2004 Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Clos Guillot
Juicy succulent fruit but really leaning on the hard acids and a bit constricted around the edges. I enjoyed this more a year or so ago when it was more generous, although the fun bright juicy purity is still there.
2002 Bernard Baudry Chinon Le Clos Guillot
Right now this was more fun than the 04 because it is fuller and more mature with some evolved flavors. Not exactly a ‚rich’ wine and it never really shows the depth that would get one very excited. But, decent maturing crisp drinking.
2002 Bernard Baudry Chinon La Croix Boissée
Smoky deep firm fruit with cool minerality and all sorts of fun ponderous depth on the nose. But, this sucker is Hard as a Rock and the fierce acidic profile places this in a difficult stage for me as a taster. With air some of the fruit fills in and some of the tannic structure emerges to complete the picture so I’m guessing there are only good things ahead in the future.
2002 Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Grézeaux
7 months ago, I had a lovely bottle of this that was slightly maturing and pumping gorgeous sappy fruit. That bottle had however spent a few years in less-than-perfect CA Closet storage. This bottle spent its entire life in an air-conditioned Paris cellar until I bought it earlier this summer. So, it was much much less evolved. The pulsing fruit that was gushing in the earlier bottle is sort of evident, underneath the acidic structure that is laying on top and exerting more control. But, the pulsing fruit remains only a hint and it is still dominated by the structure for my tastes. Nonetheless, I had more fun here than with the 02 CB and it was an interesting lesson in the effects of storage.
2002 Chateau du Hureau Saumur Champigny Cuvée des Fevettes
Sexy and forward liquid kirsch bark (unique to the forests of Saumur I am sure) but with air that rustic barky tannin feel is just a little too present for me to fall in love. The fruit is nice, ripe, and crisp, but perhaps this is better when it was younger and juicier or when it will be older and mellower?
2005 Hospices de Saumur Saumur Champigny Clos Cristal
This wine is deep and darkly fruited with all sorts of minerals and tannin to wake up your senses. At the same time, it retains a cool crisp structure (in fact my Grenache-loving wife even found it ‚sour’). This was nothing fancy and would probably be boring if you thought too hard about it or tried to imagine too much elegance, but for 6€ per .375 it was fun drinking.