Jasnières Les Rosiers 2007 Domaine de la Bellivière, Éric Nicolas Alc.13.5%
About a year ago, I wrote this about its elder brother Jasnières Les Rosiers 2002 This was a lovely example of dry Loire chenin, which revealed new facets as the wine aired and warmed. Colour was medium/deep yellow. The nose was expressive with mineral and white fruit (e.g.peach) to the fore and a distant background of wax, spice and quince. The palate was subjectively dry, superbly focussed, long, medium/light bodied and aromatically expressive with moreish crisp acidity, perhaps a touch of RS (6g/l), lively fruit and minerals, a generously burnished and honeyed undertow, which is more frequent in demi-sec than dry, and a saline hint giving structure to the finish. Lovely; 17/20++
This 2007 was very similar but somewhat fuller and more primary in its fruit with at present more obvious RS and even crisper acidity. Some of the complexity, e.g. the honeyed notes, has yet to develop but in compensation there was a vibrancy and focus which I don’t recall on the older wine; also 17/20++
Vouvray sec 1998 Domaine du Clos Naudin, Philippe Foreau Alc.13%. 1998 was a difficult vintage and I believe that Foreau only made this dry cuvée with no demi-sec and moelleux. The wine went through a long closed period. The colour is now quite deep yellow. The nose showed nice notes of apple pie, flinty minerals and a touch of wax. The palate was bone dry, crystalline, flavourful and brightly focussed with aromas similar to the nose, medium body, some depth and good length with only residual raw greenness from the difficult growing and harvesting season; 16.5/20.
Savennières Cuvée Spéciale 1995 Ch“teau d’Epiré Alc.13% was a very deep yellow and showed a strong nuttiness at first which suggested fairly advanced oxidisation, although with a lot of disjointed good elements lying half concealed underneath; we left about two-thirds of the bottle to use in cooking.
I was therefore surprised that, after three or four days in the fridge, the remainder was much better focussed with the oxidative notes receded into an acceptable element of complexity behind the good elements. There were complex aromas of quince, wax, acacia, gentle nuts and minerals on the medium/full, dry and quite round palate with some residual primary fruit, typical Loire minerality and enough smooth acidity for freshness and balance (the 96s showed crisper acidity); this seems to demonstrate that old style Savennières needs decanting even in its 17th year; 13.5/20 at first; 16.5/20+ on re-opening.
About a year ago, I wrote this about its elder brother Jasnières Les Rosiers 2002 This was a lovely example of dry Loire chenin, which revealed new facets as the wine aired and warmed. Colour was medium/deep yellow. The nose was expressive with mineral and white fruit (e.g.peach) to the fore and a distant background of wax, spice and quince. The palate was subjectively dry, superbly focussed, long, medium/light bodied and aromatically expressive with moreish crisp acidity, perhaps a touch of RS (6g/l), lively fruit and minerals, a generously burnished and honeyed undertow, which is more frequent in demi-sec than dry, and a saline hint giving structure to the finish. Lovely; 17/20++
This 2007 was very similar but somewhat fuller and more primary in its fruit with at present more obvious RS and even crisper acidity. Some of the complexity, e.g. the honeyed notes, has yet to develop but in compensation there was a vibrancy and focus which I don’t recall on the older wine; also 17/20++
Vouvray sec 1998 Domaine du Clos Naudin, Philippe Foreau Alc.13%. 1998 was a difficult vintage and I believe that Foreau only made this dry cuvée with no demi-sec and moelleux. The wine went through a long closed period. The colour is now quite deep yellow. The nose showed nice notes of apple pie, flinty minerals and a touch of wax. The palate was bone dry, crystalline, flavourful and brightly focussed with aromas similar to the nose, medium body, some depth and good length with only residual raw greenness from the difficult growing and harvesting season; 16.5/20.
Savennières Cuvée Spéciale 1995 Ch“teau d’Epiré Alc.13% was a very deep yellow and showed a strong nuttiness at first which suggested fairly advanced oxidisation, although with a lot of disjointed good elements lying half concealed underneath; we left about two-thirds of the bottle to use in cooking.
I was therefore surprised that, after three or four days in the fridge, the remainder was much better focussed with the oxidative notes receded into an acceptable element of complexity behind the good elements. There were complex aromas of quince, wax, acacia, gentle nuts and minerals on the medium/full, dry and quite round palate with some residual primary fruit, typical Loire minerality and enough smooth acidity for freshness and balance (the 96s showed crisper acidity); this seems to demonstrate that old style Savennières needs decanting even in its 17th year; 13.5/20 at first; 16.5/20+ on re-opening.