You will hopefully be happy. It’s a fairly rich, juicy wine, but plenty of spine and acidity. The 2016 is the sweet spot for me, but I like 2017 quite a lot for its enthusiasm.
I’m not worried! I’m pretty easy going about Beaujolais, though I do have preferences. It’s happy wine to me.
Sarah I gotta say I’m surprised you have not tried a Thivin before. I hope this particular vintage shows well for you, I am a huge fan of this producer. I honestly believe it is one of the consistently great QPRs in the world of wine. They even pulled off a flat out delicious, if not sultry, 2015, in a vintage where I found many of my favorite producers on the over-ripe side. Cheers!
I came fairly late to the Beaujolais game. I used to struggle with it young, as gamay often tasted too “grape-y” for me. Jonathan loves it, but it’s a region where he’s been in a Foillard rut for so long, he hasn’t really explored much else, except when we’ve visited the region.
Because I didn’t buy it at all historically, he was in charge of Beaujolais. The upside of that is that we own a bunch of aged Foillard! The downside is we don’t have much of anything else. I started to like it more a few years ago - maybe when I realized my days of buying great Burgundy had probably come to an end - and since then have bought several other producers, a few from Lyle Fass, in addition to our yearly Foillard purchases. Just not Thivin until a purchase of the 2019 from Envoyer, not yet delivered, and this 2017.
Hopefully, you’ll get the wine. PLCB is one of the few sources for 2017. Didn’t work for Sami Odi, as expected.
We’ll see. It’s fulfilled by Winebow, so at least that’s a sizeable provider. I don’t get upset when a purchase doesn’t work out. I might be disappointed, sure, but my attitude is that it wasn’t mine to begin with.
Agreed, the Sami Odi order was a lark. Frustrating that they offer things that there is no chance they can fulfill, it’s misleading advertising by the state. Basic stuff is never available. I could care less if I lived in Philadelphia.
Of course, William Kelley has the answer on this - doesn’t he always? From a couple of months ago:
https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3139249#p3139249
Thanks, the discussion seemed familiar, lol.
Not surprisingly - too good to be true! No dice. Oh well. I’ll just wait for the 2019s.
Jesus, this vintage of Roilette Griffe Du Marquis is f’ng AMAZING. @Jayson_Cohen been saying that since day one. I’m eating some greasy pork chunks and figured I needed a bright, higher acid wine. Grabbed this. I had some on release, but damn is this picking up a lot of weight and meaty substances, I just cannot stop putting it down. Lots of perfume and funk on the nose. This is an absolutely outstanding vintage of the Griffe. Easily 94 pts. With a “plus” sign.
Note to self, when both Jayson and Dale rave about a wine, buy the crap out of it! Especially when you love this producer anyway. I only bought six, sigh. At least I bought 18 bottles of the 2019!
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2019 is better, for my tastes. I enjoyed the 17, but it is more red fruited “strawberry” to the darker fruited boysenberry that is 19.
If it makes you feel any better, I only have 5 left. Re: @Alan_Rath’s point the lighter red fruited character, but still packed with juicy goodness and real palate presence, is why I love this vintage so much and better than the other darker and heavier vintages since.
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Jason, I think you know I enjoy red tones in wines very much, especially with the acid, but I will say right now this is showing us more meat and dark fruits. Like I said, this one is definitely picking up weight, and is definitely Roilette. For years, I have waffled on whether Roilette or Thivin is the best QPR on the planet, lately I’m leaning more Roilette.
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You have me salivating here Alfert! Sounds amazing and glad it is developing in such a positive manner. With just two left of the 17’s, I’ll hold for a few more years before pulling another cork.
Too bad I couldn’t find the Marquis version but Cuvee Tardive '20 & '21. Any comments on both vintages?
Finished off the remaining third of the bottle tonight, it is definitely a 95-point wine in the Alfert country lawyer yak palate profile. It prompted me to go grab a 2019, and I realized I left most of them in my office or at the beach place, so I grabbed a 2014. I have been buying this wine since the inaugural release in 2009, and up until 2017, the 2014 has been my favorite. Such a classic vintage in Beaujolais. Fuck what the critics say, this is classic vintage Beaujolais. And Roilette knocked it out of the park. Definitely more on the red-fruit spectrum but with a creamy profile and a funky wild nose. I’m giving the edge to 2017. Will pop a 2019 when I get to the beach on Thursday and make comparative comments. Unreal we can drink this quality for $35.
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#aclypp
Love it. Please do report on how your more recent go off the 19 is.
On a side note, speaking of wine that punches way above its price point, seek out if you can, the 19 Guillame Gilles Cornas. It can still be had for $80 - I pray I’m wrong but I can easily see it going the way of Gonon and being $150 + in a vintage or two.
Cheers.
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