I’ve been fairly lax about taking notes, let alone posting them, but here are some Chenin Blancs I’ve tried at various dinners over the past eight or so weeks that I actually scrawled something about.
Cheers,
Brad
1971 Baumard- Quarts de Chaume
Thanks to a closeout sale on this stuff that I bought heavily into and got a bunch of friends to join in on me, I’ve probably had this wine at least 14 times in the last two years and five times so far this year. It typically shows in the Solid B+ to Solid A- range depending on the bottle and this showing was a good one. Its sweetness is not what it was, though there’s still enough to go around. This bottle shows quite a bit of marzipan with a hit of quince, mineral and shoe polish. It’s also showing a tad younger and tighter than some recent bottles, though it’s time to start drinking these up as I don’t see any improvement potential. No real rush, though. A-.
1971 Baumard- Quarts de Chaume
This one we had at Jay’s place with the '24 Huet and this bottle isn’t showing as well as usual. It was a little less sweet than most other bottles and is showing its age more. There’s some burnt sugar, apricot, mineral and pineapple with a touch of bitterness on the finish. Solid B+.
1993 Baumard- Savennières “Clos Papillon”
Quite a nice showing for this one. This was pretty acidic on release, but time has mellowed it out nicely. Aging gracefully with quince, mineral, honey, yellow flowers and nuttiness on the nose and palate. It’s precise, but also shows nice richness. It’s fresher and younger with less oxidation than some '96’s and '97’s I’ve had over the past few years, much to my chagrin. Drink or hold. A-/B+.
1924 Huet- Vouvray Moelleux, Le Haut-Lieu
From a topped off, re-corked bottle. Finally got to try this bottling thanks to Jay Miller who opened it at a fete at his place. I was a little worried at first as it initially showed a bit of petillance. Unfortunately, a number of older bottlings that have been topped off and put up for sale since the sale of the domaine 7-8 years ago have shown some petillance and secondary fermentation. Luckily, it blew off and the wine came together beautifully with air. It’s a deep gold color with bergamot, shoe polish, mineral and a little more quince than apricot aromas. On the palate it definitely is mature, but there’s still a nice bounce to its step. Sweet, but in the typical old Chenin sense and of course nicely balanced. Earl grey tea dominates with orange marmalade and a hint of quince. I hope I’m in this good of shape at 85. A-.
1953 Huet- Vouvray Moelleux 1ere Trie, Le Mont
Typical aged Chenin nose, very earthy mineral, desiccated apricots, shoe polish and a touch of orange citrus. It’s lost a lot of sweetness over the years, but the sweetness that remains is well balanced. Perhaps a little lacking in the mid-palate and fading a bit, but I thought it was fading when I first tried it thirteen years ago, yet here it is showing pretty much identically. I’ve had slightly better bottles, though. A-/B+.
1957 Huet- Vouvray Demi-Sec, Clos du Bourg
From a release after the sale of the estate and topped off. Wow! This is showing beautifully and better than a bottle at the Huet Fete Part III. Developed, but it has that timeless Chenin freshness and vibrancy that seems to keep these wines immortal. It also is showing more youthfully than the '64 Moelleux that followed. Rich and complex with just a hint of sweetness, it shows mineral, shoe polish, quince and apricot flavors with a touch of oxidation. It actually wasn’t that expressive on the nose, but if there’s one lesson to be learned it’s that don’t be afraid to give old Huet lots of air. These wines will only get better as the hours go by. Solid A-.
1964 Huet- Vouvray Moelleux, Le Mont
From an original bottle with an original cork. Some mustiness on the nose which is fairly typical of old Chenin. Indeed those not so familiar with Chenin Blanc might’ve argued it was a defective bottle, but it was just Chenin being Chenin. Honeyed, but not all that sweet. Indeed it had a richer mouthfeel than the '57 demi-Sec, but was not all that much sweeter. Dessicated apricot, nuts and earl grey tea notes with a bit of bitterness on the finish. With air, however, the bitterness dissipated and the wine took on a beautiful marzipan character with a bit of orange marmalade. The mouthfeel also seemed to grow richer and more harmonious. Lovely wine and maybe a shade better showing than a bottle I opened in January in Paris. A-.
1989 Huet- Vouvray Moelleux 1ere Trie, Clos du Bourg
Stunning wine. Plenty to enjoy here, though it’s apparent that this wine is an infant and has decades of development ahead. There’s apricot, bergamot, botrytis/hay and honey notes. It’s quite sweet, but that '89 acidic backbone more than compensates. There’s just such great depth, complexity and length here. I just picked a bunch of these up and it’s going to be a real pleasure to see how they develop over the years. Just a joyous wine. Low A+.
1989 Huet- Vouvray, Cuvée Constance
Usually my favorite wine of all time, this bottle, alas, is a little lackluster. From a .375 ml and schlepped with me out to San Francisco recently, while still quite good, it showed a little older than from full bottles, with more of a nutty and marmalade edge to it. It also seemed a little shy, perhaps beaten up by the car rides to and from airports and being in the belly of a plane? It just didn’t have the depth, length or vibrancy I’ve come to expect from this wine. Quite sweet, but balanced. At least that stayed consistent. Still lovely, if not the bell ringer it usually is. A-.
2002 Huet- Vouvray Demi-Sec, Le Mont
I own a bunch of this amazing elixir and so do a lot of my friends, so there always seems to be one open. I’ve had this wine three times in the last six weeks and I’m surprised with how open it’s still showing as it should normally be pretty closed up by now. Intense, yet with a weightless quality, lightly sweet, yet perfectly balanced by vivacious acidity. Quince, mineral and green almonds dominate at this time. The only thing I’ve noticed that may hint that it’s closing up is that it’s not as effusive on the nose as it was a few years ago and it does seem a little tighter on the palate. Just sublime stuff. Solid A.
1953 D’Epiré- Anjou
This was actually tasted in 11/08. I’m a little surprised that it’s under the Anjou AOC as Savennières received AOC status in 1952. Perhaps the labels were already printed? In any case, I purchased this at auction in the fall as it I knew '53 was a good year in the Loire, the fill was terrific and I noticed there were some old D’Epiré apparently surfacing in the market in Europe. My oldest Savennières to date and it did not disappoint. A deep amber color with an aged Chenin nose full of wooliness, shoe polish, grilled apricots and nuts. On the palate this bottle was liquoreux in style and was still plenty sweet and showed plenty of structure. Faded fruit, worn wood, lanolin and shoe polish, though with air the lanolin and shoe polish receded and earl grey tea notes and a distinct orange creamsicle character that Coad and I always get from the Mark Angeli La Lune, came up. Very nice and gives me hope that the '49 I also picked up will be even better given the vintage. A-/B+.
1990 Closel- Savennières “Cuvée Speciale”
Whoa Nelly! This is showing like gangbusters! Fully open, flamboyant and lively with loads of quince, sweet yellow citrus, Bartlett pears, mineral, nuts and honey flavors and aromas. Mouth filling and persistent across the palate. There’s some nice minerality here, though the wine is absolutely fruit driven. The wine really is as open and showy as Pamela Anderson in her peak years, but it shows better class and balance. Perhaps Sophia Loren? Really super stuff and I’ve never had a '90 that showed this well. Solid A.
1989 Domaine des Petits Quarts- Bonnezeaux, Le Malabe (white label)
Suzanne Camhi brought this along to dinner for dessert knowing my love of Chenin and this producer and we paired it with the '71 Baumard QDC. Thank you Suzanne! It’s a bit simpler and more obvious than the Baumard, but equally as good and with quite a different character. It’s thicker and sweeter with a profile more of apricot, marmalade and butterscotch and finishes with a delicious cream and marzipan note. Lower acid than the QDC, but there’s enough there to contain the sugar. Lovely. A-.