The tasting at Copain was, at best, pedestrian. This was in December. But looking into the cellar…these designates? Never!
Little oak…glorious fruit…a bit of pear…a thought of mineral water…that subsided. Richer and deeper as the glasses pour out. Hard to keep this out of your glass.
An earlier thought was of entering the swimming pool upon a dive…chlorine? No, not in a negative way. But pure, clean. Headlong into a spectacular wine experience.
Not a root day, obviously. See other posts on other threads today.
I had the '12 version of this wine and in a word - Stunning! Salty, minerally, citrusy and vibrant. Not comparing it to anything/anywhere, just a great bottle of chardonnay.
That is an amazing bottling year after year. And for $50-ish (?), it’s not cheap, but I think it compares very well with the best chardonnays around that price you could find, domestically and internationally.
I’ll take a different approach to the 2009 Brosseau Chard, as this is a bottle we did blind earlier this summer at your place, Tom. Counselor Seiber was there at the table, too. I found that bottle in the blind format to really be lagging for my palate. Conversely, I have drank the 10 and even the 11, I have found to be leaner, more vivid and intense, as the 09 seems to reflect the heavier side of things, at least to my palate.
Merrill, I am not being a troll, as enough of that occurs in other threads. I’m just adding some discussion for sincere sake. FWIW, my most recent notes on the 09-12 are below, to 'splain what I mean.
2010 Copain Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone (7/5/2014)
Just pulled this from the cellar and yanked the cork to try before dinner. I suspect we’ll finish the bottle over the meal but for a ‘open and enjoy’ note, lots of apple (mainly yellow), lemon pith, touch of grapefruit, mango and pear. This bottle (at least right out of the chute) shows better acidity and mineral tone than the previous bottle from 2013. Good lean edges to this and acidity. Hope it stays like this for the evening. Retrying one day later, the mango is a bit more prominent, as is a bitter apple skin/rocky note. I prefer this over the 2009, as the 2010 drinks with more austerity and tension. As for a drink window, I’d say now is fine, through 2017.
2012 Copain Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone (4/23/2014)
These came last month so it’s a good time to test one out and I’ll go first. Listed alc is 13.4% FWIW. This drinks solid and very much to this site’s expression via Wells, showing light saline notes, alongside yellow apple, lime and a light note of citrus. At this stage, nothing is out of place and the wine is in good balance. Plenty of acidity in the finish but like the fruit, it’s relative to the wines medium weight. No wood, glycerine or tropical notes here, just a balanced chard that drinks pretty terrific right now with an hour of air…at 3 hours open, this is really delicious. The texture expands and the palate becomes broader, with orange rind, lime and some wet stone. This is really a balanced and spot on…I had some left for a 2nd day. This picks up a honeyed, pear quality that really makes it shine, to go with the mandarin orange. Fault me for opening this wine so early but unless we get corks out of these chardonnays to create discussion and support producers that are removing the oak, butter and glycerine, then we’ll be stuck with those other wines being in focus. For me, the style like this Brosseau and others like it are where I am putting my chardonnay focus these days. Drink window? Hell, this can be enjoyed now but there is acid and balance that ought to allow this to age for some time.
2011 Copain Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard- USA, California, Central Coast, Chalone (8/3/2013) Copain Dinner @ The House With Wells Guthrie: Listed alc is 13.4%. Drank next to the 2011 Copain Laureles Grade. The Brosseau shows good precision of pure chard flavor, mainly pippin apple, a bit of honey too. Pear and lots of tangerine, too. The core of the wine then finishes with a nice, smooth green apple and orange citrus note. This Brosseau lacks the chiseled marine notes of the Laureles, yet what I like about the Brosseau is that suits a richer mood, and the flavors are intense with a nice long finish. FWIW, like the Laureles, this wine sees no new oak, and is barrel fermented in 7-8 year old wood.
Oh, that was a terrible night! Yes, I am assuming that was what was going on. Root days. When 3 people who have had a few wines in their day can’t find anything that tastes good, then I have no other explanation for it. We were all there - my barrel sample was the wine of the night, but I’ll bet there were a dozen bottles opened and corks everywhere. Nothing was more than acceptable or marginal. And we were pulling some corks on some pretty hefty stuff. I even opened one of my own bottles that I know…really know…and it was pedestrian at best.
Well, Mr. Murray, thanks for joining the discussion. Of course you are not being a troll: if I did not want discussion, I would have kept my thoughts and notes to myself. And if no one posted against my note, then I would end up whining, and a few people on here would take issue with that .
So, to the wine. I have had several of the Brosseaus and also of the Laureles, and they are two of my favorite Chardonnays to drink. I do not make a science of this, when I drink for my pleasure. Lord knows I have to pay enough attention when I make and show my own wines - enough already! But I am first and foremost a lover of wine, hence the reason to open a bottle like this and share my thoughts about it.
I will scout around and see if I have any of the other Brosseaus you posted on here. And if I do, I will post back. In the meantime, I will edit my OP to correct the spelling of this lovely wine, and at the same time encourage you to change your verbiage to “I have drunk” instead of your “I have drank.” Fair is fair. I am surprised Ken V. did not jump on my mistake.
Merrill, I too like the Laureles Grade, although I have only had the 11, which was the first year that Copain made the wine. The 12 just arrived last week, I have yet to open one and there are no notes yet posted in CT. All in, I do appreciate the style in which Wells makes the Chards, without the oak and with soil types and elevations that are higher. Glad you too like the wines, as do many of us around here. Here is my note on the 11 Laureles Grade, FWIW.
2011 Copain Chardonnay Laureles Grade- USA, California, Central Coast, Carmel Valley (2/9/2014)
Pulled this from the cellar, right into the glass. The slate is noticeable in the aromatic and a bit less appears in the finish but it’s there. What I enjoy about this first vintage of LG is the purity—wet stone, yellow apple, pear and a brushing of mandarin orange. I’m going to put a chill on this, get it a little colder and take it to dinner and see how it shows. At dinner, continued to show well and exhibit the chablis-like characteristics. These are moderate in tone, however, not bracing or chiseled. This makes it a good wine for Chard drinkers who may lean to the wood and butter side of the spectrum, who may not have the context for chardonnay made in this leaner, old world style.
Maybe Dr. Levine will chime in - I think we shared a bottle (one of many, uh oh) at lunch…of the Laureles, I mean. I have no idea of how long it has been produced or any of that. So if you say I had the 2011, so be it. But on more than once occasion it was very, very lovely.
I agree with Merrill, though I’d go a little further and say that the Brosseau Chardonnay has in general disappointed regardless of vintage – I’ve wanted to be wowed and haven’t. Nice, but a bit boring without the depth, tension and interest of the best Chardonnay.
That said the Laureles Grade and then the new Du Pratt are excellent. For 2012 I’d put Du Pratt first followed by a close second for Laureles Grade and then Brosseau a distant third.
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