Wine from Tahiti, bubbles from Burgundy, and uh, some other stuff

S

Sharon Bowman

Sharon Bowman
Yesterday I went to the weirdest cocktail party one might imagine. Not only was I the only woman present - OK, there was one other, but she was the French rep for something called "Cloudy Bay," which allowed me to glower at an old man who excitedly came to me, grabbing me by the arm, inquiring, "Vous tes la reprsentante de Cloudy Bay?"

There were a white and a red wine from Tahiti. Let's just say that when Carignan tastes like bernache*, you know something's wrong. I hope to save the population of Wine Disorder from ever letting les Vins de Tahiti pass their lips. (It's apparently just one guy; google it for more.)

Let's also note that I will sink my supposed "hipster" cred as surely as the Maine by saying I enjoyed a NV Louis Bouillot Crmant de Bourgogne, which was very dry and though one-note, the note was mineral, acidic and not trying to palate-flatter, thus fresh and pleasantly bubbly. These can be picked up, in white and ros versions, from Monoprix, I know, as I've seen them there before.

Oh, and I did taste Cloudy Bay. Um.

This evening's looking up, as a return to the Loire promises to be in the cards.

*bernache - partially fermented grape juice, drunk in October or November at someone's house on a lake in Sologne, or conversely, at a table d'hte in the March des Enfants Rouges, Paris IIIrd, if you're someone who goes to that kind of place, of course.
 
Cloudy Bay made a good SB for not a lot of money. Then it got really poplular and price went up and quality seemed to go down. I haven't tasted in the last couple years so no clue what's happened recently.
 
originally posted by Paul Jaouen:
Cloudy Bay made a good SB for not a lot of money. Then it got really poplular and price went up and quality seemed to go down. I haven't tasted in the last couple years so no clue what's happened recently.
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They're a bit hit and miss these days as far as the SBs go - the 06 was very nice, although the 07 was quite average for the price. Their Chardonnay's not been worth bothering with (although I'm a bit biased; I think they ought to just plant Riesling instead of Chardonnay in NZ. Kumeu aside, can't think of anyone who makes even half-decent Chardonnay there).
 
Isn't Cloudy Bay some big LVMH brand now?

I had the impression that it was quite the cult wine in the UK 10 years ago.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Isn't Cloudy Bay some big LVMH brand now?

I had the impression that it was quite the cult wine in the UK 10 years ago.
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Right on both counts. CB was quite the thing back in the late '90s, and people who've aged those wines have reported quite salutary outcomes, by the by. Of course, they're still SB and YMMV blah blah blah....

Mark Lipton
 
The Boillot rose sparkler isn't bad in a pinch either. The one I tasted had a little residual sugar, though.

This summer I tried a wine made in Bali called Hatten Aga. It was a dry white made from Belgia grapes. It was a little like Sauvignon blanc, 10% abv, very lean and acidic. I didn't want more than a small taste.
 
I drank some Cloudy Bay Te Koko next to some Pur Sang a few years ago and you can guess what happened. Regular Cloudy Bay is surpassed by any number of garden variety NZ SBs these days IMO.

"...when Carignan tastes like (partially fermented grape juice, drunk in October or November at someone's house on a lake in Sologne...), you know something's wrong"

I share none of these points of reference, but have you encountered Les Heretiques?

I crave that wine.
 
originally posted by Putnam Weekley:
"...when Carignan tastes like (partially fermented grape juice, drunk in October or November at someone's house on a lake in Sologne...), you know something's wrong"

I share none of these points of reference, but have you encountered Les Heretiques?
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Bernache is actually a fun quaff. Partly fizzy, partly sweet, dark pink/light red. Reminds me of Herredia's Boisson Rouge with less alcohol. It only comes out in the fall and only in spotty places.

It's just wrong for a supposedly normal, successfully fermented wine from Carignan grapes to taste like partially fermented gamay...

On other topics, tho':

I've never had Les Hrrtiques; more info?

And Marc D, yes, I agree - I've had the ros version and kinda liked it, too.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by SFJoe:
originally posted by MLipton:
people who've aged those wines have reported quite salutary outcomes, by the by.
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You astonish me.
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Me, too. I refer you to Nondescript Mystery White 2 in Chris Coad's epic tale of Jay Miller's clever disposal of all that strawberry soup, The Rejeebus.
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Oh man, I can still taste that Gris du Toul. Crazy stuff.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

Me, too. I refer you to Nondescript Mystery White 2 in Chris Coad's epic tale of Jay Miller's clever disposal of all that strawberry soup, The Rejeebus.
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Look, guys. I'm not saying that those wines are going to appeal to you, but rather that a number of people (mostly English FWIW) who aged those mid-to-late '90s models of CB reported nice things happening to them 5-10 years on. Did you all miss the disclaimer after that statement?

I actually have had an interesting example of aged Marlborough SB, but it was from Wairau River, not CB.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:

I actually have had an interesting example of aged Marlborough SB, but it was from Wairau River, not CB.

Mark Lipton
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Agree, there are some NZ SBs that can be quite interesting with some age, at least (from my very limited experience) some of the ones using a bit more wood. I've had Lawson's Dry Hills SB (which goes through some oak and barrel fermentation) with a few years of age on it and found it a much more interesting wine than a lot of younger NZ SBs. Others' preferences may vary of course, but I do think that a few of those wines don't suffer from a few years in the cellar.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:

Let's also note that I will sink my supposed "hipster" cred as surely as the Maine by saying I enjoyed a NV Louis Bouillot Crmant de Bourgogne, which was very dry and though one-note, the note was mineral, acidic and not trying to palate-flatter, thus fresh and pleasantly bubbly. These can be picked up, in white and ros versions, from Monoprix, I know, as I've seen them there before.
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Is this the Louis Boillot that is married to Ghislaine Barthod?
 
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc (the wine that made the reputation) is, or at least was, made to a target profile. At least, that was clear when I visited a bunch of years ago. Their natural yeast/lees/barrel experiment in the "Te Koko" was more interesting, though of narrower appeal, though I don't think it's the best of that style from Marlborough; that honor probably goes to former Cloudy Bay oenologist James Healey's version at Dog Point, though I'm sure there are others of which I'm unaware. I know Seresin does one, and it's good. And Marlborough's not the only game in town for this style of sauvignon blanc, either; Waiheke Island has gotten into the act, for example.

As for the ageability, I've had Kiwis with what I consider very good palates tell me the wines age. The wines they've trotted out haven't exactly supported the point for my palate, though, so I can't say. I suspect the more adventurous ones will do better, and I think the more structured sauvignons of the "regular" type (like, say, Isabel) might develop a bit better with a little bottle age. All that said, I haven't tasted Monts Damns or anything close to it in any cellar in New Zealand.

The rest of Cloudy Bay's lineup has been up and down (but mostly hovering around the mean) for years, so I'd be surprised if that has changed. I'm sure their grape sources have changed many, many times, though maybe things are more stable now that Marlborough has been made very, very safe for industrial viticulture. But I think their "problem" is that they sell whatever they make, and have no real impetus to modify their approach.

The upshot is that one can do much better in New Zealand. Much worse, too. But if I'm going to drink industrial New Zealand wine, it's probably going to be from Villa Maria, who (except sometimes at the very low end) puts some real effort into the category.
 
originally posted by scottreiner:
Is this the Louis Boillot that is married to Ghislaine Barthod?
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No, this is a big ngoce. Don't think there really is a Louis B. - and, also, it's Bouillot, rather than Boillot.
 
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