A Few Good Ones - Jura, Loire & Rioja

M

Mike Klein

Mike Klein
I posted these a while ago on another board but thought the group here might be interested in these.

The '98 Domaine Ganevat "Vignes de mon Pere" (Savagnin) was brought by a friend from overseas and had to be one of the most difficult but interesting wines I've ever had. I expected the sherried/oxidized notes assuming this was made in a Vin Jaune style but got something completely different. It started out closed and seemed quite reduced. Lots of burnt tones on the nose and a little sulphide. Still, it had such driving acidity and palate presence. After about three hours it started to budge and by the next day.... wonderful. Not an easy wine by any stretch but great never the less.

With other appetizers we had an '04(?) Richard Leroy Les Nolles de Monthenault. Amazing again. No residual sugar here - this wine is straight as an arrow and so structured. It reminded me of what might happen if you brought a crate of chenin blanc to Raveneau to vinify. I need to drink more of this stuff. Just wish I could find it closer to home.

The '81 Lopez Bosconia has been well and is great. It doesn't make you forget the complexity of a great burg but comes close and has its own leathery, savory charms. Plus it goes well with a ton of stuff which I really like. Especially richer meat dishes as it has the sweet, round acids to cut through fat.

Great night and these wines did not suck.

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originally posted by Mike Klein:

The '81 Lopez Bosconia has been well and is great. It doesn't make you forget the complexity of a great burg but comes close and has its own leathery, savory charms. Plus it goes well with a ton of stuff which I really like. Especially richer meat dishes as it has the sweet, round acids to cut through fat.
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Or rather, I quite like it, but it reminds me of my ex, so I hate it. I'm so torn.

Has always been better than the Tondonia for me in this vintage.
 
I was in Chambers St. almost a year ago and they had every Ganevat wine except the Savagnin. Though I was broke and the producer was new to me, my Savagnin mania would have induced me to mix a 6- or 12-pack to ship south to myself if there had been Savagnin. Some guy there named Chris promised me he'd email when they got more, but there's been silence over the ether.
 
Susannah:

Yeah, I hardly ever see Ganevat's wines although I think a little might come into Crush. Maybe not much gets made? CSW will probably get some at some point but I don't know when. The Leroy I posted on is also a tough find although I see a little here and there.
 
originally posted by Mike Klein:
The '81 Lopez Bosconia has been well and is great. It doesn't make you forget the complexity of a great burg but comes close and has its own leathery, savory charms. Plus it goes well with a ton of stuff which I really like. Especially richer meat dishes as it has the sweet, round acids to cut through fat.
Click to expand...
I really enjoyed this wine at a LdH dinner several months back. It appeared more concentrated and less advanced than the other similarly aged reds on the table ('76 Tondonia, '85 Tondonia), although there is of course considerable bottle variation with these wines. The Tondonias certainly had their charms but there was a freshness to this Bosconia that I loved.

Somewhat tangentially, a '98 Bosconia I tasted in Madrid last summer was surprisingly fresh and primary in character. A bottle tasted stateside appeared to be much further along in its aging curve, if not yet mature.
 
originally posted by Mike Klein:
Susannah:

Yeah, I hardly ever see Ganevat's wines although I think a little might come into Crush. Maybe not much gets made? CSW will probably get some at some point but I don't know when. The Leroy I posted on is also a tough find although I see a little here and there.
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Garnet, and they're on sale.
 
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