A few wines for thanksgiving
Carsten Saalwaecter Weissburgunder 21 - No formal notes but this was very balanced with riper fruit, acid, and some yeast? lees? to help add complexity and a little structure.
Envinate Benje Tinto 17 - Had bad luck with TCA and their current release reds, but this was terrific. Light crunchy red fruit, a little irony, a little herbal, this was a terrific lighter red to go with the meal.
Lena Singer-Fischer BDB 20 - great way to start the evening, this was a little more fruit forward and acid driven without feeling austere. Autolytic notes were in great balance, the small dosage made a big difference to round things out
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Absolutely mind blowing. There is so much tension and density in this wine. Having gone through malo and being slightly oxidative in nature, it completely subverts expectations of a sauv blanc from the Loire, or anywhere really. It is massive both on the nose and the palette - there is definitely some small amount of residual sugar here despite the 13.5% alcohol. I get notes of citrus peel, tropical fruit, pastry cream & candied nuts. Such a unique expression.
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He does make some very fine, very atypical SB. Kind of in the same style as Barbou, but at half the price. Good stuff
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Les Grandes Vignes - La Varenne du Poirier 2021
Very savagnin like nose of honey, pear and sesame leaf. Not so odd given the genetic relationship of Savagnin and Chenin. The drink is moderately long and is comprised of green apple, honey and a salinic touch. The acidity is on the strong side, but the ripeness of the fruit is bothering me a little bit. It’s not neither here nor there in Chenin typicity but very well made and interesting none the less.
For 20€ in EU it’s quite the bargain.
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Both drinking very well.
Naudin has a darker berries profile, but is in no way heavy and only got better with air.
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And how long cellaring would that HB need? Not as in need of time as the ‘16 we had together?
It is ready now. But can go many years.
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Cross posting from the Deal thread. Not marketed as Natural wines, but very much in the vein. A great chance to try them if you’re in the US and have been curious.
With a bonus tasting note from the OP on the 2022 Partial Eclipse:
@Luca_Giupponi : This wine evokes feelings of summer as a kid, sitting in the shade to enjoy a snack after an afternoon playing outside. Despite its name, there is actually a lot of sunshine in this bottle.
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i recall tom hill posted a rather pessimistic note about this wine a while back. having never tried this gruner cuvée i was really curious to give it a taste. in my experience evan’s wines have continued to improve over the years and at this stage they are quite clean and stable with even a slightly serious structure. this wine is no different and opens with an effusive nose of classic gruner herbal notes and heady satsuma fruit. lithe on the palate at 11.1% alcohol yet stains the tongue with thick apricot fruit. the wine culminates with a tangy lemon edge accompanied with the delicate tannin of a black tea. with air the nose becomes distinctly floral like an aesop soap. delicious and highly drinkable.
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I drink a ton of natural wine but rarely post on it. I love shopping for wine in Buffalo during my annual once a year return home because I find and try wines I would never buy elsewhere.
I saw a bottle with a beautiful label that piqued my interest 2023 Jean-Paul Brun Terres Dorées Bourgone. I have never seen a Brun from Bourgone. The wine was a whopping $27 before discount so I took a flyer.
WOW!
What a wine. This is what I love about natural wine, lively, energetic, vivid, juicy and just overall delicous. Dark cherry fruit, soaring aromatics and such an absolute pleasure to drink with a slight chill.
If you know of a better Pinot at this price point I need to know.
This is the importer write up on the 24:
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That price seems to be on par with European pricing. That’s not bad!
Don’t know him but I’ll remember the name.
The Chemin de la Brune 2020 from L’Anglore was as always rather shy on the nose, with apricot, lemon zest and a bit of allspice. The mouth is low to medium acid and day old red red berries. A little dusty somehow. It’s a fine drink for the 20€ paid but nothing more.
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$70. Think they jumped when sons took over and moved to Kermit book.
Absolutely not worth that— Tavel Vintage, Nizon, Traverses maybe yes.
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He makes most if not all of the Beaujolais crus, and is reliably very good to excellent if a bit under the radar. I’ve heard he doesn’t like the natural wine label, and uses Burgundian vinification, but definitely worth checking out!! His Cote de Brouilly and Morgon are my favorites, both great contrasting representations of their respective terroir.
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As always, it depends who is handling the radar.
Brun has been one of the Beaujolais stars for the NYC/LDM/CSW crowd, for the past few decades.
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True! I’m thinking specifically of WB, where JP Brun gets few mentions compared to Roilette, Foillard, Metras, etc.
Also worthwhile nothing that Brun does really well in the hot minefield vintages like 2018 and 2020.
Good to know! Always happy to get to know some more, so thanks Vince.
And as Rahsaan points out, some producers sometimes have a very impressive representation where they have none elsewhere.
Sounds like I shouldn’t hold my line bottle for two long.
I am still thinking about his Bourgogne. What a fun wine and everything I like about natural wine whether it is or isn’t natural!
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