Category Archives: France

Clos Salomon Givry 1er Cru 2005

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Givry, located in the Côte Chalonnaise, is often regarded as a “value” appellation and lacks the lustre of villages located within the Côte d’Or. Given the words “value” and “Burgundy” are rarely seen together, I’m willing to give this wine the most generous of chances. Expressive, pretty nose of florals, deep red and black fruits, a very slight sappy edge and some exotic incense-like character. There’s a lack of definition to the fruit that detracts ever so slightly, but one receives adequate compensation through the amount and attractiveness of the flavours that are there. The entry is deceptively slippery, as it takes a few moments for the wine’s acidity to register. Once it does, though, relatively intense fruit flavours sizzle within the wine’s medium bodied palate. There are quite masculine berry flavours mixed in with vanilla and spice oak, plus a hint of earth/mineral. Most of the wine’s fruit weight is currently sitting towards the front of the palate, as the acid tends to take over as the wine progresses towards the after palate. The fruit hangs on, though, and re-emerges on the finish as a lingering, prickly sweetness that persists through a wash of acid and tannin. I think some time for the acid to subside will see the fruit fatten up and sit more evenly through the wine’s line. Even as it sits in the glass, the fruit is thickening and gaining weight and complexity. For all that, it’s drinking pretty well now.This is a very tasty wine that shows clean winemaking and attractive fruit. To be critical, the fruit is slightly clumsy, lacking the poise and structure of the best wines. This is not an overly intellectual wine. Drink now or drink later; the choice is yours, but I’ll be leaving my remaining bottles for 2-3 years before retasting. Good value for what it is.Clos SalomonPrice: $A38Closure: CorkDate tasted: February 2008

Sebastien Roux Volnay 2005

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Disclaimer: I’m at the tail end of the annual bout of flu that goes around the office, so take anything I write here with a grain of salt…First off: It looks like Sebastien Roux isn’t actually a Burgundy producer, but rather a négociant label used by Trader Joe’s here in the USA. [This entry was updated on Feb. 10, 2008 to correct my mistake. My apologies to M. Roux and his family – they are in fact a family-owned winery that’s been making wine since 1885. Please refer to his comment below for a complete explanation…]There’s a bit of sweet tobacco leaf on the nose here, almost exactly like Red Man chewing tobacco, and it’s pleasant enough. There’s also kind of a high-pitch neon electric cherry vibrating across the surface, and that’s not too bad, either. There’s also a sort of tomato leaf note here, a sweet greenness, that’s appealing as well; this is all balanced by a sort of low-key spice box approach, something like Dutch sausage (think cloves). In the mouth, OMG TANNIN!!!1!11! After some time in the glass, though, the tannins calm themselves down nicely, so what you get is a moderate bodied, smooth drink that ends on a slightly clumsy note of tannin and oh so French minerality. It’s all very, very French and a welcome change from the ubiquitous California pinot noir found in these parts.At this price, though… well, I suppose it’s appropriately priced. Not terrific value, but not a rip-off either. I suppose that’s the best one can expect to do in these post-Sideways times.Sebastien Roux [Domaine Roux Pére et Fils]Price: US $19.99Closure: CorkDate tasted: February 2008

Christophe Vaudoisey Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets 2005

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Same producer as for the Bourgogne Rouge tasted earlier this week, but a decided step up in grape source. This wine is from the 1er Cru Les Caillerets vineyard in Volnay. A more youthful, purple colour than the lower wine, good clarity. The nose is really interesting. There’s definite complexity here, mixing plums, a sort of floral yet spicy candied fruit character with a hint of sous-bois and perhaps a tiny bit of brett too. It’s seamless and smooth, if a little understated. The palate’s entry shows really fine, firm acidity that underlines the wine’s flavour profile and creates good movement through to the mid-palate. The flavours here are a replay of the nose, and there’s a tightness (without any sense of brutishness) to the wine that suggests it may take some time to find its proper expression. Sweet and sour cherries, some foliage, minerality — good intensity — again seamless and elegant, a wine with self-confidence. The after palate displays a hint of oak as tannins start to dry the tongue and prepare for a finish of good length. It’s too early to fully enjoy this wine, but what’s here is promising. I will revisit it in a few years’ time. I’m about to sit down to dinner and will be interested to see how it responds to food.Christophe VaudoiseyPrice: $A58Closure: CorkDate tasted: February 2008

Christophe Vaudoisey Bourgogne Rouge 2005

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What with everyone carrying on about 2005 red Burgundy, it would be remiss of me not to contribute a few notes. I have here a selection of Burgs, nothing outrageously expensive, Bourgogne Rouge to 1er Cru, various appellations. I thought I’d start with a modest Bourgogne Rouge from producer Christophe Vaudoisey, who is based in Volnay. Pretty ruby/orange colour, lightish, transparent. It was a bit reticent on opening, but just a few minutes in the glass has seen its nose reach a more satisfying expressiveness. There’s a touch of rubbery smokiness that, for me, does not detract from the pretty florals and fresh crushed red berries that form the major notes here. There’s a sharpness to the aroma that is pleasing and clean. The entry is slippery and focused, if not immediately flavoursome. The middle palate is where things start to get interesting. Light to medium bodied, there are more fresh, astringent berry fruits along with an almost citrus-like sourness, some herbs, and sweet florals. Straightforward, not especially complex, perhaps slightly thin. Mouthfeel is heavily influenced by rough acidity that creates a rustic impression. Flavour intensity is at its greatest as the wine moves into the after palate, where a nice fruit sweetness frames the sour fruit and helps it to sing. The finish is really quite long and satisfying.For the price, this wine is a bit of a bargain. What you get is an honest, very drinkable wine that combines attractive flavours with a slighty chunky, fun mouthfeel that begs for food. It’s not complex but it has character and charm. A good alternative to local Pinots at this price point.Christophe VaudoiseyPrice: $A22Closure: CorkDate tasted: February 2008

Château de Montfaucon Baron Louis Côtes du Rhône 2004

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I like a good Côtes du Rhône and, of all French wines, they are often the best QPR option if you are looking for something Old World to add variety to your choice of local quaffers. This one is an excellent example of the genre.Transparent ruby with purple edges, moderate density. The nose here is really interesting. It’s pretty but also rustic and savoury in character. Licorice allsorts, clean raspberry, dried herbs, pepper and earth wrapped in a subtle but enticing package. There’s a lot going on in here and it’s quite seamless and lightfooted. There’s good depth of flavour, which is increasing the longer the wine sits in glass, but it’s not a forbidding wine by any means. The other half suggested a bit of mould/wet hessian character that I wasn’t picking up. The entry has good impact, with flavour kicking in towards the front of the tongue and spreading sideways to coat generously. The mid-palate reveals a medium bodied wine of gentle acid and real generosity of flavour. Here’s a trick: the wine is full of flavour, yet balanced and easygoing too, with genuine complexity. Notes on the palate are very similar to the nose, with the red fruit asserting itself more prominently, and the pepper gaining impact via very fine yet drying tannins that kick in quite early on. There’s also a bit of coffee/vanilla oak that subtly supports the fruit flavour. The wine’s structure is nicely sorted, with the acid dovetailing into the tannins very elegantly and creating an excellent frame for the fruit. The after palate becomes progressively more spicy, and ends in a drying finish of good length. What a lovely wine. It’s exotic and reminds me of warm turned earth and flowers. We had this wine with barbecued meats and it was an excellent match. A very good value for what it is. It’s drinking well now but I’m going to leave the remaining bottles for a few years to see how the wine shows with softer, more integrated tannins.Château de MontfauconPrice: $A28Closure: CorkDate tasted: January 2008

Vin de Pays d' Oc Rouge Domaine Beau Thorey "Bogus" 2006

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Time for me to make a confession here: I enjoy trying strange wines. I saw this one at K&L in Hollywood, and thought: what the heck? Biodynamically farmed, no idea what grape it is, vin de pays d’Oc usually doesn’t bode well, and this is fifteen bucks? Well… how bad can it be? Let’s try it!First of all, I’ve never seen a plastic cork printed with mis en bouteille au chateau before. In the glass, this is a strangely colored wine – it looks kind of like watered down chocolate syrup or maybe thin soy sauce. Very strange. On the nose, there’s an odd, grapey note, but mostly it just smells like old school inexpensive French wine… to a point. It seems fairly simple: fraises de bois, maybe a little bit of tar or pepper, but not much more than that. With a little time and air, it began to remind me of a nebbiolo more than anything, somehow. In the mouth, it seemed fairly light in body – almost Beaujolais, but not quite. It’s got definite varietal characteristics, but of what exactly? It’s very appetizing, with kind of a woodsy, dark feeling to it that isn’t exactly wood, but more like what it feels like to be drinking in a mountain cabin with good friends in the dead of winter. In fact, the more I think about this wine, the more it reminds me of German digestifs somehow – it feels almost medicinal, tending towards Becherovka rather than Bordeaux. I do like it, though, and it does get full marks for being entirely sui generis. Would I buy it again? Probably not – it is kind of expensive – but I’m glad I did.Domaine Beau Thorey

Price: US $14.99
Closure: Plastic cork
Date tasted: January 2008

Château Saint-Georges 2002

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This is a Merlot-dominant (60%) blend that also includes some Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Cabernet Franc (20%). 2002 isn’t considered an especially stellar vintage for Merlot in Bordeaux, although some consider the vintage generally underrated, producing less fruit forward but classically styled wines. This wine is from the

Chateau Puynormond 2004

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This wine is from the Montagne Saint-Emilion appellation in Bordeaux, and consists of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. And it’s cheap. Here goes.


The first thing that strikes one on the nose is what appears to be mild brett, but whether this is an issue depends very much on your tolerance for this particular wine fault. Personally, I don’t mind a bit of brett in the right dose (and the right wine). Here, it comes across as a metallic note that actually blends ok with the earthy, gravelly notes of the wine itself. It’s a subtle wine on the nose, dark in profile, but with some sweet black berry fruits peeping out around all the earth and gravel.

The entry is subtle and slips through to a middle palate where flavours start to register with more intensity. It’s predominantly a savoury wine in flavour profile, with earthy notes dominating a subtle but attractive layer of ripe blackberry fruit. Oak is pretty subliminal (I couldn’t detect much, if any, oak influence at all). Gentle acid is well integrated within the medium bodied palate and keeps the wine moving along nicely. The after palate is quite linear and progresses to a finish of fine, ripe tannins. No great length to speak of, but not short either. The overall impression of this wine is one of structure and elegance rather than ripe or juicy flavour.

If you’re a bit tolerant of brett, like I am, you will find this wine to be a reasonably priced Bordeaux that will accompany your mid-week dinner of beef or pork quite nicely.

Update: I left half the bottle overnight and retasted the next day. Marked improvement. The fruit has gained weight and fragrance, especially on the after palate, marginalising the brett influence to almost zero. Nice drop indeed. Might be best in a couple of years’ time.

Price: $A24
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: January 2008

Pierre Brévin Pouilly-Fumé Le Marquisay 2005

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Even though I didn’t drink much of it while in New Zealand recently, Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc, specifically that from the Marlborough, is surely prominent in the consciousness of wine drinkers in this country. As singular as it is, there are other equally interesting expressions of this variety, one of which is, of course, Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley. Here’s a reasonably priced example from the notable 2005 vintage.

Synthetic cork provides an inauspicious start to the overall experience of this wine. At least there’s no chance of TCA. A green-gold colour, light, clear. The nose is moderately intense, showing rich tropical fruits and a hint of honey. There’s a soft delicacy to this wine’s aromas, despite its rich flavour profile, that I find attractive. No great complexity to speak of. The entry is firm with acid, though not unbalanced or harsh. In fact, the acidity of this wine is worth noting, as it’s steely and linear, yet subtle too, never creating more than a lively structure to carry fruit flavour. The middle palate is rounded and generous, with more tropical fruit, citrus and honeyed edges, a hint of fresh herbs, perhaps a bit of smoke. Again, no overwhelming complexity, but it’s tasty for sure. The after palate drops off pretty quickly, and the wine’s finish is more of an echo rather than a continuation of substantial flavour.

In pure QPR terms, this wine is probably slightly overpriced compared to Australasian examples, but the fact remains that our local styles are quite different in character. So, given we’re not talking huge bucks here, I’d suggest this wine as a good option if you’re after a generous, refreshing white wine and want something less aggressive than Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Serve well chilled. We had this wine with old fashioned Pommy fish cakes and it was extremely food friendly. I reckon it would also be killer with a fish pie.

Pierre Brévin
Price: $A20
Closure: Synthetic cork
Date tasted: January 2008