Drink 'em if you got 'em

Larry Stein

Larry Stein
Just got home from a cru Beaujolais lunch. There were a few '05s in the line-up. I brought Lapierre Morgon (NS'd Kermit import) and Fleurie "Les Moriers", Chignard. Another person brought Vissoux M-a-V "Deux Roches". The first two were completely ready to drink. The Lapierre was a bit bretty, but not too much so for my palate. The Vissoux was already showing signs of oxidation.

Coudert still needs a little more time, but not much more (2 years?).

Based on this showing, I'm going to start ploughing through my '05s.
 
05 Pavillon de Chavannes Ambassades did not work out for me this weekend. Two years ago with 24 hours of air, it was pretty brilliant. This time around, we got a very promising hour or so and then it slipped away on us. It opened up again a bit the next day, but never really got its schwerve back.
 
That wine was poured, too (forgot about it, all the above was from memory). It was kind of bland and nondescript. The '06 was opened, too, and it showed better.
 
Very surprised to read of 5-year-old Vissoux M-a-V being oxidized.

The two 05 cru Beaujolais I've most recently opened were Thivin's Cote de Brouilly and Granger's Moulin-a-Vent. Both were best on the third day after opening, when they were quite outstanding.

An 05 Vissoux Traditionelle opened several months ago was delicious, just on the cusp of opening back up.

My take is 'no rush.'
 
Yes, the showing on the Vissoux was very surprising. I'm going to grab one of mine and see how it's doing, along with Fleurie "Les Garants".
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
An 05 Vissoux Traditionelle opened several months ago was delicious, just on the cusp of opening back up.

I can confirm this
 
Alhamdulillah. Validation is ... well, validating.

We opened Vissoux's 05 Poncie and Garants a bit over a year ago, and I'd bet they are both still pretty closed. Were I to open either now, I'd drink them in bits over the course of two-to-four days.

The generous, almost rich fruit we encountered in the Poncie on the first day was in headlong retreat on day two, so it will be interesting to see if this wine was just headed into a shut-down stage, coming late because of the quality of the fruit. Jim Cowan's enthusiasm for it gives grounds to hope for this outcome.

Grapes for the Garants, I've read, like those for Coudert's Roilette, are grown in vineyards formerly classified as Moulin-a-vent, which would lead you to expect firmness in youth and eventual longevity. I went long on the Garants in 09.
 
I have '05 Vissoux Trad. in the kitchen wine frig. It will be sacrificed soon. I'll be damned if this wine isn't in a good place.
 
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