Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
To celebrate the 44th anniversary of the US leaving the gold standard, effectively dismantling the fixed exchange rate system based on convertibility into gold established at Bretton Woods after World War II, and the 31st anniversary of the publication of Vol. III of Michel Foucault's History of Sexuality, in which he recounts the boggling shift in western history from the classical ideal of "cura sui" (taking care of number one) to the new Christian ideal of "cura dei" (taking care of the boss upstairs), some strays gathered around several vintages of L d'Or and cabernet francs from the Foucault family.
First a mystery wine, served blind, and a delicious champita:
2005 JC Garnier Bézigon Chenin Sous Voile 14.5%
Bottled 2010. Obviously oxidative, hazelnuts, but we knew it could not be vin jaune because the person who brought it said we never would guess what it was. Rich, complex, great acidity. Wonderful.
1990 André Beaufort Ambonnay Brut Grand Cru 12.0%
Beheaded August 2014. Dough, guaraná. Beautiful consistency and perlage, with dawning tertiaries aggregating complexity.
Second a fragmented horizontal of this classic Muscadet, a fortuitous opportunity to observe how they evolve. The differences were not large, mostly a growing sense of purity and refinement conferred by age:
2010 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Le L d'Or 12.0%
Mineral, white flowers, light citrus. Creamy consistency, slightly more sweet than acid, sweetness a bit candied. Relatively short finish. Presumption of baby fat.
2005 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Le L d'Or 12.0%
More closed, mineral, white flowers. Creamy consistency, more acidity than the
2010 (some disagreed), but still a little more sweet than acid. Relatively short finish. Less fat baby, but still needs time.
2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Le L d'Or 12.0%
More delicate and interesting version of the first two, with a spicy note. Less creamy consistency, but still a little more sweet than acid, with the sweetness still a touch candied. Relatively short finish. Has more gravitas, but seems in a bit of midlife crisis.
1999 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Le L d'Or 12.0%
Elegant minerality, white flowers. Less creamy, better balance, somewhat longer finish. Clearly the best of the four, yesterday.
Third the climactic sequence of Loire cab francs, with an Olga thrown in among the sharks for contrast:
2004 Domaine du Collier (Antoine Foucault) Saumur Rouge La Ripaille 12.5%
Herbaceous, leather, sweat, fat, animale, spices. Beautiful balance, long finish. A beauty.
2007 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 12.5%
Iodine, blood. Sensational mouthfeel, wonderful balance, fruit opulent without being fat. Almost unbelievably good for a young wine.
2005 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 12.5%
Herbaceous, lard, leather. Beautiful, rich, dense, very long finish, terrific class. British Fleet.
1989 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picassos 12.5%
Tea, lard, underbrush, soy sauce. Lovely fruit, great balance. Someone comments that the Collier and Olga seemed more authentically Ligerian, while the CRs seemed more Bordeaux-tropic, in a white horse kind of way.
1990 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 12.5%
Vinegar, soy sauce. Totally perfect in every way, breathtaking density and balance. One of those completely wtf wines, after which, when there is nothing left to say, one must remain reverently silent.
First a mystery wine, served blind, and a delicious champita:
2005 JC Garnier Bézigon Chenin Sous Voile 14.5%
Bottled 2010. Obviously oxidative, hazelnuts, but we knew it could not be vin jaune because the person who brought it said we never would guess what it was. Rich, complex, great acidity. Wonderful.
1990 André Beaufort Ambonnay Brut Grand Cru 12.0%
Beheaded August 2014. Dough, guaraná. Beautiful consistency and perlage, with dawning tertiaries aggregating complexity.
Second a fragmented horizontal of this classic Muscadet, a fortuitous opportunity to observe how they evolve. The differences were not large, mostly a growing sense of purity and refinement conferred by age:
2010 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Le L d'Or 12.0%
Mineral, white flowers, light citrus. Creamy consistency, slightly more sweet than acid, sweetness a bit candied. Relatively short finish. Presumption of baby fat.
2005 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Le L d'Or 12.0%
More closed, mineral, white flowers. Creamy consistency, more acidity than the
2010 (some disagreed), but still a little more sweet than acid. Relatively short finish. Less fat baby, but still needs time.
2002 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Le L d'Or 12.0%
More delicate and interesting version of the first two, with a spicy note. Less creamy consistency, but still a little more sweet than acid, with the sweetness still a touch candied. Relatively short finish. Has more gravitas, but seems in a bit of midlife crisis.
1999 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine Sur Lie Le L d'Or 12.0%
Elegant minerality, white flowers. Less creamy, better balance, somewhat longer finish. Clearly the best of the four, yesterday.
Third the climactic sequence of Loire cab francs, with an Olga thrown in among the sharks for contrast:
2004 Domaine du Collier (Antoine Foucault) Saumur Rouge La Ripaille 12.5%
Herbaceous, leather, sweat, fat, animale, spices. Beautiful balance, long finish. A beauty.
2007 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 12.5%
Iodine, blood. Sensational mouthfeel, wonderful balance, fruit opulent without being fat. Almost unbelievably good for a young wine.
2005 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 12.5%
Herbaceous, lard, leather. Beautiful, rich, dense, very long finish, terrific class. British Fleet.
1989 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picassos 12.5%
Tea, lard, underbrush, soy sauce. Lovely fruit, great balance. Someone comments that the Collier and Olga seemed more authentically Ligerian, while the CRs seemed more Bordeaux-tropic, in a white horse kind of way.
1990 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg 12.5%
Vinegar, soy sauce. Totally perfect in every way, breathtaking density and balance. One of those completely wtf wines, after which, when there is nothing left to say, one must remain reverently silent.