Eden Mylunsch
Eden Mylunsch
Jo Pithon moved into ngociant territory last yea. Staying in the Loire, he's added to the seven hectares of organically farmed vines that remained after whatever legal stuff it was that caused him to abandon his eponymously-named domaine and now makes wine not only from Chenin Blanc, but from Cabernet Franc as well. It's all bottled under the Pithon-Paill label (http://www.pithon-paille.com/), named after himself and his wife's son, whose last name happens to be Paill.
This 2008 Chinon Vieilles Vignes comes from 80 year old vines in Beaumont en Veron and it tastes like I remember the young Charles Joguet Chinons did back in the mid 1990s. Nicely balanced, just a little bit of fat to it (ripe but not too ripe but with a core of sturdy tannin and acid that results in a wine with a lot of balance and an affinity with food. About an hour after opening it's developed a sort of pomegranate sensation (flavor, not texture) on the palate that's working well with that inky/juicy thing that's happening and makes you want to drink more, which is not exactly a deleterious situation, given its 12.5% alcohol level. The wine smooths out a bit as it gets more air and probably isn't going to age worth a damn but for $20 it's worth tasting.
Pithon and Paill also make a Bourgueil along with all of the whites (a couple of Anjous, a Savennires), and stylistically they're similar in approach; I'm anxious to taste the 09s, given the improved growing conditions of that vintage and the additional year of experience working with Cabernet Franc for Mr. Pithon. He's good with the reds, but they remind me of the basic Baudry Chinon, where I think (given the quality of Pithon's work with white varieties) there's a lot of potential once he gets dialed in to the specific vineyards from which they're sourcing fruit.
-Eden (sometimes it's not about "back up the truck", but more about "back up the bicycle and leave room in the truck for later")
This 2008 Chinon Vieilles Vignes comes from 80 year old vines in Beaumont en Veron and it tastes like I remember the young Charles Joguet Chinons did back in the mid 1990s. Nicely balanced, just a little bit of fat to it (ripe but not too ripe but with a core of sturdy tannin and acid that results in a wine with a lot of balance and an affinity with food. About an hour after opening it's developed a sort of pomegranate sensation (flavor, not texture) on the palate that's working well with that inky/juicy thing that's happening and makes you want to drink more, which is not exactly a deleterious situation, given its 12.5% alcohol level. The wine smooths out a bit as it gets more air and probably isn't going to age worth a damn but for $20 it's worth tasting.
Pithon and Paill also make a Bourgueil along with all of the whites (a couple of Anjous, a Savennires), and stylistically they're similar in approach; I'm anxious to taste the 09s, given the improved growing conditions of that vintage and the additional year of experience working with Cabernet Franc for Mr. Pithon. He's good with the reds, but they remind me of the basic Baudry Chinon, where I think (given the quality of Pithon's work with white varieties) there's a lot of potential once he gets dialed in to the specific vineyards from which they're sourcing fruit.
-Eden (sometimes it's not about "back up the truck", but more about "back up the bicycle and leave room in the truck for later")