The 11% and less thread

[Robert Dentice]

2021 Silver Heights, "Jiayuan", Pinot Noir - Chinese wines are having a moment in NYC amongst a few somms. This was super light. 11.5 % abv according to the label. It veered close to being underripe but was still a very enjoyable wine where the hint of greenness actually worked. It was lovely with a light chill. I was overall impressed.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

originally posted by fatboy:

originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
next time i come across a box containing a representative sample of Christian Ducroux, i'll take a look at abv, although i vaguely recall they are in the 11.5 range and would therefore be disqualified from the thread on account of being fortified

Not to mention that they are VA city all the way, though interestingly quirky.

"they"?

fb.

Because I don't know the gender of the different cuvées.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by georg lauer:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by georg lauer:
It does not really matter. There is only one Silice made, always from purchased grapes and therefore Maison des Ardoisières. Not sure where "Ardoises" come from in this context. Despite the variations in names and spelling, everybody is talking about exactly the same wine.

The blanc, yes. The rouge occasionally gets estate fruit.

Where did you see that? Neither Silice is listed on the Domaine website and I have never seen a bottle that said "Domaine". They might use some of their grapes occasionally but there is always only one wine with that name per color.

I visited the domain in January 2024. Brice asked his assistant, Nicolas, to taste us on the '23s. While serving the Silice Rouge, Nicolas said that the blend for '23 includes 40% pinot (which it never had before) and 60% mondeuse + gamay (but better gamay than in years past as it is now getting the domaine fruit (because a new source is being used in those cuvees)).

 

[georg lauer]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by georg lauer:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by georg lauer:
It does not really matter. There is only one Silice made, always from purchased grapes and therefore Maison des Ardoisières. Not sure where "Ardoises" come from in this context. Despite the variations in names and spelling, everybody is talking about exactly the same wine.

The blanc, yes. The rouge occasionally gets estate fruit.

Where did you see that? Neither Silice is listed on the Domaine website and I have never seen a bottle that said "Domaine". They might use some of their grapes occasionally but there is always only one wine with that name per color.

I visited the domain in January 2024. Brice asked his assistant, Nicolas, to taste us on the '23s. While serving the Silice Rouge, Nicolas said that the blend for '23 includes 40% pinot (which it never had before) and 60% mondeuse + gamay (but better gamay than in years past as it is now getting the domaine fruit (because a new source is being used in those cuvees)).

That is really interesting. Makes me wonder even more why they hide the Silice wines on the website (at least I cannot see them mentioned anywhere).

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by georg lauer:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by georg lauer:

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by georg lauer:
It does not really matter. There is only one Silice made, always from purchased grapes and therefore Maison des Ardoisières. Not sure where "Ardoises" come from in this context. Despite the variations in names and spelling, everybody is talking about exactly the same wine.

The blanc, yes. The rouge occasionally gets estate fruit.

Where did you see that? Neither Silice is listed on the Domaine website and I have never seen a bottle that said "Domaine". They might use some of their grapes occasionally but there is always only one wine with that name per color.

I visited the domain in January 2024. Brice asked his assistant, Nicolas, to taste us on the '23s. While serving the Silice Rouge, Nicolas said that the blend for '23 includes 40% pinot (which it never had before) and 60% mondeuse + gamay (but better gamay than in years past as it is now getting the domaine fruit (because a new source is being used in those cuvees)).

That is really interesting. Makes me wonder even more why they hide the Silice wines on the website (at least I cannot see them mentioned anywhere).

I see the site and I see what you mean. During my visit, Brice told me that he had to build a two-story winery, one floor for domaine wines and one floor for negoce wines, in order to comply with French law. Not sure why he thinks that extends to websites but IANAF ("I am not a Frenchman").

Careful shops keep the distinction, e.g. click

While I'm typing... here's a nice history of the domaine, and here's a link to my travelogue from that visit (details are tucked into both documents).

 

[Ben Hunting]

I find low-alcohol wines like the Silice (or Argile) tend to be well-priced on restaurant wine lists. In the summer, my wife and I drank the 2023 Agricola Gili Villo (abv 11%) at a smart restaurant in London and were seriously impressed by it, particularly at the wine list’s price of £50, but the importer charges £30 retail.

 

[Larry Stein]

It's happening in California, too. Shalini Sekhar is the winemaker/owner of Ottavino. She's also consulting winemaker for a couple of other wineries. I helped her bottle at Neely for 3 vintages (2021-23) and Ottavino for 2 (2022-23). She left Neely after the 2024 vintage. I'm pretty sure that not one of the wines I bottled was over mid-13s. Most were in the 12% range. A couple of Neely Chardonnays were in the high 11s.

This was very nice. Balanced, good acidity, on the lighter side in a very good way. 11.1%ABV.

 

[mark e]

originally posted by Claude Kolm:
The 11% and less threadFor those of us who aren't fans of big alcohol.

2024 Maison des Ardoises Silice Blanc
Wow, what a wine! This is entirely from the Jacquère grape, which I thought gave neutral, unfocused wines that I didn’t like; but maybe they were just too ripe. This wine is bright, nervy, and energetic with plenty of citric fruit in the nose and mouth. Be sure to serve this around 10ºC/50ºF. Certified organic. Cork closure. 10.5% stated alcohol.

Perfect description. The bottle had a Subr composite closure with a pesky wax capsule. But, yeah, lovely stuff.