My first introduction to natural wines (since I didn’t know what I was doing) was filled with mousy garbage but I have certain fellow Berserkers to thank for reintroducing me to the category with some life-changingly good examples. And so it was that a few weeks ago a few random texts coalesced, unexpectedly, into a plan to check some natural wines off our bucket lists. They were accompanied by a capable supporting cast of un-natural wines in half bottles, and led us to the promised land if only for a couple of hours. The next morning we awoke mercifully hangover free, despite having imbibed an unwise amount of wine, and so powered by the lingering grace of that miracle, I have written these notes:
MV Krug Rose
ID = 415063; base year 2011; from 375; round and rich with heavier red fruit and a touch of spice to lend complexity; very gourmand on the palate and perhaps a touch sweet; gets even fuller and weightier with air, positively Rubenesque; a pleasure to drink but it does leave you wanting for a bit more cut; good plus
2007 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura 'Les Vignes de Mon Père’
There’s a light veil of reduction to start, which smells like shrinkwrap that’s been left in the sun, though it quickly blows off and some careful coaxing reveals the fruit signature I’ve learned to associate with Ganevat’s VdmP - a cross between a pomelo and a mandarin orange, with a cidery twist at the end - and a layered mineral/savory complexity; there’s even a hint of floral that reveals itself with lots of air; these complexities are brutally drowned out the moment the wine hits your palate, where it is puckeringly, almost punishingly tart; it does get a bit of help from the food - conservas, Comte cheese, preserved meats - which in their own way primp this into marginal accessibility; there is tremendous class here, and potential, but for now this is tightly wound and surly - very much, as Andy remarked, a cerebral wine that demands contemplation; we were emboldened to open this 2007 at age 15 by encounters with the 2003 earlier this year, and a 2004 magnum last year, both of which were open and giving, revelatory introductions to the magic of Savagnin, so there is a little regret I feel; though this surely does not lose out to either in terms of absolute quality, it is grounded where the 2004 is aerian and playful, and stern where the 2003 is louche and fleshy - a vintage for acid freaks and rockheads with more fortitude than me; I have no idea about the aging curve for VdmP but would like to revisit this with some years on it; today it is a little overwhelming for me; good plus plus with upside
2008 Emmanuel Houillon (Maison Pierre Overnoy) Chardonnay Arbois Pupillin
Now this is as opposite to the Ganevat as it seems possible for wines to be; this is immediate and accessible, the wine fanning out kaleidoscopically on the palate to offer up pleasures of all description; it reminds me of a really good oxidative Champagne, but is in no way oxidized or tired - there is no bruised apple for instance; in fact, this is very much like Selosse’s Substance cuvee, just 3-5 years post-disgorgement and with no bubbles; what puts this in contention for wine of the night, for me at least, is its delicious balance and lightness; the contrast with the Krug is interesting for they are in the same register of flavors, but the Krug shows itself to be a tad sugary and plodding in comparison; in the end, this vanishes the fastest of all the wines on the table and leaves me with the faintly unsettling prospect of having to source more Overnoy; very good
2011 Yvon Métras Fleurie 'L’Ultime’
It is rare that a wine instantly evokes memories & mental images, but the Metras - my first Ultime - joins an exclusive club; in this memory I’m a Boy Scout and have gone camping in the woods; I have just emerged from my tent at some ungodly morning hour, groggy (no not literally, I was too young to drink) and unhappily uncaffeinated; in front of me are the remains of last night’s campfire, the cold ashy and sooty smells mingling with the scent of the trees carried on the breeze; and the breeze and the smells bring me to myself, reminding me that I’m glad to be there, glad to be alive at that moment; what else is there to say about this? It is utterly suave, integrated, and in balance on the palate, a graceful mix of red and black fruit, the fruit perfectly in proportion to the tertiary nuances that are starting to emerge; the fruit expression is “cooling” (to use Charlie’s expression) and Pinot-like as opposed to warm cherry liqueur-ish and Grenache-like, and the overall effect is subtly but ineluctably bewitching; this must be close to the pinnacle of what is possible with Gamay; given the reputed variability and the difficulty of sourcing this cuvee, I feel very privileged to have had this experience; very good plus
2019 Jean-Louis Dutraive (Domaine de la Grand’Cour) Fleurie 'Le Clos’
My first Dutraive ever; this wine had a tough job, coming after the stunning beauty of the Metras, and expectations were low; but it did bear a real resemblance to the Metras, with the same funky smokiness and red/black fruit mix; as expected given the youthfulness it was much more fruit-forward, but with the acidity dialed up noticeably to match, giving a pleasing freshness; while lacking the fullness and spherical ease of the Metras, this is still a tremendous value for $37 per - glad to have more bottles (including the Champagne cuvee!); good plus
2004 Yquem
At an interesting point in its evolution: still with that coconutty / exotic fruited young Yquem signature in evidence but noticeably fading, without having quite reached the 2nd plateau of maturity where thundering herds of apricot come out to play; the effect is displeasing as, without the exuberant fruit of its youth or the peacock’s tail complexity of its foregone maturity, the wine ends up being dominated by its sugar, and a shadow of what it could have been; which is still pretty damn tasty, mind you, but this is a lesson about waiting for the right time; good minus, but probably at its nadir
Some of the bottles…