Jeff Connell
Jeff Connell
Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Gamay 2004
There is a lot of stuff, and a lot of life in this wine. A certain loose patina shows maturation, but there is lively, bright fruit, and wonderful earthy texture. Is that texture or is that a kind of minerality? The wine has tannin that seems unique to Mareuil-sur-Cher - fully ripe, while lean and cool, some kind of tannin-mineral compound, if that makes sense. The truly lovely thing is the composure, the easy balance of this wine.
So, here is another 2004 closed under nomacork, but in this case there is no sense of unease, unlike Terres Dores Chardonnay and Pepire Muscadet. Maybe it is a red wine/white wine difference. Or maybe there is no sense to be made of it. Still, while I might ordinarily think "drink and hold", I'm leery of holding.
The crowd pleaser of the night was a St.-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes 1997 from Jol Taluau, which I can't argue with, except that I loved the Gamay. Just a perfect St.-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil in a perfect stage for drinking, even though it represents one less bottle holding. What the hell. (Although this wine could easily launch a lengthy discussion about dirt.)
Cave Spring 1994 Riesling from the Beamsville Bench in Niagara, and Konzelmann 1995 Gewrztraminer Late Harvest, from Niagara-on-the-Lake deserve mention. Both for hangin' in there over the years, the former for having a clean, steely character, naught but a whiff of petrol, and the latter for having a well-balanced richness, almost-but-not-quite unctuous, and restrained but honest varietal character.
There is a lot of stuff, and a lot of life in this wine. A certain loose patina shows maturation, but there is lively, bright fruit, and wonderful earthy texture. Is that texture or is that a kind of minerality? The wine has tannin that seems unique to Mareuil-sur-Cher - fully ripe, while lean and cool, some kind of tannin-mineral compound, if that makes sense. The truly lovely thing is the composure, the easy balance of this wine.
So, here is another 2004 closed under nomacork, but in this case there is no sense of unease, unlike Terres Dores Chardonnay and Pepire Muscadet. Maybe it is a red wine/white wine difference. Or maybe there is no sense to be made of it. Still, while I might ordinarily think "drink and hold", I'm leery of holding.
The crowd pleaser of the night was a St.-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Vieilles Vignes 1997 from Jol Taluau, which I can't argue with, except that I loved the Gamay. Just a perfect St.-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil in a perfect stage for drinking, even though it represents one less bottle holding. What the hell. (Although this wine could easily launch a lengthy discussion about dirt.)
Cave Spring 1994 Riesling from the Beamsville Bench in Niagara, and Konzelmann 1995 Gewrztraminer Late Harvest, from Niagara-on-the-Lake deserve mention. Both for hangin' in there over the years, the former for having a clean, steely character, naught but a whiff of petrol, and the latter for having a well-balanced richness, almost-but-not-quite unctuous, and restrained but honest varietal character.