Domaine des Roches Neuves, Saumur, Les Clos Romans, 2018
When Bourgogne Crown started importing Roches Neuves, I googled the domaine. I tried to, anyway. For some reason, there are few comprehensive reviews. Or maybe Thierry Germain simply makes a lot of wines and few can keep up. I did read somewhere that the whites, Chenin Blanc from the Saumur appellation dedicated to the grape, need at least as much time as the reds. So maybe I opened this on the early side, but I’m glad I did because it’s gorgeous and electrifying. The nose shows melons and an elegant strand of minerals while the palate is racy and punchy without losing an ounce of ripe juiciness. And what a blast of chalk and acidity on the finish!
An extraordinary level of freshness and yumminess. Fresh strawberries and wet pine needles on the nose. On the palate, almost no tannins to speak of, medium-plus acidity and fruit so tasty it feels like food. This is at the bottom of the food chain at Domaine Georges Noellat (run by grandson Maxime Cheurlin, hence the alternate label here) and I don’t want to repeat myself about how tasty it is, but I’ve had few wines that insisted so much on making love to the taste buds.
Domaine Chandon de Briailles, Savigny-Les-Beaune, 2017
This isn’t very intense or complex or deep but it does have more than a hint of clay, which is one of my favorite mineral elements in a wine. There's a tasty core of cherries waiting for the tannins to loosen their grip.
Nana Estate, Chardonnay, 2020
Every time someone makes a clear, pure Chardonnay like this, a bottle of Katzrin Chardonnay loses its wings. There is plenty of green apples and fresh pears here, with the wonderful pungency that accompanies them in both real life and wine. Not a lot of complexity, yet. I don’t think it has a lot of aging potential but a year or two would be fine and will bring out more minerals, body and punch.
Bodegas Rey Fernando de Castilla, Classic, Amontillado
The house has two series, the Antique, which are always a VOS or even a VORS, and the Classic, which is less challenging and is meant to be an everyday sherry. Sort of. It may not have the pungent, kick you in your face, turbines to speed power - or the slinky elegance of Castilla’s finest - but it’s crafted of quite elegant cloth. Orange jam on crack pie and a touch of caramel and pretzels to light your fire on a winter's eve.
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