We opened this bottle tonight and it wasn’t until I took the photo that I realized it was the Monts Damnés and not the Clos de Beaujeu from the same vintage that I thought I had grabbed. I tend to drink my Sancerre on the youngish side and this is probably older that any Sancerre that I have previously tasted. One of the things I enjoy about youngish Sancerre is the energy and tension along with the minerality and citrus. But sometimes the energy and acidity can be difficult to enjoy. Drinking this particular Sancerre, seven years post vintage, reminds me of the transition from adolescence to adulthood. I think of my own children. As adolescents you begin to see the promise and potential that is there, but there is also this restlessness and energy and lack of focus and balance that makes it difficult to live with at times. It also makes the future seem uncertain. When our children finally grow into adulthood, we can see the promise fulfilled, the energy channeled, and we as parents can finally have a bit of an exhale.
The first taste of this wine was a focused laser shot of Meyer lemon and minerality. A controlled thrust but it did not bring an acid bite, instead it delivered a fully developed wine personality. I am getting over my paygrade here, but it is difficult for me to think that there is further improvement in this wine. The acid is there, but so in check to let the minerality and fruit shine. Probably one of the best wines that I have ever had. Wow! P.S. I have tasted both the Mont Damnés and the Clos de Beaujeu of other vintages both on release and relatively young. The evolution to this state of wine is impressive.
ADDED 9/13/20 2013 Gérard Boulay Sancerre Clos de Beaujeu
Tonight, we got back to this planned bottle of a couple of weeks back. The bottle pull failed since I grabbed the wrong bottle, but succeeded because the 2013 Monts Damnés that I did pull was an outstanding wine.
The Clos de Beaujeu is a Boulay bottling that I have had only a few times, the first on my one and only visit to Chavignol in 2009. The Boulay Sancerre that we tasted in 2009 were very young wines, having just been released, but I can remember being impressed with the whole range and the Clos de Beaujeu was my favorite of that tasting.
This wine has a very different personality compared to the Mont Damnés of the same vintage. Almost makes one a believer in “terroir”. Where the Monts Damnés was a focused and almost immediate pleasure, the charms of the Clos de Beaujeu were not as immediately apparent. I would say more flower and stony mineral at first, with the fruit that was there subdued and more of slighty bitter citrus pith. It was not energetically acidic although there was a soft acid tingle to complete the taste profile. As the wine warmed a bit and aerated, the different elements came into a very pleasing balance with the fruit becoming more flavorful, without the initial bitterness. The acid seemed to amp up a bit to complement the lime-lemon fruit in the foreground, with the flowers and minerals still playing strong roles in the overall balance. Outstanding wine here also, I think. Don’t ask me to pick a favorite between the Monts Damnés and the Clos de Beaujeu for 2013. Good stuff both.
Yes, the “vineyard” is the same. Apparently Boulay farms a portion of the vineyard that is within the area of the original walls (Le Clos) where monks started making wine back in the middle ages.
