Wine with Dinners: Villaine, Germain, Mongeard-Mugneret, Martray, Tissot, Ganevat, Linden, Chidaine, Bregeon

I

Ian Fitzsimmons

Ian Fitzsimmons
2009 de Vilaine Mercury Montots

Vibrant red; almost Beajolais grapey initially. With five hours' decant, there is a sea breeze-damson nose, searing acid-mineral mix, with rich but lurking fruit, and some rustic dirt in the finish.

The acid-fruit blend here made me think of a particularly in-your-face 09 Coudert CT.

2008 Chateau de Chorey Pernand Vergelesses Combottes

Limpid and dumb. Peach and acidity emerge early, then tang and minerals. The texture relaxes, becoming delightfully light, almost delicate, and pure. Akin to good Savigny blanc, more distantly to 1er Chablis.

2009 Martray Brouilly 'Combiaty' VV

Initial candied grape shuts down after an hour; with long airing, completely surprising depth of serious dark fruit hoves into gustatory view. Hard to work out the flavor details, but intriguing @ $13.

2005 Mongard Mugneret Pernand Vergelesses 1er les Vergelesses

With several hours air: mild reduction, lean pinot nose, slightly vegetal; silky texture, fine tannins, high-toned acidity with adequate fruit. Improves further, though seems shallow, perhaps due to youth.

Surprisingly expressive for the vintage.

2009 Tissot Poulsard Arbois VV

Some reductive smells/flavors, petillance and sweet round fruit. With time, reduction, most gas, and puppy fat recede; remaining is tart fruit, probably generous but hemmed in by tannins and acid.

2009 Bregeon Mucadet

In deference to Yixin, I’ll say only that this is better-than-average Melon at a reasonable tariff.

NV Chidaine Montlous-sur-Loire Brut

Well-proportioned Loire Chenin fizz, good bubbles, acidity, mineral breadth and fruit roundness; hint of richness (from dosage?). Today, for me, better than 07 Pinon petillant and even my last 02 Huet.

2005 Linden Hardscrabble Chardonnay

Emerging from its shell, acidity has moved from back- to foreground, pleasantly nutty and tingly-intense. Fruit still seemingly bound in the heavy blanket of glycerol texture. Getting good, or going downhill?

2008 Domaine Ganevat Cotes de Jura Cuvee Julien

Way young; high-toned, sappy acidity with ample dirt and muted pinot damson aromas. Day 2, fruit more detectable, but never all there. Appealing spice and dirt - or maybe it's minerality. Potentially delicious.
 
thanks for the de vilaine note. these are hard to find in my area and i was thinking of grabbing a few from chambers, but the prices seem to have crept up.
they were always appealing because of the reasonable price. would you rebuy at the $40 mark?

the chidaine sparkler has always been one of my favorites. consistently good year in year out.
about 5 years ago i was in the loire and found both brut and demi sec versions. never was able to find the demi-sec, which i actually prefered, in the us. his website doesn't show it, so i guess he doesnt make it anymore.
 
I tried and tried to get the demi-sec imported here.
Talk to dude A who sent me to dude B wno sent me to dude C who sent me to dude A.
 
not sure, but it's hard to believe they would not make one in 09 given how successful 05 and 02 were.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
... but the prices seem to have crept up. they were always appealing because of the reasonable price. would you rebuy at the $40 mark?
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I bought mine using credit given by a store that took some of my old B'x, not with hard cash. But most of the de Villaine wines I've had were unusually well-made and interesting, easily on a par as a drinking proposition (albeit different in style) with villages-level Cote d'Or from a good producer. So I don't think $40 is out of line and would have a few bottles of the 09 on my shopping list in any event.

Check out Bertrand Celce's essay on de Villaine while you are reflecting. Iirc, de Villaine says to drink the Montots starting 10 years after vintage, so I this is a cellaring proposition. BTW, Claude was going to open one of these last week and might have some better-informed observations to add.
 
Ian, thanks for the notes.
I think the Tissot VV Poulsard always need some time. The 06 is pretty awesome right now and the 08 last year needed more time. I believe this cuvee is always sans souffre as well.
 
Thank you, Arno; per CSW, it is sans souffre. I realize my note doesn't sound like it, but I liked the wine quite a bit, and it is reasonably-priced.
 
Glad you mentioned the Martray. I've occasionally wondered why I don't see that name mentioned more often. I drank the ass-end out of the 07 Combiaty VV. I thought it was swell, especially in light of the cost. Connoisseur Wines brought / brings it into Chicago. I haven't seen any later vintages. But I haven't actively looked either.
 
Phil Bernstein at MacArthur's in Washington, D.C., steered me to the Martray. Phil's assembled good (for D.C.), well-priced Beaujolais and Loire portfolios, and looks after the German department, as well.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
not sure, but it's hard to believe they would not make one in 09 given how successful 05 and 02 were.
Click to expand...

He still makes it, I just confirmed checking his export price list, I guess the US importer is simply not interested in it.
 
When we opened the Montots, we poured half into a 375 bottle. Three days later, I drank the sequestered half over two days. The first day it had smoothed out and was giving fresh, bright red fruit. The second day it was different again: expansive, glossy, rich, still with minerally detail and a sense of lurking fruit. Dreamy with wheat noodles, vegetables, sesame oil and tamari. Makes me want to get some 09 Digoine, as well.

Have to try this treatment with a Coudert CT.
 
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