WTN: At last a good bottle from a very disappointing lot of Savennières.

Until now, I have rated this as perhaps my most disappointing wine purchase in the last ten years. In about 1998 I visited the well known Château d’Epiré in appellation Savennières and purchased some three dozen assorted bottles of 1995 and 1996 both in the basic cuvée and the cuvée spéciale along with some demi-sec. Naturally I tasted and liked them on the spot in their youth and I also tasted from the “cuve” and greatly liked the 1997 (reportedly indifferent in bottle).

None of these bottles which I have opened subsequently at home, except the first year or so, have given much pleasure. At best they have been closed, inexpressive and dull and at worst oxidised. The 1995s have overall been even less satisfactory than the 1996s. Consequently quite a lot of the bottles remain, although I think all the basic wines and most of the 1995 cuvée spéciale have gone either down the gullet or the sink. So it was with some trepidation that I opened the following keeping a reliable bottle of Chidaine’s Vouvray in reserve.


Château d’Epiré AOC Savennières Cuvée Spéciale 1996

To give the bottle the best chance, I decanted it about 45 minutes before the meal and placed the decanter in the fridge. (The importer of Coulée de Serrant recommends decanting that wine 24 hours before serving!!??). It seems to have contributed to the first real pleasure which I have got from any of these bottles.

C: Disturbingly deep yellow but no brown.
N: At first, reassuringly clean albeit subdued aromas of round white fruit tinged with honey emerged but, as the wine reacted to air in the glass, attractive notes of wax and burnished, slightly spicy apple and pear pie also developed.
P: The development in the glass mirrored that of the nose. At first quite subdued though round, quite deep, burnished and expressive but a little short with bitter notes on the finish. With air, perhaps aided by further mild cooling for about a minute in an ice bucket, the wine seemed to freshen, broaden, lengthen and grow more complex taking on the aromas from the nose whilst the bitter notes on the finish were transformed into an attractively structured minerality.

At last, a fine if not great bottle which I rate 16.5/20 “a very attractive wine suitable for offering to friends”. None of the others in the last seven or so years was better than 13.5/20 “fair”.

Why were you in such a rush to drink the wines? What did they recommend at the winery?

It would seem to me that the past seven years were exactly the wrong years to drink 96s and 95s and that they should only begin to be approached around now (or a few years into the future).

Tim, your descriptions sounds to me to be exactly what a 10 -12 year old Savennières is concerned. Also I think the wine should be served a bit warmer than most whites. But what do I know?

Why were you in such a rush to drink the wines? What did they recommend at the winery?

It would seem to me that the past seven years were exactly the wrong years to drink 96s and 95s and that they should only begin to be approached around now (or a few years into the future).

What Rahsaan said.

To make matters more confusing, these days some Savennieres wineries are making their wines approachable on release, so in the future seven-year-old Savs may be over the hill. For instance the 2002 Domaine du Closel Clos du Paipillon was drinking beautifully on release and shortly after but the ones in my cellar are now over the hill.

For instance the 2002 Domaine du Closel Clos du Paipillon was drinking beautifully on release and shortly after but the ones in my cellar are now over the hill.

Are you sure they are over the hill?

I know they were a new style, but perhaps they are shut down. There was tons of material after all...

Re: Savennières drinking windows

Rahsaan, it looks as if you may have been right except for the several bottles which were oxidised, mainly 95 basics, and probably irredeemable.

If my memory is correct, the winery manager, unlike Philippe Foreau, said nothing about closed periods and recommended opening the basics in the first five to eight years and the specials thereafter, which is roughly what I have done. Another thing which did not encourage me to linger more was the fact than some bottles of 90 bought at the same time were uninspiring but, again, maybe they were just not ready in 1999-2002.

Oh dear, I think I have some bottles of the Closel Papillon 02. How do they show over the hill, Clint? Are you sure that they have not just closed down? Nevertheless I had better take a look at them and leave the Epirés a bit longer.

Can anyone do a list of producers in the quick maturing style as well as those in the traditional style.

Can anyone do a list of producers in the quick maturing style as well as those in the traditional style.

This is a big issue as I'm not sure all the ripe folks are necessarily quick-maturing.

But, the riper, modern trend is spreading throughout, Pierre Bise, Epire, Closel, plus all the new folks like Richard Leroy and Eric Morgat. Some of the only people to my knowledge still doing that old acid juice are Roche aux Moines sisters (although I hear they sold their vines), and Soucherie.

Re: Savennières drinking temperature

I agree that Savennières should be served unchilled from an ideal cellar temperature, approx 12-13°C, and like many other fine whites it can be killed by excessive cold as too often in restaurants.

However I felt on this occasion after my first sips that 45 minutes in the fridge (my cellar is currently at 16°) had been inadequate. Very brief immersion of the decanter in an ice bucket added a welcome dimension of freshness without losing any other good qualities and, I think, helped to tame the bitter finish.

How do [the 2002 Closel Papillons] show over the hill?" Tim, some of their formerly lovely fruit and minerals have either taken a holiday or permanently gone south. I'd like to hear from others who have recently drunk this wine. There are, of course, bottle variations, so I shouldn't have the final word.