Julien Pineau

J

Jay Miller

Jay Miller
A few of us gathered to try the new Pineau wines. I picked up the four that CSW is carrying and we tasted through the lineup today.

First off, hate, hate, hate the illegible labels. It's a good thing CSW puts a printed label on the back because otherwise I'd have no idea what each wine was until I opened it.

Pineau, Julien 2015 Vin de France Pet Nat Bocca di Rosa
Yep, that's a pet nat all right. If you're a fan of that apple cidery sort of sparkling wine then you'll probably like this but personally I don't understand the point. Quickly dumped by all present.

Pineau, Julien 2015 Vin de France Roche Blanche
Another wine firmly in the "very natural" camp. It has a beautiful soft nose but is bitter and not very complex on the palate. The CSW note says it benefits from lots of air so perhaps it gets better?

Pineau, Julien 2015 Vin de France Sucettes á l'Aunis
Now this is more like it! Both reds were a little spritzy, this one has a lovely nose and a beautifully pure, delightful pineau d'aunis palate. I'm not saying it was the 2012 l'Arpent Rouge but not even l'Arpent Rouge is usually 2012 l'Arpent Rouge. I'd definitely buy this again.

Pineau, Julien 2015 Vin de France L'Ecume des Nuits
Good complex, refreshing flavors. The most joyous of the wines. Jeff said he thought it was Cab Franc, I thought it was Cot, the website reveals it's a blend which was the conclusion we eventually came to as well. My favorite of the four and a buy.
 
Thank you, Jay! We also picked up the quartet and will try them over the next couple weeks. Agree about the labels. Six point type went out of style in 1995. Despite your note on the pet-nat I'm still looking forward to it. Sparkling cabernet sauvignon rose, what a concept.
 
Totally concur. The white white was awful and no amount of air could correct its faults. Ahhh, the reds are wonderful but, as been stated, far from unique and would not recommend rushing out to buy. That said, I bought two of each and will hold onto one to compare with the next vintage.
 
While Dr. FrankenJay was running his experiment, the less hunchback-challenged among the rest of us opened some nice wine:

J. J. Christoffel 2000 Kabinett - beautiful wine, honeyed and mellow with just enough acidity to hang together

B. Faurie 1996 Hermitage Rouge - Sasha takes it for a young Bordeaux, someone else for a warm-vintage cab franc ((honestly, what are these people drinking?)), mature, masculine, blue fruits, some earth and underbrush, in a nice place

Mugneret ?? Vosne-Romanee - a very nice Villages wine but darn if I could pick it out as Burgundy (that didn't stop Jay from getting it right), minerally and linear, not all that much fun
 
Mugneret ?? Vosne-Romanee - a very nice Villages wine but darn if I could pick it out as Burgundy (that didn't stop Jay from getting it right), minerally and linear, not all that much fun
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Almost right. I guessed NSG.
 
Had the sauvignon blanc yesterday--at first a little reduction but opened up nicely after an hour and continued to blossom with air. Lovely wine with white cherry notes and a silky texture. Very much in line with past vintages except that, I would guess, this version is unfiltered. 93 pts.
 
The last two nights we took the reds out for a run, first the cab franc/cot blend, then the double pineau. Both had that CO2 baby spritz that Jay mentions and similar reddish fruitiness, tending towards strawberry, with a hint of musk. The cab franc/cot declares 11.0% on the label v. the pineau's 12.5%, but seemed quite similar, in terms of BMI, and also stylistically, as is perhaps to be expected. The cf/cot had a leather note that the pineau didn't, whereas the pineau had a smoky note that the cf/cot didn't. They were both pleasurable to drink, but the glasses drained on the slower side of things. I didn't feel any urge to buy more, although it may be harsh to say that of babes.
 
The pineau d'Aunis is really showing well tonight after three days open. I thought it would be all walnuts by now but not at all. In fact it's fantastic. Reading the note on the CSW website, this wine is whole cluster and gets some sulfur. Just so lovely, a little VA in the nose, really warm and peppery tannin in the mouth with bramble fruit and a very familiar sense of place.

Loved the sparkly cabernet sauvignon, too!
 
Pineau, Julien 2015 Vin de France Pet Nat Bocca di Rosa
Yep, that's a pet nat all right. If you're a fan of that apple cidery sort of sparkling wine then you'll probably like this but personally I don't understand the point. Quickly dumped by all present..
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I thought this would be the perfect choice for Valentines Day, except for the fact my wife didn't care for it, but I did. Pretty coppery pink. Refreshing, tart, nectarine, berries, some citrus.
 
I really loved a bottle of the 2015 Domaine de la Roche Bleue 'La Petillante' pet-nat over the December holidays.

The upfront pineau d'aunis personality was like catnip for someone like myself that dearly misses CRB l'Arpent Rouge. I believe it also contains some chenin blanc.

Another bottle last week was less vibrant and exciting, for whatever reason, which always makes one wonder.
 
V-Day at my house always results in drinking a bottle of Jean-Paul Brun's FRV100. Slightly sweet pink fizz with good acidity. Pumpkin likes it a lot.

We started with a cocktail this time: an Admiral Vernon - rum, Grand Marnier, lime juice, and orgeat. Citrussy. OK.
 
I picked up the Julien Pineau 2019 Côt "Coup d'Jus" the other week and had a glass yesterday and today.

A fun wine, bright, red fruited and spicy. I'd certainly consider buying it again but I'm not rushing out to restock.

Another illegible label.
 
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