Foillard 2000 Morgon Cte du Py (Beaujolais) Mildly corked, grossly bretty, and otherwise not good. (5/09)
Foillard 2001 Morgon Cte du Py (Beaujolais) Very bretty. Straddles the dueling worlds of Burgundy (a deep, moody complexity of berries and black trumpet mushrooms) and the Rhne (funky, sun-baked undergrowth). But Id like it a lot more were there less stink. (5/09)
Dard & Ribo 2006 St-Joseph (Rhne) Wrenched and writhing, squirting its dark fruit every which way, but never achieving any sort of focus or direction. Theres a heavy stench of brett, as well, which is strong enough to detract despite the wines muscularity. This needs time, for sure, but unfortunately it will never shed its manure. (5/09)
Snat 2007 Minervois La Nine (Languedoc) Seems dominated by the aromatics of its grenache (bubblegum and sticky raspberry) and the structure of its mourvdre, but while theres both ballooning fruit and shouldery structure, Im not sure where this wines head is. Time it needs, and time it will get, but I do wonder about its future. (5/09)
Mtras 2007 Beaujolais (Beaujolais) Crisp, sharp, and overtly prickly. A pickled wine, but which I dont mean theres vinegar or dill, but rather that it bears the same relation to gamay of more restraint and elegance as a pickle does to a freshly-picked cucumber. A chillnquaffer, for sure. (5/09)
C&P Breton 2006 Bourgueil Franc de Pied (Loire) Heres a stray cabernet franc, a little unkempt and matted from its post-abandonment wanderings, arrived on your doorstep and gazing up at you with wary-yet-hopeful puppy-dog eyes. Its a wine that wears its wary heart on its sleeve, one that throbs with nervous tension, and the result is a sort of vinous quivering. Yet it doesnt really like to be held too long, either, and shies away when grasped too tightly or for too long. (5/09)
C&P Breton 2004 Bourgueil Les Galichets (Loire) The initial impression is one of dominant brett, but this initial bloom is soon overcome by dark, scowling fruit seeping its juices into a brown, muddy soil. Despite the still-fair structure, the overall effect of the wine is a little soupy, or perhaps more accurately stew-like. Lingering tannin pairs with the Band-Aid brett to provide an edge right through to the finish. Given the current state and the closure, Im not sure this is something Id hold much longer, unless one is exceedingly optimistic about winning the synthetic cork lotterydespite the odds. (6/09)
Saurel Saint Damien 2007 Ctes-du-Rhne La Bouveau (Rhne) Perhaps a bit modern-styled, but if so its done in a very appealing fashion; dark, forceful (but not aggressive) fruit that seems a little more zinnish than usual for a CdR bursts and flows over the palate like rapids, with a dusting of black pepper and serrated rosemary. Pure fun. (6/09)
Pichat 2005 Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah (Rhne) Cardboardy and difficult. Not corked, but not good either. (6/09)
Foillard 2001 Morgon Cte du Py (Beaujolais) Very bretty. Straddles the dueling worlds of Burgundy (a deep, moody complexity of berries and black trumpet mushrooms) and the Rhne (funky, sun-baked undergrowth). But Id like it a lot more were there less stink. (5/09)
Dard & Ribo 2006 St-Joseph (Rhne) Wrenched and writhing, squirting its dark fruit every which way, but never achieving any sort of focus or direction. Theres a heavy stench of brett, as well, which is strong enough to detract despite the wines muscularity. This needs time, for sure, but unfortunately it will never shed its manure. (5/09)
Snat 2007 Minervois La Nine (Languedoc) Seems dominated by the aromatics of its grenache (bubblegum and sticky raspberry) and the structure of its mourvdre, but while theres both ballooning fruit and shouldery structure, Im not sure where this wines head is. Time it needs, and time it will get, but I do wonder about its future. (5/09)
Mtras 2007 Beaujolais (Beaujolais) Crisp, sharp, and overtly prickly. A pickled wine, but which I dont mean theres vinegar or dill, but rather that it bears the same relation to gamay of more restraint and elegance as a pickle does to a freshly-picked cucumber. A chillnquaffer, for sure. (5/09)
C&P Breton 2006 Bourgueil Franc de Pied (Loire) Heres a stray cabernet franc, a little unkempt and matted from its post-abandonment wanderings, arrived on your doorstep and gazing up at you with wary-yet-hopeful puppy-dog eyes. Its a wine that wears its wary heart on its sleeve, one that throbs with nervous tension, and the result is a sort of vinous quivering. Yet it doesnt really like to be held too long, either, and shies away when grasped too tightly or for too long. (5/09)
C&P Breton 2004 Bourgueil Les Galichets (Loire) The initial impression is one of dominant brett, but this initial bloom is soon overcome by dark, scowling fruit seeping its juices into a brown, muddy soil. Despite the still-fair structure, the overall effect of the wine is a little soupy, or perhaps more accurately stew-like. Lingering tannin pairs with the Band-Aid brett to provide an edge right through to the finish. Given the current state and the closure, Im not sure this is something Id hold much longer, unless one is exceedingly optimistic about winning the synthetic cork lotterydespite the odds. (6/09)
Saurel Saint Damien 2007 Ctes-du-Rhne La Bouveau (Rhne) Perhaps a bit modern-styled, but if so its done in a very appealing fashion; dark, forceful (but not aggressive) fruit that seems a little more zinnish than usual for a CdR bursts and flows over the palate like rapids, with a dusting of black pepper and serrated rosemary. Pure fun. (6/09)
Pichat 2005 Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah (Rhne) Cardboardy and difficult. Not corked, but not good either. (6/09)