jamie goode's wine blog

Monday, October 02, 2006

Tonight's wine is one that restores my vinous soul (to use a figure of speech). It's sweet, which makes it instantly unfashionable. And it's made from Chenin Blanc, a first-rate grape but one that's largely ignored and unappreciated. But this wine, an almost perfect expression of sweet Chenin Blanc, is everything you'd want it to be: balanced, affordable, complex, honest and thrilling.

Domaine Vincent Ogereau Coteaux du Layon Saint Lambert 2004 Loire, France
There's a lovely Chenin funk on the nose of this wine: the sweet, honeyed notes combine with some straw and late-summer meadow aromas together with a bit of cheesy tang. On the palate there's delightful balance between the thick-textured sweet fruit, the tangy acidity and a the subtly savoury bite. It's quite complex and very long. I guess blue cheese would be the ideal food match, but 'm enjoying this with some cave aged Gruyere and a hunk of rather rustic bread I made last night. Very good/excellent 92/100 (Les Caves de Pyrene, trade price is £7.95 which would work out at a retail price of around £13, I'm guessing)

5 Comments:

At 1:21 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm sorry mate but how can you describe a fluid as honest and thrilling? Do you have a list of adjectives that you random select depending of when you last used them in an article?

 
At 2:07 PM, Blogger Jamie said...

Dear Anon - have you never found a wine to be honest or thrilling?
My adjectives may be chosen badly, sometimes, but never randomly.

 
At 3:04 PM, Anonymous Colman said...

Hmmm, lets think now:

1. 'honest': truthful not deceptive. Maybe Jamie is describing the wine-maker who avoids using artificial methods to give the impression the wine is something it is not. He'd hardly be the first to transfer human qualities this way. eg, 'Dad's just written an angry letter'.

2. 'thrilling': thats easier. We all get our thrills where we can. Thrills are in the skin and nerves of the beholder. Wine is thrilling when the flavours are unexpected or combined in a new way, in my humble opinion. (how can an opinion be humble, Anon asks? See 1. above.)

 
At 9:15 AM, Blogger andyincayman said...

Jamie

I see a bottle of 199? of Montus behind. Have you tasted this yet? I would live to hear your opinion on it.

Montus is one of my favorite wines, although I must confess I never leave it long enough before drinking. I tasted the 1999 on a recent holiday near to the Madiran region and despite decanting well in advance of dinner (duck coffit followed by strong mountain sheeps cheese) I felt it could do with at least a few more years to open up.

 
At 8:59 PM, Blogger Jamie said...

It's the Montus 1999 - which, on your advice, I'll take out of the tasting queue!

 

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