2003 baudry grezeaux. . .

R

robert ames

robert ames
any recent experiences with the 2003 baudry chinon grezeaux?

it's been a while since i opened one of mine, and at that time it seemed to show no indication that the great heat of 2003 was going to shorten its life.

and while we're on the subject, how is the 2005 showing? early on after the 2005 vintage conventional wisdom was that while undeniably great, 2005 was a vintage that would shut down hard and really require patience.
 
Matthieu had the 05 Grezeaux opened when he was in Chicago and this was really good, starting to show tertiary aromas and a nice depth. In his opinion, it is a bottle that clearly can go 10 more years easy.
 
As Arno mentioned, Matthieu had the '05 Grezeaux open last Thur night. Some how, I didn't have any, so I can't comment on that one. But, he had the '05 Clos Guillot open the day before that I did taste and I can tell you that that was just about as hard as nails; all sorts of not ready. Getting there, just in no rush. After I mentioned that I had a few in storage, like the Grezeaux, Matthieu said it could just stay there for quite a few more years easily.

Sorry I can't help on the '03 though.
 
originally posted by robert ames:
2003 baudry grezeaux. . .any recent experiences with the 2003 baudry chinon grezeaux?

it's been a while since i opened one of mine, and at that time it seemed to show no indication that the great heat of 2003 was going to shorten its life.

and while we're on the subject, how is the 2005 showing? early on after the 2005 vintage conventional wisdom was that while undeniably great, 2005 was a vintage that would shut down hard and really require patience.
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2005 can be enjoyed now with the right food, although after being open for a prolonged period it begins to shut down. It is early days yet.

The last 2003 I had was lovely, entering a nice drinking phase where I think it will stay until it starts to get "old wine" sorts of flavors and aromas. That is a good way off, maybe 12-15 years.

2003 red wines from the central Loire from top producers have been fantastic (Baudry, Breton Perrieres, Foucault).
 
originally posted by robert ames:
2003 baudry grezeaux. . .any recent experiences with the 2003 baudry chinon grezeaux?

it's been a while since i opened one of mine, and at that time it seemed to show no indication that the great heat of 2003 was going to shorten its life.
Click to expand...

From our visit last October:

At this point Matthieu brings out a very moldy bottle, saying it’s a divinette (guessing game).

2003 Clos Guillot
Sour cherry, reduction poop, animale. Rich, dark, ripe fruit, fresh, with good acidity. After revealing the vintage, Matthieu suggests that it’s an example of how terroir trumps weather, even though it’s still ripe by Loire standards. Convincing.
 
originally posted by VLM:

Grezeaux is holy ground to me. The wine that got me into Chinon.
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So I have questions about that.

How do you deal with not being able to drink Granges on release anymore? Remember 06 when it came out?

A trickier question is, does this starting point influence whom you like/dislike in the region, or at least the path by which you went about discovering other producers?
 
originally posted by .sasha:

A trickier question is, does this starting point influence whom you like/dislike in the region, or at least the path by which you went about discovering other producers?
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I suspect one would need a few more variables to sort out that issue. But VLM is surely up to such a task.

Personally, my love for Chinon/Bourgueil started with C&P Breton (because that's what somebody in Tours sold me) and then at some point Baudry rose to the top.

I'm tempted to say that the top producers are relatively easy to find out about so there shouldn't be too many paths to discovering other producers. But importer/retailer selections are obviously key. One need only look at UK discussions on this issue to see that.
 
Rahsaan, the question was about one's entry point into an appellation/region setting a taste perspective.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by VLM:

Grezeaux is holy ground to me. The wine that got me into Chinon.
Click to expand...

So I have questions about that.

How do you deal with not being able to drink Granges on release anymore? Remember 06 when it came out?

A trickier question is, does this starting point influence whom you like/dislike in the region, or at least the path by which you went about discovering other producers?
Click to expand...

I found recent granges drinkable on release. I only ever drink it on release as I don't cellar it.

That's a great question. I had Joguet, Druet, and Breton around the same time, but it was Grezeaux that really knocked me out with that gravelly, animal mineral (almost Gevrey like) thing. It is sort of a unique signature from Grezeaux, so maybe I like vineyards with a signature? I'm certainly drawn to more mineral/stony wines. Probably why I haven't been as quick to warm to Clos Guillot (but I also think that the Baudry's are still drilling down on that site).

What do you think?
 
originally posted by VLM: but it was Grezeaux that really knocked me out with that gravelly, animal mineral (almost Gevrey like) thing. It is sort of a unique signature from Grezeaux, so maybe I like vineyards with a signature? I'm certainly drawn to more mineral/stony wines.
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I was recently talking about this same thing on WLDG. I also liked Grezeaux the most at first because of that strong signature. Do you know where it comes from? I guess it has to be the soil?

Because of that unique Grezeaux stamp love, it took me a while to appreciate the greater completeness of Croix Boissee, but I now see it.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
Rahsaan, the question was about one's entry point into an appellation/region setting a taste perspective.
Click to expand...

Ok, sure. I guess it should. Especially in situations of limited exposure to an appellation/region.
 
originally posted by VLM:

That's a great question. I had Joguet, Druet, and Breton around the same time, but it was Grezeaux that really knocked me out with that gravelly, animal mineral (almost Gevrey like) thing. It is sort of a unique signature from Grezeaux, so maybe I like vineyards with a signature? I'm certainly drawn to more mineral/stony wines. Probably why I haven't been as quick to warm to Clos Guillot (but I also think that the Baudry's are still drilling down on that site).

What do you think?
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oh, for sure. But that's different if you had a fair amount of exposure to a number of producers/styles when you started out in Chinon. I've started out with a single producer in a number of places, and have since expanded to at least a dozen favourites in some, while still stuck on just one(*) in others. I was curious about Baudry in this context.

(*) talking about making room in the cellar, not just drinking
 
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