Ah that’s a bummer! I’ve had the Moon Drops and Sun Drops a few times and it’s been joyful. Anyhow, plenty other quality producers around there. If you try the tasting menu at Hisa Franko they seem to pour wines that are ‘safe’.
A couple from Auvergne today:
2021 Marie et Vincent Tricot Les Milans
2022 Henri Chauvet Froussard
Both excellent.
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2021 Maison Marthe Meursault Sous La Velle - cool wine. super savory with lots of salinity. deep golden color. viscous. would like to try this again.
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I’ve heard good things about Chauvet, sounds like I need to open one!
I had the Ensauvages in the summer and that was nice. Maybe a tad too volatile for my liking. I would be curious to try the whites!
I just tasted thru at Pig+Fig 12 Donkey & Goat natural wines. They were all clean & well-made w/ nary a sign of natty/mousey character. It can be done.
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That’s not what I’d expect from the name “Donkey & Goat”, but nice!
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The Linda Vista Chardonnay from Donkey + Goat was my go to wine list buy when I lived in Napa.
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The Froussard was very clean, maybe even a bit classical.
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Renaud Boyer BB Les Riaux 2022
Cloudy, with a bit of fizz. It drinks a bit like a cidre, fruity and palate cleansing. I will put it in the category interesting but you are glad when the bottle is empty and you can switch to something else.
I will give my other, higher bottlings some more time.
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Chauvet has been on my to-try list forever. But for some reason I have not tries them yet… need to change that.
Last night we had the 2023 Matassa Ollla rouge. 11%, always a little spritzy on opening. Gave it a good shake and that aspect goes away. Unfortunately this bottle was a little bretty- not horrible but definitely distracting. I’m not sure I’m a buyer on these going forward. Especially since I find the Duchene ‘La Luna’ to be consistently clean and offering a gorgeously pure expression of old vine Grenache. And the price point is about the same.
A few nights ago we had the Le Puy “Marie-Cécile”, Vin de France Blanc. This is 100% Semillon Bdx blanc and is just so damn good. Really shows that ‘zero zero’ wines can be absolutely clean. I wish someone other than Rosenthal brought these into the US, as they would probably be 15-20% less expensive.
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Duchene really does deliver clean expressions time after time. Never had a bad bottle from him.
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Ah, I had a horribly mousy Duchene once, but also some phenomenal bottles.
For Matassa I agree the Olla Rouge has some brett, but it’s never been enough to deter me. I don’t buy it for my cellar(only Rouge, Blanc and Margueritte), but I tend to buy one on a warm summer evening if one is available. Slightly chilled it’s such a good vin de soif.
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Yeah, the 22 Olla rouge was great. This 23 was just a little too funky for me.
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A pretty good bottle of 2020 P-R Côteaux Bourguignons.
A ton of structure, even after ninety minutes in a decanter it was still pretty firm.
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even the higher end rouge always seems to be bretty. not horribly so but definitely for those who like some funk. tattouine is usually my pick of the reds. the most recent french disko release was super pure fruited and clean too.
- 2014 Melsheimer Reiler Mullay-Hofberg Riesling Sekt Brut - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (1/11/2025)
A 50-50 riesling and spatburgunder blend? Yes please! This wine is seamlessly integrated and harmonious. Frothy mousse, round mouthfeel, focused palate. Really delicious!
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To me, it’s very much the trait of the region, so I welcome a bit of brett. And I agree that Tattouine and El Carner Rouge are also fantastic — they’re all true reflections of the terroir. And how he constantly keeps the alcohol level from overtaking the wine is impressive.