TN: Texier, Breton, Puzelat

M

Mike Evans

Mike Evans
Here are some notes from a few wines tasted over several hours on Saturday. The Breton definitely stole the show.

1998 Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône-Brézème - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône-Brézème
Tart, simple, and a little stinky, but still alive despite 16 years under an artificial cork. It changed quite a bit with air, at times showing classic syrah black pepper, with fruit fading in and out, and still with nice color, it is a shame to imagine what it could have been under a different closure.

1999 Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil
An initial burst of brett blew off quickly, leaving well-knit tart red fruit, leather, and a little minerality as constants, while over few hours a pleasant herbaceousness flittered in and out. It's in a nice place right now, and would be dangerously easy to drink if the 11.5% alcohol shown on the label was much higher.

2009 Puzelat-Bonhomme Pouilly-Fumé - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé
A friendly, slobbering golden retreiver of a Pouilly-Fume, surprisingly oxidized, but still at a pleasant stage where it is expressed as hazelnuts, butterscotch, and a hint of peppermint, and the fruit is big, sweet and rich, which is not unexpected given the 15% alcohol shown on the label. Drink 'em if you got 'em.
 
originally posted by Mike Evans:
TN: Texier, Breton, PuzelatHere are some notes from a few wines tasted over several hours on Saturday. The Breton definitely stole the show.

1998 Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône-Brézème - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône-Brézème
16 years under an artificial cork.
Click to expand...
????

2009 Puzelat-Bonhomme Pouilly-Fumé - France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé
A friendly, slobbering golden retreiver of a Pouilly-Fume, surprisingly oxidized,
Click to expand...
Kinda always was. Not really my favorite.
 
originally posted by Mike Evans: TN: Texier, Breton, Puzelat1998 Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône-Brézème Tart, simple, and a little stinky, but still alive despite 16 years under an artificial cork.
Click to expand...

Mike, Thanks for the notes!

What do you feel the artificial cork did to the wine?

What closure do you feel would have been better?

. . . . Pete
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by Mike Evans:
TN: Texier, Breton, PuzelatHere are some notes from a few wines tasted over several hours on Saturday. The Breton definitely stole the show.

1998 Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône-Brézème - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône-Brézème
16 years under an artificial cork.
Click to expand...
????
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what the question is? The bottle was sealed with a Neocork, if I recall correctly (it could have been a Nomacork, though, as I'm not sure I can distinguish between them). But M. Brézème probably bottled it in 1999, and I drank it 4 days into 2014, so the wine really only spent 14 or 15 years in a Neocork sealed container, not the 16 year difference between the 1998 vintage and 2014.

Pete, based on the terrific showing of a bottle of the '99 last fall that was under natural cork, my understanding of the performance of Neocorks over longer periods of time, the fact that I still have a few more bottles, and the benefit of hindsight, given the alternatives available in 1999/2000, I wish it was sealed using natural cork. That way, I would expect to have two or three good bottles left even if this one had ended up being corked.

I need to add that no criticism of M. Brézème is intended here. When I bought this on release, I'm sure I enthusiastically endorsed the use of Neocork, and I don't recall that he recommended that I hold it this long.
 
Mike, I prefer natural cork also; however, I wasn't aware that Neocork, while it might not let the wine age normally, it might taint the wine.

Speaking of Neocork, I haven't heard from Stuart lately. I wonder how things turned out for him with his Neocork issues.

. . . . . Pete
 
originally posted by Peter Creasey:

Mike, I prefer natural cork also; however, I wasn't aware that Neocork, while it might not let the wine age normally, it might taint the wine.

Speaking of Neocork, I haven't heard from Stuart lately. I wonder how things turned out for him with his Neocork issues.

. . . . . Pete
Click to expand...

Pete,
Mike's not saying that fake corks taint the wine; rather, there is a well-documented history of fake corks failing to hold a seal with time and thus leading to premature aging of the wine. Stuart left the wine stopper business some years ago and is now happily ensconced in Chicago where he continues to work as a polymer chemist.

Mark Lipton
 
I was shocked that someone would have kept a fake cork bottle for a decade. It's not what they're for.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
I was shocked that someone would have kept a fake cork bottle for a decade. It's not what they're for.
Click to expand...

you'd be surprised at what may turn up in your own cage
 
Thanks, now I understand. I'm a little pleased that reports from my unplanned aging experiments can still trigger shock. I was afraid that I'd posted enough notes on wines that have probably been held too long that my notes could elicit little more than a pitying sigh, or maybe an involuntary shudder of mild revulsion.
 
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