Berserkers,
Here’s a quick note on an underrated style of sweet wine. Everybody is familiar with Vouvrays and Domaine Huet in particular (and for good reason) but I don’t really see anybody posting on Coteaux du Layon here. It’s a Chenin Blanc based sweet wine but unlike Vouvray is clearly targeted at being a sweet wine. It doesn’t get anywhere near the love it deserves which is surprising because it has all the characteristics wine lovers go crazy over other than the sweetness. Chaume is a specific village in the Coteaux du Layon region.
DOMAINE DU PETIT METRIS 2009 CHAUME
OVERALL: A complex sweet wine that but for the sweetness has all the characteristics of a fine French table wine. This is a sweet wine for Burgundy lovers.
The wine is a brownish gold color in the glass indicating some maderization has occurred. Lots of honey and quince on the nose. The body is between light and medium despite the high sweetness which gives the wine a pleasant feel. 12% ABV. A somewhat intense sweetness almost covers up a very strong mineral backbone that reminds me of white Burgundy. You can definitely sense some terroir to the wine. Sweet flavors of white peaches, quince and honey. There’s a slight touch of acidity though nobody will ever mistake this for German or Alsacian Riesling. This would be an achievement at half the sweetness level. As it is, it’s still pretty good but be aware that it’s about icewine level sweet. Far sweeter than a typical late harvest wine for sure. This is the sweet wine for Burgundy lovers. My choice of glass in the pictures is not an accident. RECOMMENDED but varies on your own personal taste for sweet wines. If 120-170 g/L of RS is too much for your tastes, I strongly recommend you go with a Moulin Touchais or a Domaine Huet Moelleux (~70-80 g/L RS) or Demi-Sec (~35-50 g/L RS) instead.
Added bonus – the Vinolok closures fit on this bottle as well.
