Impressions December 2019

[MarkS]

originally posted by VLM:
... 1999 Faurie Hermitage that a friend brought to dinner on the 22nd. ... It had the red capsule and was imported by Weygandt so I think it was either the assemblage or the Bessards.

If it was Bessard-Meal it would have the gold cap. Never seen a red one, but then don't see much Faurie these days. Could be the assemblage, but I thought that was for the UK market.

2015 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Cerretta - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba (12/6/2019)
....I really miss the old days when Conterno barbera was cheap.

Yeah... (wistful expression)
What is the alcohol on this? The 2014 was 15%, so not for the Disorderist crowd methinks.

Good to see you not observing a dry Janus.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by MarkS:

originally posted by VLM:
... 1999 Faurie Hermitage that a friend brought to dinner on the 22nd. ... It had the red capsule and was imported by Weygandt so I think it was either the assemblage or the Bessards.

If it was Bessard-Meal it would have the gold cap. Never seen a red one, but then don't see much Faurie these days. Could be the assemblage, but I thought that was for the UK market.

I'm not sure. It wasn't a red-red capsule, more of a Burgundy red capsule. That makes it either assemblage or Bessards alone, I think. Whatever it was, it was stunning.

2015 Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Cerretta - Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba (12/6/2019)
....I really miss the old days when Conterno barbera was cheap.

Yeah... (wistful expression)
What is the alcohol on this? The 2014 was 15%, so not for the Disorderist crowd methinks.

Good to see you not observing a dry Janus.

Well, these are December notes. We're doing dry-ish January. I find that I get what I need from dry-month in the first 10-14 days. After that, it's really more about limiting calorie intake so we have wet weekends.

 

[Marc Hanes]

It had the red capsule and was imported by Weygandt so I think it was either the assemblage or the Bessards.

If it was Bessards-Meal it would have the gold cap. Never seen a red one, but then don't see much Faurie these days. Could be the assemblage, but I thought that was for the UK market.

I recently did some research on Faurie capsules at work and found these references:

Loading…

www.thewinecellarinsider.com

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www.kermitlynch.com

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www.sommselect.com

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www.wineberserkers.com

I am not sure exactly *when* Faurie went to the color coding and suspect that older bottles may all have had red capsules even if they are not 100% Bessards. I know from the links that for a period he used some form of numeric coding etched onto the bottles but don’t know when they stopped using the numeric coding in favor of the colored capsules. A bottle of 1983 I inspected has no etching whereas a bottle of 1990 and of 1991 do have the etching. However, I would need a “key” to the etchings to differentiate bottlings and was not able to locate such a key.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by Marc Hanes:
I recently did some research on Faurie capsules at work and found these references:

Loading…

www.thewinecellarinsider.com

Loading…

www.kermitlynch.com

Loading…

www.sommselect.com

Loading…

www.wineberserkers.com

I am not sure exactly *when* Faurie went to the color coding and suspect that older bottles may all have had red capsules even if they are not 100% Bessards. I know from the links that for a period he used some form of numeric coding etched onto the bottles but don’t know when they stopped using the numeric coding in favor of the colored capsules. A bottle of 1983 I inspected has no etching whereas a bottle of 1990 and of 1991 do have the etching. However, I would need a “key” to the etchings to differentiate bottlings and was not able to locate such a key.

If you have a subscription to JLL, I'd expect him to be authoritative. What I can see with freebie access:
- Bessards-Le Meal in gold, first made in 2005 by accident
- Greffieux-Bessards in white, history is confused (he says the cuvee dates to 2005, but it did not appear as such in Faurie's literature until 2007, and he has tasting notes back to 2001)
- Greffieux-Meal-Bessards in gold (now), made at least as far back as JLL goes (1994)
- Bessards alone in red, started in 2015, JLL says only two vintages made (two bottlings in each!) but there is a "one-off" 2018 as well
- Meal alone, notes from 1994-2009

Gak.

I recall reading somewhere that Bernard Faurie keeps impeccable notebooks on the domain's output. You could ask him.

 

[MarkS]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

- Greffieux-Bessards in white...

Actually the color is more of a light cream. It looks a bit more yellowish than white.

 

[georg lauer]

Are people feeling still very positive about more recent Faurie vintages? This sounds all very appealing and I am tempted to get some of the current available vintages (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 is what I could readily find).

Thanks
Georg

 

[Tristan Welles]

originally posted by georg lauer:
Are people feeling still very positive about more recent Faurie vintages? This sounds all very appealing and I am tempted to get some of the current available vintages (2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 is what I could readily find).

Thanks
Georg

Georg,

Yes. The 2014 Bessards Le Méal and 2014 Greffieux-Bressards are both great wines.

 

[Tristan Welles]

Great tasting notes as always, thanks for taking the time!

I'll add two on white Burgundy:

2002 Paul Pernot Bienvenues B“tard-Montrachet: this is simply glorious wine. The (positive) evolution is complete. It might be different in a few years, but I don't think it could possibly be objectively better.

2004 Dauvissat Les Preuses. Very good wine, drank the day after the Pernot and it naturally it was fun to notice the differences in terroir and style. but the main reason for this note: always keep Dauvissat reduction in mind when opening bottles of the domaine's wine. The wine kept getting better with air and the last sip was absolutely the best. A sense of precision and focus came to the wine with time.

 

[Salil Benegal]

Love those Filaine Champagnes. Unfortunately I've just about stopped drinking them since I moved to the midwest - they were a lot easier to find in CT/NY.

Really happy to read that note on the Faurie. I have a single bottle of the '99 stashed away that I'll have to dig up now - was wondering how much longer it needed, as the '04 I had recently still showed painfully young.

 

[Jayson Cohen]

originally posted by Tristan Welles:
Great tasting notes as always, thanks for taking the time!

I'll add two on white Burgundy:

2002 Paul Pernot Bienvenues B“tard-Montrachet: this is simply glorious wine. The (positive) evolution is complete. It might be different in a few years, but I don't think it could possibly be objectively better.

2004 Dauvissat Les Preuses. Very good wine, drank the day after the Pernot and it naturally it was fun to notice the differences in terroir and style. but the main reason for this note: always keep Dauvissat reduction in mind when opening bottles of the domaine's wine. The wine kept getting better with air and the last sip was absolutely the best. A sense of precision and focus came to the wine with time.

Pavel learned me on decanting Dauvissat GC at age ~15. Needs the air.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Mike Evans:
Nice notes and good to see you are still drinking well. I went through several bottles of 1974 Sterling Reserve that I picked up for a song during the early glory days of Winebid and they were all terrific.

Thanks for the notes on the Filaine. I wasn’t familiar with the producer until trying Sophie's terrific 2011 at the Southern Jeeb and I was very impressed. Your note reminded me of that and now I have several bottles of the 2016 Cuvée Speciale and DMY heading my way along with some Ulysse Collins.

It was that same bottle at the Southern Jeebus that started my own obsession. It's rare that a wine just stops me in my tracks and that bottle did. Every subsequent bottle of Filaine (Speciale and DMY) has shown the same characteristics that made that 2011 Vertigo so beautiful. Honestly, the wines are so hard to come by (only 6b of Speciale for NC) that I almost didn't post but no one reads this bored so I feel like it is a safe space.

Based on your reviews we recently drank Filaine Spéciale and Filaine Confidance. Both labels were laconic, but say L.11, so I am supposing the base wine is mostly 2011. Did your 2016 Spéciales say L.16?

Again based on your reviews we opened a Vilmart Grande Réserve disgorged June 2015 that was terrific. Thanks!

From what I read, neither the Vilmarts nor the Filaines undergo malo, so have crisper than average acidity. But the Vilmart malos are deliberately blocked (aargh, intervention), whereas the Filaine malos simply don't happen because of the very cold cellar. Supposedly.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Mike Evans:
Nice notes and good to see you are still drinking well. I went through several bottles of 1974 Sterling Reserve that I picked up for a song during the early glory days of Winebid and they were all terrific.

Thanks for the notes on the Filaine. I wasn’t familiar with the producer until trying Sophie's terrific 2011 at the Southern Jeeb and I was very impressed. Your note reminded me of that and now I have several bottles of the 2016 Cuvée Speciale and DMY heading my way along with some Ulysse Collins.

It was that same bottle at the Southern Jeebus that started my own obsession. It's rare that a wine just stops me in my tracks and that bottle did. Every subsequent bottle of Filaine (Speciale and DMY) has shown the same characteristics that made that 2011 Vertigo so beautiful. Honestly, the wines are so hard to come by (only 6b of Speciale for NC) that I almost didn't post but no one reads this bored so I feel like it is a safe space.

Based on your reviews we recently drank Filaine Spéciale and Filaine Confidance. Both labels were laconic, but say L.11, so I am supposing the base wine is mostly 2011. Did your 2016 Spéciales say L.16?

Again based on your reviews we opened a Vilmart Grande Réserve disgorged June 2015 that was terrific. Thanks!

From what I read, neither the Vilmarts nor the Filaines undergo malo, so have crisper than average acidity. But the Vilmart malos are deliberately blocked (aargh, intervention), whereas the Filaine malos simply don't happen because of the very cold cellar. Supposedly.

I'm glad you liked the Filaine and Vilmart. My Filaine Speciale has L.16 in a really unobtrusive spot on the neck label and it has been called 2016 so my operating assumption is that it is L.year.

I don't know a ton about Filaine except that I was told that the aim is to produce Champagne the way it would have been produced a century or two ago. I don't really know what that means but I love the results.

I haven't had the Vilmart Grand Reserve in a while and don't have a ton of detailed information them either. I don't know how malo is blocked but the wines don't go through it. I really love the Coeur de Cuvée so given that you liked the Grand Reserve if you see it, you should try it. I've found that vintage doesn't really matter, the wine is always excellent just younger or older.

 

[robert ames]

originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Mike Evans:
Nice notes and good to see you are still drinking well. I went through several bottles of 1974 Sterling Reserve that I picked up for a song during the early glory days of Winebid and they were all terrific.

Thanks for the notes on the Filaine. I wasn’t familiar with the producer until trying Sophie's terrific 2011 at the Southern Jeeb and I was very impressed. Your note reminded me of that and now I have several bottles of the 2016 Cuvée Speciale and DMY heading my way along with some Ulysse Collins.

It was that same bottle at the Southern Jeebus that started my own obsession. It's rare that a wine just stops me in my tracks and that bottle did. Every subsequent bottle of Filaine (Speciale and DMY) has shown the same characteristics that made that 2011 Vertigo so beautiful. Honestly, the wines are so hard to come by (only 6b of Speciale for NC) that I almost didn't post but no one reads this bored so I feel like it is a safe space.

Based on your reviews we recently drank Filaine Spéciale and Filaine Confidance. Both labels were laconic, but say L.11, so I am supposing the base wine is mostly 2011. Did your 2016 Spéciales say L.16?

Again based on your reviews we opened a Vilmart Grande Réserve disgorged June 2015 that was terrific. Thanks!

From what I read, neither the Vilmarts nor the Filaines undergo malo, so have crisper than average acidity. But the Vilmart malos are deliberately blocked (aargh, intervention), whereas the Filaine malos simply don't happen because of the very cold cellar. Supposedly.

unless the filaines is filtered (intervention), what is there to keep it from going thru malolactic when it ends up in place that isn't 'very cold'?

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

originally posted by robert ames:

originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Mike Evans:
Nice notes and good to see you are still drinking well. I went through several bottles of 1974 Sterling Reserve that I picked up for a song during the early glory days of Winebid and they were all terrific.

Thanks for the notes on the Filaine. I wasn’t familiar with the producer until trying Sophie's terrific 2011 at the Southern Jeeb and I was very impressed. Your note reminded me of that and now I have several bottles of the 2016 Cuvée Speciale and DMY heading my way along with some Ulysse Collins.

It was that same bottle at the Southern Jeebus that started my own obsession. It's rare that a wine just stops me in my tracks and that bottle did. Every subsequent bottle of Filaine (Speciale and DMY) has shown the same characteristics that made that 2011 Vertigo so beautiful. Honestly, the wines are so hard to come by (only 6b of Speciale for NC) that I almost didn't post but no one reads this bored so I feel like it is a safe space.

Based on your reviews we recently drank Filaine Spéciale and Filaine Confidance. Both labels were laconic, but say L.11, so I am supposing the base wine is mostly 2011. Did your 2016 Spéciales say L.16?

Again based on your reviews we opened a Vilmart Grande Réserve disgorged June 2015 that was terrific. Thanks!

From what I read, neither the Vilmarts nor the Filaines undergo malo, so have crisper than average acidity. But the Vilmart malos are deliberately blocked (aargh, intervention), whereas the Filaine malos simply don't happen because of the very cold cellar. Supposedly.

unless the filaines is filtered (intervention), what is there to keep it from going thru malolactic when it ends up in place that isn't 'very cold'?

Had the same question over a year ago and, if I recall, Mark (Ellenbogen) replied that if it doesn't happen naturally at a certain point, it probably won't later on, sort of a window of opportunity. Perhaps Mark can elaborate.

An alternative (Occam) explanation is that the SO2 added at bottling prevents it from happening in the bottle.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:

originally posted by VLM:

originally posted by Mike Evans:
Nice notes and good to see you are still drinking well. I went through several bottles of 1974 Sterling Reserve that I picked up for a song during the early glory days of Winebid and they were all terrific.

Thanks for the notes on the Filaine. I wasn’t familiar with the producer until trying Sophie's terrific 2011 at the Southern Jeeb and I was very impressed. Your note reminded me of that and now I have several bottles of the 2016 Cuvée Speciale and DMY heading my way along with some Ulysse Collins.

It was that same bottle at the Southern Jeebus that started my own obsession. It's rare that a wine just stops me in my tracks and that bottle did. Every subsequent bottle of Filaine (Speciale and DMY) has shown the same characteristics that made that 2011 Vertigo so beautiful. Honestly, the wines are so hard to come by (only 6b of Speciale for NC) that I almost didn't post but no one reads this bored so I feel like it is a safe space.

Based on your reviews we recently drank Filaine Spéciale and Filaine Confidance. Both labels were laconic, but say L.11, so I am supposing the base wine is mostly 2011. Did your 2016 Spéciales say L.16?

Again based on your reviews we opened a Vilmart Grande Réserve disgorged June 2015 that was terrific. Thanks!

From what I read, neither the Vilmarts nor the Filaines undergo malo, so have crisper than average acidity. But the Vilmart malos are deliberately blocked (aargh, intervention), whereas the Filaine malos simply don't happen because of the very cold cellar. Supposedly.

I'm glad you liked the Filaine and Vilmart. My Filaine Speciale has L.16 in a really unobtrusive spot on the neck label and it has been called 2016 so my operating assumption is that it is L.year.

I don't know a ton about Filaine except that I was told that the aim is to produce Champagne the way it would have been produced a century or two ago. I don't really know what that means but I love the results.

I haven't had the Vilmart Grand Reserve in a while and don't have a ton of detailed information them either. I don't know how malo is blocked but the wines don't go through it. I really love the Coeur de Cuvée so given that you liked the Grand Reserve if you see it, you should try it. I've found that vintage doesn't really matter, the wine is always excellent just younger or older.

Definitely angling to try more Vilmarts, will report back. The Filaines didn't rock mine and the rest of the table's world as much, though they were filigreed and very fine. There was something a bit monochordic about them, like an overemphasis on wheat germ to the detriment of the other classic components. But L.11 is a long way from L.16, especially for a young winemaker, so will look for L.16s if I can find them in Europe.

 

[Jeff Grossman]

originally posted by robert ames:
unless the filaines is filtered (intervention), what is there to keep it from going thru malolactic when it ends up in place that isn't 'very cold'?

IANAV but I read the sulfur, fumaric acid, and lysozyme all work to clobber MLF bacteria. Sulfur gets bound over time so loses effectiveness eventually. Re the others, ask a winemaker or a chemist.

 

[robert ames]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

originally posted by robert ames:
unless the filaines is filtered (intervention), what is there to keep it from going thru malolactic when it ends up in place that isn't 'very cold'?

IANAV but I read the sulfur, fumaric acid, and lysozyme all work to clobber MLF bacteria. Sulfur gets bound over time so loses effectiveness eventually. Re the others, ask a winemaker or a chemist.

but these would all be considered intervention, no?

so still no explanation of how malolactic is blocked without intervetion.

 

[Florida Jim]

originally posted by robert ames:

so still no explanation of how malolactic is blocked without intervetion.

The only way I can think of is extreme cold.
But then you’d have to sterile filter at bottling.
Best, Jim

 

[robert ames]

originally posted by Florida Jim:

originally posted by robert ames:

so still no explanation of how malolactic is blocked without intervetion.

The only way I can think of is extreme cold.
But then you’d have to sterile filter at bottling.
Best, Jim

which fits the definition of intervention on this bored, right?

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

originally posted by robert ames:

originally posted by Florida Jim:

originally posted by robert ames:

so still no explanation of how malolactic is blocked without intervetion.

The only way I can think of is extreme cold.
But then you’d have to sterile filter at bottling.
Best, Jim

which fits the definition of intervention on this bored, right?

From the non-intervention point of view, it's less bad if malo doesn't happen because of a cold cellar (e.g., Filaine) that if it doesn't happen because of sterile filtration (e.g., Vilmart, most likely).

If both of them use some degree of SO2 at bottling, which is likely, Filaine is still ahead of the non-intervention game by one shot, and his wines won't undergo malo in the bottle.