2 Bruts from the Loire

J

Joel Stewart

Joel Stewart
Langlois-Chateau, Cremant de Loire, Brut Rose, 100% Cab. Franc.,12.5 abv. grapes purchased from Montreuil-Bellay. Blushing pink-copper in glass. Fresh nose of allspice, tinge of fresh sliced jalapeno and ripe white fruits. On the palate, the wine floats in layers: a slight fruit burst, then jalapeno (without the heat) crosses the mid, covered in a lace-like foam of honey on top, good acidity on the mid-to-finish and a nice subtle grippy follow through....not cloying. poured into slight curve flutes, the bead is gentle, if less persistent and dulls over time. the nose is very well developed and balanced. there is a lovely mellow spiciness to this wine that airtime is bringing out...and with even more time, fresh raspberries show on the palate...acidity included. those that shun even subtly sweeter bubblies may be less inclined, and though i tend to prefer dry and citric myself, this wine still charms. the varietal is well represented in the style and would make a great apertif, tho i suspect it could hold it's own with a range of flavors and weights.

Langlois-Chateau, Cremant de Loire, Brut, NV, chenin blanc/chard/cab franc in a 60/20/20 blend. 12.5% abv. pale gold in the glass..served at cool cellar temp. developed attractive nose of various dessert spices, white chocolate, white fruit and touches of graham cracker. the palate is both rich and dry, with a brightly acidic lemony attack segueing into leesey nutty notes and moving into a dry slightly anise, sweet ginger/green apple touch on the finish. the lemony zing on the attack is lovely and the herby sweet finish interesting. lemon juice hangs on the lips.

overall, this wine comes off slightly more complex than the brut rose....but i found myself asking is complexity always the best measure? it usually is to me, but then again the 100% cab franc brut rose shows a character with another type of charm all it's own. it's like comparing duke ellington with thelonius monk. on the surface at least, ellington can often sound more complex (and for serious monk fans i realize this reasoning is dubious in some ways) but monk has the charm of his clunky brilliance...(or the brilliance of that clunkiness?) anyway, i listen to them both and so i will buy more of both.
 
Complexity is usually a plus, but sometimes overly complex wines can be exhausting and make me long for something simple.
 
Joel, have you ever had their vintage bubblies? According to big gun Michel Bettane, their aged bottlings are worth Krug - or at least Bollinger (who, by the bye, purchased Chteau-Langlois; but that's another can of worms).

Nb: this is a horrible bastardization of something read, once, in dim lighting and smudged print, of course. Do not call up Michel Bettane complaining if it's not so.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
Joel, have you ever had their vintage bubblies? According to big gun Michel Bettane, their aged bottlings are worth Krug - or at least Bollinger (who, by the bye, purchased Chteau-Langlois; but that's another can of worms).

Nb: this is a horrible bastardization of something read, once, in dim lighting and smudged print, of course. Do not call up Michel Bettane complaining if it's not so.
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Sharon, i read some smudged print myself on the Bollinger story and no, i haven't tried the reserve, the "quadrille" nor the carmin dry vin mousseux, all of which sound great. i try to find the best cheap dates first, and work my way up, on an as needs basis...
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
An honorable approach.

Any idea if they reach the US? Never seen 'em in France.
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really good question Sharon.....

looks like there's at least one importer to the US, but i don't see the upper tier bubblies on their list. japan (where i am) however has several online sellers and looks like everything is available here.....including the 2000 quadrille (for $26) and some of their other domaine wines as well. looks like i'm gonna upgrade from a cheap date. you just made my day.

btw, the l-c website says to contact them directly for a list of retailers within France
 
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
grapes purchased from Montreuil-Bellay.
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Are you referring to the Chateau or the geographic region? Either way it's not exactly a household name (at least not in my household), so what should that mean/imply?
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
grapes purchased from Montreuil-Bellay.
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Are you referring to the Chateau or the geographic region? Either way it's not exactly a household name (at least not in my household), so what should that mean/imply?
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not a household name in my home either....and i refer to the local region/terroir in Saumur. i thought it interesting to note 2 things actually in writing that sentence: that they purchased grapes, not musts, and i included the name where the grapes came from because this producer's cremants are typically made from grapes sourced from 6 local regions/terroirs, all vinified separately, then blended - (their "quadrille" sources from four). the brut rose appears to be their only cremant with grapes sourced from one specific terroir. fwiw, "clay-like-chalky" is how their website describes M-B.
 
originally posted by Joel Stewart:
not a household name in my home either....and i refer to the local region/terroir in Saumur..."clay-like-chalky" is how their website describes M-B.
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Ok. I guess that could apply to lots of places around the Loire.

But, all the more knowledge for me to acquire!
 
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