Nothing mind blowing here, but I’ve had a string of several positive experiences with wines that I would not hesitate to open for a weeknight dinner with the wife or alone. I was particularly impressed with the Cornu and Dampt, but that may have more to do with my general fondness for Burgundy.
2011 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico Bennone- Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG (12/12/2014)
Pretty good QPR and a very quaffable wine. I have no prior experience with this bottling or the producer. Bright cherry nose with a whiff of earthiness and something that brings to mind rocks or chalkiness. Bright upfront sour cherry on the palate with a touch of leathery complexity. The overwhelming structural component of this wine is the high acidity that gives it a very linear feel from entry through the finish. The wine is light bodied with a simple mid palate that is carried by the acidity. Only a suggestion of gritty tannins on the finish is just enough to keep everything in balance and remind you that this is Sangiovese. A very clean, fruit driven wine that was a great match for a pepperoni pizza.
2010 Edmond Cornu & Fils Ladoix Vieilles Vignes- France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Ladoix (11/30/2014)
What a fun and delicious wine with a lot of character. I’m not very experienced with wines from Ladoix (or Cornu for that matter), but this was a great wine considering the price and appellation. Had this over two nights with consistent notes both nights. The nose is very expressive with red fruits and a big dose of wild meatiness and brambly underbrush. The nose seems to promise a big palate, but instead it has a light to medium body with very precise and well delineated flavors. The wine starts out with red fruits on the front palate and then transitions to more meaty and savory notes in the mid palate and finish. The savory flavor profile is accentuated by a gritty tannin structure that is not overbearing and adds a touch of rusticity to remind you where it came from.
2013 Sebastien Dampt Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet- France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (11/29/2014)
Young but promising. The nose was pretty expressive with white flowers and a refreshing lemon lime thing going on. The wine looked a bit more viscous in the glass than I expected. On the palate the wine is very concentrated with the same lemon lime freshness and a hint of slightly under ripe apples. There is a considerable amount of baby fat in this wine that fills the mouth, but is not ponderous at all and is still very obviously Chablis. Plenty of acidity adds lift despite the forward nature of the wine right now that promises a bright future. I’ll enjoy the rest with several more years of aging, although the wine is very tasty now.
Good note here, Jason, thank you. Cornu is way under-the-radar. A customer recently purchased a case of under $40 red Burgundy from me for a tasting, and this wine and Cornu’s 2010 Savigny-les-Beaune were among the four favorites (2012 Guillemot Savigny-les-Beaune Serpentieres and 2010 Lucien Jacob Savigny-Les-Beaune Peuillets being the others).
Disclaimer: I sell Cornu (in case it is not clear).
I purchased a few bottles of this from you based on your description of the wines and Cornu’s style. Plus, I always like to explore the less heralded appellations. I’ll definitely be looking forward to sampling more from Cornu.
Bang on with the coltibuono. Great quaffable traditional Sangiovese. Cherries and leather big time. Can age too. Had a '97 recently that was in the zone.