6 Quality, Contemporary Burgundy and Loire Whites
We all love these 'contemporary' wines wines.
Robert-Denogent Saint-Veran Les Pommards VV 2012. Using a long, slow élévage in barrel from fifteen to eighteen months. They are bottled after two winters in barrel, a treatment more common (yet still far from the norm) in the Côte d’Or, and something that really sets them apart in the Mâconnais! A modern wine, this wine is much more than a Saint Veran.
Domaine Marc Colin St-Aubin 1er Cru "En Montceau" 2013 is the deinteive style for At Aubin, with a definite focus on retaining minerality and precision (natural yeasts, no batonnage, more stainless steel, and less time in oak). The wine is just fresh, intense and smart.
The 2004 Riesling Spatlese form top Nahe winemaker, Schlossgut Diel 2004 Spatlese Nahe is a beauty just on the cusp of entering maturity. This has a striking freshness, though there is a gentle richness on the rise. This will continue to cellar well, but is starting to reward the past 10 years. Generous, warm and lots of exotic fruit. Some complexitites. We all love this wine.
Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie 2014 shows very nice freshness and nice mineral on the nose; a touch of gun flint adds complexity to the forward aromatics of white flowers, candied lime and peach. On the palate the texture is elegantly waxy with a fresh, clean finish.
Morey-Coffinet Chassagne-Montrachet Les Houilleres 2014 is surprisingly crisp and linear Chassagne-Montrachet shows much of the character associated with the adjoining vineyards in Puligny-Montrachet. Clean racy green fruit and a nice freshness make for an excellently satisfying refreshing white Burgundy.
In our view Thomas Sancerre Blanc Le Perrier 2014 is far senior than its basic cuvee, which we have been selling over a hundred cases last year. That basic cuvee always ‘fool’ even the most learned consumers in to thinking that this elegant effort was from the southern hemisphere. The locals in the Loire valley always drink it with their famous local goats cheese called “Crottin de Chavignol”. That basic cuvee is already a top notch Sancerre.Withi is 2014 Les Perrier, whci his utterly different deft and restrained, as well as brilliant on its own or with fish and sea food, this the top cuvee Thomas Sancerre Blanc Le Perrier 2014 of riper fruit and intense fruit, flinty, minerally, racy best, this wine is clean, fresh and flavoursome wine at a moderate 12.5% alcohol. Absolutely no new oak, using La lutte raisonnée and resolutely respect their unique terroir. The primary fermentation commences spontaneously and is done in temperature controlled stainless steel at cool temperature then racked once and left on lees until bottling takes place following a light fining and filtration.
Scores and international comments are as follows:
Robert-Denogent Saint-Veran Les Pommards VV 2012
ROBERT PARKER | 89-91
The 2012 Saint Veran Les Pommards Vieilles Vignes comes from their 0.52-hectare parcel of 50+-year-old vines. It has a refined, almost languid bouquet that is well-defined and just gently unfurls from the glass. The palate is also very well-balanced, so much so that you can barely notice the 30% new oak. This is a very classy Saint Veran.
Domaine Marc Colin St-Aubin 1er Cru "En Montceau" 2013
90-92 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Saint Aubin 1er Cru en Montceau, which Damien Colin told me was one of his favorite premier crus this year, has a complex bouquet with hints of lemon curd and dried apricot emerging with aeration. This is in stark contrast to the en Remilly that is stonier and more reserved. The palate is well balanced with lemon zest, orange peel and hints of peach all served up with a side order of spice on the finish. It’s perhaps a little brash compared to the other premier crus, but there is plenty to savor here and the length is impressive. (NM) (10/2014)
Allen Meadows - Burghound
Here too a very mild touch of reduction knocks down the expressiveness of the mostly floral and green fruit nose that introduces reasonably precise and delicious middle weight flavors that evidence a hint of minerality on the dry, clean, balanced and lingering finish. This too will need to add depth as it's presently a bit less complex. (6/2015)
2004 Schlossgut Diel Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Spätlese Nahe
92 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Resplendent aromas of papaya, pineapple and oyster shell. Dense but juicy, with a finely spiced acidity that seizes one's palate. Finishes with impressive concentration and length. One of the finest spatleses of the vintage. (JP) (1/2006)
91 points Wine Spectator
There's a bit of a hard edge to the kaleidoscope of passion fruit, red currant and floral notes, but chalk it up to youth. There's also plenty of intensity and, in time, the firm structure and richness will meld together. Fine length. Best from 2007 through 2018. 392 cases made. (BS) (3/2006)
90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Consistent with the performance of its Kabinett sibling, the 2004 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling Spatlese exhibits smoke-tinged, estrous aromas of apple cider and applejack. A burst of juicy fruitiness on the palate is underlain by an adamant chalky substrate, and the long finish takes a turn toward apple jelly, peach preserves and herbal and red-fruited candy. As the wine opens, it becomes evident that some of the smoke and high tones are attributable to botrytis. Yet, this wine remains rooted in its sappy primary fruit and deep chalky mineral substrate. Chock full of both fruit and mineral matter, here is a Spatlese that is almost certain to open up delicious and exciting new vistas as its sweetness resolves, as well as to cellar well for a couple of decades. 90+ points. (DS) (10/2005)
Jancis Robinson
Water white. Very particular, distinctive nose more reminiscent of gum than Riesling. Opulently fruity palate with real nerve. White peaches. Quite open and very friendly. (JR) 17 points (6/2005)
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru "La Maltroie" 2014
89-92 points Vinous(AG)
Sexy aromas of pear, clove and white flowers. Tactile and fairly gripiping, with classic Chassagne-Montrachet flavors of pear and flowers supported by underlyinng minerality. Nicely integrated acidity gives the finish an attractive firmness. The yield here was less than 40 hectoliters per hectare, according to Fontaine. (ST) (9/2015)
90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Maltroie has a well defined bouquet with a little more new oak that is nevertheless, nicely integrated. The palate is rounded on the entry, slightly honeyed on the entry with peach and nectarine interlacing the persistent finish. There is good substance here, tangible weight in the mouth, if not quite the panache of sophistication of other premier crus from Fontaine-Gagnard. (NM) (12/2015)
Marc Colin Fils Saint-Aubin La Fontenotte 2014
The value of this wine lies not with noworld-wide score(we think this helps to lower the demand-push up-price), but in its stable foundation of 1er Crus from the southeast-facing hillside. This winespeak to the very essence of Chassagne, with fragrant aromas framed by powerful minerality. The reds capture the roasted, muscular aromas of Chassagne terroir and display silky texture and balance. Makers are sons of Son of the late Marc Morey, Michel Morey, and his wife, Fabienne (from the Pillot clan), who began the Morey-Coffinet Domaine in the late 1970s with a dowry of vineyards bestowed on them by two families with extensive history in the region.
Thomas Sancerre Blanc Le Perrier 2014
No major international review and score researched. The value of this wine is it's high hedonistic character.
