Patrick Corbineau - Touraine 1989
Still young and vibrant.
Fallen leaves, red berries, tobacco, slight brett and pepper.
Solid acidity and nice fruity core. Still a good red ruby red color with little sediments. Such a good bottle and while less complex it’s somehow more alive than the 1989 Lenoir I had last autumn.
Yes, tasted it multiple times, absolutely beautiful wine!
I had to generate a certain turnover to score a Loire unicorn , so I loaded up on La Porte St Jean. A win win situation!
A new entry level Cabernet Franc. A touch lighter than the bigger siblings. A typical CF profile with tart red fruit, herbs, spices. Good acidity, a trace of brett and funk. Gets better and better with air.
And what was the unicorn? 
But thanks for the note. Was curious about these new additions.
Richard Leroy Les Noëls de Montbenault 2021,
for a normal price
Yannick Amirault - Pavillon du Grand Clos - Bourgueil 2005
I think I mentioned this in a thread a few months ago, as the wine I was most looking forward to opening this year. Well, I wasn’t disappointed.
This is, I’m afraid, another unicorn wine, quite hard to find. It is only produced in what the Amiraults consider to be the best years: so far, I believe in 2003, 2005, 2010, 2017, 2018 and 2020. Hard to find is not impossible, though, and the latter can still be found online for around 40 euros.
It is made using a few parcels on the Grand Clos, around the family home (hence the name) and only between 750 and 1 100 bottles are produced.
I had been very impressed by the 2017 a few years ago and was lucky enough to find a bottle of 2010 and this one at auction. Since nobody has heard of it, auction prices are not excessive - I paid around 40 euros for each. Anyway I was looking forward to this because I had never had a mature one.
As so often, the nose announced what was to come with the first sip: very concentrated, rich in aromas of dark cherry, blackberry and roses, with Victoria plums not far behind and some leafy notes, along with tobacco and cigar box. I would have lingered longer with the nose but the impatience to try it was too strong: as anticipated, the attack was rich and velvety, full-bodied and thick, with initially, a wave of dark cherry, but the core of the wine is the middle section, very reminiscent of a top Pomerol - waves of plums, blackcurrants and blackberries, with redder fruit coming afterwards, before a seamless, silky finish rounded off by crisp blackcurrant.
Wow. Not much to add, really. It’s a powerhouse of a wine, built to last at least another twenty years. The depth, the body, the silkiness, the sheer class.
Possibly the most impressive Loire red I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. I’ve only been lucky enough to try Rougeard twice, but this for me is at least as good. 98 pts
Highly recommended if you’re lucky enough to find some and are patient enough to give it the time it needs in the cellar!
Fantastic note Julian! Is this the same as the pavillon grand clos cote 50?
Thanks Dan! No, Pavillon du Grand Clos and Cote 50 are two different wines, the latter being one of their entry level wines. In most years, the fruit from the Pavillon plots goes into Le Grand Clos.
Understand the two are different it’s just that there are some listings for a wine with the combined name ie pavillon du grand clos cote 50!
Yes, I see what you mean - I just found the same thing - it’s a mistake by the retailer - it’s the “Côte 50”.
Wow, never even heard of this cuvée but do like the producer very much.
Searching the interwebs……
Château de la Grille Chinon 2017
All usual adjectives associated with Cab Franc apply. Rich, smooth, aromatic. A drinking, not cerebral wine, and not pretending to be anything else. A vinous equivalent of comfort food, likely to appeal to non wine obsessed. A coup de coeur indeed.
Thank you Julian - never heard of this wine. There are some local bottles available of the 2020 - what’s your take on this vintage. Any update since you made the below statement (see first post - which is actually very useful)?
2020 - I’ve tried one wine, so I can’t say for certain, but I think it’s along the same lines as 2019. Mathieu Baudry describes 2020 as being less rich than the three preceding ones, so perhaps closer to 2016?
Not a bad price at all on the Dioterie
Yes, lots of good wine at good prices here, the Cotat is an outlier. The offering at this particular supermarche hasn’t changed much in the last 2 years. I suppose they got the wines once and they are not moving. Good for me, they will be waiting here till next year when we come back.
Thanks Maciej, I’ve always wondered what La Grille is like - I’ll have to try one!
I kept some back to try it with other wines, just to make sure I hadn’t overestimated it. It beat a couple of Bordeaux CCs comfortably (HBL 08 and Marquis de Terme 16) but the real acid test was a Gazin 2005 - although the latter was a lovely wine, the Pavillon was better (at least according to my taste). What set it apart was the perfect combination of ripe but crisp fruit and velvet texture.
I think my only caveat would depend on your age (!) - a wine like this needs a good 20 years. I’m sure it can be enjoyed younger, but to get all the nuances it’s capable of developing, patience is required.
But at the price it’s offered at, I would certainly get some anyway. My knowledge of 2020 is still limited to one bottle, so I’m useless when it comes to vintage analysis!
The Pavillon is streets ahead of all the other Amirault cuvées, but I will crack open one of their other 2020s and let you know what it’s like - although if they made a Pavillon, the 2020 has to be excellent.
The first vintage I was offered was 2019, and yes you are correct, it is a different wine from vines Saumur-Champigny AOC, not Saumur AOC.
I enjoyed mine, and bought another bottle for later. For the days when you just crave for a decent drink without breaking your head over it.
Well as promised I tried a Yannick Amirault 2020, the Malgagnes. To get a sense of perspective, I also opened a 2017 and a 2018. In reverse vintage order:
2020:
Very fresh red cherries, with juniper and cedar, plus some peonies in the background. The attack is just as fresh, with a purity to the fruit that other YA wines don’t have. Not the savoury taste I’m used to, this is almost Roches Neuves-like in that the fruit is crisp and not very sweet. For now, the dominant flavours are red cherry and raspberry. A certain richness did emerge midpalate over time, but the acidity counters it and there is no feeling whatsoever of sweetness. 14% but I would never have guessed.
This is the first “serious” 2020 I’ve tried and I was really impressed. I get the idea about 2016 but this is not in the same style at all. There is the crispness but compared to the same wine in 2016, there is simply more in the way of fruit. @Jozef.P I wouldn’t hesistate in buying the Pavillon if you’re patient.
2018:
Sweet candy on the nose, rather overwhelming. In the mouth, a rather unpleasant, gloopy mix of overripe red fruit, without the crispness that saved the Amphore version I enjoyed last year. This is awful. I managed half a glass before chucking it.
2017:
Much more traditional YA fare, this was less bretty than my last bottle, but still very savoury. Blackberries, blackcurrants, herbs, spices and earthy notes on the nose, then a savoury mix of all that. Quite deep and already drinking well, showing waves of subtle flavours, with dark raspberry and violet midpalate. Interesting to compare with the other vintages - obviously better than the 2018, but for now, more satisfying than the 2020. 13 rather than 14% and it showed. I’ve no doubt the 2020 will be an excellent vintage, but I’m glad I’ve got lots of 2017s.
