TN: 2014 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon

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  • 2014 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières (7/17/2020)
    Hints of funk, almost a reduction, but it’s complimentary, not detracting. Fruit is full, sweet still, in a primary sense. Waxy and very Chenin. Youthful. Palate staining intensity that lingers. This seems poised to go a for a few good years as these Papillons do.

Posted from CellarTracker

Thanks for the note! Was this under screwcap? I have a bottle of the 2016 Clos de Saint Yves and was wondering if it might be good to go already.

Hi Ikka - Yes. This was Under screw cap. I’ve not tried the the CSY bottling. Mostly pick up the Papillon when I find some at a decent price. Always seems to over-deliver. Cheers.

Cool. Never had a Baumard so eager to try but somehow I get the feeling like these are not exactly early drinkers.

Lol no. Baumard wines are ridiculously backward and can feel young for their age even at 15 years.

Here are couple of Baumards I’ve had recently:

Moderately intense yellow-green color. Savory and somewhat developed nose with aromas of woolly lanolin, some crunchy white fruits, a little bit of sappy green fruit, light aged notes of creaminess and a subtly lactic touch of buttermilk. The wine is broad, oily and dry yet hinting at sweetness with its juicy, ripe fruit tones. Moderately full-bodied with flavors of sweet red apples, some white peach, a little bit of developed creaminess, a hint of woolly lanolin and a touch of chalky minerality. Despite its broad overall feel, the wine is surprisingly weightless, thanks to its high acidity. Long and fresh aftertaste of steely minerality, creaminess, some white peach, a little bit of honeyed richness, light notes of ripe red apples and a touch of rough stony minerality.

A lovely, fresh and harmonious Savennières that feels remarkably youthful for its age - perhaps due to the screwcap? The wine shows some developed creamy tones and those woolly hints that Chenin tends to develop with age, but otherwise it is young beyond its years. Lovely and harmonious with good sense of depth and richness. Most likely will continue to develop much further; expect the score to go up with age. Recommended. (91 pts.)

Moderately intense lemon yellow color with light green highlights. Dry, distinctive and rather non-fruity nose with complex aromas of dusty pollen, some nectarine, a little bit of woolly lanolin, light chalky mineral tones, a hint of rowanberry marmalade and a touch of saline ocean air. The nose gains a subtly sweet streak of acacia honey as it opens up in the glass. The wine is intense, crisp and very high-strung on the palate with medium body and very focused, youthful flavors of tangy green apples, sharp citrus fruit tones of key lime, some steely mineral tones, light bitter notes of apple peel and quinine, a hint of woolly lanolin and a touch of pomelo. There’s a touch of honeyed sweetness to the wine, but the bracing acidity keeps the taste almost bone-dry. The finish is long, crisp and quite lean with intense, dry flavors of steely minerality, apple peel bitterness, quinine, some key lime, a little bit of chalky minerality, a hint of leesy yeast and a touch of pomelo.

A very crisp, lean and remarkably youthful Savennières with pronounced minerality. In comparison to the Baumard Clos du Papillon 2005 tasted alongside, this wine felt somewhat leaner and slightly more underwhelming in comparison, but also noticeably more youthful in style with tons of potential for future development. Although both the wines show great potential for future development, the Clos du Papillon 2005 felt more approachable and rewarding at the moment, whereas I suspect this wine will turn out more impressive and longer-lived of the two. Fine, mineral stuff. Expect the score to go up with age. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

I have one 2007 Papillon in my cellar and based on these wines I’m not going to be touching it in a while.

No problem, I’ll just forget about my sole bottle for the next ~20 years [snort.gif]

We can open my bottle after 10-15 years just to see how much longer you need to hold on to yours [snort.gif]