This was one of the first wines I tasted that struck me as delicious and complex at the same time. As you can see, I went a bit over-board with the tasting notes. I recently got my hands on a few magnums of the same wine and couldn’t resist revisiting it. Overall it seems way lighter in structure and body than I recall, and more subdued. The acidity seems less clean/lactic and more tart/malic. I’m not sure what differences are due to my palate changing as opposed to the wine itself aging.
Any thoughts from those with experience with this type of wine? What’s the typical age progression for a Loire Cab Franc?
Today’s note:
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1996 Joël Taluau Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil (2/28/2015)
Bottle 62175695 (magnum), 1st Coravin. (note: in the future, decant. After reading that I double-decanted this back in 2008, I wonder whether we did a disservice to the wine by not decanting).
Light-to-medium garnet, slightly cloudy, bright, with a fully clear meniscus. Some light bricking. I expected more, given the 750 I opened in '08 had noticeable bricking as well. I wonder if the color aging is slowed because this is in magnum?
The nose took a bit of time to open up (we should have decanted). Initial nose of dried sour cherries, freshly cut bell-pepper, dried leaves, forest floor, and some pure cherry tones at the core. After some time more stewed bell peppers emerged, along with fleeting, shifting glimpses of black raspberry and wild blueberries, more earth tones and a light savory/umami undertone. The nose is different than I remember, softer, leaner, softer.
In the mouth, this is light-bodied, with medium+ acidity (tart, malic), medium tannins (still grippy - a bit grainy) and low alcohol. Low intensity, low extraction, but beautifully balanced with strong acidity and earth and cherries on the finish. It’s speaking softly, but saying interesting things. It’s also a bit of a memory, though different than I recall. I remember it as deeper, more intense. Given the fruit, acidity, and tannins, this may go many years more - the fruit isn’t fully tertiary yet, and maybe more savory and earthy notes will emerge.
I have a hard time grading this objectively. It’s not extracted and polished like the 95 Pavie Macquin, but it has more on the palate than the Pavie, and it’s a lovely reminder of one of my first significant tasting experiences (I tasted this same vintage back in 2008).
If wine could talk, this would say: “Hey, remember me? I’m still here. Slow down and listen. I’ve got a few new things to say.” Light, yet complex. Not overwhelmingly delicious, but beautiful and interesting. (I wonder if it would have gotten better had we properly decanted?). I’m looking forward to checking in with this in the future.
Score: Around 9. (92 pts.)
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From 2008 (can you tell I’m pretty new to wine?):
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1996 Joël Taluau Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil (3/26/2008)
In brief:
This is an extraordinary wine. Currently in perfect balance and harmony. Double-decant for an hour before drinking.
In full:
In honor of Gary Vaynerchuk’s request for WBW 44, I chose a cab franc from a region I have not tried before, at a higher price point than I’m used to, and with more age on it than any wine I’ve had before.
1996 Jöel Taluau St.-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil AOC, Vieilles Vignes, 12.5%, $35 at the Princeton Corkscrew.
This is an extraordinary wine.
When the longish cork was halfway out, I caught a whiff of vinegar and panicked. Fortunately there was no such smell after the cork was out. An unmistakeable tone of green pyrazine wafted from the neck of the bottle, giving me pause. The green bell-pepper tone was not something I enjoyed in the two Cab Francs I’ve had before, and I was hoping that this wine would be pyrazine-free.
Anyhow, I went ahead with double-decanting, observing a nice ring of fine sediment around the bottom of the bottle. Some hints of Salvadorean tamales and stewed bell peppers emerged. Even with the greenness, it smelled delicious. Like a delicate stew broth. I was torn: On one hand, I didn’t like the green tones. On the other - my mouth was watering!
First Tasting, 40 minutes after decanting:
The color is a lovely peachy-orange-purple, which shows textbook signs of age at the rim and in the body. Very much what I’d expect from Michael Broadbent’s color charts.
(Aside: N1-N4 refer to four different ways of smelling (“nosing”) the wine. N1 is gentle, extended sniff of the still wine surface. N2 is a deep inhalation above the still surface. N3 is a gentle sniff after a swirl. N4 is a deep inhalation after a swirl. )
N1 evokes mint, cut wood, bell-peppers, and hints of tobacco, all with an undertone of ripe fruit. N2 suggests olives and wood, with some fruit. N3 mostly reveals pyrazine, with some menthol tones. Although there are earthy tones in the nose, there is no “barnyard” - this is a clean wine.
On the palate this wine is completely captivating. Dry and medium-bodied with beautiful, refreshing acidity and a gripping tannin structure that suggests several more years of life. The midpalate has spicy suggestions of sweet jalapeno candy, which transitions into a somewhat bitter finish, all the while framed with flutterings of unmistakeably ripe fruit. A 91-point wine.
As I tasted again, the nose revealed cinnamon and herbal tones, with woody strawberries and raspberries.
Second Tasting, 80 minutes after decanting:
The aromas have bloomed into a bouquet of finely stewed bell peppers/jalapenos seamlessly interwoven with black raspberries (N1). Some volatile acidity is present, with hints of BBQ-sauce sweetness, and slight carmelization (N2). So RIPE! Yet with none of the raisiny characteristics that bother me about over-ripened wines. Ripened to such perfection that the pyrazines don’t bother me. N3: I’m drooling. Lusciously gentle yet clear fruit blooms voluminously on the midpalate. Unique yet… strangely comforting. Reminds me of the first time I played an ivory-keyed piano - it seemed warmer to the touch, immediately set my fingertips at ease. The feel was so beautiful, and strangely familiar. There are also hints of dusty earth, but so clean! Grass, pomegranates, warm hillsides drenched in sunlight, clear tones of Black raspberry, plum, warm rocks in the sun, I don’t want to stop smelling this. N4: A little earth, some charred/tobacco tones.
Palate: SO MUCH FRUIT! Charming cassis acidity, rich green, brown wood tones, hints of malt on the midpalate (but totally dry). The acidity has many shades to it – it’s not so much a razor, as a multifaceted gem rolling around on your tongue! In context of the wine’s flavor structure, the acidity is the bridge between initially warmer fruit tones (strawberries, black raspberries) and a brief but crytal-clear cassis tone in the midpalate. Suggestions of orange and spice, a little bitterness on the finish, but I LOVE it! It’s like bitter cinnamon tea, or bitter green tea – a rich bitterness. Perfectly elegant tannins. True finesse. Hard not to swallow this - like imbibing a deep-blue petaled flower of exquisite beauty and aroma. Mild tertiary scents of roasting chicken skins, basil, cloves. On the latter part of the midpalate - a soft but distinct spiciness.
This wine is focused and intense. After opening up for a bit, it has completely won me over. Extraordinary. 97-RA. Pairing: I feel it would be a crime to pair anything with this wine except some clean water and neutral bread. The wine is a complete experience in itself. (95 pts.)
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