Whenever I open one of "my" wines - i.e. the ones I actually sell, I always want to love them. And, in the main, that is usually the case. Once in a while though, I open a bottle which for some or other reason struggles to hit the spot. It may be because I'm just having an off-day, perhaps the wrong wine/food pairing, or because it is a root day (or some such clash with the mysterious biodynamic calendar!) - or perhaps there is just something not quite right about the bottle. Here's one that's been vexing me and testing my olfactory and gustatory senses over the past few evenings.......
Domaine d'Estoublon Blanc 2008 Vin de Pays des Alpilles
A blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, aged in oak for 11 months. I still can't quite make up my mind about this bottle. On the first night, it seemed to lack the freshness and vitality I expect in what is still essentially a relatively young white wine. Those of you that are familiar with this wine (the third vintage in a row that I have listed) will know that it always has a rich, ripe, quince and apricot quality to it, along with a lightly oxidative style which can certainly split the jury. But this bottle initially seemed a little too oxidative, perhaps even a bit "warm", though certainly falling short of sherried or tired. But I'm not sure I was enjoying it, even though I opened it especially to go with a simple dish of pasta, herbs, garlic, olive oil, peppers, chilli and mushrooms. By Friday evening (day 2) it had opened-up considerably and was even beginning to show a little freshness and charm. By Saturday, it was even better, with the fruit still intact and the herby, spicy and floral/honeysuckle nuances that I expect from this wine adding complexity. By tonight (day 4) it is just about singing. Was it just me and my particular mood at the time, or do I simply need to admit that I will occasionally encounter a slightly iffy (rather than overtly faulty) bottle - even if it is one of "my" wines? And if a customer had bought this bottle, would they have given it as much of a chance as I did to clean its act up? Somehow, I doubt it - which would be a shame, but I could hardly blame them. But it was worth the wait, even if it wasn't quite what I had expected. Anyway, despite my experience with this particular bottle, I can still heartily recommend that you give this wine a go. So if you want to try one, you can buy it for £22.99 - which is less than half the price of a white Trévallon. ;-)
Domaine d'Estoublon Blanc 2008 Vin de Pays des Alpilles
A blend of Marsanne, Roussanne and Grenache Blanc, aged in oak for 11 months. I still can't quite make up my mind about this bottle. On the first night, it seemed to lack the freshness and vitality I expect in what is still essentially a relatively young white wine. Those of you that are familiar with this wine (the third vintage in a row that I have listed) will know that it always has a rich, ripe, quince and apricot quality to it, along with a lightly oxidative style which can certainly split the jury. But this bottle initially seemed a little too oxidative, perhaps even a bit "warm", though certainly falling short of sherried or tired. But I'm not sure I was enjoying it, even though I opened it especially to go with a simple dish of pasta, herbs, garlic, olive oil, peppers, chilli and mushrooms. By Friday evening (day 2) it had opened-up considerably and was even beginning to show a little freshness and charm. By Saturday, it was even better, with the fruit still intact and the herby, spicy and floral/honeysuckle nuances that I expect from this wine adding complexity. By tonight (day 4) it is just about singing. Was it just me and my particular mood at the time, or do I simply need to admit that I will occasionally encounter a slightly iffy (rather than overtly faulty) bottle - even if it is one of "my" wines? And if a customer had bought this bottle, would they have given it as much of a chance as I did to clean its act up? Somehow, I doubt it - which would be a shame, but I could hardly blame them. But it was worth the wait, even if it wasn't quite what I had expected. Anyway, despite my experience with this particular bottle, I can still heartily recommend that you give this wine a go. So if you want to try one, you can buy it for £22.99 - which is less than half the price of a white Trévallon. ;-)
Domaine de Montcalmes 2004 Coteaux du Languedoc
60% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre, aged for 2 years in a mix of 1 and 2 year-old barrels. This, on the other hand, came across as a really delicious wine from the moment I opened the bottle - an excellent example of right place, right time, right wine. If I had tasted this blind, I might well have suggested it was a rather excellent Northern Rhone Syrah, such is it's delightful perfume of red and black fruits, mineral/schiste and flowers/lilies. But then I am usually inclined to jump in with what my instincts first tell me, rather than thinking to myself "hang on a minute - what else could it be?" An initial whiff of what I thought might be brett soon subsided to reveal a hint of savoury meatiness - not just smoked bacon (a la Hermitage or Cornas) but also rare roast beef, a la Bandol, which would suggest a touch of Mourvedre. Then there is a whiff of crystallised raspberry, which manifests as a hint of sweetness and richness to the palate, courtesy of the Grenache. A herbiness, redolent of basil, oregano and spearmint, and even a hint of fresh tobacco, add further interest to what is an utterly compelling and complex wine. It also has that crucial ingredient that I crave in any wine (whether red, white or whatever) - it is refreshing, with a lovely touch of seville orange on the nose, which comes through in the delightfully citrussy acidity on the palate. There's a touch of tannin - not too much - but the balance is spot-on. So there you have it - a complete wine that I find hard to fault. And although it is wonderfully complex already, I can see it improving further for a good few years yet. Who knows, in another 10 years' time, it could be an absolute classic and the sort of wine that will one day make the world sit up and notice that the Languedoc deserves a place in the list of the world's great wine regions. I'm just glad I have another 4 or 5 bottles! (Price around £18-£20 - though currently not from me).
As a footnote, it is worth looking at a couple of previous posts on Domaine de Montcalmes (a 2004 and a 2005). And here are several posts on Chateau d'Estoublon wines - including a 2008 white. Which only goes to show (as the old adage says) that "there are no great wines, just great bottles".
60% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre, aged for 2 years in a mix of 1 and 2 year-old barrels. This, on the other hand, came across as a really delicious wine from the moment I opened the bottle - an excellent example of right place, right time, right wine. If I had tasted this blind, I might well have suggested it was a rather excellent Northern Rhone Syrah, such is it's delightful perfume of red and black fruits, mineral/schiste and flowers/lilies. But then I am usually inclined to jump in with what my instincts first tell me, rather than thinking to myself "hang on a minute - what else could it be?" An initial whiff of what I thought might be brett soon subsided to reveal a hint of savoury meatiness - not just smoked bacon (a la Hermitage or Cornas) but also rare roast beef, a la Bandol, which would suggest a touch of Mourvedre. Then there is a whiff of crystallised raspberry, which manifests as a hint of sweetness and richness to the palate, courtesy of the Grenache. A herbiness, redolent of basil, oregano and spearmint, and even a hint of fresh tobacco, add further interest to what is an utterly compelling and complex wine. It also has that crucial ingredient that I crave in any wine (whether red, white or whatever) - it is refreshing, with a lovely touch of seville orange on the nose, which comes through in the delightfully citrussy acidity on the palate. There's a touch of tannin - not too much - but the balance is spot-on. So there you have it - a complete wine that I find hard to fault. And although it is wonderfully complex already, I can see it improving further for a good few years yet. Who knows, in another 10 years' time, it could be an absolute classic and the sort of wine that will one day make the world sit up and notice that the Languedoc deserves a place in the list of the world's great wine regions. I'm just glad I have another 4 or 5 bottles! (Price around £18-£20 - though currently not from me).
As a footnote, it is worth looking at a couple of previous posts on Domaine de Montcalmes (a 2004 and a 2005). And here are several posts on Chateau d'Estoublon wines - including a 2008 white. Which only goes to show (as the old adage says) that "there are no great wines, just great bottles".
5 comments:
Funnily enough! I opened a bottle of the Estoublon over the Christmas period and had exactly the same reaction. I put a brave face on it and got some pleasure out of it because I don't mind a slightly oxidative style such as Chabanon (though a certain Mr. Hesford rebuked me for that). My guest didn't like it which left me looking a little foolish as I had built up the wine. I left the second part of the bottle overnight and it was a real pleasure the following evening, full of flowers and fruit with just a hint of that nuttiness in the background. In fact I was delighted as I would have had to share it if we'd drunk it the first evening.
Does that suggest more cellaring or just a lot of decanting?
Alan - I suspected/hoped that someone else might read this, having had a similar experience. I've often read about white Chateauneuf going into an oxidative stage after 2 or 3 years, before blossoming again at around 8 to 10 years. Given that this wine is made in a quite similar style, with similar grape varieties (and of course in an appelation no more than about 15 or so miles away from Chateauneuf itself) I *suspect* that this could be the case. Having said this, I cannot be positive, although the way the wine opened-up (and indeed freshened-up) over several days was interesting and thought-provoking.
I will hopefully see the winemaker Remy Reboul, when I go to Vinisud next month, and will ask him for his thoughts. Meanwhile, do I open one of my last few 2007's or don't I........
By the way, I'm sorry for making you look foolish! ;-)
I'm used to it :)
Very very jealous about Vinisud.
I wondered exactly the same thing on reading this interesting post. I was once lucky enough to visit Beaucastel, and they explained that roussanne shuts down, and that during this shut-down period takes on an oxidised quality, and only reappears from this later. They were referring to their pure roussanne vielle vignes white wine. I guess that with a blend it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Hi Guy - Thanks for posting. You may be interested in my latest post - a 22 year-old Minervois, which is bearing-up nicely..... ;-)
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