Chenin Blanc must die

WINE TALK
41

Hey Gary,
Have you tried Chidaine or Baumard?
I’d be interested to know what you don’t like about Chenin Blanc.

I can already see Gary’s version of hell…watching Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano pitch while drinking Burgundy and Chenin Blanc… [stirthepothal.gif]

42

Chenin blanc is delicious.



That is all.

43

[thankyou.gif]

44

Coulee de Serrant :wink:

45

He’s not interested in advice. He’s just blowing smoke.

46

The Loire Valley is a fine source for values in SPARKLING wines !!!

Especially from the AOC Saumur, but also from Crémant de Loire and Montlouis (also from Vouvray, but never had a sparkling) there are coming very nice refreshing bubbling wines full of character, exclusively or predominantly from Chenin blanc.

I usually buy one or two cases each year in France of this nice stuff, first tasting a bottle each and then stocking up from the best.

Price range usually is 6-9 Euro in France… and the quality usually is better than the cheapest range of super-market Champagnes (12-14 €), but not better than the 2nd Champagne level of around 20 € …

The stuff I´m currently drinking is
Le Grand Saumur 2006 Chaupin & Landais and
Saumur brut by Bouvet-Ladubay …
but I´ve had several others in the past that certainly not worse.
All are made with methode traditionelle (2nd bottle fermentation).

No idea what´s available in the US and at which prices … but if you are loooking for an everyday substitute for your top-Champagnes … that´s a tip !

Gerhard

(PS: usually you should taste befor buying … there are also several negociant bottlings of minor quality)

47

Yes, I have tried Huet wines. OK I guess, but there are plenty of other wines I would rather drink. This thread kind of proves my point. It’s like because I am in the trade and into wine I have to like these wines. I have tasted dozens of wine made from Chenin. And it has never made the cut. Weak, watery and kind of oxidized would be the TN. I am happy that all of you like them, and If I ever run into one worth buying I will let you know. Don’t hold your breath.

48

A little free advice. Don’t drink and post. Or maybe I am making a bad assumption that someone could only be this bitter about wine if they are totally stinking drunk. If you are posting this completely sober then you have a unique and special gift for expressing yourself. In fact I think you could likely formulate battery acid with your saliva since you are so bitter. I would avoid sucking those lemons in your spare time and also recommend that you try to use your special powers for good and not evil. It might be better for you to stick with wine that you enjoy.

Above all else, I home that no one pees in your Wheaties tomorrow. Have a better day.

49

Unfortunately nothing to drink today.

50

I’m going to go drink a watery, oxidized Huet Moelleux 1er Trie Clos de Bourg now.

[rofl.gif]

51

Gary,

You’re allowed not to like Chenin Blanc, but I’ve got to figure that you’ve had terrible luck with the bottles you’ve opened if you can put the name Huet in the same paragraph with the descriptors, “weak, watery…” Or maybe you don’t like white wine, period; can you tell us some you have liked?

Or, I don’t know, maybe you’re in the wrong line of work [wink.gif] .

52

Had a beautiful 1985 Jarry Vouvray Brut the other day at RN74. Makes you want to collect these babies…

53

The TN was for almost any wine made with Chenin in general. Not specific to Huet. The Huet wines were OK. But still to me there are much more interesting wines to drink. I thnik I would rather drink a Clairette de Die than most sparkling Vouvray I have had.

Vietti Arneis
Vatan Sancere
Giacosa Arneis
G. Bouley Sancere
Broglia Gavi
Donnhoff Riesling.

54

Most of those wines strike me as more “weak and watery” than anything from Huet. Chenin is not for everyone, but I don’t think it’s polarizing because of what it lacks, but because of some of the stuff it’s got. The woolly and honeyed characteristics that sometimes come with bottle age are not for everyone.

55

Interesting . . . . I’ve only tried a half dozen young examples and at least in youth they seem to be fairly rich and concentrated, whether in dry or off-dry form, yet also acidic. I did try 4 and 5 year old ones that were getting oxidized and they were a bit odd, but did have a lot going on.

I don’t really like oxidized wines–acetaldehyde is not my favorite thing–so I figure I’ll buy Chenins to drink young mostly. The young, forward ones I’ve tasted though haven’t been thin and watery. I’m drinking good but not top producers, so maybe the best producers go for more austere styles(?).

56

Do you truly believe that the wines of Huet are weak, watery and kind of oxidized? Wow!!! You truly amaze me. I did not think my views of your palate could go any lower, but you proved me wrong. I can imagine people not liking Huet, but weak and watery? [I could be just as easily be talking about Childane, Baumard, etc.]

If these wines are thin and watery, what do you like drinking, WD-40?

57

[popcorn.gif]

58

I just had my second bottle of the 07 Huet Clos Du Bourg Sec Sunday, and if that wine could be defined as thin, watery, or weak, then I’ll retire this wine drinking habit, today.

It was absolutely marvelous, loaded with a mineral precession and unique persona, my dry white wine of the year in fact, at least so far.

59

One semi-drunk night, I had the flash of brilliance to post a thread over on the Wine Spectator BB that had the apocalyptic title “FRENCH WINE SUCKS.” Here it is if you’re interested: http://forums.winespectator.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6826053161/m/661100272/p/1. There was a thread flaming me on eBob about this at the time, so many of you may have seen it.

Now, I confess at the time this post was originally meant to be funny. The point (as I remembered it) was to make a bunch of really broad generalizations, to develop the stereotype, and poke fun at all of the folks out there who took French wine seriously.

In retrospect, while this was fun at the time, I now recognize that it was pedestrian and juvenile. It was also thinly-disguised trolling. The post did generate some pretty interesting discussions. As with any tongue-in-cheek written communication, some people didn’t really appreciate the spirit with which it was offered (or the not-so-overt trolling) and got riled up.

Since then, my appreciation of French wine has grown quite a bit (fueled in no small part by my attendance at an 89-90 Bdx dinner). Looking back on it, though, it occurs to me that Gary York might just maybe be trying the same trick with all of us here by making a wholesale dismissal of an entire varietal.

And quite honestly, if he said “Pinotage must die” would people be beating him down like this?

60

Yep.

Sarcasm, irony, intended hyperbole… all can sometimes be difficult to convey on-line, no matter how many emoticons are available. The poster who hasn’t yet inadvertentlyt stuck their foot in their mouth is someone who just recently logged on for the first time.

Cheers!