Saina Nieminen
Saina Nieminen
Two unknown names that I didn't manage to find with the search engine here, but if this is their normal standard, they don't deserve to be left out of discussions when Foillard, Lapierre, etc. are spoken of.
Nicolas Testard Brouilly Bons Baisers de Brouilly 2010
12% abv. A really lovely Gamay, but quite dark in fruit, almost as if from a warm year with its boisterous and upfront fruit. There is a bit of a strange nuttiness to the scent, too, which is strange since IIRC this is aged in a neutral container. Fun fruit checked by upright structure. Lovely.
Domaine Des Cotes de la Moliere (B. Perraud) Fleurie "Nature" 2010
11%; no added sulphur, but I was lucky with this bottle: it was quite simply one of the best Beaujolais I have ever had! It had such wonderful, fragrant, pure Gamay aromatics mixed with just the right amount of funk/wet earth/leaf that I was instantly captivated (though, no doubt, some will find even this amount of funk too much!). Instead of being a light, juicy Fleurie, this was deeply tannic and gravelly and crunchy without losing any of the purity of its fruit. Outstanding.
Domaine Guion Bourgueil "Cuvée Domaine" 2009
A cheap wine (some places in the US apparently selling this for under 10$!) but serious. Lovely ripe aromas but still obviously Cab Franc, earthy yet savoury. It does show a bit of sweetness associated with a hot year, but the structure is perfect. It's not often that I feel comfortable talking about complexity and seriousness in a wine this price, but I think it might be merited here. Lovely.
La Soufrandière Pouilly-Vinzelles 2009
14% abv; from 28-50 yo vines. No obvious oak influence on the scent, but it is obviously a warm year wine with lots of fruit that verges on being tropical. But it is still a steely style of Chardonnay. Rich, plump, perhaps a bit lacking in acidity and perhaps a bit too much obvious heat on the finish, but it is still an interesting wine and one that I would love to try in a cooler year.
La Soufrandière Pouilly-Vinzelles "Les Quarts" 2009
14% abv. Very much like the straight Pouilly-Vinzelles except a touch more tropical in its aromas. The palate, however, has better definition: the alcohol is better integrated, the acidity is more bracing and the steely style of the scent is more obvious on the palate, too. Very nice, but I still would prefer to try this in a cooler year.
Bret Brothers Viré-Clessé Climat "La Verchère" 2009
A powerful wine with 14% abv. There is some oak on opening but it calms down very quickly. Ripe, sunny fruit, some attractive bitterness; very full bodied but with wonderful acidity. Not one to drink now, I think, but perhaps not one for the long haul either. Maybe just 3-4 years will do magic? Good, but not as ethereal and fascinating as the barrel sample I wrote about recently.
Nicolas Testard Brouilly Bons Baisers de Brouilly 2010
12% abv. A really lovely Gamay, but quite dark in fruit, almost as if from a warm year with its boisterous and upfront fruit. There is a bit of a strange nuttiness to the scent, too, which is strange since IIRC this is aged in a neutral container. Fun fruit checked by upright structure. Lovely.
11%; no added sulphur, but I was lucky with this bottle: it was quite simply one of the best Beaujolais I have ever had! It had such wonderful, fragrant, pure Gamay aromatics mixed with just the right amount of funk/wet earth/leaf that I was instantly captivated (though, no doubt, some will find even this amount of funk too much!). Instead of being a light, juicy Fleurie, this was deeply tannic and gravelly and crunchy without losing any of the purity of its fruit. Outstanding.
A cheap wine (some places in the US apparently selling this for under 10$!) but serious. Lovely ripe aromas but still obviously Cab Franc, earthy yet savoury. It does show a bit of sweetness associated with a hot year, but the structure is perfect. It's not often that I feel comfortable talking about complexity and seriousness in a wine this price, but I think it might be merited here. Lovely.
La Soufrandière Pouilly-Vinzelles 2009
14% abv; from 28-50 yo vines. No obvious oak influence on the scent, but it is obviously a warm year wine with lots of fruit that verges on being tropical. But it is still a steely style of Chardonnay. Rich, plump, perhaps a bit lacking in acidity and perhaps a bit too much obvious heat on the finish, but it is still an interesting wine and one that I would love to try in a cooler year.
La Soufrandière Pouilly-Vinzelles "Les Quarts" 2009
14% abv. Very much like the straight Pouilly-Vinzelles except a touch more tropical in its aromas. The palate, however, has better definition: the alcohol is better integrated, the acidity is more bracing and the steely style of the scent is more obvious on the palate, too. Very nice, but I still would prefer to try this in a cooler year.
Bret Brothers Viré-Clessé Climat "La Verchère" 2009
A powerful wine with 14% abv. There is some oak on opening but it calms down very quickly. Ripe, sunny fruit, some attractive bitterness; very full bodied but with wonderful acidity. Not one to drink now, I think, but perhaps not one for the long haul either. Maybe just 3-4 years will do magic? Good, but not as ethereal and fascinating as the barrel sample I wrote about recently.