Four French

Florida Jim

Florida Jim
2007 E. Vatan, Sancerre Clos la Nore:
With Chavrie cheese and pecan crackers this was in the pantheon of all time great pairings; the wine was popped and poured and though showing young and tight, it was quintessential Sancerre. Just terrific stuff.

2007 Dom. J. Chamonard, Morgon Clos de Lys:
Pure, clear fruit and obviously Morgon; initially tight in the mouth but opens with air and delivers a textbook rendition of its place in a balanced, stylish format. A couple of years should be good to this; it has the acidity and structure for the cellar. With grilled salmon (rare) and steamed veggies, perfect. 12.5% abv and about $25. (My first wine from this producer; thanks for the tip, Eric.)

1989 Lynch Bages:
For me, the best showing of this wine in the past 15 years it was wonderful on release and then went green bell pepper all to hell now, it is back with considerable complexity, attractive cedar accents, lots of fruit and a worsted texture that just carries me away. Shows differently from moment to moment in the glass but never gets unbalanced or less enjoyable. Not a heart-stopping 20 year old Bordeaux but very, very good.

2006 T. et P. Matrot, Volnay Santenots:
Not a delicate or elegant wine; rather its rich, sturdy, has excellent acidity and yet is still nuanced. This is what I expect from Santenots but its still showing young, especially on the nose which was quite closed and a little waxy. Served with a dish of beans, kale and sausage, it did well. Has a shelf life and, at 13% and $25, Id say it is worth buying a couple one for now and one (or more) for later.

Best, Jim
 
Rahsaan got it.
BTW, my tip of the hat was to Eric Texier, who spoke about Chamonard in his recent post (don't remember the thread) that also used the concept of "noise" obscuring terroir (which I think is still one of the most provacative comments made in this little area of cyberspace in awhile).
Best, Jim
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Rahsaan got it.
BTW, my tip of the hat was to Eric Texier, who spoke about Chamonard in his recent post (don't remember the thread) that also used the concept of "noise" obscuring terroir (which I think is still one of the most provacative comments made in this little area of cyberspace in awhile).
Best, Jim

CSW had the 1996 Chamonard on sale a while back and I bought a couple. It was very much alive and great after some air.
 
I tried the 96 Chamonard too a few months ago and liked it a lot. Eloquent testimony that low SO2 wines can last (assuming this is). But it looked like a recent bottling, too pristine to have been bottled back then. A recent 2007 Chamonard Fleurie was charming but a bit too light.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
I tried the 96 Chamonard too a few months ago and liked it a lot. Eloquent testimony that low SO2 wines can last (assuming this is). But it looked like a recent bottling, too pristine to have been bottled back then. A recent 2007 Chamonard Fleurie was charming but a bit too light.

No, bottled early 1998. JC Chanudet is not using the "Chauvet-Nauport" cold carbonic maceration. He is doing a very traditionnal semi carbonic with a "pied de cuve", followed by a fairly long and traditionnal elevage in foudre.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:
Rahsaan got it.
BTW, my tip of the hat was to Eric Texier, who spoke about Chamonard in his recent post (don't remember the thread) that also used the concept of "noise" obscuring terroir (which I think is still one of the most provacative comments made in this little area of cyberspace in awhile).
Best, Jim

That, coupled with the use of the term "Baroque" in the same post.
 
Other people had great bottles of that Chamonard '96, but the one I bought to try was obliterated by brett, so I never went back. Seems I might have been an outlier.
 
originally posted by Brzme:
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
I tried the 96 Chamonard too a few months ago and liked it a lot. Eloquent testimony that low SO2 wines can last (assuming this is). But it looked like a recent bottling, too pristine to have been bottled back then. A recent 2007 Chamonard Fleurie was charming but a bit too light.

No, bottled early 1998. JC Chanudet is not using the "Chauvet-Nauport" cold carbonic maceration. He is doing a very traditionnal semi carbonic with a "pied de cuve", followed by a fairly long and traditionnal elevage in foudre.
Eric, is it this that distinguishes Domaine Joseph Chamonard from the others in what had been occasionally described as 'the Gang of 5' [excluding Bidasse/Nauport] when Joseph Chamonard was alive almost 20 years ago - and maybe why they [Lapierre, Foillard, Thvenet and Breton] are now sometimes referred to by wine writers as 'the Gang of 4'?

Lapierre refers to starting with 10-15oC in wood tanks but also refers to semi-carbonic fermentation in vats and a finish in barrels. As I understand it, Chamonard's minimal/no sulphur usage, fining and filtration is also similar to the others.

Is the cold/cool [if 10-15oC is what that is?] aspect the only thing that distinguishes the rest of 'the Gang' from the modern Chamonard wines made by Chanudet and his wife, Genevive, Chamonard's daughter or should the way these wines are made be considered as substantially different from the others?
 
originally posted by nigel groundwater:

Eric, is it this that distinguishes Domaine Joseph Chamonard from the others in what had been occasionally described as 'the Gang of 5' [excluding Bidasse/Nauport] when Joseph Chamonard was alive almost 20 years ago - and maybe why they [Lapierre, Foillard, Thvenet and Breton] are now sometimes referred to by wine writers as 'the Gang of 4'?

I just can say that Chanudet is still working as Joseph used to. Very traditional methode beaujolaise (semi carbonic without pure carbonic cold phase, so definitely not in the so-called Chauvet philosophy) but with indegeneous yeasts and no SO2 before/during fermentation, and clarification by racking.
Again for my taste and understanding of Beaujolais terroir, Chamonard is more traditional than any wine from the gang of 4, which are more primary (and, again, deliciously) fruit driven , but without the restrain "noblesse" from Chamonard, IMHO.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Other people had great bottles of that Chamonard '96, but the one I bought to try was obliterated by brett, so I never went back. Seems I might have been an outlier.

Pas de chance, Joe.

I have drunk over 5 cases of this wine without any brett. Cork tainted quite often but no brett. Give it an other shot or come to charnay.
 
originally posted by Brzme:
originally posted by SFJoe:
Other people had great bottles of that Chamonard '96, but the one I bought to try was obliterated by brett, so I never went back. Seems I might have been an outlier.

Pas de chance, Joe.

I have drunk over 5 cases of this wine without any brett. Cork tainted quite often but no brett. Give it an other shot or come to charnay.

See you in a couple of weeks!
 
Had dinner with past and present family tonight at Odeon where they had 07 Chamonard Fleur de Lys for $52. Ding-a-ling combo of fun and pleasure, sensations as frequently confused as falling in love and loving, but just as equally distinct.
 
At the recent Chamonard dinner at Reynard, I had the chance to talk a little with Jean-Claude Chanudet. He felt that the 2012 Morgon was "for drinking now" and that the 2011 was for the very long-term. (The 2007 we drunk at the dinner and that's mentioned above was wonderful, incredibly aromatic; as was, of course, the more widely available 1998.)

I asked Chanudet if his Fleurie might one day be imported to the U.S. and he said it hadn't been done yet because of the small quantities made, might be in the future.

Of other interest is the Beaujolais section of this write-up of a trip there and elsewhere by some San Francisco wine buyers:

 
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