Do I like 'em old?
And by aged I am being modest, it was a '92. I heard whisperings from an aspiring winemaker at Paumanok that a Brooklyn retailer had a '25 dollar experience' that was more than worth the price of admission. So of course, I bit (being long-winded w/ wine industry professionals continues to get me in trouble).
The wine itself, a Domaine Aux Moines, from the sub appellation Roche Aux Moines, is the oldest expression of chenin blanc I've tried to date. I wasn't expecting a blockbuster, nor had I hoped to fall in love, but the intrigue I had wished for was certainly realized. Wines of a more delicate maturity tend to evolve before your eyes and offer educational experiences, at least and at best, are breathtakingly transcendental.
The deep golden color suggested some age, but there was no amber in sight. My initial reaction to the aromatics were in line with the intense, boytritis end of the spectrum. Boy was that misleading (as the wine was Arabian desert dry), but attractive none the less. Explosive notes of sunflower and rich honeysuckle began to evolve quickly into dried flowers, bee pollen, waxy fruit and a distinctive oily undertone seemed to wrap the eccentric package together (even my fiancee, whom shuns most of my odd-ball descriptors, concurred that the fruit was indeed WAXY!).
Waxed fruit continued through to the palate, coupled w/ dried peach, apricot, honey and a sharp limestone driven minerality that carried the flavors to a nice linger. Although this wine has evolved, and continued to do so in a relatively brief amount of time, I wouldn't suggest that it's over the hill. Other than the flavor profile being a relatively new one to me (bringing that novel question of 'I'm not sure if I love it or hate it' to mind), the only truly troublesome component of the wine seemed to be it's acid spiking abit much for me, which felt almost sour at times.
The wine's merits were in it's complexity, nuance and singular elements that titillated the mind. If it's flavors achieved a tad more harmony and packed some more raw pleasure, I would have been completely on board.
Wines such as these place me in the chair of the student, which allows formy most objective assessments to come forth.
Having said that, there's nothing like loosing your head in a bottle that makes your spine tingle just to smell it. I suppose a marriage of my fore mentioned wine w/ the later would be that bliss I've always searched for.
But for now, 88 points will do ;)
The wine itself, a Domaine Aux Moines, from the sub appellation Roche Aux Moines, is the oldest expression of chenin blanc I've tried to date. I wasn't expecting a blockbuster, nor had I hoped to fall in love, but the intrigue I had wished for was certainly realized. Wines of a more delicate maturity tend to evolve before your eyes and offer educational experiences, at least and at best, are breathtakingly transcendental.
The deep golden color suggested some age, but there was no amber in sight. My initial reaction to the aromatics were in line with the intense, boytritis end of the spectrum. Boy was that misleading (as the wine was Arabian desert dry), but attractive none the less. Explosive notes of sunflower and rich honeysuckle began to evolve quickly into dried flowers, bee pollen, waxy fruit and a distinctive oily undertone seemed to wrap the eccentric package together (even my fiancee, whom shuns most of my odd-ball descriptors, concurred that the fruit was indeed WAXY!).
Waxed fruit continued through to the palate, coupled w/ dried peach, apricot, honey and a sharp limestone driven minerality that carried the flavors to a nice linger. Although this wine has evolved, and continued to do so in a relatively brief amount of time, I wouldn't suggest that it's over the hill. Other than the flavor profile being a relatively new one to me (bringing that novel question of 'I'm not sure if I love it or hate it' to mind), the only truly troublesome component of the wine seemed to be it's acid spiking abit much for me, which felt almost sour at times.
The wine's merits were in it's complexity, nuance and singular elements that titillated the mind. If it's flavors achieved a tad more harmony and packed some more raw pleasure, I would have been completely on board.
Wines such as these place me in the chair of the student, which allows formy most objective assessments to come forth.
Having said that, there's nothing like loosing your head in a bottle that makes your spine tingle just to smell it. I suppose a marriage of my fore mentioned wine w/ the later would be that bliss I've always searched for.
But for now, 88 points will do ;)
posted by Brad Coelho at 1/31/2007
2 Comments:
Sounds like an interesting wine.
Chenin Blanc can age forever!
I've got some Baumard Quart de Chaume 2002, daughters birth year, put aside for her retirement party -- err marriage. May they be the same :?)
Nice Ted! You're not kidding...it's the seemingly indestructable white varietal.
Great choice for your little one- the juice and your lady should both be in their prime by then!
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