WTN: Épiré again

I've never had great experiences with Épiré, but I hear other people have such experiences, so I figured why not try again.

First it was the 2015 Épiré Savennières Cuvée Spéciale at Rich Table in SF. Started off shy reserved and austere, so I had to remind my dining companion that I don't go in for heavy fruit wines! The sturdy white citrus floral flavors and firm but juicy structure all matched well with their porcini donuts and their take on uni pasta. By the end of the meal it had loosened up and was showing more elements. And it was certainly a fine match to dinner. But it didn't click on too many cylinders. Fair enough. Young wine.

So the next night at home in NC I had the 2006 Épiré Savennières Cuvée Spéciale, hoping for something more evolved and more delicious. Instead, I got a simple citrus apple cider roll of wine in the mouth. Over time it hints at a range of more complex straw waxy hay elements that we love in Savennières but you have to look really really hard, and maybe even start imagining things. Oh well. Closed middle aged wine? Or just dull wine? (I have more, so I guess I'll find out)

Is there a cuvee not so special? I'm kinda kidding, but the Special is only one I've ever seen.
I kind of gave up on Epire. But to be fair, I've mostly passed on Savennieres except for an occasional Closel for a while

Is there a cuvee not so special? I'm kinda kidding, but the Special is only one I've ever seen.

There is! The Speciale is a custom Kermit blend, although he also sells the 'regular'.

https://www.kermitlynch.com/our-wines/chateau-depire/

I've had Épiré in France (where I presume it was the 'regular') and it also didn't impress too much. But I haven't followed closely over the years.

One of my worst buys was two or three dozen of Epiré from the '95 and '96 vintages with a few '90s. It must have been in 1998 because '97s were still in the tank and delicious like that, but thank god I didn't buy any. There were both ordinary and special cuvées and a few moelleux amongst them but all, with the exception of some bottles of Cuvée Spéciale '96, were dull at best and badly oxidised at worst. I have heard that they have been doing better in recent vintages but this thread doesn't encourage me to take another look.

So the next night at home in NC I had the 2006 Épiré Savennières Cuvée Spéciale, hoping for something more evolved and more delicious. Instead, I got a simple citrus apple cider roll of wine in the mouth. Over time it hints at a range of more complex straw waxy hay elements that we love in Savennières but you have to look really really hard, and maybe even start imagining things. Oh well. Closed middle aged wine? Or just dull wine? (I have more, so I guess I'll find out)

Last night's bottle of the 06 was better, less apple cider roll, more waxy structural complexity. It managed to sustain my attention and pleasure for a decent amount of time. But in the end it was still not persuasive.

[David M. Bueker]

You guys are enabling my Chenin skepticism.

You guys are enabling my Chenin skepticism.

Challenge accepted! I will be sure to post some mouth-watering chenin notes as soon as possible! (Although 'possible' is a vague word here...)