2005 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys
We went through two bottles over the weekend. The oak that I recall from past bottles has been absorbed well, but still imparts a roundness to the palate. Good lemony palate, pretty clear, with an undercurrent of butter and a textural smoothness and roundness. Could use more cut and more brilliance. It's good, but not great.
2005 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Cote de Bouguerots
Stunning right out of the gate. Good clarity and purity, while at the same time showing a multi-faceted, multi-dimensioned and complex palate of white fruit, lemon, minerals, salinity, sea breeze and a gentle undercurrent of butter. Terrific energy and verve. The finish is long, tangy, juicy and detailed. Really, this is one of the more impressive and memorable Chablis I’ve had lately. Didn’t need much time to open up and kept firing over the course of the evening, and into the next night. Great wine.
2008 Vincent Dampt Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet
Vincent is Daniel Dampt's son. I'm familiar with Daniel's Chablis, so gave this one a try when I saw it on a retailer shelf. Lemons, minerals, chalk, and brisk acidity, later taking on some Chablis wooliness and even a touch of honey after three or four hours of air. I was looking for some flaws or something not to like, but I didn't find anything. It's maybe a touch compact on the palate, but this is quite young and needs some time in bottle to develop. A good wine.
2002 Domaine Daniel Dampt et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys
Round on the palate, the contours smoothed out with age. Apple, softer fruit, almond, still has acidity but a mellow palate, more finesse than detailed. Drink 'em up.
2004 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest
Deb opened this on a Wednesday, but I didn't get to drink it until the following night, with the benefit of 24 hours of oxygen. At first, I wasn't that impressed. Seemed very tapered on the palate, like it was restrained at its sides, and the palate was somewhat flat. But then about an hour later, the wine just came alive (were the first 24 hours of air not enough; this needed no less than 25 hours of air??). The color is more golden then the fainter, clearer '07 and '08 Chablis we've been drinking recently. The nose is faint, but the palate shows lots of minerals, old wood, a bottom layer of butter cream, and a very enjoyable, tangy salt element, not saline but actual salt crystals. Toward the end of the bottle, the palate shows a very appealing and exotic inner core of guava, not tropical fruit like in many '06 Chablis, but rather sweet guava at the center, surrounded by minerals and salt. Truly an enjoyable bottle of wine.
2006 Domaine Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Montmain
Found a couple more of these in the cellar. Wow, is this terrific right now, especially on the second day. Golden fruit, smooth rather than tangy or acidic lemon, apples, chalk dust, trademark Louis Michel wooliness and just a hint of nuts, all on a bouyant, giving platform. This is an '06 that has shed the tropical notes of its youth and has taken on a worsted internal texture inside of a somewhat polished, rounded exterior, all the while giving off pure Chablis nuances. Slightly lower acidity than usual for a Michel Chablis, plus the rounded edges, suggest to me that this is best enjoyed short term, and I wish I had saved more of these bottles for that purpose.
2009 Altas Cumbres Torrontés (Argentina, Salta, Cafayate)
Producer seems to be Altas Cumbres; not sure to what "Lagarde" on the label refers. Strong nose of flowers, peaches, and the fresh, appealing smell of laundry detergent. This is almost Viognier-like in its sweet, floral aromatics. Almost too pretty and floral. Color is a dark golden, like an older Sauternes. The palate shows peachy fruit, a surprisingly high degree of the usual Torrontes soapiness, baked apple and pear. I want to say that this is a touch oxidized, but it's more like a Chenin Blanc-like golden, baked quality, rather than oxidized. Low acidity. I've now compared this Torrontes to Viognier, Sauternes and Chenin Blanc, so I'm not sure whether this wine struggles to find its own unique identity, or whether I just have to look elsewhere to understand this wine. In any event, it's too peachy, too soapy, too sweet smelling and somewhat flat on the palate and lacking in acidity, so while the wine is all pretty upfront, it's not really that cerebral . . . like a plastic blonde with too much makeup.
2006 Jean Collet Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
Good minerality here, but my preference is for stainless Chablis, and this clearly is not.
2007 Bruno Colin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie
Good purity and clarity here. There is a touch of new wood on the nose, but it's not overdone. Palate shows some red apple, and sour oak in the background. I like the clarity to the palate, the good acidity, and would prefer less overt oak, but overall, this is an enjoyable wine.
2007 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Granite de Clisson (France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine)
I was surprised by how open and giving this was, right after uncorking. Citrus, crystalized pineapple, and complicated notes of wintergreen and white pepper; minerals and piercing acidity. Terrific richness and a very bright and nuanced palate. Not as closed and as linear as expected, but rather, open, giving . . . and great.
2005 Henri Boillot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses
What happened here? In July '09, a friend and I sat outside and enjoyed this wine over the course of the afternoon. I recall the cool, crisp palate that was clean, precise and featured lime sorbet. I pulled another bottle recently and it's oxidized. Reminds me of old Meursault. I hoped that something would emerge with air time, but no.
2007 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
Not oaky, but peachy and round and needs more cut. Not at all a bad wine, just my own stylistic preference for acidity and cut.
2009 Montinore Estate Borealis (USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley)
I bought this because of its composition: 45% Muller Thurgau, 24% Gewurz, 18% Pinot Gris and 13% Riesling. Bright, inviting nose of pear, sweet melon and a hint of something like musk. Palate shows pear, apple and white melon, with a round, plump mouthfeel. Surprisingly good for both aperitif and with turkey, and a definite crowd pleaser, although my personal preference is for more acidity and cut.
2007 Domaine Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume
So far this year, I've opened Louis Michel's 2007 Forêts, Montmains and Montee de Tonnerre, and they all needed more time, albeit for different reasons. This 2007 Fourchaume likewise needs time. While the acidity underlying is nicely taut and firm, the mouthfeel is soft around the edges, plush even, which makes the wine rather approachable as you're coming toward it, but it's still rather dim on the inside. The raw materials are there - white fruit, grapefruit pith, under-ripe nectarine and salt, against steely minerality. Approachable up front, with a honey note to start, and plenty of acidity underneath. When the middle comes together, this will be great. Hold for a year or two. B+ now, with plenty of upside.
2007 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet
Delicious. Really good purity and clarity; cylindrical palate, taut and focused with no fatness nor excessive oak to detract from the golden yellow fruit, minerals and bright acidity. Approachable now, with Puligny softness and a bit of exterior polish, the flavors are all on the surface and don't run very deep at this point.
2007 Jean Hugues & Ghislaine Goisot Fié Gris Saint-Bris Corps de Garde
My last bottle, and another great showing. This time, the honey note is more at the fore and not in the inner core. The fruit is more reserved this time, with the minerality and acidity showing more prominently. As it airs, it is more Sauvignon Blanc-like, with citrus notes and grapefruit pith. Not sure if the wine is closing down, condensing, or becoming less fruit-forward, and more focused on minerality and acidity. Very easy to finish this bottle.
2005 Henri Prudhon & Fils Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chatenière
I didn't care for this wine 10 months ago, finding it much too oak-dominated. But a bottle this weekend was downright stunning. There is some oak on the nose and palate, but it doesn't dominate and compliments the minerals, butterscotch notes and cool, steely acidity. Terrific energy and verve which are almost explosive on the second night, yet the wine is not big, nor clumsy. Wow.
2008 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos Habert
Wow, is this a good wine. I followed it over four nights, and it just kept impressing me with different scents and palate notes, from nectarine to flowers to honey to Casaba melon, all framed in a palate that seems dry along its borders and yet has intriguing inner juicy-sweetness. The empty bottle smells like mango. Yowza.
2007 Peza do Rei Ribeira Sacra (Spain, Galicia, Ribeira Sacra)
More evolved than a bottle just a few months ago. Good minerality alongside plenty of floral notes, with sheetrock dust that reminded me of the 2008 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Sauvignon No. 2 which was my summer wine last summer. Drink now, as the palate is showing shades more tan than clear, which is where this was a few months ago.
2010 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontés
Has lots of the perfumed soap scents I often get in Torrontes, and very floral, too floral for Deb. After some air, softer banana notes and then white custard show on the palate. It's good, it's enjoyable, but it's somewhat too large and assertive. If this was dialed down a notch or two and showed more elegant than assertive, I would be more impressed. I've been told that Susana Balbo makes the best Torrontes, but this bottle is not convincing.
2009 Pazo de Señorans Albariño Rías Baixas (Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas)
Opens to grapefruit and rounder peach and banana notes, good crisp finish but I would prefer more cut on the palate. Still, good minerals and purity, no oak, not fat, and the tropical notes are dim save for the banana. Second night it loses some edge and seems flatter, although still pure. More acidity and cut and less banana and I would like it a lot.
We went through two bottles over the weekend. The oak that I recall from past bottles has been absorbed well, but still imparts a roundness to the palate. Good lemony palate, pretty clear, with an undercurrent of butter and a textural smoothness and roundness. Could use more cut and more brilliance. It's good, but not great.
2005 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Cote de Bouguerots
Stunning right out of the gate. Good clarity and purity, while at the same time showing a multi-faceted, multi-dimensioned and complex palate of white fruit, lemon, minerals, salinity, sea breeze and a gentle undercurrent of butter. Terrific energy and verve. The finish is long, tangy, juicy and detailed. Really, this is one of the more impressive and memorable Chablis I’ve had lately. Didn’t need much time to open up and kept firing over the course of the evening, and into the next night. Great wine.
2008 Vincent Dampt Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet
Vincent is Daniel Dampt's son. I'm familiar with Daniel's Chablis, so gave this one a try when I saw it on a retailer shelf. Lemons, minerals, chalk, and brisk acidity, later taking on some Chablis wooliness and even a touch of honey after three or four hours of air. I was looking for some flaws or something not to like, but I didn't find anything. It's maybe a touch compact on the palate, but this is quite young and needs some time in bottle to develop. A good wine.
2002 Domaine Daniel Dampt et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys
Round on the palate, the contours smoothed out with age. Apple, softer fruit, almond, still has acidity but a mellow palate, more finesse than detailed. Drink 'em up.
2004 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest
Deb opened this on a Wednesday, but I didn't get to drink it until the following night, with the benefit of 24 hours of oxygen. At first, I wasn't that impressed. Seemed very tapered on the palate, like it was restrained at its sides, and the palate was somewhat flat. But then about an hour later, the wine just came alive (were the first 24 hours of air not enough; this needed no less than 25 hours of air??). The color is more golden then the fainter, clearer '07 and '08 Chablis we've been drinking recently. The nose is faint, but the palate shows lots of minerals, old wood, a bottom layer of butter cream, and a very enjoyable, tangy salt element, not saline but actual salt crystals. Toward the end of the bottle, the palate shows a very appealing and exotic inner core of guava, not tropical fruit like in many '06 Chablis, but rather sweet guava at the center, surrounded by minerals and salt. Truly an enjoyable bottle of wine.
2006 Domaine Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Montmain
Found a couple more of these in the cellar. Wow, is this terrific right now, especially on the second day. Golden fruit, smooth rather than tangy or acidic lemon, apples, chalk dust, trademark Louis Michel wooliness and just a hint of nuts, all on a bouyant, giving platform. This is an '06 that has shed the tropical notes of its youth and has taken on a worsted internal texture inside of a somewhat polished, rounded exterior, all the while giving off pure Chablis nuances. Slightly lower acidity than usual for a Michel Chablis, plus the rounded edges, suggest to me that this is best enjoyed short term, and I wish I had saved more of these bottles for that purpose.
2009 Altas Cumbres Torrontés (Argentina, Salta, Cafayate)
Producer seems to be Altas Cumbres; not sure to what "Lagarde" on the label refers. Strong nose of flowers, peaches, and the fresh, appealing smell of laundry detergent. This is almost Viognier-like in its sweet, floral aromatics. Almost too pretty and floral. Color is a dark golden, like an older Sauternes. The palate shows peachy fruit, a surprisingly high degree of the usual Torrontes soapiness, baked apple and pear. I want to say that this is a touch oxidized, but it's more like a Chenin Blanc-like golden, baked quality, rather than oxidized. Low acidity. I've now compared this Torrontes to Viognier, Sauternes and Chenin Blanc, so I'm not sure whether this wine struggles to find its own unique identity, or whether I just have to look elsewhere to understand this wine. In any event, it's too peachy, too soapy, too sweet smelling and somewhat flat on the palate and lacking in acidity, so while the wine is all pretty upfront, it's not really that cerebral . . . like a plastic blonde with too much makeup.
2006 Jean Collet Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
Good minerality here, but my preference is for stainless Chablis, and this clearly is not.
2007 Bruno Colin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie
Good purity and clarity here. There is a touch of new wood on the nose, but it's not overdone. Palate shows some red apple, and sour oak in the background. I like the clarity to the palate, the good acidity, and would prefer less overt oak, but overall, this is an enjoyable wine.
2007 Domaine de la Pépière (Marc Ollivier) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Granite de Clisson (France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine)
I was surprised by how open and giving this was, right after uncorking. Citrus, crystalized pineapple, and complicated notes of wintergreen and white pepper; minerals and piercing acidity. Terrific richness and a very bright and nuanced palate. Not as closed and as linear as expected, but rather, open, giving . . . and great.
2005 Henri Boillot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses
What happened here? In July '09, a friend and I sat outside and enjoyed this wine over the course of the afternoon. I recall the cool, crisp palate that was clean, precise and featured lime sorbet. I pulled another bottle recently and it's oxidized. Reminds me of old Meursault. I hoped that something would emerge with air time, but no.
2007 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
Not oaky, but peachy and round and needs more cut. Not at all a bad wine, just my own stylistic preference for acidity and cut.
2009 Montinore Estate Borealis (USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley)
I bought this because of its composition: 45% Muller Thurgau, 24% Gewurz, 18% Pinot Gris and 13% Riesling. Bright, inviting nose of pear, sweet melon and a hint of something like musk. Palate shows pear, apple and white melon, with a round, plump mouthfeel. Surprisingly good for both aperitif and with turkey, and a definite crowd pleaser, although my personal preference is for more acidity and cut.
2007 Domaine Louis Michel Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume
So far this year, I've opened Louis Michel's 2007 Forêts, Montmains and Montee de Tonnerre, and they all needed more time, albeit for different reasons. This 2007 Fourchaume likewise needs time. While the acidity underlying is nicely taut and firm, the mouthfeel is soft around the edges, plush even, which makes the wine rather approachable as you're coming toward it, but it's still rather dim on the inside. The raw materials are there - white fruit, grapefruit pith, under-ripe nectarine and salt, against steely minerality. Approachable up front, with a honey note to start, and plenty of acidity underneath. When the middle comes together, this will be great. Hold for a year or two. B+ now, with plenty of upside.
2007 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet
Delicious. Really good purity and clarity; cylindrical palate, taut and focused with no fatness nor excessive oak to detract from the golden yellow fruit, minerals and bright acidity. Approachable now, with Puligny softness and a bit of exterior polish, the flavors are all on the surface and don't run very deep at this point.
2007 Jean Hugues & Ghislaine Goisot Fié Gris Saint-Bris Corps de Garde
My last bottle, and another great showing. This time, the honey note is more at the fore and not in the inner core. The fruit is more reserved this time, with the minerality and acidity showing more prominently. As it airs, it is more Sauvignon Blanc-like, with citrus notes and grapefruit pith. Not sure if the wine is closing down, condensing, or becoming less fruit-forward, and more focused on minerality and acidity. Very easy to finish this bottle.
2005 Henri Prudhon & Fils Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chatenière
I didn't care for this wine 10 months ago, finding it much too oak-dominated. But a bottle this weekend was downright stunning. There is some oak on the nose and palate, but it doesn't dominate and compliments the minerals, butterscotch notes and cool, steely acidity. Terrific energy and verve which are almost explosive on the second night, yet the wine is not big, nor clumsy. Wow.
2008 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos Habert
Wow, is this a good wine. I followed it over four nights, and it just kept impressing me with different scents and palate notes, from nectarine to flowers to honey to Casaba melon, all framed in a palate that seems dry along its borders and yet has intriguing inner juicy-sweetness. The empty bottle smells like mango. Yowza.
2007 Peza do Rei Ribeira Sacra (Spain, Galicia, Ribeira Sacra)
More evolved than a bottle just a few months ago. Good minerality alongside plenty of floral notes, with sheetrock dust that reminded me of the 2008 Clos Roche Blanche Touraine Sauvignon No. 2 which was my summer wine last summer. Drink now, as the palate is showing shades more tan than clear, which is where this was a few months ago.
2010 Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontés
Has lots of the perfumed soap scents I often get in Torrontes, and very floral, too floral for Deb. After some air, softer banana notes and then white custard show on the palate. It's good, it's enjoyable, but it's somewhat too large and assertive. If this was dialed down a notch or two and showed more elegant than assertive, I would be more impressed. I've been told that Susana Balbo makes the best Torrontes, but this bottle is not convincing.
2009 Pazo de Señorans Albariño Rías Baixas (Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas)
Opens to grapefruit and rounder peach and banana notes, good crisp finish but I would prefer more cut on the palate. Still, good minerals and purity, no oak, not fat, and the tropical notes are dim save for the banana. Second night it loses some edge and seems flatter, although still pure. More acidity and cut and less banana and I would like it a lot.