"The '89 Robert Denis Azay-Le-Rideau Sec may be the greatest Chenin Blanc I have ever tasted. This is a sleeper of the vintage and a wine to buy by the case. This is like a hypothetical blend of 1995 Huet Le Mont Sec, 2002 Thierry Puzelat Romorantin and 2001 Domaine de Belliviere Jasnieres "Les Rosiers." With oodles of mouthwatering acidity, possibly ripe bosc pears, a long finish that pumps out even more acidity this wine is drinking great now but can last 15-25 more years. Kudos to Robert Denis!"
Could you tell us about a few other wines from chenin blanc that you might have tasted?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of the Loire for a second, has anyone come across the reds or roses of Clau de Nell?
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, is it ready? How would you compare it to something like '96 Le Mont sec for current consumption (my view on the latter is that it is just coming into good drinking now).
ReplyDeleteJoe,
ReplyDeleteIt is not ready at all. There was huge sulfur, a tight core of fruit and big acids. But at the end of the night it started to flesh out. I have a thimbleful in my fridge I will taste over the next three or four days. Real TN to come soon.
Levi,
Never heard of Clau de Nell. What appelation?
Thanks, Lyle.
ReplyDeleteDenis was fairly famous for his SO2, it's true.
Who is the importer for Denis?
ReplyDeleteJames,
ReplyDeleteDressner brought it in for David Lillie exclusively when he worked at Garnett.
Lyle, Clau de Nell makes an Anjou range. I came across this from Jacqueline Friedrich recently:
ReplyDelete"Talk about unique...100 percent handcrafted, and I wouldn't miss them for the world." Since I have never encountered the wines, I thought I would throw it out there to the group and see if anyone had.
Levi,
ReplyDeleteI will look for them. They sound cool.