2017 Domaine du Bel Air (Pierre et Rodolphe Gauthier) Bourgueil Grand Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil (1/30/2026)
– decanted immediately before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over 2 - 3 hrs. –
NOSE: pure red fruits – deep cherry, and boysenberry. Very light pyrazine; slight hint of funk; medium-light oak; braided rec licorice; ripe red fruits; hint of rubbed metal; touch high-toned. Complex. Overall, absolutely loved the Nose on this.
BODY: garnet-violet color of medium-deep depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: tannic; high acidity; still very oaky – like licking a 2x4; dark red fruits and some mineral tones, too. The palate would still benefit from additional cellar age, as this continues to be oakier than I prefer; that said, the Nose is making promises, and the palate does hint at future excellence if the fruit can last longer than the oak. Hold.
Do you remembers what stems exactly these were? They look great.
They are amazing, and I sadly don’t remember what they are. I can check with the bar unless one of you nerds can identify it just by looking—
A quick guess would be Old World Syrah, but I can’t seem to find a Riedel logo on the foot of the glass.
Velkommen!
Yes I also started with Riedel, but not entirely sure. Can find out, if nobody knows.
Jean-Marie & Noel Girard
Domaine du Vieux Bourg Saumur Champigny VV 2018
More black- than red fruited. Notes of tar, leather, coconut. Nice acidity, tannins mellowed out but still hanging there. An alcoholic but cool note running through, like Sardinian Mirto. Chewy and dense without being satiating.
A solid bottle, if not necessarily worth chasing.
A new bottling for me - Raffault Les Peuilles. I sometimes find their wines a bit thin and weedy but the house style really works well with the 20 vintage (reminds me of 05).
The last thing I expected to find in an unassuming wine store here on the island. Been a while since I’ve seen any of his cuvees, as they’re running out slowly, following his death in 2021. I instantly fell in love with his Joly like Bois Sans Soif in 2018 when I started becoming interested in wine.
Olivier Lemasson R20
Côt, Grolleau and Cab Franc all lending their qualities to this lovely soif wine. Structure and spice from the côt, anise from the Grolleau and finally a healthy dose of fruit from the cab franc. A good dose of brett and a lively acidity. This is lovely. It’s almost convincing me that it’s worth trying a 100% grolleau wine again(I always do and I always regret).
Sorry all, I’ve not been active in a while - I’ve been “enjoying” redoing my kitchen - ah, the joys of Ikea! It’s OK when you have a clean slate to work with, but not when you’re living in the kitchen you’re renovating! Anyway, a few recent tastes:
2019 Antoine Sanzay Saumur-Champigny La Haye Dampierre
My first La Haye Dampierre and not the last, I hope. Lovely nose of fresh raspberry, plums, some pepper and spices, then a bright, fresh mouthful of raspberry and dark cherry, morphing into blackcurrant midpalate and then a surprisingly sensuous finish with a savoury touch to it. Great tension but also the signs of great complexity in a few more years.
I can’t see much difference between this and Les Poyeux, but need to try them together. Anyway, highly recommended for fans of La Porte Saint Jean and Roches Neuves. 93 pts
2017 Florian Roblin Coteaux du Giennois Champ Gibault
A blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir. Sadly my last bottle, and I regret now having drunk the others too young, because this was by far the best of the three. A blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay, it has evolved into something really rather good. Aromas of sweet raspberry and strawberry, with some herbs in the background, then a subtle, restrained mouthful of the same, with hints of red cherry midpalate. Very elegant and silky, with a real sense of class. Excellent value at 13€. I’ve seen subsequent vintages with higher ABVs, so perhaps look out for that, otherwise highly recommended. 92 pts
2014 Château de Fosse-Seche Eolithe
Quite interesting but unremarkable. Fresh notes of raspberry and dark cherry on the nose and palate, quite crisp and elegant, just missing a little intensity. A good summer drink and the 11.5% ABV makes it a good lunchtime drink. I was a bit disappointed really, but still a decent wine. 90 pts
2010 Yannick Amirault Bourgueil Le Grand Clos
This continues to age gracefully, with a real feeling of class and elegance to it now. Ripe but measured notes of blackcurrant and dark cherry, with a touch of plum, and a very persistent finish, but nothing overdone. It was fascinating to try this at the same time as La Petite Cave and Les Malgagnes from the same vintage, neither of which were very good (both a bit overripe and facile). Interesting too to see that in vintages like this one where they also make a Pavillon du Grand Clos, the Grand Clos doesn’t seem to drop in quality. No hurry at all and I think it may improve further. 92 pts
Hopefully, not my last bottle. Like fearless leader I don’t do tasting notes. Sad that Weygandt no longer does retail in DC. I pulled the lamb at 132 F and carryover took it to 139 F, higher than I wanted. A 300 F oven works, sorry @bryan_flannery but I like the lower oven temp better for your lamb.
A couple of good 2014s this weekend:
2014 Domaine de la Chevalerie - Bourgueil - Chevalerie
Pencil shavings, pencil lead, blackcurrant and plum on the nose, then a medium to full-bodied mouthful of blackberry, blackcurrant and dark cherry, shifting up a gear midpalate towards a lighter wave of red fruits, before the two combine for the long finale. Quite savoury in style (but no brett), with a chalky tinge to the finish that gives it a little freshness. Smooth, elegant, still quite youthful with potential for further improvement. 92 pts
2014 Catherine et Pierre Breton - Bourgueil - Les Perrières
Aromas of spring flowers, appropriately, red cherries and plums, then some roses - altogether very fragrant and enticing. In the mouth, loganberries and red cherries dominate, with a soaring middle section which veers from wild strawberry to sweet raspberries, before a very persistent finish. This is seriously good, incredibly fine and elegant but with real persistence and subtle power. Delicious. 94 pts
It was very interesting to try these together - same appellation, same vintage, but very different. It’s always tough on one wine when you compare two, and in this case it was tough on the Chevalerie. The Perrières was simply on another level. I’m usually miserly with my scores and I think others might rate it higher still. I had one last summer which was very good, but this bottle was a lot better.
Both these wines can typically be found at auction for around 25€ - which is obviously excellent value. 2014 is a great vintage for drinking now - even if there is absolutely no hurry.
An excellent wine and oh so damn hard to find these days. I need to treasure mine more now, as if I won’t be allocated any in the future! Still have some 2010 left, an excellent vintage for this wine!
Had another bottle of 2015 Antoine Sanzay S-C (not the Poyeaux) and it was just amazing. This wine is so, so good for the price.
Domaine des Roches Neuves Les Mémoires 2018
You’d think a 2018 could be too ripe and the nose was hinting at this but rejoice, it wasn’t so.
Dark-berried (cassis) and very floral nose with very faint herbal notes peaking thorough. The palate is bursting with fruit but more red than dark (cherry, redcurrant), with enough acidity to keep it fresh. Some tannins showing up to play and a nice mineral finish. The savoury, vegetal component started to appear on the mid-palate about halfway through the bottle. A very enjoyable 2018 with less acidity than 2014 or 16 but still enough to keep the balance. Good and upside in cellaring this some more.
Cool - glad you enjoyed it! Roches-Neuves did well with this vintage - the FDP is excellent too, but for me just pipped by the Mémoires.
I’m quite annoyed the 2018 Clos de l’Echelier Rouge I opened last night was corked. 
A couple of good value wines:
2019 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Grézeaux
Really awful aromatics on opening - the full array of barnyard delights! But no brett. I decanted it and returned a few hours later, to discover something much more appealing, with notes of red cherry, redcurrant and leather. In the mouth, quite full-bodied with plenty of verve and zip to the mostly red fruit. Made in a very classical style, with a savoury streak midpalate that gives it a certain complexity.
On the second evening, it was better, with a wave of sour cherry and raspberry just before the finish.
Good stuff - the best Grézeaux I’ve tasted. It does need more time though. 92 pts
2018 Domaine de la Cotelleraie Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil
Like the bottle tasted in 2024, this had oodles of strawberry on the nose and palate, with this time some red cherry and redcurrant midpalate. Nothing remotely syrupy, with a crisp acidity that keeps it fresh. Very stylish and elegant, with a sense of class that I wasn’t expecting from an entry level wine. 2018 is not my favourite Loire vintage, but when they’re good they’re very good indeed. At 11 euros, excellent value. 92 pts
If push came to shove, I would say I preferred the Cotelleraie. This is definitely an address to look out for as prices haven’t caught up with the quality.
2014 Olga Raffault Les Picasses
So good. Perfect Chinon. Will probably age a while on the acid and chalky tannin. Tobacco, charred chili pepper, raspberry and blackberry, garden dirt. Light side of medium body, medium plus acid chalky tannin that is maturing in texture but not complete. Nice nice wine. Qpr off the charts. This has a long time in hand but is drinking so well now.
Two very different 2010s:
2010 Domaine du Bel Air (Pierre et Rodolphe Gauthier) Bourgueil Grand Mont
Quite a savoury nose - black cherry and blackberry mingling with black olive, black pepper, hay and leather, plus something meatier. In the mouth, a very suave and smooth texture, again very savoury: quite refined blackberry, black olives, some tobacco leaf, some black cherry and a long, peppery finish.
Great mouthfeel, very refined, but it could do with a bit more sparkle and verve from the fruit. Very good, but not noticeably better than the Marsaules, which is a lot cheaper. 91 pts
2010 Clau De Nell Cabernet Franc Anjou Rouge
Nothing remotely savoury here! Like the 2014, this is brimming with fresh fruit and flowers on the nose: peonies, roses, raspberry, strawberry, red cherry - literally mouth-watering. The attack is full of fresh, mildly crunchy fruit, veering to and fro from red cherry, raspberry and strawberry, to rosehips and redcurrants. Midpalate, the strawberry dominates, while the finish is long and satisfying. Incredibly youthful for a 2010 - perhaps too much so - my only quibble would be that I wonder if it will acquire more complexity, and when. 92 pts
This is for fans of La Porte Saint Jean who are looking for something cheaper. It’s not easy to find but well worth grabbing if you do. I like the Cabernet Sauvignon and Grolleau cuvées too, but the CF is a notch or two better.