Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
My friend Marcelo brought back some Courtois from a visit in May and now that the specter of travel shock was diminished, he shared them with us over Marcia's cooking.
2004 Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Evidence (500ml) 12.5%
Oxidative cuve. Decanted five hours to see if this would change any; it didnt. Smells of capers and almonds. Quite dry. Short finish.
2006 Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Romorantin 12.8%
Intriguing aromas of battery acid, white flowers and epoxy resin. Lovely texture and weight, good acid/sweet balance. Mouth tingling acidity, and light yeast aftertaste. In the glass, this gradually oxidized and became undrinkable by dessert time.
2007 tienne Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Cuve des Etourneaux 12.5%
Dark cherry, musk, violets. Initial sweetness, backend acidity, light weight, no tannins. Has that lovely Touraine Gamay darkness, but the acidity and the sweetness seemed a bit disjointed at this point.
2007 Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Racines 12.15%
Leafy, herbal, cherry aromas. Good texture and balance, acidic finish. Good stuffing, but needs time.
2004 Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Racines 12.2%
Herbs, eucalyptus, with a metallic edge and, later, some rubber. That doesnt sound very appetizing, but, oddly, it was. Excellent density, but theres a yeasty aftertaste that becomes overpowering.
N.V. Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Vin de Mistelle 17.0%
Leafy, eucalyptus, kirchy aromas. Attractive body and texture, like a light Port that wont floor you.
These two, on the other hand, were bought locally as follow-up research after the Loire trip.
2006 LAnglore (Eric Pfifferling) Cuve de la Pierre Chaude CdR 14.0%
A 2009 of this tasted like alcoholic rosewater at Le Baratin, so I was curious to try a different vintage. Burnt rubber reduction subsides to reveal cherry, florals and spices. Rich texture, quite sweet on the tip of the tongue, but with just about enough acidity. A bit of heat from the alcohol. Exotic, almost eastern, more belly dance than berry dance.
2005 Domaine Le Briseau (Chaussard) Les Mortiers 13.0%
Young Chaussards were tasting harsh at the Domaine, so I was happy to find a slightly older Mortiers in So Paulo. Forest floor, iodine and crushed rose petals. Nothing as vulgar as fruit. Good balance, quite tannic, with a mildly offputting lactic quality to the acids. But this disappeared with food, whence it settled into a delicious groove that made us sad to see it go.
This last one came from the winery the other week, but I feared for its condition after the trip, so decided to open early. Need not have worried.
1997 Clos du Tue-Boeuf Frileuse Cheverny
1/3 Sauvignon Blanc, 1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Fi Gris. From clay-silex. Graphite/gunpowder, petrol and white flower aromas. Very fresh, with lively fruit, more sweet than acid. Lovely texture and weight. Who says low SO2 whites dont keep?
2004 Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Evidence (500ml) 12.5%
Oxidative cuve. Decanted five hours to see if this would change any; it didnt. Smells of capers and almonds. Quite dry. Short finish.
2006 Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Romorantin 12.8%
Intriguing aromas of battery acid, white flowers and epoxy resin. Lovely texture and weight, good acid/sweet balance. Mouth tingling acidity, and light yeast aftertaste. In the glass, this gradually oxidized and became undrinkable by dessert time.
2007 tienne Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Cuve des Etourneaux 12.5%
Dark cherry, musk, violets. Initial sweetness, backend acidity, light weight, no tannins. Has that lovely Touraine Gamay darkness, but the acidity and the sweetness seemed a bit disjointed at this point.
2007 Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Racines 12.15%
Leafy, herbal, cherry aromas. Good texture and balance, acidic finish. Good stuffing, but needs time.
2004 Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Racines 12.2%
Herbs, eucalyptus, with a metallic edge and, later, some rubber. That doesnt sound very appetizing, but, oddly, it was. Excellent density, but theres a yeasty aftertaste that becomes overpowering.
N.V. Claude Courtois Les Cailloux du Paradis Vin de Mistelle 17.0%
Leafy, eucalyptus, kirchy aromas. Attractive body and texture, like a light Port that wont floor you.
These two, on the other hand, were bought locally as follow-up research after the Loire trip.
2006 LAnglore (Eric Pfifferling) Cuve de la Pierre Chaude CdR 14.0%
A 2009 of this tasted like alcoholic rosewater at Le Baratin, so I was curious to try a different vintage. Burnt rubber reduction subsides to reveal cherry, florals and spices. Rich texture, quite sweet on the tip of the tongue, but with just about enough acidity. A bit of heat from the alcohol. Exotic, almost eastern, more belly dance than berry dance.
2005 Domaine Le Briseau (Chaussard) Les Mortiers 13.0%
Young Chaussards were tasting harsh at the Domaine, so I was happy to find a slightly older Mortiers in So Paulo. Forest floor, iodine and crushed rose petals. Nothing as vulgar as fruit. Good balance, quite tannic, with a mildly offputting lactic quality to the acids. But this disappeared with food, whence it settled into a delicious groove that made us sad to see it go.
This last one came from the winery the other week, but I feared for its condition after the trip, so decided to open early. Need not have worried.
1997 Clos du Tue-Boeuf Frileuse Cheverny
1/3 Sauvignon Blanc, 1/3 Chardonnay, 1/3 Fi Gris. From clay-silex. Graphite/gunpowder, petrol and white flower aromas. Very fresh, with lively fruit, more sweet than acid. Lovely texture and weight. Who says low SO2 whites dont keep?