Luis Pato, Bairrada, Vinha Formal, Parcela Cândido, Cercial, 2017
Pato's special Cercial cuvee from the Cândido plot in the Formal Cru did not impress me half a year ago, as its acidity was too low-keyed, even dull, but it's in the game now! The nose is mostly about a green herbal tint, like snow peas fried with a sparse helping of onions. The acidity is still rather basso profundo, but it's lively enough to buoy the fruit, as acidity is meant to do. Portugal white at its exotic best. Understated complexity. (Mar. 20, 2021)
Luis Pato, Bairrada, Vinha Barrosa, 2016
I think Patos' single vineyard Baga wines have become accessible to the point that they almost come off as too easygoing in their youth. In 2015, that combined soft tannins and sappy fruit and made for a lightweight Barrosa, so to speak. I like this much more: the pungent earthiness, the bright acidity, the way the graphite on the nose morphs into lead pencil a la Loire Cabernet Franc. Needs four hours to come out and play. (Apr. 3, 2021)
Le Domaine d'Henri, Chablis Premier Cru, Fourchaume, Heritage, 2014
I believe this is old vines Fourchaume, thus juice from a great Premier Cru vineyard with extra jism from the intensity of mature vines. And a great winemaking team. Fantastic purity of fruit with acidity to match it. A complex nose full of all the marine and mineral wonders Chablis can provide, portraying all the vitality of the sea and the life in its depths. (Mar. 23, 2021)
Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet, Fixin, Les Crais, 2015
Fixin is on the wrong side of the Cote de Nuits tracks, where the wines are either softer or tougher than the ones coming from mote noble vineyards (Fixin is of the tough variety, I think). Thus, this is herbal and earthy and not a little stern, black cherries lashed across granite and then sprinkled with garlic powder. Where the more 'feminine' terroirs court you with elegant charms, this is a sully teenager intent not to crack a smile. The kind of kid you take a liking to, anyway. (Mar. 25, 2021)
Vincent Pinard, Sancerre, Petit Chemarin, 2018
Pinard is a great name in Sancerre that Lifshitz and Bourgogne Crown have been importing starting last year. Their vineyards holdings are based around the town of Bué. The Petit Chemrin vines were planted in 1968 and the age is evident in the aromatic complexity and the pungent bite in mid-palate and finish. With this kind of Sauvignon Blanc, the fruit is there to prop the minerals, in this case chalk and crushed sea shells, as befits a wine sourced from Oxfordian limestone, which is slightly older than the Kimmeridgian limestone found in Chablis (whose similar character is relevant to this discussion). (Apr. 2, 2021)
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