TN: Loire, CdP and Cornas

[Ramon_NYC]

Very good wines with various dinners at home over the weekend (so far)

2010 Frantz Saumon Menu Pinaeu, Loire Valley
This bone-dry wine had never failed to impress since I drank the 1st of a 6-bottle purchase from about 3 months ago. With bracing lemon acidity, I really like whatever fruit that‘s in it (Chenin?), the earthiness, and the rigid balance. Very good length. Great for an aperitif or with oysters. A very good QPR. A-

2004 Dom.de Cristia “Renaissance” Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Been a while since I’ve had an ‘04 CdP and which earlier samples had endeared me to this lean and un-eventful vintage in the Southern Rhone. Popped-and-poured, this wine had a clean and sexy bouquet. Smooth, with it’s red fruit, herbs, fine tannin, showing ripeness but nicely-restrained. Its 15% abv was never intrusive nor even obvious at any point. Terrific with Asian-style marinated grilled Berkshire black-pig pork chops. Re-affirmed my preference for this under-the-radar vintage. B+

1997 Chapoutier Cornas
Chapoutier doesn’t get a lot a lot love from, and are often deliberately overlooked by, most Northern Rhone wine geeks. Well, these geeks have probably not had the 1997 Cornas lately. The fresh meat and wood nose, combined with bright acidity from red fruit, fresh tasting, and imho, traditional in its structure and taste. The savory broth component with pepper specks enhanced this well-made syrah. Long finish. Sadly, my last bottle, but one that I wouldn‘t want to cellar much longer, anyway. A-

[salilb]

Really like that Menu Pineau.

Re. Chapoutier, I'm one of those who've knocked the wines in the past - there have been some very good ones, but I find the styles too inconsistent for my tastes. Have had some standouts (the 01 Le Meal Ermitage is one of my favourites from him which shows pretty much everything I'd want from a Hermitage), but a handful of others that felt too modern in style with too much extract and oak. Though that Cornas sounds quite pleasant.

[Claret]

Hi Ramon.

It was good to see you again in NYC. I enjoyed the Chapotier Hermitage that night and it was one of the two WOTN for me.

I have had some other Chapoutier bottles many years ago and they failed to impress.

I am down to my last bottle of Cornas, a 1999 Courbis Eygat that I plan on popping in the next year.

[Ramon_NYC]

Claret,

Glad to catch up with you at AKH. Fun night and looking forward to seeing you again. I'm not familiar with Courbis, but looking forward to your TN.

Ramon

[Claret]

This is a sample bottle from my Martin Scott days.

I tasted a few of his St Joseph which were great Syrah qpr buys and a Cornas or two. They are made in a rounder and clean style rather than in a rustic manner. Eygat I have not tried although Spectator loved it. Twelve years old should be about right.

[chris kissack]

2010 Frantz Saumon Menu Pinaeu, Loire Valley
This bone-dry wine had never failed to impress since I drank the 1st of a 6-bottle purchase from about 3 months ago. With bracing lemon acidity, I really like whatever fruit that‘s in it (Chenin?), the earthiness, and the rigid balance. Very good length. Great for an aperitif or with oysters. A very good QPR. A-

Menu Pineau is the variety in question, not Chenin. Otherwise known as Arbois (and there are a few other names as well) this is one of the varieties long-associated with the Loire that current legislation is, wrongly in my opinion, gradually marginalising. It is eligible in for the Vouvray appellation, although must not constitute more than 5% of the blend, the rest being Chenin, although in practise I'm not aware of anyone doing that (although I have to confess I've never asked). These days it tends to crop up as a pure Menu Pineau cuvée from the likes of Frantz Saumon (a very good source of Montlouis) and Thierry Puzelat, who is very popular with the natural wine fraternity, and specialises in more esoteric (these days) Loire varieties including this and the red Pineau d'Aunis.