2007 Clos Roche Blanche Gamay

originally posted by slaton:
originally posted by JasonA:
Me, I'm having a much harder time finding that thin acidic stuff that tastes like dirt these days - the stuff that I enjoy.
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I feel this way sometimes myself, but I have assumed it's because I've been drinking the wrong wines. For example, I have a lot of respect for Vissoux and I've definitely enjoyed a number of the wines. But I've stopped buying, as stylistically the wines almost always push my boundaries on ripeness.
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I feel the same way about the Vissoux wines -- other than the Cuvee Traditionelle, which is to me is almost always precise, elegant and enjoyable. I've never been much of a fan of the Vissoux Cru wines as they do tend to strike me as too big and ripe. At the same time, it's rare for me to find a Coudert Fleurie, Tete Julienas, Brun (cru wine) or Desvignes Morgon too big(even thought these wines can be big by typical Beaujolais standards), although it's more a matter of knowing that the wine isn't a lightweight wine and pairing it with the appropriate food. If you are looking for very light wines to pair with certain foods, then a Coudert Fleurie Cuvee Tardive, for instance, is probably not the best choice.

At the same time, I think some people want or expect Beaujolais to be very lightweight and may even prefer a neutral, maybe even somewhat non-descript Beaujolais to be sort of the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio-equivalent in the red category and then get disappointed by something like the Coudert wines.
 
originally posted by Bwood:

I feel the same way about the Vissoux wines -- other than the Cuvee Traditionelle, which is to me is almost always precise, elegant and enjoyable. I've never been much of a fan of the Vissoux Cru wines as they do tend to strike me as too big and ripe. At the same time, it's rare for me to find a Coudert Fleurie, Tete Julienas, Brun (cru wine) or Desvignes Morgon too big(even thought these wines can be big by typical Beaujolais standards), although it's more a matter of knowing that the wine isn't a lightweight wine and pairing it with the appropriate food. If you are looking for very light wines to pair with certain foods, then a Coudert Fleurie Cuvee Tardive, for instance, is probably not the best choice.

At the same time, I think some people want or expect Beaujolais to be very lightweight and may even prefer a neutral, maybe even somewhat non-descript Beaujolais to be sort of the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio-equivalent in the red category and then get disappointed by something like the Coudert wines.
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Wholeheartedly agree on the Brun Cru's - they have been particularly exceptional for '07, same goes for Coudert - very consistent vintage to vintage. On the other hand for the last couple of vintages, Brun's l'Ancien VV has moved away from the elegant and precise and has become more of the bruiser. Not that it isn't enjoyable, it just needs - as you mentioned - to be correctly paired food wise. I guess my real issue is that the alcohol level has risen with the fruit and what used to be a harmless, but oh so enjoyable, mid-week dinner wine finds me afterward more likely surfing the DVR on the couch rather than attempting something more productive. My current favorite mid-week selections have been the Maupertuis "la Guillaume" and Tue-Boeuf "Rouillon".
 
originally posted by JasonA:
originally posted by Bwood:

I feel the same way about the Vissoux wines -- other than the Cuvee Traditionelle, which is to me is almost always precise, elegant and enjoyable. I've never been much of a fan of the Vissoux Cru wines as they do tend to strike me as too big and ripe. At the same time, it's rare for me to find a Coudert Fleurie, Tete Julienas, Brun (cru wine) or Desvignes Morgon too big(even thought these wines can be big by typical Beaujolais standards), although it's more a matter of knowing that the wine isn't a lightweight wine and pairing it with the appropriate food. If you are looking for very light wines to pair with certain foods, then a Coudert Fleurie Cuvee Tardive, for instance, is probably not the best choice.

At the same time, I think some people want or expect Beaujolais to be very lightweight and may even prefer a neutral, maybe even somewhat non-descript Beaujolais to be sort of the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio-equivalent in the red category and then get disappointed by something like the Coudert wines.
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Wholeheartedly agree on the Brun Cru's - they have been particularly exceptional for '07, same goes for Coudert - very consistent vintage to vintage. On the other hand for the last couple of vintages Brun's l'Ancien VV has moved away from the elegant and precise and has become more of the bruiser. Not that it isn't enjoyable, it just needs - as you mentioned - to be correctly paired food wise. I guess my real issue is that the alcohol level has risen with the fruit and what used to be a harmless, but oh so enjoyable, mid-week dinner wine finds me afterward more likely surfing the DVR on the couch rather than attempting something more productive. My current favorite mid-week selections have been the Maupertuis "la Guillaume" and Tue-Boeuf "Rouillon".
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Well, recent years haven't made it easy to make "typical" Beaujolais, unless you RO or overcrop. FWIW, Jean is one of those folks who wants light and lithe Beaujolais, so most '05s and Crus from Brun, Tete, etc. were not as appealing to her. I'm still working on her, though.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
originally posted by slaton:
I think he's referring to the closure. As Coad would say, FAKE CORK!
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and yet, so many loving reviews of the gamay on this thread
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So many loving reviews of the 07 gamay on this thread...I would recork it if you're going to hold...
 
originally posted by Brad L i l j e q u i s t:
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
originally posted by slaton:
I think he's referring to the closure. As Coad would say, FAKE CORK!
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and yet, so many loving reviews of the gamay on this thread
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So many loving reviews of the 07 gamay on this thread...I would recork it if you're going to hold...
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actually planning to drink soon, but you've made me curious....what are the concerns about plastic corks...imparting off flavors? poor fitting in bottle over time?
 
originally posted by Ben Sherwin:
If you want to see what fake corks do to aged wine, grab an older bottle of Behrens & Hitchcock. Bleh!
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To blame the horrific monstrosities made by Behrens & Hitchock on fake corks is to miss the point of the scale of errors and bad taste in winemaking there. It's like blaming the lipstick instead of the pig.
 
Basically, my understanding is that synthetic corks, due to their inability to absorb liquid (wine) and expand do not provide as good a seal as natural cork. They are good for a number of years but a wine will not last as long under synthetic. On the other hand, it's much less likely to be affected by TCA. Therefore they are an excellent choice for wines that won't be aged much beyond 5 years or so. Whether the wines of CRB fall in that category is a different discussion. The Cot certainly does but it's still under natural cork. Based on recent tastings of some '98s I'm inclined to say most of them can benefit from longer aging, though Connell's Dictum applies here if it does anywhere.
 
Tonight I had a quite pleasant '06 Drouhin Pouilly Fuisse. Not something I'd buy normally (it was a housewarming present from a relative who knows I like Drouhin) but enjoyed it quite a bit with some sauteed chicken, asparagus and cornbread stuffing. No strong oak signature, ripe but not overripe fruit, good acidity.

Hasn't been added to my must buy list but you could certainly do a lot worse.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
Basically, my understanding is that synthetic corks, due to their inability to absorb liquid (wine) and expand do not provide as good a seal as natural cork. They are good for a number of years but a wine will not last as long under synthetic.
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thanks, Jay...that's what i had heard. (i have also heard mention of synthetic corks needing some form of lubricant to get squeezed into the bottle, but i'll try not to think about that...)at any rate, i'll go for the younger gamays first.
 
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
(i have also heard mention of synthetic corks needing some form of lubricant to get squeezed into the bottle, but i'll try not to think about that...)at any rate, i'll go for the younger gamays first.
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Not just synthetics.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:

What do you like about Drouhin, Jay?
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It's a combination of style and sentiment. A 1990 Drouhin Bonnes Mares was the wine that converted me to Burgundy. While I've occasionally had disappointing wines from them my success rate is very high. They don't overoak, they don't overripen (usually, Veronique seems to prefer things ever so slightly riper than I do), they do a selection massale, and with age they they develop into classic Burgundy. And they have such a wide range of offerings that it's one can taste a lot of different terroirs. Also, for a long time they were very underpriced for the quality though unfortunately with all the positive reviews prices have escalated a lot in recent years :(.
 
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