In late 2024 me, @IlkkaL and @Mikko_R (along with the non-Berserker member of our entourage) had a planning session on which producers we should visit, where we should eat, where we should stay on our week-long trip to France - which had been agreed upon and scheduled already four years earlier!
Naturally to set the mood, we had to have one Burgundy and one Northern Rhône - those were the places we were going to go to, after all! And as luck would have it, we actually managed to visit the Burgundy producer, Chandon de Briailles!
We also had a couple of whites to sip on first, plus our non-Berserker brought a blind extra with him - which I correctly identified as a 2021 Nebbiolo almost right off the bat.
Apart from these nice wines, we also had a great, productive planning session which helped us to have one of the trips of our lifetimes. Three cheers for my three partners in crime!
- 2014 Michel Bufflier Gringet Point Barre Le Feu - France, Savoie, Vin de Savoie Ayse (1.11.2024)
100% organically farmed Gringet from Le Feu cru. Fermented spontaneously and aged in concrete egg-shaped tanks, bottled with minimal SO2. 12% alcohol.
Medium-deep yellow-green color. The nose feels quite wild and characterful with aromas of crunchy apples, some herby greenness, light wild waxy tones, a little bit of honeyed richness and evolved beeswax character, a hint of ripe lemony citrus fruit and a touch of green asparagus. The wine feels crisp, clean and lively on the palate with a light body and dry, somewhat mild flavors of stony minerality and tangy salinity, some lemony citrus notes, a little bit of herby greenness, light tart Granny Smith apple notes, a hint of crunchy white currant and a touch of waxy funk. The moderately high acidity keeps things fresh and balanced. The palate-cleansing finish is dry, airy and slightly evolved with a moderately long aftertaste of lemony citrus fruits, some golden currants, light green herby tones, a little bit of sharp Granny Smith apple, mineral hints of wet rocks and salinity and a developed touch of beeswax richness.
A pleasant, refreshing and sophisticated Savoyard white. Although the wine shows some funkier nuances on the nose, the wine is noticeably cleaner on the palate - but, true to the variety, quite linear and understated in all other ways, too. The wine isn't thin or watery, but it definitely shows certain sense of Alpine neutrality; there just isn't much in the way of fruit or character. This was a somewhat harmless but nevertheless pleasant and enjoyable effort - just maybe not worth the 32€.
(89 points) - 2018 Hameau Touche Boeuf (Simon Gastrein) L'Effrontée - France, Vin de France (1.11.2024)
A blend of organically farmed Viognier (60%), Marsanne (30%), Roussanne (10%) and a tiny portion of Cugnette (a synonym for both Jacquère and Chenin Blanc). Macerated briefly with the skins, then pressed and fermented spontaneously in stainless steel tanks and oak vats. 13,5% alcohol.
Medium-deep lemon-yellow color with faint greenish highlights. The nose feels somewhat wild and lifted with aromas of honeycomb and bruised apple, some pineapple tones, a little bit of ripe apricot, light floral notes of orange blossom, a nutty hint of chopped almonds and a faint touch of ethery VA. The wine feels ripe, broad and juicy on the palate with a moderately full body and rich flavors of peach, fresh pineapple and apple jam, some floral spice, a little bit of almond paste, light lifted notes of ethery VA, a floral hint of orange blossom and a touch of honeycomb. The moderately high acidity lends good sense of balance and structure to this otherwise rather richly-textured wine. The finish is ripe and juicy with a long, slightly wild aftertaste of apricot and honeycomb, some sweeter notes of apple jam, a little bit of mineral spice, light nutty almond notes, a hint of cantaloupe and a lifted touch of ethery VA.
Considering how this was a Viognier-driven naturalist white from the solar 2018 vintage, I was expecting this to be a heavy, blowzy and natty concoction - and I must admit the wine managed to exceed my expectations by a considerable margin! Although the wine wasn't entirely in my wheelhouse - it is still a bit too ripe and rich in style for my preference - this was still a surprisingly balanced and serious effort showing good sense of nuance and depth of flavor. While not a particularly acid-driven wine, the level of acidity was still higher than I expected whereas the overall feel didn't feel too natural or funky. Sure, there is some VA, but it stayed well below any alarming levels - the sweet, ethery nuances mainly just accentuated the ripe fruit aromatics, giving them nice sense of lift. All in all, a pleasant and thoroughly drinkable effort for those occasions that call for a ripe, richly-textured whites.
(90 points) - 2010 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru (1.11.2024)
100% biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir from a 2,6-hectare parcel that was planted in 1956 in 1er Cru Les Lavières. Vinified in whole clusters. Fermented spontaneously, aged in predominantly old oak barrels. 12,5% alcohol.
Translucent and somewhat evolved pomegranate color with a faint dried-blood hue. The nose feels open, fragrant and characterful with aromas of raspberries, red cherries and wild strawberries, some perfumed floral tones, a little bit of orange rind, light pomegranate notes, hints of earth and forest floor, a touch of beet and a whiff of farmhouse funk. The wine feels dry, bright and crunchy with a light-to-medium body and fresh flavors of tart cranberries and lingonberries, some wild strawberries, light floral notes of violets, a little bit of forest floor and tobacco, hints of pomegranate and juicy red plum and a touch of gravelly minerality. The structure relies more on the lively, fresh acidity than on the quite open-knit and rather gentle tannins. The finish is dry, nuanced and slightly grippy with a long, fresh aftertaste of crunchy cranberries and pomegranate, some floral notes of violets, a little bit of ferrous blood, light earthy tones, sweeter hints of cherries and strawberries and a touch of orange rind.
A seductive, nuanced and still quite youthful Savigny-lès-Beaune that seemed a bit understated at first, but opened up wonderfully with some air. Instead of trying to impress with power and intense fruit, the overall feel is quite lightweight and airy, emphasizing freshness and sense of finesse. Shows lovely interplay between the bright, red-toned fruit flavors and more savory and earthy nuances of forest floor, beet and even a subtle undertone of rustic funk. Seeing how very little age the wine shows at 14 years of age, I can see this continuing to evolve and improve easily for at least another decade, if not even longer. Priced according to its quality at 60,97€.
(93 points) - 2014 Domaine Champet Côte-Rôtie La Viallière - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (1.11.2024)
Mainly Syrah (typically a tiny addition of 1-6% of Viognier) from La Viellière cru. Vinified entirely in whole bunches, fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins for 2-3 weeks. Aged in primarily neutral (0-10% new) oak foudres and 500-liter demi-muids for 15-18 months. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 12,5% alcohol.
Deep, slightly translucent and somewhat evolved black cherry color with a faint brick-red hue towards the rim. The nose feels fragrant and wonderfully classically styled with textbook Northern Rhône Syrah aromas of ripe black raspberries and dusty black pepper, some meaty tones, a little bit of brambly blackberry, light olive tones, a hint of smoke and a faint touch of herby spice. The wine feels dry, firm and still quite airy on the palate with a medium body and savory flavors of tart lingonberries and crunchy crowberries, some spicy notes of cracked peppercorns, a little bit of brambly blackberry, light meaty notes of game and salt-cured beef, a hint of olive and a touch of fresh bilberry. The combination of high acidity and ample, moderately grippy tannins make the wine feel pretty sinewy and structure-driven. The finish is long, dry and moderately grippy with a nuanced, savory aftertaste of brambly blackberries and tobacco, some spicy notes of cracked peppercorns, a little bit of crowberries, light sweeter nuances of ripe blueberries, a hint of smoke and a faint, slightly salty touch of olive.
A wonderfully attractive, nuanced and quite firm Côte-Rôtie made in a very savory and structure-driven old-school style. The emphasis is very much on the fresh fruit, savory non-fruit elements and structure with a very modest level of alcohol and not a smidgen of new oak influence. Although some producers made some very lightweight wines in the 2014 bordering on either under-ripe or dilute in flavor intensity, this wine feels just fresh and somewhat airy, yet not lacking one bit in intensity and ripeness. Everything is just on point. The overall feel isn't young anymore, but I didn't pick many tertiary elements, either; I can imagine the wine will continue to evolve effortlessly for another decade or so, meaning that this wine easily confirms to the Rule of 15. Drink now or whenever you feel like it - there is no hurry whatsoever. Lovely stuff, solid value at 49,59€.
(94 points) - 2021 Elio Sandri Langhe Nebbiolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC (1.11.2024)
100% organically farmed Nebbiolo from Vigna Disa in the sub-region Perno of Monforte d'Alba. Fermented spontaneously and macerated with the skins for 10-12 days. Aged for 8 months in old Slovenian botti. 14,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
Deep, youthful, moderately translucent black cherry color with a faint purplish hue. The nose feels youthful, sweet-toned and fruit-forward with aromas of cherry marmalade and ripe forest fruits, some licorice root, light strawberry tones, a little bit of juicy blackcurrant, a faint lifted hint of balsamic VA and a touch of fresh dark fruits. The wine feels juicy, chewy and quite noticeably ripe on the palate with a rather full body and somewhat sweet-toned flavors of black cherries and other dark fruits, some licorice tones, a little bit of fresh bilberry, light blackcurrant nuances, a hint of gravelly minerality and a red-toned touch of wild strawberry. While quite sunny and very fruit-driven, the overall feel is still rather firmly-structured with the quite high acidity and ample, moderately grippy tannins. The finish is juicy, long and quite grippy with a dark-toned aftertaste of black cherries and licorice, some blueberry tones, a little bit of earth, light primary notes of raspberry jellies, a lifted hint of balsamic VA and a touch of gravelly minerality.
A surprisingly ripe, big and fruit-driven effort for a Langhe Nebbiolo - and Langhe Nebbiolo was my first guess when we were tasked to identify the wine blind. Quite burly and structured in overall feel, yet relatively accessible already now. An impressive and rather large-framed example in its genre, coming across more like a baby Barolo than a simple everyday red so many Langhe Nebbiolos tend to be. I imagine this wine will continue to evolve and improve just fine for at least another decade or so. Solid value at 35€.
(91 points)
Posted from CellarTracker