Joel Stewart
Joel Stewart
i am not really sure where to place this producer in my mind yet....and i've only gone thru a handful of his macon-villages at this point....but i saw some of his chablis online today and wondered about them. as for the mv's, i was intrigued by the unusual flavor and aromatic profiles, if not always finding that i liked them. they all seem surprisingly sweet...but not exactly fruity, if that makes sense. complex, yes...decent acidity, and the 05's seemed like pretty big wines compared to the usual macons i've had. i could also taste that all of these wines had a particular stamp on them which identified them as vergets to me.
here are a couple of notes from a sampling i did last winter of his lower end mv's. i'd be curious to hear other's opinions about this producer. how much producer "noise" vs terroir? are the chablis to their region, what i sense the mv's are to it's?
2005 VERGET ST VERAN "ST. CLAUDE" - like the others, this wine benefitted from aeration. musky fermented fruit, even yoghurt, and fresh herbs....very very attractive. this is one of those wines one can love for the nose alone.
the palate delivers more of that sweetness, which in this case is well balanced by citrus lime and lemon acidity and lingering touch of smoke and creamy notes on the dry finish. this wine has the acidity to hold the flavors and fruit from start to finish, while it also carries the opulence on the nose. we finished the bottle with a traditional japanese one pot meal....various vegetables, tofu, fish cakes and leeks simmered in broth and dipped into a citrus/soy sauce called "ponzu". none of the flavors clashed and the wine was a hit, but i noticed something about this wine during the meal: slap an auzzie lable on it and it sure seemed it would be a dead ringer for a ripe auz chard (with, at 13%, a slightly lower abv, that's all). when this dawned on me, i was turned off....strange how that realization sort of tipped the scales for me. drink them alone with a bite of reggiano or blue and they seem to keep their french mineral notes a little better, but these wines are, i realize now, purposely sweet....and one can't help but wonder if they have been tweaked that way to fit a modern market....or what? i am perplexed. my fave of the bunch was the montbrisson, as it felt closer to what i know and like from macon, and the least sweet, but i will order a couple more of the st veran too and try to lay them down to see where they head.
2005 VERGET MACON-BRUSSIERES, "MONTBRISSON" - first impressions from pop and pour at chilled cellar temp: light gold in the glass. the nose tight at first, hints at honey and pear and freshly planed wood. on the palate, good acid on the attack, some subtle white fruit sweetness and a lingering, dry finish with notes of creme fraiche lingering. the final flavor remaining is curiously savory...some salt and spice. the mouthfeel on this wine is just shy of silky at this point and perhaps air time (or cellar time) and a little warmth will coax this out a bit more. the transition from attack to finish is smooth and seamless. a well made wine if a little tight. (note: i just threw the rest into a decanter and the over-riding aroma from that rapid aeration is unmistakably super ripe pineapple...interesting)
second impression, later in the evening: the nose is giving off more tropical fruit (tho not quite like the decanter showing all that funky pineapple). it feels rich, honeyed and ripe. the palate has opened up and is delivering a list of flavors in a finely integrated way. the air time did indeed help. great balance between white pear fruit, cinammon, lemon notes, mineral and allspice on the dry finish. the fruit is not shy..there is an obvious sweetness on the tongue, but it's not out of place or balance...just a little more than ethereal and just enough to be welcome. overall this wine is very well nuanced and yet not overpowering.
here are a couple of notes from a sampling i did last winter of his lower end mv's. i'd be curious to hear other's opinions about this producer. how much producer "noise" vs terroir? are the chablis to their region, what i sense the mv's are to it's?
2005 VERGET ST VERAN "ST. CLAUDE" - like the others, this wine benefitted from aeration. musky fermented fruit, even yoghurt, and fresh herbs....very very attractive. this is one of those wines one can love for the nose alone.
the palate delivers more of that sweetness, which in this case is well balanced by citrus lime and lemon acidity and lingering touch of smoke and creamy notes on the dry finish. this wine has the acidity to hold the flavors and fruit from start to finish, while it also carries the opulence on the nose. we finished the bottle with a traditional japanese one pot meal....various vegetables, tofu, fish cakes and leeks simmered in broth and dipped into a citrus/soy sauce called "ponzu". none of the flavors clashed and the wine was a hit, but i noticed something about this wine during the meal: slap an auzzie lable on it and it sure seemed it would be a dead ringer for a ripe auz chard (with, at 13%, a slightly lower abv, that's all). when this dawned on me, i was turned off....strange how that realization sort of tipped the scales for me. drink them alone with a bite of reggiano or blue and they seem to keep their french mineral notes a little better, but these wines are, i realize now, purposely sweet....and one can't help but wonder if they have been tweaked that way to fit a modern market....or what? i am perplexed. my fave of the bunch was the montbrisson, as it felt closer to what i know and like from macon, and the least sweet, but i will order a couple more of the st veran too and try to lay them down to see where they head.
2005 VERGET MACON-BRUSSIERES, "MONTBRISSON" - first impressions from pop and pour at chilled cellar temp: light gold in the glass. the nose tight at first, hints at honey and pear and freshly planed wood. on the palate, good acid on the attack, some subtle white fruit sweetness and a lingering, dry finish with notes of creme fraiche lingering. the final flavor remaining is curiously savory...some salt and spice. the mouthfeel on this wine is just shy of silky at this point and perhaps air time (or cellar time) and a little warmth will coax this out a bit more. the transition from attack to finish is smooth and seamless. a well made wine if a little tight. (note: i just threw the rest into a decanter and the over-riding aroma from that rapid aeration is unmistakably super ripe pineapple...interesting)
second impression, later in the evening: the nose is giving off more tropical fruit (tho not quite like the decanter showing all that funky pineapple). it feels rich, honeyed and ripe. the palate has opened up and is delivering a list of flavors in a finely integrated way. the air time did indeed help. great balance between white pear fruit, cinammon, lemon notes, mineral and allspice on the dry finish. the fruit is not shy..there is an obvious sweetness on the tongue, but it's not out of place or balance...just a little more than ethereal and just enough to be welcome. overall this wine is very well nuanced and yet not overpowering.