I have quite a number of bottles in my cellar from fine but not especially prestigious growers which are close to, if not past, their “consume by” dates. So I am making a serious effort to break into these stocks, even when it means excavation to get to the bottom of stacks of bottles.
How are some of these wines looking?
Mas Jullien - Coteaux du Languedoc “Les Depierre” 1996 – Alc 14% - (€ 21 for current vintage) – made principally from Syrah with some Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan.
C : Deep garnet
N: Quite discreet but with rich rose notes and traces of anis
P: Deep and mouth-filling but quite dark in texture without much brightness of fruit but with chocolate and garrigue notes and structure. I suspect that this wine would have been more to my taste a few years ago with then brighter fruit but it remains enjoyable; 15.5/20.
IMHO, Mas Jullien is one of the best estates in Languedoc. This cuvée is no longer made as it was amalgamated with “Les Cailloutis” from, I think, the 1998 vintage. More recently I see that cuvées called “Carlan” and “Le Mas” have appeared. There is a also a delicious entry level cuvée called “Etats d’âme” (€ 14,50) and a highly regarded white which I have never tasted.
Farnetella -Lucilla IGT Toscana 1999 – Alc 13% - (€ 10 for 2004) - made from Sangiovese (75%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%) and Merlot (15%).
C: Similar to the previous, if not quite so deep.
N: Well developed tangy red fruit.
P: Full and quite structured and long but with authentic Sangiovese Tuscan tang discreetly complemented but not dumbed down by the structure of the Cabernet and the roundness of Merlot. Very nice and at its peak, I guess; 16/20. Excellent QPR.
Farnetella is under the same ownership and management as Fèlsina, perhaps my favourite Chianti estate. It is located near Sinalunga, east of Siena, not far from the entry to the Florence-Rome autostrada. It also produces an excellent Chianti Colli Senesi (approx € 9) which is a stand-by for pairing with a lot of Italian inspired dishes.
Cornas Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 1997 – Alain Voge – Alc. 12.5% - made 100% from Syrah.
Respecting the slow maturing of most Cornas, I decanted this wine. It was not necessary and may have been harmful.
C: Surprisingly light garnet with some bricking at the rim.
N: Well developed pretty red fruit with strong sourish cherry notes.
P: Long and elegant but quite light, even thin. Pretty bright fruit and aromas again dominated by cherry with good but not excessive acidity but where was the typical gutsy Cornas structure? I would have taken this for a light Crozes-Hermitage or Saint-Joseph; quite enjoyable as such but not what I wanted; hardly 15/20.
(I poured out a final half glass from the heeltaps and felt that it had more bloom than from the decanter; perhaps from feeding off the sediment and from less airing.)
Chinon Les Granges 2000 – Bernard Baudry – Alc. 12% - (€ 8,20 for 2006) made 100% from Cabernet Franc. (Not the 90s but almost.)
C : Red/garnet and deeper than the Cornas.
N: Well developed with subtly complex bright red fruit with touch of typical but delicious herbaceousness.
P: Not particularly big but superbly balanced and harmonious with similar flavours to the nose and hints of sweetness, fresh mineral acidity, “gras” and resolved structure all complementing each other perfectly. Some real magic here and superb QPR; 16.5/20+.
Les Granges is Baudry’s entry level cuvée designed for early drinking but this bottle shows that it is capable of improvement with medium term ageing. Previous bottles were enjoyable but did not show the same magic.