Why I love the Caves Aug

S

Sharon Bowman

Sharon Bowman
Not only do they do utterly free, utterly fab tastings through the spring and fall; not only do they have more-than-fair prices; not only does Marc Sibard have kick-ass taste (just picked up an 05 Brin de Chvre, 06 Dupasquier Marestel and 07 Clape "Vin des Amis" today); not only do they not care if you purchase a 9 wine or 1986 Mouton-Rothschild (and probably like you better if you buy 9 Clape than 1986 Mouton-Rothschild); not only do they have barrels out on the sidewalk for impromptu apritifs... When they do a special fall sale, they do a special fall sale, man.

Replete with tasting, on Sept. 12 for those within stumbling distance. (Though this may include only me and the future vulgar twins.)

07 Chassorney St-Romain Blanc, which is a lovely wine, and which goes for upwards of 32 at Lavinia, sells for 29 at Aug normalement and will set you back 18 this week, god love you. 07 Dagueneau Pur Sang for 48? Gimonnet bubble for 18?

The only tragedy lies in the choice of Selosse to be marked down and presented for tasting: Exquise. With all of its 52g/l of residual sugar.

Aw, shoot.
 
Interesting that, under the same ownership, they'll charge 3 euros more at Lavinia than at Caves Aug, not to mention this week's price. I guess you pay for the place de la Madeleine...

:-)
 
I love the selection @ Aug. Pitty that Marc is so hesitant to sell some of his stuff. BTW, in Roumier prices there are more than 3 between both shops
 
originally posted by VS:
Interesting that, under the same ownership, they'll charge 3 euros more at Lavinia than at Caves Aug, not to mention this week's price. I guess you pay for the place de la Madeleine...

:-)
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Well, the ambience and density of bottles per cm^2 could hardly be more different, no? I don't know what the rent runs on the Blvd Hausmann, but I expect that the difference in costs of running the two places involves far more than the monthly rent. Not to mention personnel costs: I've always had the impression that the folks who staff Aug most likely live there, too, whereas the wardrobe costs alone of the Lavinia staff probably outweigh Aug's costs.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Clape "Amis" can be a great value, even here.
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I am very curious about this wine; have never had it. Marc Sibard was enthusiastic: a very pure little syrah from the bottom of the slope, or some such. (It's funny, because in French, a "little syrah" is of course a "petite syrah." But we know what one meant.)

Interestingly enough, I had wanted to revisit the 2004 Dupasquier Altesse Marestel, because I had had a great memory of it, but a bottle drunk by overseas friends on my urging was not well-appreciated. Yet as the store clerk was packaging up my wines, Marc Sibard intervened "No, grab her a bottle of the 06, instead." I asked: apparently, it is far above the 04.

A data point remains to be extracted.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
I am very curious about this wine; have never had it. Marc Sibard was enthusiastic: a very pure little syrah from the bottom of the slope, or some such.
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I believe that is it. (Looking in my notes I see that I haven't had it since the 1999.)

A data point remains to be extracted.
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But, presumably, not over-extracted.
 
originally posted by Marc D:
Are you just baiting Claude?
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It won't work. Clape has used 100% new oak as far back as anyone can remember, not just in recent vintages. And not just new oak, but demi-barriques that hold only 110 liters so that the juice gets more surface exposure.
 
Isn't it amazing, though, how cleverly they disguise all that new oak under a layer of some kind of dark patina and all those cobwebs in the cellar? Clape, the undercover modernist.

:-)
 
i knew there was a reason that I saw a bottle of Jasper Hill Shiraz in the Clape cellar on my last visit. I thought it was merely an odd gift, but it was actually a role model?
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

The only tragedy lies in the choice of Selosse to be marked down and presented for tasting: Exquise. With all of its 52g/l of residual sugar.

Aw, shoot.
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is the exquise done in 375s?
 
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