Open Mike: Pouilly-Fuisse.

There has been some interesting discussions on this forum the past few days regarding Pouilly-Fuisse. Now I do not profess to be any kind of expert but thought I should get the ball rolling, so to speak!!

Winemakers mentioned include Ch Fuisse, Beauregard, Verget, Noblet, J-J Vincent, Barraud amongst others.

So here is your chance to dig around the cellar or visit your local winestore and see what is on offer. Hopefully we will have some enthusiastic discussion. Think I will pick up a Noblet I have just come across downtown. See you here!!

***** Here is some interesting blurb.....>

http://www.winereviewonline.com/map_on_ ... e_2005.cfm

[David M. Bueker]

Well I don't have anything in the cellar & I misplaced the tasting list from June 30th when I had one. Sorry Bob.

David, thats not a problem. Raid the piggy bank!!

[David M. Bueker]

David, thats not a problem. Raid the piggy bank!!

No way - I have to drink down the cellar.

David, thats not a problem. Raid the piggy bank!!

No way - I have to drink down the cellar.

Bob, I am better off by two bottles than David which I found doing a quick survey in my cellar; Cordier 2005. I thought I had some Rijckaert but I seem to be mistaken. I will look round the local shops but don't expect to get much if any change from € 20 for good producers.

Great Tim, looking forward to some notes. Hope some others here are going to join in!

[Robin Garr]

Bob, a gentle reminder: The Open Mike concept is great, but as originally intended, the person who starts one is expected to lead with a tasting note ... we'll let this one run, but next time I suggest you get the wine and taste it and then start the Open Mike.

I may be able to join in with a fairly recent published TN, but like some of the others, I'm not sure I'm in the mood to lay out $20-plus for one in the next couple of weeks.

I know how Open Mike is set up thanks! Unfortunately, I have been called to attend (via phone and email)to some family business back in the UK and my TN has been delayed.

WTN: `05 Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse.

The local wine bar downtown had a bottle at the ready when I popped in last evening. I would have liked to taste something more higher-end perhaps but that will come later!!

Color was about medium lemon but light was not the best! I found the nose quite appealing with some citrus and a hint of almonds and honey. One might not have thought chardonnay if served blind and with a good sniffy sniff!
Rather flat on the palate and have to wonder how long this bottle has been opened? I did not ask.
Melon and some grapefruit with some good acidity here. Server agreed with my mineral/gravel thought, think she was more impressed than me! On reflection I might have thought this was an unoaked (poorly made) Oz chard. I feel sure there are some terrific wines out there, hopefully my Gilles Noblet will rise to the OM occasion!

***BTW I have done some quick research here, the last few Open Mikes have not had a TN until at least 3/4 posts in so I am not the only so-called offender here!

[Robin Garr]

Thanks, Bob, outstanding TN!

I do not think I was travelling first class here! I anticipate reading about some real Pouilly-Fuisse!!

[Robin Garr]

I do not think I was travelling first class here! I anticipate reading about some real Pouilly-Fuisse!!

I take your point, but I was praising your clear and candid descriptions that expressed both the good bits and the flaws. That can be more challenging to write than "Great juice, back up the truck!"

The Open Mike concept is great, but as originally intended, the person who starts one is expected to lead with a tasting note ...

A reminder for new arrivals, what is the concept exactly?

[David M. Bueker]

A reminder for new arrivals, what is the concept exactly?

The idea is that anyone can start a thread asking for contributions on a particular grape or wine type - they typically start the thread with their own tasting note or comment on the particular wine type. Then there is a long thread talking about many different examples of a particular wine type. It's had some times when discussions go on for quite a while (e.g. Malbec), but it does lose the identity of specific tasting notes into a larger thread.

This one is an outgrowth of the Pouilly-Fuisse "greatness" thread (though I think the discussion should have jsut continued there).

Thx. I actually started the PF discussion with a TN

Pouilly-Fuissé AOC – “Vieilles Vignes” – 2005 – Domaine Cordier Père et Fils – Alc. 13.5%.

Thank you, Bob, for giving me a reason to open this bottle. Some people complain of lavish oaking by this estate but I find nothing to distress me here. I don’t think that this cuvée stands particularly high in the Cordier P-F hierarchy (there are several bottlings from individual lieux-dits) but it is delicious.

C: Medium/deep yellow.
N: Yeast and burnished creamy vanilla at first, making me fear obtrusive wood, but white fruit with citrus elements and flinty minerals quickly came up and pushing the wood into the background.
P: There is a lovely combination of suavity with bright mineral acidity, discreet fruit and good “gras” on a classically structured and long palate. The wood ageing which undoubtedly contributes to the suavity has been very deftly handled and gives scarcely perceptible flavours except for a delicate creaminess. An elegant wine and an excellent partner to sole and then goat cheeses; 16/20 ++.

To revert to the question in the thread that inspired this OM, is this a “great” wine? I doubt that, as it lacks the “importance” of, say, the Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet 85 (my outstanding white Burgundy memory), but it is elegant and delicious and I would happy to drink bottles of this quality any day. If Cordier’s hierarchy means something, I can well believe that some of the lieux-dits may be age-worthy and get closer to “greatness”, whatever that means.

Thanks for taking part Tim. "Gras" means fat/structure I gather?
I am halfway through a Noblet and your nose description echoes my notes here!! Do not think we are far away on palate either. Will post later as I have to go down to the Grill for a winemakers dinner!

WTN: `06 Pouilly-Fuisse Domaine de la Collonge, Gilles Noblet.

The name Domaine de la Collonge derives from the sector or area (known as an aire) of the Fuissé commune that is called Collonge. Most of Gilles Noblet’s estate is spread along the hills of la Collonge, which yield on average only a little more than six thousand cases of Pouilly-Fuissé each year.

13.5% alc, good natural cork, opened and let sit an hour. I did not want to serve too chilled after reading Lou`s comments here on WLDG.

Color. Darkish straw with just a pale tinge of yellow starting to show.

Nose. Nice aromats here with brief hint of honeysuckle. Vanilla custard, white fruits, rich. No sulphur thank goodness! Lots going on here and more mineral elements on Day 2. Very interesting.

Palate. Initial entry thoughts are wow, dry, minerally, crisp, hint of creaminess as it warms. Long lengthy finish with some pear, vanilla, wonder how much oak. Its all in balance already.
After an hour, this sings with some more vanilla and almost a hint of butterscotch. Very good complexity here, like the Jadot I find some gravel after 24 hrs. Comments from across the table include "leesy.....unripe canteloup melon". The vanilla component does not overpower, it just adds to the overall mouthfeel.

I do not have the experience to call this great, but as we say up here, its mighty fine. Buy again at $32 Cdn.

Re: temperature

I served the Cordier at about 12°C (54°F). It was fine right away but I though it gained in complexity without losing liveliness as it warmed naturally during the meal.

[Jenise]

The Open Mike concept is great, but as originally intended, the person who starts one is expected to lead with a tasting note ...

A reminder for new arrivals, what is the concept exactly?

In addition to what Robin and David said, Jan, Open Mike (as in microphone) was intended to start where Wine Focus leaves off. Where Wine Focus takes a look, month by month, at a large category of wine (Pouilly-Fuisse could, in fact, be a Wine Focus topic), we thought up Open Mike as a way anyone could invite others to compare taste/compare TN's on what you might call micro topics--for instance, Walt Carpenter and I were discussing the other day in a thread the other day whether or not any 94 Bordeauxs are ready to drink yet. We agreed it would be a good Open Mike topic, to create and invite a larger group discussion among the few of us who cellar Bordeaux, but neither one of us posted it yet. Now that I'm reminded of it, I will. Probably the only other one I remember starting myself was even more micro--98 Lafon Rochet. Otto Niemenen and I had discovered we both were cellaring that wine and decided to both check on the wine and calibrate our palates at the same time. IIRC a few others turned out to have bottles and when they read our notes they opened theirs. But you get the idea--it only takes two.

WTN: `06 Pouilly-Fuisse Domaine de la Collonge, Gilles Noblet.

Mouth-watering WTN. Gilles Noblet at Domaine de la Collonge is a new name for me. I discover that, typically for wine areas, there are several growers called Noblet at P-F but only one Collonge.

Pouilly-Fuissé AOC – Alliance V. 2004 – Daniel Barraud – Alc. 13% - (Approx € 17)

One of the nice things about this board is that one learns about new wines and producers. In the recent “great P-F” thread, several people praised Barraud so I did a Google search and found this wine and an excellent wine shop in Brussels which was not previously on my radar screen.

C: Light yellow with green tints.
N: White fruit and flowers with burnished notes and hints of yeast and toasting bread.
P: Medium bodied with lively acidity and full of attractive mineral notes on entry and mid-palate, it became richer and quite burnished towards the finish but thankfully avoided the chardonnay stereotypical buttery and caramelised after-tastes. So this is full of good things but not as integrated and polished as the Cordier on which I wrote a WTN a week or so ago; 15.5/20.

There are several lieux-dits cuvées in the Barraud range so of which are much higher priced than this one. I would have provided a website link but for a solemn warning “may try to steal your information” from McAfee when I tried to access it.

Thought it might be time to open my Domaine de Beauregard, especially as we are tasting Chardonnay over on Wine Focus. I found an `06 downtown in a split and first taste tells me this will be good to have with chicken this evening. Lightly oaked, nice apple mineral nose.
Stay tuned

Georges Duboeuf Pouilly-Fuisse 2006

Dark golden in the glass.

Light oak on the nose.

Thick, almost oily, tangy, clean, oaky, green apples, pear, good acidic edge, spicy, balanced.

Clean, crisp, mouthwatering finish.

Rich and delicious.

Winemaker J.J. Vincent. 13% alcohol Purchased three bottles recently at $16.99 per bottle.
Gold color with perhaps a slightly brassy tinge, transparent. Barrel fermented. I found the nose unusually difficult to characterize--perhaps an apple-pear compote. Nicely matured on the palate with a light cream underlaying baked apple and other ripe white fruits. French oak lends a subtle backdrop. Nice accompaniment to tarragon chicken salad and also fried chicken breast. Actually seemed to taste younger and more vibrant on the second night, maybe because it was at a cooler temperature. I wouldn't hold this beyond 2009 or 2010 but was quite satisfied for what I paid.