One of my summer adventures included inviting three great pals over to Chateau Gore. Two were parents of pale scot 1 (see previous blogs) and one was a diminuative thespian type with the wit to cut even the strongest of epoisses.
We decieded to go on a few walks during our time here but as usual the Scottishness ruled throughout. Not being great with the heat ( I believe there was even hand swelling at one point) it may not have been the most sensible thing to decide upon a walk up the Vergisson crag.
In the heart of Pouilly Fuisse in Southern Burgundy there lies two crags that rise out of an ampitheatre of vines, Vergisson and Soultre. The most prestigous of all Southern Burgundy wines comes from these steep slopes.
More intruige and complexity arises from this area than elsewhere in the Maconnais, in some part due to old low-yield vines but mostly due to the terroir. The heat and sunshine are trapped within the limestone escarpments and thus the wines are rich and full of texture and flavour.
We reached the bottom of the hill and with a slightly panicked look upon a few faces we started the steep short climb to the top. About half way along wee witty and I turned to our left to see a small electric fence enclosure covered in bracken start to shift. The whole undergrowth started to vibrate and with flashbacks of veloceraptors in Jurassic Park we swiftly relocated ourselves a good few metres away.
A bleat or so later revealed a flock of mountain nanny goats at the top of Vergisson to keep us company. The randomness was palpable..........nice view though. The Scots managed to keep themselves from swelling, that was the job for the evening. We commenced a wine tasting from local producer Domaine Chene from just down the road in Milly Lamartine, heres how it went.
Aligote 2009
A wonderfully appealing nose showing marked signs of grass, lemon and lime peel and apple blossom. It had the most fruity that I have ever encountered with an Aligote and yet was pushing a chabliesque minerality and bright acidity. I suspect this warm 09 vintage is showing the workhorse grape of Burgundy at its best with plenty of fruit overlaying what can often be a thin wine. 09 for Aligote was most definitely lean rather than mean.
Macon-Villages 2008
Lemon spritzy on the nose but overall it was quite dull, on the palate nothing bounded out and the only note we got was lemon barley water, weak lemon barley water. We tried to make excuses but to be honest we found it acceptable but boring. Very glad we have finished our stash as earlier in the year it was much more vibrant and lush.
Macon-Milly Lamartine 2009
Peachy and floral on the nose and immediately in a different league to the Macon Villages. Spring meadows and cream we other notes we got but there was a lot of subtlty and the flavours were quite hard to identify and we a bit swamped by the velvety honey texture. In short, relatively complex, juicy and fresh but the floral quality was its hallmark.
Macon- La Roche Vineuse 2009
Biscuit and green plum, grass and resin. There were a few odd flavours and scents such as germoline and bonjela which were odd and in the most part welcome. The acidity was a problem, too low to pep up the odd flavours and such, the flavours became unpleasant. We were eyeing up the lemon wedges to give them a squeeze in to the glass. The concentration and mouthfeel were generous but the acidity again let the wine down and therefore felt a lot older than it was. The jury is still out on this one and I shall give it a couple of months to settle down and try again.
Saint Veran 2008
Bottle fault, re-oxidising in the bottle, plastic cork, shame. Tried 3, all the same.
Saint Veran “prestige” 2009
This new version is an oaked St Veran whereas the previous vintage was not. Spice, lemon, biscuit, cow parsley and warm meadow flowers on the nose. The palate was very rich if a little warm with alcohol. Direct and honest with bucket loads of honey, shortbread and peach flavours.The finish was long and it was our favourite of the flight. A classic and over-performing St Veran for the price, not Pouilly-Fuisse in style as it did not have much restrained power, but a brilliant wine all the same.
bon aperitif
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