WTN: 2006 Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny La Grande Vignolle

2006 Filliatreau Saumur-Champigny La Grande Vignolle 13.0%
Following a recent exchange with Tim York about serving temperatures for red wines, I intended to chill this to 15C (60F), as recommended by the Filliatreau website. It was only down to 19C (66F) by the time we sat down to dinner, so we had it at that temperature. Light but classy aromas of sour cherry and herbs, with a touch of forest floor. Dusky tannins, mild acidity, the sous bois more pronounced on the palate than on the nose. No green twigs or peppers. Somewhat mild, agreeable but a bit lacking in personality. The ambient temperature was about 23C (72F) and the relatively cooler temperature of the wine bothered me a little, I think because of an association with soft drinks. But after half an hour the wine became chunkier, more satisfying, with a new aroma of violets. I put the thermometer in and found that the temperature had risen to 20.5C (69F).

I am going to keep tinkering with the serving temperature but, this first time, I preferred the wine at the same temperature as the room. Perhaps I would have preferred it colder if that matched the surrounding temperature... Or, conversely, perhaps I would have preferred it colder if it was a hot summer's day... Hmmm, I don't like questions where the answer can go either way.

That's very interesting, Oswaldo. I'll try some different temperatures myself and have just brought up from the cellar (c 14°) a Saumur-Champigny 2006 from my stand-by producer, René-Noël Legrand; by the time we start dinner, the wine will probably be at 15/16°. The ambient temperature today is about 19° so I'll have to do a little cradling of the glass to get higher temperatures.

I used to be a regular at Filliatreau and bought a few times at the estate and at their troglodytic restaurant by la Loire, also called La Grande Vignolle, if my memory is right. Their wines of the late 80s and early 90s were very charming as are the people but I moved to Legrand when I discovered the greater punch and tangy personality of his wines. I'm keen to have another look at Filliatreau especially since Legrand was hinting of retirement last time I saw him a year ago.

Follow on the above at different temperatures with Saumur-Champigny "Les Lizières" 2006 - René-Noêl Legrand - Alc. 13.5%.

First let me say that this wine is really excellent (only €7 approx ex cellars). Deliciously fruity and mineral but with much less marked structure than Legrand's more ambitious cuvées.

Next, the vexed question of which thermometer to trust. I have two in the cellar; one hanging from the ceiling which reads 14° and another in wine rack about 50cm from the floor which reads about 14.75°. Lastly my dining room thermometer when placed in the cellar next to one in the rack reads 15.75°. For the purpose of this comparison, I have deducted 1° from the readings of the dining room thermometer to give a rough average of the three.

First pour at 16° was deliciously lively with some sweetness apparent in the fruit, good roundness, a lot of minerality and a certain firmness of mouthfeel.

After some cradling, the wine reached 18.5° and showed a more velvety mouth-feel and amplitude with more aromatics and still present if reduced lively acidity and minerality.

Further cradling increased the temperature to 20.5% with an further increased sensation of aromatics, generosity and smoothness to the detriment of liveliness.

During the course of the meal the wine in the bottle reached 18° but remained firmer and more lively than the warmer samples.

This reminds me of a thread on the interpretation of Beethoven's 9th where we agreed that the greatness of the music could shine through radically different approaches. I don't want to suggest that this Saumur-Champigny is the vinous equivalent of Beethoven's 9th but it is very good and expressed itself well, if differently, at these three temperature points. Preference is surely a matter of taste. If pressed, I think that the glass at 18.5° achieved the best synthesis of expressiveness and liveliness.

I'm a Filliatreau fan, but only really familiar with last few years. I really love the 05 LGV, haven't tried the '06 yet. Tim, will look for LeGrand.

Tim, will look for LeGrand.

I wish you luck, Dale. As far as I know he has only one importer in North America http://www.beauneimports.com/retail/pro ... t_releases which is in California and not much use to you, I think. Indeed he is difficult to find outside France. I always get them at the estate.

Thanks for the report on the fascinating experiment, Tim. Last night we tasted the Filliatreau again, this time at 15C. There was almost no aroma and the taste was fresh but quite astringent, with a heady sour cherry taste. I find it hard to fathom how the winery would want a serious wine experienced as if it were a picnic quaffer, so I'll have to ask them (more delicately!) in June. Later in the evening we retasted it after it had reached our room temperature (21C) and, while still fresh enough, it was much more flavorful.

The fact that you preferred your glass at your room temperature and I preferred mine at my room temperature makes me wonder if what we could call "absence of contrast" is an important factor.