TN: Dom.Pelican Arbois Savagnin Ouille '14..(short/boring)

WINE TALK
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Saw this at EastBayWine when I was out there and wanted to try it:

  1. Domaine du Pelican AC: Arbois Savagnin Ouille (12.5%) Marquis d’Angerville/Montigny-Les-Arsures/Jura 2014: Med.yellow color; strong toasted marshmallows some stony/mineral bit burnt popcorn some mango/floral/melony quite aromatic lovely nose w/ no flor yeast character; quite tart/tangy/grapefruity some stony/mineral/metallic beautiful floral/mango/melony rich/lush toasted marshmallow/slight burnt popcorn very interesting/complex flavor; very long/lingering some floral/melony/mango bit toasted marshmallow/burnt popcorn complex rich/lush finish; a beautiful expression of a modern/non-traditional Savagnin wines; tastes like a Jura wine made by a WhiteBurgundy producer w/ plenty of subtle/toasty oak. $50.00 (EBW)

A wee BloodyPulpit:

  1. The Savagnin grape is found mostly in the Jura in the French Alps. It is related in some way to the Traminer grape that originated near Tramin in Trentino. It has an unstable genome and is thought to have mutated as it made its journey into the Jura. Not sure what DNA has to say on Savagnin/Traminer.
    Most of the Jura Savagnin is made “sous voile”, in untopped barrel that form a flor yeast scum on the surface. These are the slightly oxidative/traditional wines from this region. More often now, these are being made in the “ouille” style in which the barrels are kept fully topped and no oxidation is allowed. JonBonne has a good discussion on these Jura wines:
    Bonne/JuraWines
    Over the last few yrs, a number of Burgundy producers have gone into the Jura, driven there by cheaper land prices and using some of the old vnyds there.
  1. EastBayWines is one of my favorite shops in the EastBay area. Always lots of interesting wines I can’t live without, many of them “natural”. Small/funky but very friendly store right on LakeMerritt.
    Tom
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Thanks, Tom. Haven’t dipped into the '14s yet, but the '12s are drinking beautifully. That touch of oak has integrated nicely and the wine is just singing. We discovered this as of the '12 vintage and have been buyers ever since. A very useful wine, great with food and on its own. We’ve found it for well under $50 with a bit of looking and patience.

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Tom, do you perhaps mean Bay Grape? Not aware of a store called East Bay Wines. If Bay Grape, agree that they do a nice job. And close by Ordinaire, another winner.

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i thought the 14 chardonnay and 15 poulsard were both terrible considering the price. have yet to try the savagnin but doubt i will. way over oaked…
besides the countless tried and true jura producers who are offering faithful examples at a fraction of the cost, julien labet (who trained at ramonet) is producing some of the most elegant and refined wines in the region and frankly is charging perhaps a bit too small of a price for what is in the bottle.

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Doh…of course I mean BayGrape, Jim. Brain fart there.
And I usually hit up Brian’s Wines on Piedmont. Didn’t make it to Ordinaire this trip.
Did stop by VintageBerkeley to meet Dan, who facilitates my OliverMcCrum orders.
And have heard good things about Minimo, but didn’t make it by. Maybe in July.
Tom

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Tom, next time you’ll be in Oakland with a free night, let’s set up an offline. I’m pretty sure I’ve got at least one California producer in my cellar that you didn’t follow from the very start…