La Sirène sur Loire

R

Rahsaan

Rahsaan
La Sirène is a fine Nyc BYO. And even better if the folks have agreed to focus on the Loire.

2004 Bellivière Giroflées Rosé
Yet another weird bottle. It starts off pleasing enough. Juicy sweet fruit and all. But then the ashy weirdness appears.

2001 Angeli Anjou La Lune
This was a treat. I was very curious and very skeptical. But it was pretty straightforward. Big boned maturing ripe Anjou fruit that showed more and more mineral definition as the night went on. That said, it packed a punch and was not for the faint of heart.

2005 Huet Le Mont Vouvray Sec
Precise mineral lemons that are hard to argue with. Lovely.

2007 Chidaine Montlouis Les Bournais
Not as precise as the Huet but more generous and friendly yet still focused deep and intense. Nice stuff.

2002 P Cotat Sancerre La Grande Côte
Lovely lovely lovely. Gains grip and focus with air and we all debate how much longer this will age but none of us really care as it’s so delightful right now.

1987 Domaine du Petit Clocher Anjou Rouge
Not bad. But basically old and rustic.

1988 Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie
Not bad. But basically old and rustic with a tad more dimensionality than the Petit Clocher.

1989 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses
Not bad. But basically old and rustic with a good deal more dimensionality than the Joguet. All in all this is a nice bottle, but it just doesn’t have the oomph or the energy for me.

1985 Breton Bourgueil Les Perrières
This is more like it. Fresh and juicy and younger tasting than the previous wines. But still lots of mature flavors and energetic acidity. Nice.

1996 Breton Bourgueil Les Perrières
This was probably my favorite of the red wines, although I was alone at the table in that assessment. It is very much in line with the 85, but younger, more deep rich fruit, more pop, deeper, firmer, and on top of that more mineral definition to please me.

2005 Joguet Chinon Clos du Chêne Vert
Young red wine. Apparently this was heavily decanted to help show its best and it is certainly delicious to drink. But I prefer the Bretons. Others prefer this.

1997 Domaine des Forges Quarts de Chaume
Sweet sugary tastiness.
 
The 2005 Joguet was made just before FX took over, I think. I found it okay, but of all their cuvees it's the one best suited to the oaking regime. Anyway FX has left to do his own negoce stuff, and Kevin Fontaine is now running the vineyard and cellar. Good, young guy, fingers crossed.
 
Nice line-up. I've never tasted an Angeli, & was counseled to not visit because the guy is a kook. Surprised the older Joguet didn't hold its own.
 
originally posted by Zachary Ross:
Nice to see you all there, and thanks for the glass of the Raffault.
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Likewise! And thanks for the taste of the Montus -- it is in a great spot.

originally posted by Rahsaan:
2004 Bellivière Giroflées Rosé
Yet another weird bottle. It starts off pleasing enough. Juicy sweet fruit and all. But then the ashy weirdness appears.
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Yeah, this is one weird bottling. It was so beautiful on release. It could yet conceivably come back into balance. Who knows. This is the second one we've had in the realm of recent, and they both alternately smelled and tasted corky without smelling and tasting off at the same time.

Glad you liked the Angeli. They went through a weird phase a few years ago but have been consistently delicious since then.

originally posted by Rahsaan:
2005 Huet Le Mont Vouvray Sec
Precise mineral lemons that are hard to argue with. Lovely.
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Why argue?

originally posted by Rahsaan
1988 Joguet Chinon Clos de la Dioterie
Not bad. But basically old and rustic with a tad more dimensionality than the Petit Clocher.

1989 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses
Not bad. But basically old and rustic with a good deal more dimensionality than the Joguet. All in all this is a nice bottle, but it just doesn’t have the oomph or the energy for me.

1985 Breton Bourgueil Les Perrières
This is more like it. Fresh and juicy and younger tasting than the previous wines. But still lots of mature flavors and energetic acidity. Nice.

1996 Breton Bourgueil Les Perrières
This was probably my favorite of the red wines, although I was alone at the table in that assessment. It is very much in line with the 85, but younger, more deep rich fruit, more pop, deeper, firmer, and on top of that more mineral definition to please me.
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I think you're too tough on the Joguet. I thought the 88 La Dioterie was beautiful, for me the wine of the night along with the 85 Breton. Both Joguet and, esp., Raffault were quite a bit broader and more rustic than the Breton but still showed very well.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Surprised the older Joguet didn't hold its own.
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As Cliff says, I might have been too harsh. Or perhaps I should have gone back to taste it again and again. But there was just too much stuff to focus on.

However, the 88 Joguet was a recent auction purchase by one of the attendees whereas the Raffault and the Breton were recently released by the domaines and I think you could sense the better condition/freshness on the wines as a result. So I enjoyed the Bretons and didn't look back!
 
originally posted by Yixin:
The 2005 Joguet was made just before FX took over, I think. I found it okay, but of all their cuvees it's the one best suited to the oaking regime. Anyway FX has left to do his own negoce stuff, and Kevin Fontaine is now running the vineyard and cellar. Good, young guy, fingers crossed.
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Thanks for this. There was some discussion of the different regimes but no details.

It would be nice if the wines at Joguet became more compelling. Never a bad thing to happen.
 
I've been working my way back in shape for the Kassoulet but am not quite there. The lamb was particularly good, the Octopus quite a bit spicier than I recall (still quite tasty).
 
Interesting to hear you folks talk about the food. Maybe the meat dishes are the best ones here?

As I posted on WLDG I thought the weak link in the evening was definitely the food.

My octopus starter was tasty but mainly because they included some peppery spice. The skate main course was almost actively bad. In terms of concept (a muddle of toppings that included capers, mangos, and lots of other mushy mess), presentation, and quality of fish. For a $25-30 main course you should be getting something better than that.

The cheese plate was also weak (and betrayed further lack of confidence in their ingredients as the cheese was showered with silly dried herbs). But in fairness to them I don't know if that was on their menu or something they rustled up for us.

I would still go back with a group because it's fun. But I'm in no hurry to eat the food again.
 
I've never been able to get a cheese plate there before, so I took it as progress. My lamb was quite a bit better than the Octopus. I don't think I've ever ordered fish at La Sirene, but the Mussels are usually quite good. They tend to violate my law of food that the calories expended eating should not exceed the calories ingested. Well, maybe not technically, but in spirit.
 
The cassoulet is, for me, the thing to get at La Sirene. They do the beans better than I've had anywhere else. Though a lamb dish about a year ago was very good.
 
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