Chris Kissack, the Wine doctor (thewinedoctor.com), who tastes a wide range of Loire wines every year, likes this wine, and I do too. It's not a wine, though, that I would serve to guests who have only moderate interest in wine. And it does not have the obvious greatness of some of the Baumard and Chateau d'Epire Savennieres from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Those older Chenin Blancs were undoubtedly given copious amounts of sulfur dioxide as a preservative because they are still light and bright in color after all those years.
The 2000 Clos de Coulaine, made by Claude Papin of Chateau Pierre-Bise, is a medium to deep gold in color with good brilliance. The bouquet is subtle but deep, taking awhile to unfold. Flowers, straw and a touch of honey. The flavors are also nicely focused, nothing over-done. Very dry texture on mid-palate and a long finish of honey and minerals. I have a stock of Clos de Coulaine from 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. This 2000, I think, is the best of the bunch.
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