Latest update : 13 March 2020.
Jeb Dunnuck’s visit to the domaine in August (he succeeds to Robert Parker in the Rhône Valley), was a perfect occasion for a tasting to review the two past vintages. Confident regarding the quality of the 2011 vintage already bottled, Jeb Dunnuck particularly liked the 2012 wines still in vats, calling them «excellent».
Amongst the wines tasted, we would like to point out the cuvée Habamus Papam 2012 (Châteauneuf du Pape). It’s our third vintage on the terroir called «Saintes Vièrges», but (...)
This white wine is being “published” under the AOC Minervois label. It’s made from a majority of Grenache blanc and Vermentino grapes, complemented by Picpoul blanc and gris, Grenache gris and a little Muscat.
The quite intense bouquet, pure and mineral, shows pleasant aromas of citrus fruits and fennel. On the straight and medium-bodied palate, the mineral character fully developes through a clear and crystalline acidity and a surprising saltiness, while the citrus fruit aromas are divided (...)
You may know a different name for this type of wine: Ratafia, Floc de Gascogne, Pineau des Charentes... What do they all have in common? They are all so-called liquor-wines (vins de liqueur), traditionally called “Mistelles” in France, made from fresh grape must. Different regions, different names but a common tradition: Prevent the must from fermenting by adding brandy or pure alcohol (up to 16 %vol - 22% vol.) to the fresh must.
Thereafter, the fortified must is laid to rest in big glass (...)
These days, we drink less and less old and ripe wines . A study of the Wine Enthusiast in 2011 showed that “the vast majority—something like 90% or more—of wine purchased in this country (USA) is being consumed within 48 hours after purchasing”. You are right, this study is about the US wine market, but wine-drinking behaviour might be similar in all western countries.
In any case, there is always something exciting about opening an old bottle of wine you somehow forgot in the cellar. Even (...)
Watch out, this wine immediately grapes you by the throat! It’s a wine that doesn’t know any compromises… He smokes, this wine, blond tobacco with the heavy perfume of sweet, oriental spices: Vanilla, cinnamon, star anise… Cooked fruit, macerated in alcohol, smooth and powerful at the time. A playful wine that spreads its fragrances like cards on your table. Not lacking elegance, he presents himself in a honest and self-confident way through his clear acidity a firm, tannic handshake. (...)
continueThe 2011 vintage was very contrasted and untypical, similar to 1990, with a very sunny spring, almost blistering, and a rainy summer, which slowed down the impressive headstart in the vine’s ripeness. Some nice weather in September permitted to harvest healthy and balanced grapes in early October. After careful vinification and two years of ripening in oak casks, concrete tanks and bottles, we are proud to present the wines of the 2011 vintage.
Château du Cèdre Cahors 2011 Rich and spicy, (...)
The color of this overripe Chardonnay, aged for several months in oak barrels, without topping up, is already very charming – golden, deep and shiny…
Shortly afterwards, my nose faces a veritable explosion of aromas. Dried fruits like apricot and apple, but also pear and fresh almonds, butter and hay, fresh oak wood and a hint of smoke. Full-bodied en generous, even fat and juicy, but not heavy or thick at all, as a nicely perceptible acidity keeps the wine upright.
Interesting: a slight (...)
A wine from Champagne may be labelled „Extra Brut“, if less than 6 g/l of sugar have been added during the „dosage“ after disgorging. This wine, a 100% Chardonnay with only 4 g/l of sugar, is made fom grapes grown on the chalky soils of the Côte des Blancs close to Epernay and on the pebbly stone soils of Cézanne further south. A rather low “dosage”, if you consider that most of the Champagne wine we drink labelled as “Brut”, has a dosage up to 15 g/l of sugar.
Personally, I think this Champagne (...)
The wine presents a fruity and spicy odour, enriched by subtle oaky aromas. Fullness and a pleasant vinosity are the first impressions in the mouth, before leaving the palate to dense and crunchy tannins and long lasting freshness. The overall picture is juicy and youthfully, an excellent choice to accompany grilled meat and different kinds of cheese. The fully matured tannin structure confers a great aging potential to the (...)
continueOnce in the bottle, the grapes of this unique vineyard planted with Nebbiolo grapes, presents itself as a simple Vin de France, «Wine from France». But in the glass, this grape variety native from the Italian Piemonte, is anything but simple.
I love this nose: Sour cherries and old wood, as you may smell in the shop of an antique dealer, as well as some exotic spices... Oak aromas are easily dominated by the wine, a bit like in old Armagnacs, some smoke, the smell of fresh peat, the whole (...)
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