This is not a grand wine, but what distinguishes it is that the stock brought into Australia was sealed with a screw cap. Nothing remarkable there. I forgot that I had any left of this having quaffed a few bots soon after release and thinking that it was a solid wine, maybe a tad phenolic.
Tonight I found an escapee, and boy is it good. Some lime brûlée, a touch of almond meal, searing pamplemousse acidity, great drive and freshness. Still pale with green inflections in the glass. It really is very good.
My good mate Jeremy Holmes is a bit evangelical when it comes to screw caps and their use when combatting premox. I tend to have a more egalitarian view and think that there are a number of factors at play, but having tasted this wine (sample set of one, yes I know!) I do think that the baron of the Barossa might be on to something. Not only is the wine fresh, but it has developed very positively whilst retaining its youthful vitality. I might join Jeremy’s throng.
Verget use screw caps for everything now, except for a few markets that demand DIAMs. Jean-Marie’s line is that winemakers don’t like screw caps because if there’s a problem with the wine, “everyone will know it was them that screwed it”. He uses DIAMs for Guffens-Heynen however.
Thanks the info William. There have been a few producers who have produced screw cap just for our market and assumed that Verget did likewise. I will be looking for more of the wines.
You leave my throng out of this.
Well done Kent. Sounds excellent. I happened to have a Roulot '10 Meix Chavaux on the weekend. It was just ok, with some honey oxidative notes blunting the palate a little. Wish it was under screwcap.
I rather liked Verget’s Maconnais wines, but it’s been a dog’s age since having one. Good to hear they are in screwcap. I bet the St. Veran Terres Noirs does really well that way, if its still made.