingut Knoll Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Loibenberg, Wachau, Austria: Retail $55. Heavy Bottle (615g; 21.6oz). Beneath cork. I purchased this over a decade in the past on a visit to the Wachau with my spouse (she actually wished to go to Vienna as an alternative, however…). There was completely nothing open within the area on that day (everybody was closed in preparation for the upcoming competition), however Anja Knoll, (spouse of winemaker Emmerich) welcomed us into her eating room for a “fast” tasting (it lasted nearly three hours). Golden, for certain, in colour with wealthy honeyed notes of ripe pear and lemon rind, this actually comes off as an “older” white earlier than even the primary sip. And that’s simply high quality with me. The palate can also be wealthy, creamy, layered, and viscous–not like any Grüner I’ve had beforehand. It’s not as tart as different wines constructed from the range, however additionally it is way more advanced, inflicting me to pause, reassess, and redefine my thought of “Grüner Veltliner”. I think about for true devotees of the range, this would possibly verge on sacrilege, however for wine lovers and geeks like me, that is nothing wanting revelatory. Whoa^2. Excellent. 96 Factors.
2017 Goulin Roualet Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée Sous Bois, France: Retail $130. Extraordinarily Heavy Bottle (890g; 31.3oz). 50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay. Vinified and aged in oak barrels. There was a time, not too terribly way back when all wines made in champagne had been vinified and aged in oak. The appearance of the stainless-steel, temperature-controlled tank modified all of that, nevertheless, because the vinification course of may very well be extra regulated and measured. There are just a few outliers that stay, nevertheless, so once I noticed this pop up on Final Bubbles for $65, I jumped regardless that it was fairly a bit above my consolation zone price-wise. Properly. No complaints right here. In any respect. Previous yellow and on to golden in colour with a high quality and fervent sparkle within the glass. The nostril is shy, however largely tree fruit, a contact of nutty oxidation, and loads of yeasty autolytic goodness. Yowza. Tart, nutty, yeasty, and loaded with a baked apple vibe, that is fairly gangbusters. The palate is advanced, layered, and loaded with depth, this wine lasts for near ever on the palate and that may be a good factor. An excellent factor. Whoa. Excellent. 95 Factors.
NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut, France: Retail $45. Extraordinarily Heavy Bottle (830g; 29.2oz). 50-55% Pinot Noir, 20-25% Pinot Meunier, 15-20% Chardonnay with 10-20% Reserve wines. When this went on sale at my native H-E-B for $32, I stocked up as this has at all times been a favourite. Yeasty, citrusy, beautiful on the nostril, with a straw colour with a barely golden hue, there are delicate, but persistent streams of bubbles, seeking to escape after their years of captivity. The palate is crisp, recent, fruity, yeasty, and scrumptious. Additionally it is a tad drier than earlier iterations I’ve consumed with utter glee. I ponder if (comparatively) new chef-de-cave Émilien Boutillat, when he changed the legend Régis Camus in 2019, dialed again the dosage only a bit? I suppose I should get some extra and see (sure, I may do some on-line analysis, however the place is the enjoyable in that?). Glorious. 91 Factors.
NV Villebois Crémant de Loire Brut, France: RRetail $20. Very Heavy Bottle (763g; 26.8oz). 60% Chenin Blanc, 35% Chardonnay, 5% Cabernet Franc. Now we have had just a few bottles of this wine now, and I’m actually stepping into it. Positive, the important notes stay the identical (gentle and vigorous with loads of tree fruit and tartness, it is a improbable go-to for when my spouse’s mother and father drop in), however I believe I’m going to must bump it up a notch. Very Good. 89 Factors.
WINE OF THE WEEK: This week, it got here down to 2 wines in deciding on the Wine of the Week: the 2012 Knoll Grüner Veltliner and the 2017 Goulin Roualet Champagne. I opted for the previous for one easy motive: once I pulled the Goulin Roualet, I didn’t understand that it was a classic champagne, not to mention a comparatively current classic at that. And I felt silly as I ought to have held onto it for no less than a number of extra years. Deciding on it could solely underscore my stupidity. I believe. Clearly, I’m not good sufficient to know. Don’t get me unsuitable, the 2012 Knoll Grüner Veltliner was an unbelievable wine (and I’ve one other bottle), and it introduced again a fond reminiscence, one the place I used to be not silly and solely angered my spouse barely. So yeah, an excellent factor.
What was/had been your Wine(s) of the Week?
