TN: 1996 Baumard Quarts de Chaume

WINE TALK
1

Popped and poured, served in Riedel Vinum Chardonnay glasses. We sauteed some pineapple rings which were seasoned with vanilla powder or maple sugar (everyone got 2 of each).

This wine is slightly closed at this stage, but still was a perfect match with the pineapple. Few wines can match up with pineapple, this one did it easily with grace.

honeysuckle, tangerines, ripe pineapple, honey, botrytis, some minerals, great balance. Pears, baked apples, maybe some lychee?, baking spices.
Score: A

No rush to drink at all.

2

Thanks for the notes - one of my favorites and I usually don’t have the patience to let them age as long as they should…

3

I normally only get to try these very young and they are only so so for me at that stage. Would love to try some with that many or more years on it.

4

Another Baumard Quartz fan here. Thanks for the note.

5

Love the stuff myself. I believe I’ve had this vintage as well. Will look through my notes, but I’m pretty sure I did.

6

Great bottle. Recently someone popped a 2000 to a dinner party. I hate commiting infanticide but you can’t be rude either and I couldn’t jsut help but imagine what some more time would have done.

7

Cris, I have them back to the 1960s so feel free to swing by sometime. Stunning and I’m not sure they ever “age” as say a sauternes or TBA… some of the 1967 and 1970s could easily be mistaken blind for a recent vintage [wow.gif]

Maybe I need to find some from 1900 or earlier to get “true age”
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Noel, if you do have bottles, hold as i think they are somewhat closed at this stage…

8

i have a 1996 QdC and was thinking roughly 2016???

sadly i have only had this as a young wine but still adored every sip.

9

Good stuff, Jeff. One of my favorite vintages from them, perhaps only topped by the stellar '95.

Ever make it out east? I’ve been talking about putting another Baumard-a-thon together since I last did one six or seven years ago.

Cheers,

Brad

10

Brad, just tell me when. I’m “out east” now and again but can always just hop a plane. Where “out east”?

The 1995 was/is one of their best of all time. Silly me, in grad school I scored 10 cases. Got the case discount of 10%. Sold 9 of them to friends so I could drink the last one for free. The price per bottle back then $30/btl.
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Glenn, 2016 or anytime until 2050 without hesitation. Even the 1967 isn’t showing “age” as you would expect from say a Sauternes. The acidity is a bit less “zippy” than say the 1995 on release but everything else is still there. These wines may just live forever. I’ve never had one that even started to indicate it was going OTH. If you come out this way, I’ll gladly open one of mine if you want to save that one bottle in your cellar.

11

Jeff - i am always peeking around for some more 96 or even other older vintages. just find this wine delightful in the hot summer months.

12

I’m in New York City, Jeff. Easy to get to. [cheers.gif]

I remember those prices well. That’s what I paid for my '95’s and I seem to recall getting the '96’s for around $28 on futures at I think Binny’s. Man, ten cases. That’s an awful lot of QDC.

Here’s what we did last time down in DC: Baumard-a-thon. I’m thinking next time of doing both Savennieres and QDC, though maybe limiting the QDC to '97 and earlier. Tough to find older Savennieres from them. You ever have the '79 Clos Papillon from them? Killer stuff.

Brad

13

FL has a huge amount of killer wine at great prices. One of the largest, maybe still THE largest, wine consuming states. No longer the case as NM has shitty wine selections.

NYC is doable. Not necessarily easy…

Savennieres aren’t impossible to find. Just give me a month or 6 weeks to round some up from my cellar and from friends. (we may need to add 1 or 2 to the invite list in trade) A few gaps can be filled via auction or retailers. Even a quick trip over the pond to buy at the source is doable. [cheers.gif]

14

I would certainly agree that one or two additional invites is more than a fair trade for some cool, old Baumard. I have some friends here, too, that have some interesting things.

Should we take it to e-mail and start thinking of dates?

Brad

15

Yes.