2007 Richard Leroy Noëls de Montbenault

[Oswaldo Costa]

2007 Richard Leroy Les Noëls de Montbenault Anjou 13,0%
For a five year old, rather advanced golden honey color. Smells of honey/propolis too, hay and light oxidation. Tastes of honey/propolis too (go figure), but not candied, with perfect balance, bright acidity, and very pleasant oxidative taste. Total treat. Now, why is this oxidation so pleasant, unlike premox oxidation? Does anyone know? I didn’t think so. Could it be just the oxidation of flavonoid phenols, that result in color change (rather that the oxygenation of non-flavonoid phenols, which produce no detectable changes in color, flavor or aromas) instead of the oxidation of ethanol, which produces the unpleasant, premox kind of oxidation flavors? Does anyone know? I didn’t think so.

 

[Ian Fitzsimmons]

I can't offer anything on the chemistry, but what strikes about the p'ox'd wines I've tasted is their complete deadness beneath the oxidation flavor. Good wines that are partly or wholly oxidized manage somehow to be lively and engaging, integrating the oxidation flavor into a subsuming gustatory gestalt.