Good friends and fellow wine appreciators visited for the holiday weekend,
but they came to work: spent 2 days sanding, grinding and painting a large
sculpture they own and which we are happy to host. (I spent a recent
weekend
giving the same treatment to some other pieces, so I was happy to do
yard work
this time and let them get on with it.)

They brought wine from a small Touraine property they've discovered:

With comfort food (roast chicken and mashed):

'05 Dom. des Corbillieres 'Angeline' (Barbou). 50/50 Cot/Cabernet. A
friendly summer
quaff, harmonious with good length, round dark red fruits and a little
herbaceousness.
Dark color and good concentration. Simple and enjoyable, probably a
great deal as
it was intimated to be inexpensive.

With cajun fish, fries, herb salad:

'05 Jasnieres 'Les Fleurs' (Fresneau) - lovely, flowery sweetness in
this vin tendre,
coupled with zingy lemon backbone. Ben guessed Alsace, not a bad try.
Melon,
orange confit, terrific balance and length.

'05 Muscadet 'L d'Or' (Luneau Papin) - I made everyone eat a little
before trying,
but it still had a tough act to follow, and was perhaps less than a
perfect match
for the fish. Still I love this wine and it was appreciated by all:
chalk and shells,
lime juice and rinds, smells like the sea. Very complex and layered.

'05 Cheverny 'Selection' (P. Bellier) - Primary! In the nose a big
whiff of grapefruit.
In the mouth a blast of... grapefruit. Went very well with the meal,
but was all
simplicity after the LP. (Katherine was caught muttering that they must
have slipped
some grapefruit juice into it.)

With pintade and artichoke hearts in Coteaux du Layon:

(I know, all the recent noise about artichokes are the enemy of wine.
True, but
the fat from the bird and the sweetness of the wine mellow them, actually
the are quite matchable with big reds. Hence this tour of the Rhone.)

'05 VdP des Coteaux de Baronnies 'Lou Sanglie' (Faucon Dore/Beaumont)
15% - this
VdP is 100% Merlot, from 100 year old vines grown at around 500m altitude in
the CdR Puymeras. Farming is organic and winemaking traditional, but
the grapes
are hand picked at physiological ripeness to make a wine at a whopping
15% alcohol,
with a concentration not to be believed; perhaps not surprising at
yields of 9 hl, and
elevage of 11 months. A huge sweet nose, followed by an enormous
mouthful of
sweet plums and chocolate, overtones of spice cake. (I let breath for 3
hours, but
this wine will be better 10 years from now.) Finish just a little hot,
the only place
it showed its alcohol. Wines this big are not my normal cup of tea --
the Monkton
crowd would adore this I hope for the Beaumont's sake they taste it
sometime -- but
this didn't overwhelm the food, and as a "once in a while" was very
enjoyable.
I don't think our friends had ever had the like!

'05 Rasteau 'Prestige' (La Soumade/Romero) 14.5% -- I bought a case of
this a while ago
but this was the first taste. Strong nose of blackberries and violets,
then more blackberries,
tar, garrigue in the mouth. Big structure but open enough after a
couple of hours breathing,
not at all intimidated be the predecessor, which is saying something.
Very long, very good,
lots of time ahead of it.

'90 CdP Font de Michelle (Gonnet) 14% - I was afraid this (slightly)
less alcoholic and (much)
older bottle would fade to insignificance after its brawny brothers.
Nothing could be further
from the truth. Huge sweet nose of kirsch, dried figs and chocolate,
followed by a massive
explosion of sweet stewed fruits, dark chocolate, licorice, overtones of
leather and spices.
Practically a liqueur desert wine in weight and apparent sweetness.
Everyone's unquestioned
WOTWE.

All meals were followed with the excellent 30 year Calvados (Vallee de
l'Orne) Godet,
a fine artisanal calva from the regretted M. Godet but still
commercialized by la veuve.
Great stuff but sozzling.

-E

DaleW wrote:
[]
thanks for the notes. All the Loire names are new to me except Luneau-
Papin, but Soumade and Font de Michelle do make it here of course.
Will keep an eye out for '05 Soumade Rasteau "Prestige." Ever had
their Confiance? Was eying the '04 at a NJ store

I used to buy the Confiance many years ago, but too pricey now vs
others available in France. In fact I'm not sure I don't prefer the less
expensive Prestige, anyway, which is a little more approachable.

I don't know if the regular villages wine makes it to the US, but the 05
Rasteau is a wonderful bottle, esp given the price of 7.80 EU (depart).

They gave me a bottle of Fleur de Confiance 05. I've never tried the FdC,
now I have to wait 10 years before checking it out!

-E

On May 12, 3:36�am, Emery Davis wrote:
Good friends and fellow wine appreciators visited for the holiday weekend,
but they came to work: �spent 2 days sanding, grinding and painting a large
sculpture they own and which we are happy to host. �(I spent a recent
weekend
giving the same treatment to some other pieces, so I was happy to do
yard work
this time and let them get on with it.)

They brought wine from a small Touraine property they've discovered:

With comfort food (roast chicken and mashed):

'05 Dom. des Corbillieres 'Angeline' (Barbou). �50/50 Cot/Cabernet.. �A
friendly summer
quaff, harmonious with good length, round dark red fruits and a little
herbaceousness.
Dark color and good concentration. �Simple and enjoyable, probably a
great deal as
it was intimated to be inexpensive.

With cajun fish, fries, herb salad:

'05 Jasnieres 'Les Fleurs' (Fresneau) - lovely, flowery sweetness in
this vin tendre,
coupled with zingy lemon backbone. �Ben guessed Alsace, not a bad try.
Melon,
orange confit, terrific balance and length.

'05 Muscadet 'L d'Or' (Luneau Papin) - I made everyone eat a little
before trying,
but it still had a tough act to follow, and was perhaps less than a
perfect match
for the fish. �Still I love this wine and it was appreciated by all:
chalk and shells,
lime juice and rinds, smells like the sea. �Very complex and layered.

'05 Cheverny 'Selection' (P. Bellier) - Primary! �In the nose a big
whiff of grapefruit.
In the mouth a blast of... grapefruit. �Went very well with the meal,
but was all
simplicity after the LP. �(Katherine was caught muttering that they must
have slipped
some grapefruit juice into it.)

With pintade and artichoke hearts in Coteaux du Layon:

(I know, all the recent noise about artichokes are the enemy of wine.
True, but
the fat from the bird and the sweetness of the wine mellow them, actually
the are quite matchable with big reds. �Hence this tour of the Rhone.)

'05 VdP des Coteaux de Baronnies 'Lou Sanglie' (Faucon Dore/Beaumont)
15% - this
VdP is 100% Merlot, from 100 year old vines grown at around 500m altitude in
the CdR Puymeras. �Farming is organic and winemaking traditional, but
the grapes
are hand picked at physiological ripeness to make a wine at a whopping
15% alcohol,
with a concentration not to be believed; perhaps not surprising at
yields of 9 hl, and
elevage of 11 months. �A huge sweet nose, followed by an enormous
mouthful of
sweet plums and chocolate, overtones of spice cake. �(I let breath for 3
hours, but
this wine will be better 10 years from now.) �Finish just a little hot,
the only place
it showed its alcohol. �Wines this big are not my normal cup of tea --
the Monkton
crowd would adore this I hope for the Beaumont's sake they taste it
sometime -- but
this didn't overwhelm the food, and as a "once in a while" was very
enjoyable.
I don't think our friends had ever had the like!

'05 Rasteau 'Prestige' (La Soumade/Romero) 14.5% -- I bought a case of
this a while ago
but this was the first taste. �Strong nose of blackberries and violets,
then more blackberries,
tar, garrigue in the mouth. �Big structure but open enough after a
couple of hours breathing,
not at all intimidated be the predecessor, which is saying something.
Very long, very good,
lots of time ahead of it.

'90 CdP Font de Michelle (Gonnet) 14% - I was afraid this (slightly)
less alcoholic and (much)
older bottle would fade to insignificance after its brawny brothers.
Nothing could be further
from the truth. �Huge sweet nose of kirsch, dried figs and chocolate,
followed by a massive
explosion of sweet stewed fruits, dark chocolate, licorice, overtones of
leather and spices.
Practically a liqueur desert wine in weight and apparent sweetness.
Everyone's unquestioned
WOTWE.

All meals were followed with the excellent 30 year Calvados (Vallee de
l'Orne) Godet,
a fine artisanal calva from the regretted M. Godet but still
commercialized by la veuve.
Great stuff but sozzling.

-E

thanks for the notes. All the Loire names are new to me except Luneau-
Papin, but Soumade and Font de Michelle do make it here of course.
Will keep an eye out for '05 Soumade Rasteau "Prestige." Ever had
their Confiance? Was eying the '04 at a NJ store