- Location
- Marlborough
I have just been watching the Michel Chapoutier 67 zoom. The man is an absolute gem. What a brilliant wine talk.
And the wines? Improved or still rather poor?
I’ve had a variety across probably the last twenty years of vintages and found them to be rather unrepresentative of place and that far better value can be found elsewhere. Just wondered what people thought of the current wines as I have tried one in the last few years.Rather poor - when was that ?
Well I think the whites are very good but like so many Rhine whites I’m now not confident on real age. The Chave we had that evening and I’ve experienced seem to age pretty well. Beaucastel whites seem terrible for age. The L’Oree we had that evening was a real shame as from same case I’d had a couple of fantastic bottles And of course one rather ropey one. I’m not one to play roulette.The most amazing thing I find about the Chapoutier wines is the almost universal high praise of the young wines lauded on them by wine critics ... not just RP (formerly) and JD (presently) but others like JLL and Josh Raynolds whose tastes are perhaps closer to my own.
I remember myself tasting the new direction reds early on but being most amazed by the 1991 and 1992 de l'Oree whites, for their sheer density. I subsequently bought some 1992 ... if someone wants a bottle to try now they can have it for free. I remember a rather forced blind tasting in Bordeaux around 2012 where only two of us were even attempting guessing and encountering a dense oxidised dry white ... we both guessed Chapoutier, and of course it was an RP "perfect" example. Other encounters have not always revealed oxidised wine, but nothing terribly exciting beyond the initial young stage: the whites can still make a statement if you drink them young (which is of course de rigeur these days for most white Burgundy for other reasons) and chewy impressive texture is what you value. There are some fairly recent comments on another vintage of de L'Oree here: White Rhone & Champagne
I think the Vin de Paille is actually ok for what it is.
I have never quite got the reds. The most amazing comments I heard a were from the shaking heads of professionals coming from a Matter of Taste tasting in London featuring around 11 WA "perfect" wines a few years ago amongst others. Let's say they couldn't understand what RP and JD were seeing in these wines too. (Incidentally the old style whites pre-1988, could be interesting and vg; but I've never had a compelling old red, just some survivors that were passably ok.)
Any producers in particular on white and red.I’ve had a variety across probably the last twenty years of vintages and found them to be rather unrepresentative of place and that far better value can be found elsewhere. Just wondered what people thought of the current wines as I have tried one in the last few years.
I'll take a free aged rhone - or maybe it's a joke. Though this an interesting thread to me.
Any of the M.Chapoutier single vineyard selections. I have just found them overworked, extracted and blousy, and the whites pox easily as well. It's interesting that I cannot recall anyone bringing one to an offline to which I've been. Very happy to try them again though, I don't think I've had a post 2010 wine so as per my previous post I am genuinely interested if they've changed style.Any producers in particular on white and red.
The Chapoutier Granits blanc I’m a fan of at a reasonable price,
I had a Jaboulet Hermitage 06 the other week which I loved but then saw its £100 a bottle which is quite steep.
Have lots of others such as Usseglio, Saint-prefert, Clos St Jean, belle and a few more but awaiting age in bottle like most of my Bordeaux.
Kevin,I don't know much about the wines at all, the only one I have in my collection is a Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz Viognier 2007 from Victoria, which I probably should drink, but he is a great presenter and gave a really interesting talk. Most of the zooms are really good, but one or two of the presenters make an interesting subject a bit dull and boring. Michel would be right up there with Jasper as one of the best presenters, albeit in slightly different styles.
Tournon is one of their Australian brands. I don't know much about them really.Kevin,
Your post reminds me that I may have a bottle of Chapoutier related Shiraz wine from Australia. I don't think the name on the label is Terlato, but maybe Tournon, or something like that. Do you know anything about that?