What a strange week it has been since I last opened a bottle of wine. Having managed to catch a seasonal virus not named Covid-19 I spent the latter part of last weekend vomiting and obviously would be staying at home for a while trying to get better. After the vomiting ended I was feeling weak as hell but little by little started to feel a bit more alive and functional. The society however was not as finally the people and the authorities in Finland began to realize that maybe it is not different for us and maybe we are also at risk here up north despite being notoriously a anti-social and introverted nation. Of course now after two days of hysteria we have reached the same situation as most other countries, i.e. schools are closing, most public events have been cancelled, public transportation during rush hour is to be avoided, many are working from home and toilet paper is sold out everywhere.
While I find myself wondering how to continue life being cautious but not overly so (is it ok to go to gym? I guess so but one major chain just closed all of theirs for the time being so I guess there is something there) I came to the realization that as I am healthy again no doubt I should drink some wine. In 2014 I visited Chidaine’s shop La Cave Insolite and became enamored with the wines. I have drunk a bottle every now and then and only have a couple more left. Here on WB there has been some discussion on how the wines are developing and not all experiences have been positive. I have not had a dud myself - au contraire - and this one follows the theme. It would be easy to highlight the QPR (they were all 20 € or less at the shop besides the sweeties and Les Bournais Franc de Pied) but regardless of this wine being an absolute bargain I think that it is of extremely high quality and of serious interest for any Chenin fan. I think it will reach great heights by age 15 but it is already very pleasurable right now.
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2012 François Chidaine Vouvray Clos Baudoin - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (14.3.2020)
Straight fireworks on the nose that is simultaneously ripe, generous and expressive and simply exciting as hell. There are notes of apricot, beeswax, mirabelle, ginger and wool with some herbal tones. On the palate it is mouth-fillingly rich, fully coating the palate in a gentle manner. Midway through it starts to firm up, finishing tangy, spicy and dry. There is an ethereal quality to it and overall I find this wine texturally very impressive. It is quite substantial and clearly has lots of potential to develop further still. For my palate this is a top notch Vouvray of the more serious kind.
Posted from CellarTracker
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
although based on Russ’s comment I suppose you are better off looking for something pre-2014!