Nov 10th 2008
|
Vintage: 2007
Purchased: Aug 30th 2007
Price: $20.00
|
Tasting Notes:
This is a great example of dry chenin blanc. It's got good tropical and apple fruit notes, a hint of smokiness, tons of minerals, and crisp acidity. I wish I had more.
Comments(0)
Jan 30th 2008
|
Vintage: 2006
Purchased: Jun 10th 2007
Price: $10.80
|
Tasting Notes:
We were eating a Vietnamese kho dish, and I thought this would pair nicely. It was a fairly golden color in the glass. The nose was nice and fruity with green apple and tropical notes. In the mouth, this was a very fruit forward wine. Green apple on the start moving to more tropical notes as it finished. I tasted pineapple and papaya. The finish also had a slightly floral note to it. This wine was sweet, but it's acid component kept if fairly well balanced. It actually had enough acid to feel slightly effervescent. This might not be quite as complex as a Vouvray, but it is very enjoyable and I'd drink it again.
Comments(0)
Aug 8th 2007
|
Vintage: 2005
Purchased: Jan 25th 2007
Price: $12.99
|
Tasting Notes:
I served this with the Nobu style miso black cod, and thought it was an excellent pairing.
The wine is a light golden color in the glass. The nose is filled with the aromas of citrus, honey, and melons. On the palate the wine is off dry with citrus and honey dominating. The finish is medium in length and quite pleasant. This is a good alternative to off dry Vouvray.
Comments(0)
Aug 5th 2007
|
Vintage: 2005
Purchased: Apr 4th 2007
Price: $11.99
|
Tasting Notes:
This is a very similar wine to the
Clos de la Briderie Blanc that I tasted recently. So close in fact, I decided to pair it with a very similar dish. I used some of the leftover butter poaching liquid to make a sauce for some spaghetti, and at the same time used the rest to poach some scallops and shrimp.
This wine is also from Garagiste and also from the 2005 vintage in the Loire. It is biodynamic just like the last one, but It is made from 70% chenin blanc and 30% chardonnay grapes.
It's a light straw color in the glass. The nose is mineral with hints of smoke, but the fruit aromas are much more tropical. It also does does not smell as acidic. On the palate the fruit flavors are much more tropical. There is a hint of apple, but the most distinct component is pineapple. It is acidic, but not nearly as racy as some white wines from the Loire can be. The finish is very smoky and almost creamy.
This is a very good wine, at a very fair price.
Comments(0)
Aug 1st 2007
|
Vintage: 2005
Purchased: Mar 28th 2007
Price: $12.87
|
Tasting Notes:
This is another great deal from Garagiste, and another great example of the 2005 vintage in the Loire. We had this with some butter poached shrimp. This wine is produced at a small nine-hectare vineyard where no herbicides, insecticides, acaricides or chemical fertilizers are used. It is made from 80% chenin blanc and 20% chardonnay grapes that are picked by hand. It is aged partly in oak barrels.
It's a light straw color in the glass. The nose is mineral and a little smoky, but you can smell the raciness. The flavors are expressive, with a sharp, lemony component that provides freshness and body. It's the first thing you notice when you taste. I also got notes ripe apple. Kathrine thought it tasted very grapey, almost like artificial grape. There was also a creamy component to the finish which was very pleasant.
It took a while to completely open up, but once it did, this wine was a winner.
Comments(0)
Jun 24th 2007
|
Vintage: 2005
Purchased: Feb 7th 2007
Price: $15.89
|
Tasting Notes:
I don't know how I feel about this wine. It's one of the more complex wines I've ever had. And it's definitely the most unique expression of chenin blanc you'll ever see. But it's not for the faint of heart.
It's a nice golden color in the glass. Heavier and lusher looking that chenin normally is. The nose is quite fragrant with apple and citrus dominating with a complex minerality lurking just beneath. On the first sip you realize how thick it is and get a hint of the fruit before the crisp acid cuts through it all. This wine could cut through anything. The apple quickly gives way to the lemon juice which slides down the throat leaving a rocky mineral taste that just lasts and lasts and lasts. I can only describe it as rained on cement. It's not unpleasant, just very different.
I wish I had bought more than one bottle as I'd love to try it again, and am curious as to how it would have aged.
Comments(0)
Jun 17th 2007
|
Vintage: 2005
Purchased: May 10th 2006
Price: $11.00
|
Tasting Notes:
After the BBQ, Kathrine wanted some more wine so I went down to the basement and came back with this. She's a big fan of off dry chenin blanc and I thought she'd like it quite a bit.
It's a very pale straw color in the glass. Almost clear. The nose is very muted a little bit of fruit (mostly apple and pear) and a touch of honey.
In the mouth the wine is very light and refreshing. You get the apple and pear flavors upfront with a good sweetness that is not at all cloying. There is a nice acid to it that keeps the sugar from totally dominating, but it doesn't stop it from being sweet.
This is a good if unspectacular example of a Vouvray. At this price it's great to drink once, but there are other chenin blancs with much better QPR.
Comments(0)
May 19th 2007
|
Vintage: 2005
Purchased: Mar 31st 2007
Price: $10.50
|
Tasting Notes:
This is not your average sweet chenin blanc. This wine is bone dry. There is almost no fruit on the nose. The wine smells like wet rocks, or the air just after a thunderstorm. In the mouth it's very bright with tons of acid. The only fruit flavors are lime. It's dominated by mineral and a slight floral component. A fairly complex wine for the price.
Comments(0)
Feb 22nd 2007
|
Vintage: 2005
Purchased: Jan 26th 2007
Price: $7.99
|
Tasting Notes:
This wine was easy to drink and inoffensive. It was light and and a little sweet, tasting of honey, apples, pears and little citrus. At this price I really can't complain, and it does compare well to domestic chenin blanc.
Comments(0)
Not Yet Tasted
|
Vintage: 2007
Purchased: Jun 1st 2008
Price: $14.00
Number on Hand: 1
|
Tasting Notes:
N/A
Comments(0)
