2015 Domaine du Collier - Saumur Blanc (France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur)

2015 Domaine du Collier Saumur Blanc - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (1/3/2021)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 2 to 3 hours –

NOSE: fresh lily; honey; candle wax; strong honey note; medium-light apple aspect.

BODY: medium golden yellow color; medium bodied.

TASTE: medium+ to high acidity; tastes a lot like Arcadian’s Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay (and, in fact, that is exactly what Ashley guessed when I gave this to her blind) – it is a bit less rich, perhaps, than the Arcadian Chard; quite ripe; kiss of oak (a pretty big kiss, really); hint of hay on the finish; a bit creamy/lactic; 13% alc. is well-hidden. This was more ponderous than I was expecting, given the vintage and the producer’s reputation. Very nice, but I’m on the fence about it being worth the money.

50, 5, 12, 16, 8 = (91 pts.)

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New oak character on 2015 is far more overwhelming than any vintage I have tasted previously.

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That is somewhat comforting to hear, as I was worried this might be an all-the-time thing with Collier — this is the only one I’ve ever had. Have you had any subsequent vintages, Emile?

Your note made me “gulp” about the oak as I just got some of the 2016. However, I read that this wine is aged for 3 years in a combination of used Burgundy barriques (1-3 years old).

I purchased 2016, but have not tasted. I just tasted 2015 a few days ago as other tasters comments regarding oak influence prompted me to try a bottle. It’s great wine, of course, but 2015 is showier, at least at this stage, than I recall from prior vintages

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Thanks, Emile. Now you and Chris are in the hot seat with those '16s! Please post after each of you tries one. [cheers.gif]

I tried ‘16 this week. It’s a beautiful wine. Much more ethereal than I expected. Already quite complex despite youth. No doubt the oak is there but I expect full integration won’t take long. To my taste it has a classic structure of a chewy sec Chenin (I’m sure there’s a bit of RS here but not much) grown on limestone.

I hadn’t had a Collier white in a few years so it was a very welcome and encouraging experience. I will probably cellar a couple of these.

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I had a 2015 last night. Maybe the additional year has helped integrate the oak because even though there was some vanilla cream on the nose, it did not feel out of place at all.

2015 Domaine du Collier Saumur Blanc - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur (5/6/2022)
Pop and pour. This could have benefited from a splash decant to blow off the touch of reduction and help the fruit come to the foreground on the nose. But, last night, there was no time for that. Aromas of pear, white peach, some vanilla cream and some interesting herbal scents (hay, honeysuckle). The palate is nicely integrated with some nice ripe fruit on entry along with beeswax giving this wine a very pleasant and rich mouthfeel. The bright acidity appears on the mid-palate and cuts through the fruit and oak very nicely. Along with the acidity comes some refreshing crushed stones and citrus notes all the way to a long finish. Very good. The structure will probably keep this aging nicely but this bottle had very nice balance and complexity. I might age some for science but a lot of them will be drunk shortly.

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