Bornard 2007 Arbois Pupillin Trousseau Le Ginglet (Jura) Wines like this have such a small margin for error, it seems to me. The broad, brown earthiness and faded fruit is rarely more than a step away from early decrepitude, and in the wrong hands or the wrong vintage can easily fall over, dead. Not so here. Lithe earth laced with fruit, rather than the reverse, dusty and delicate, but with insistence and persistence. Some funk. Lots of dust. Disappears very quickly. (5/10)
Tissot 2007 Arbois Poulsard Vieilles Vignes (Jura) Wine geeks often express the notion that the wines of the Jura are difficult to understand (for novices, one presumes). That may be true for the whites that play in realms oxidative, but Im less sure its true for the reds that dont. This one, for example, has been plenty popular with aficionados and newbies alike, over multiple vintages. And whats not to like? Appealing pale red fruit of purity and lightness, paired with a delicate structureunless one is a fan of jam, and exclusively so, its hard to register must negativity here. But there is a difference in the way that new and old hands approach this wine, and its this: first-encounterers want to gulp it. Thats a compliment, of course, but the experienced instead want to spend a lot of time poring over its details. Why? Its the nervous trembling to the fruit, the sense of air and space within the wine, the organoleptic version of a musical silence that permits and encourages such close examination. (5/10)
Egly-Ouriet Champagne Brut 1er Cru Les Vignes de Vrigny (Champagne) 100% pinot meunier, July 2006 disgorgement. Dark cherry and tangerine, with a dark, moody cast and finish. Very bubbly to the point of froth. Essentially red wine with bubbles, despite the color. (5/10)
Bonal Gentiane-Quina (France) I learned, a few years ago amidst a visit to Alsace, that I dont like gentian eau-de-vie. It turns out that I dont like an aperitif made from it either. Bitter, vegetal, ashen, and nasty. (7/10)
Tissot 2007 Arbois Poulsard Vieilles Vignes (Jura) Wine geeks often express the notion that the wines of the Jura are difficult to understand (for novices, one presumes). That may be true for the whites that play in realms oxidative, but Im less sure its true for the reds that dont. This one, for example, has been plenty popular with aficionados and newbies alike, over multiple vintages. And whats not to like? Appealing pale red fruit of purity and lightness, paired with a delicate structureunless one is a fan of jam, and exclusively so, its hard to register must negativity here. But there is a difference in the way that new and old hands approach this wine, and its this: first-encounterers want to gulp it. Thats a compliment, of course, but the experienced instead want to spend a lot of time poring over its details. Why? Its the nervous trembling to the fruit, the sense of air and space within the wine, the organoleptic version of a musical silence that permits and encourages such close examination. (5/10)
Egly-Ouriet Champagne Brut 1er Cru Les Vignes de Vrigny (Champagne) 100% pinot meunier, July 2006 disgorgement. Dark cherry and tangerine, with a dark, moody cast and finish. Very bubbly to the point of froth. Essentially red wine with bubbles, despite the color. (5/10)
Bonal Gentiane-Quina (France) I learned, a few years ago amidst a visit to Alsace, that I dont like gentian eau-de-vie. It turns out that I dont like an aperitif made from it either. Bitter, vegetal, ashen, and nasty. (7/10)