I went through 6 bottles of his La Roche Bézigon 2013 in 2016. They were all decently good but they all showed advanced. I didn’t re-purchase since then.
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So good, and ages so well also. The 2011 last year was off the charts.
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Domaine Labet - Cuvee du Hasard 2018, edition #2
So this was accidental infanticide, or not really, because while this can stand three decades of aging, it was very good already.
The texture is slightly oily, and the color is straw yellow, but edging a little deeper on the spectrum.
Deep brooding nose of curry, fenugreek, cardamom, and marzipan. The mouth is very long, with hints of peach yoghurt, macvin, caramel, and just a kaleidoscope of ripe fruits. Again, I’ve always kind of preferred the Assemblage at half the price, and while this is more refined, it only serves to show that the domaine can produce a shorter-elevage cuvee that can bring shame to the idea of ‘vin jaune’ as a protected title, at least in my mind. This sees 5 years of voile time instead of 7.
This is edition #2 of 2, and while the technical info doesn’t differ much, it seems this bottling was released a year later, probably due to the bad harvest in '24.
Drinking window 2026-2066.
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Anyone have any experience with No Control or Dhumes?
I’m interested in exploring Auvergne, but I also want to avoid excessively volatile or mousy wines if possible.
Jon Bonne wrote something about both these producers in New French Wine, but I was hoping to get more recent datapoints.
I have tried Serol, but have had mixed experiences (especially with the higher-level cuvees which come across as a little glossy and polished for me)
Henri Chauvet.
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Thank you for the recommendation! I will look for some.
Pierre Beauger and Aurélien Lefort can be quite exciting, but you are dealing with extremes for sure.
A friend said Beauger’s Le Champignon Magique is “like drinking drugs”.
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I will definitely be on the lookout for those producers, thanks!
Yeah +1 for Chauvet. Really been good so far. l’Arbre Blanc also has made some fairly good reds.
Recent vintages of Beauger has been really expensive, as he raised his prices.
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Thank you!
The Balagny was a bit muddy.
Ok bottles of Dodane and Rousset-Martin.
Both started fairly oxidative and then settled down.
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I think No control’s Magma Rock is really good and Dhumes is a great winemaker.
Here are some other names I really like from Auvergne that haven’t been mentioned :
- Tricot → Really good reds and a lovely Chardonnay (Escargot)
- Les Grands Pans → Located just next to l’Arbre Blanc, this is a new producer that has only completed two vintages so far, but they’ve been really impressive. Slightly hard to find unfortunately.
- Jean Maupertuis → One of the firsts to do it in the region (natural wine). The wines are more affordable and don’t have the same hype as other producers but Pierres Noires 24 is really delicious and Pink bulles is one of the best if not the best pet nat in the region.
- Domaine Lapilli → New promising domaine.
- Benoit Rosenberger → My favorite from the region, but getting harder to find.
- Catherine Dumora → She discovered wine with Beauger so it could be interesting for you to try if you don’t want to pay the Beauger prices. The wines are not on the same level, but still very interesting.
Auvergne is an awesome wine region to discover with lots of talented winemakers.
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I finally tried a wine, Von der Vogel, that I keep seeing on all of the cool kid’s gram. I did some research on it and it is an intriguing story. A natural wine from the Wachau. Austria obviously has a thriving natural wine scene but I don’t recall any producers from the Wachau. Interestingly I started my love affair with Riesling with Wachau producers up until the wines started getting to ripe for my tastes when I switched to Germany.
2022 Von Der Vogel Waid Riesling - This wine is stunning. It speaks very softly but what it has to say is very interesting. It is ripe and has wonderful acidity but the texture is what is fascinating it almost feels like drinking water but don’t mistake this for not having taste as it has plenty. A fascinating interpretation of the Wachau. I am really excited to try more wines from them, especially the Grüner.
Excellent synopsis!
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Thank you! To second @patrick_c_albright , a great overview of the region.
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I’ve had No Control’s Magma Rock a few months ago. Didn’t take note but I remember it had brett. Whether it is faulty may be arguable. Ordered a bottle at a natural wine bar with friends, and it was borderline faulty in my standard so I stopped after a glass, but a friend who drinks natural wine regularly didn’t seem to care at all and loved the wine, so I don’t know how that would appear to your palate to be honest. I don’t remember VA or mousiness if that’s what you’re worried about, and the overall stylistic impression was, iirc, the floral, aromatic style with quite a bit of whole cluster characters thats trendy in the natural wine world (and beyond), if it helps.
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Very interesting. Thank you for your take. Always great to learn more.
Had a bottle of jonas dostert elbling 23 this week and now i’m trying to track down more. 23 is riper and fleshier than what I remember a 21 being, but really wonderful wine. Malo notes stuck out a bit after a few days open, but added additional layers and complexity.
Also love the henri chauvet wines, they’re a bit pricey in the states but always try to drink them when I can. I had a chauvet cendre et d’ame recently (mixed info online if its 100% pinot vs gamay+pinot) and thought it compared favorably to the next gen of burg producers.
Looking through past emails: De cendre et d’âme 70% gamay, 30% pinot noir