Ian Fitzsimmons
Ian Fitzsimmons
+1; sorry to have gone rogue.
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I should add, to place my experience so far in the context of this forum, that 2011 reds may turn out be the first drinking vintage for the geek in you, in quite some time. Yes, they are probably serious enough to shut down in bottle for much longer than I can imagine. But that little inconvenience aside, they do have the kind of energy I have already observed in 2011 Beaujolais, that, despite their tannic structure, can make them interesting and transparent when fairly young. It is certainly one of the easiest vintages to taste from barrel, and yet any comparisons with 2007 or 2000 are rejected by winemakers outright, as there is more structure here, and the wines go far beyond being "fruit driven" despite the fruit being easily accessible. Excellent phenolic ripeness on display will please the geek, and so will the alcohol levels under 13% in many of the wines. Acidity levels are fine, although lower than in 2008 (number of quotes of final pH around 3.5), which will probably mean that while dirt won't rush up the glass past withdrawn fruit as it often does in that vintage, it may help shape the fruit in a soil specific way instead. Should be fun.
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I was wearing the wrong shoes.
Claude Kolm
Claude Kolm
yixin -- when did you taste the wines? Many people have told me that the wines have changed dramatically from the way they tasted earlier in the year, and indeed even during my three week stay, I could see an evolution from the way they were tasting at the beginning to the way they were tasting at the end.
That being said, I'm not as enthusiastic as .sasha seems to be -- it may well be the most uneven vintage for reds that I have seen. I'm also surprised to hear him say that no one has mentioned 2007 or 2000. The easiest fit for me seems to be a mixture of 2007 and 2010, although the proportions vary from cellar to cellar, and most producers agreed with that characterization, although a few posited 2000/2001 as an alternative (one that I can live with, too).
That being said, I'm not as enthusiastic as .sasha seems to be -- it may well be the most uneven vintage for reds that I have seen. I'm also surprised to hear him say that no one has mentioned 2007 or 2000. The easiest fit for me seems to be a mixture of 2007 and 2010, although the proportions vary from cellar to cellar, and most producers agreed with that characterization, although a few posited 2000/2001 as an alternative (one that I can live with, too).
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
It's a 'restaurant vintage' for Disorderlies?
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Saturday afternoon cellar vintage
Jay Miller
Jay Miller
You're stopping back tomorrow, right?
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If I can get all these 11s bottled by tomorrow and brought back to New York, why not?
Florida Jim
Florida Jim
Thank you for that.
Frank was concise.
Best, Jim
kirk wallace
kirk wallace
And Vrinat was amazing. Simply the best.
Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Interesting that he gave Jayer-Gilles the time 'o day.
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Jean-Marie Fourrier was just telling us how these great restaurant directors used to come down and taste with his father, when he was a kid. Fond memories for him. But he also said, contrary to what Mr Prial is implying here, that chefs (local, as well as somewhat local) used to converge in their cellars as a group and taste through the wines, selecting what they would match up with potential dishes. Then there was something about modern chefs relying on certain magazines, but you know my French is very bad.
Claude Kolm
Claude Kolm
M. Iverson and I ate at a Paris resto this week where the wine list proudly announced "Parker 100/100" for one of the wines on the list.
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Claude,
I am yet to observe large inconsistencies (although my sample of reds is still small, only including Briailles, M Gaunoux - no 11s here of course, Lafarge, Gouges, Hudelot, Fourrier, Dujac, de Vogue, Ponsot and Liger-Belair), but having reread my post and your reply, I realize I should be much more specific. When I speak of phenolic ripeness that the geek will enjoy, I am targeting that audience and their tastes, which include drinking a case of Chinon per week and participating in other extreme sports. The pattern was similar in most of these cellars. As you go up the ladder the quality of the tannins improves, finally getting to a point where the upper echelon wines with more stuffing actually seem relatively softer. This is counter-intuitive but not necessarily in 2011, where more stuffing means a larger percentage of finer tannins. It does imply that the phenolic ripeness at the lower end is not always perfect, but this is where I am making a leap of faith as I believe matters of taste figure in significantly. Given the evidence so far, I am indeed optimistic that the twigs and herbs will be integrated to give the wines a very interesting character, provided they maintain this kind of energy.
Yes, I can see a 2000/2001 comparison, and in fact one winemaker whose wines I have not tasted yet mentioned 1998/2001. It is much more difficult for me to accept 2007 mixed with anything right now, as I find a similar forward quality but a very different character to the fruit, but I may very well change my mind by next week!
cheers