Tag: Vieilles Vignes

Retail Promotion Events

Perfect Pinots from O’Briens

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To kick off my reviews of the wines on promotion at O’Briens this winter, here’s a look at four Pinot Noirs, four from Burgundy and one from the USA.

Why Pinot Noir

In terms of seasons, Pinot Noir is more autumnal than a classic winter red variety. Compared to Bordeaux and Rhône varieties, Pinot Noir is lighter and, while often great with food, is easier to drink on its own. This makes it a great choice as a sipping wine, especially as it very rarely comes with a blockbuster alcohol content.

What it does have is the combination of lightness and fresh acidity which makes it perfect for pairing with both red meat and poulty at the table (and plenty of vegetarian options, for that matter.) Here in Ireland the most common Xmas dinner is turkey and ham with all the trimmings, so Pinot is perfect.

For the wine geek there’s an additional attraction; Pinot Noir is very expressive of the place in which it is grown, just as Riesling is among white varieties. Pinot was one of the two varieties which Burgundian monks used to map out the demarcations of vineyards by the differences in character in the wines that they yielded. This terroir transparency is increasingly utilised in the new world, though has a long way to catch up.

So now onto the wines themselves:

Seguin-Manuel Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2022

Seguin-Manuel Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2022 bottle shot

Having talked about the terroir-transparency of Pinot Noir, it’s also important to note that the producer of a particular bottle is also key in Burgundy. Domaine Seguin-Manuel was founded back in 1824 and today has a compact and bijoux eight and a half hectares of vineyards across the Côte d’Or. The Domaine was bought by Thibaut Marion – himself a tenth generation winemaker – in 2004, with a focus on continuously improving quality and expressing the local terrior.

This simple Bourgogne includes fruit from more prestigious appellations. Declassifying fruit like this improves the quality of the posher wine (only the best berries are kept for that) and the humbler wine (as the grapes blended into the basic cuvée are still better than those from the basic appellation. This is the Burgundy equivalent of the second (and sometimes third) wines of the Médoc’s top chateaux.

The result in the glass is a red Burgundy with more structure and depth than we’d have any right to expect. It has floral and red fruit notes on the nose, with a juicy and thick palate. This is definitely more of a winter Pinot than a summer Pinot – and all the better for it in my opinion.

  • ABV: 13.0%
  • RRP: €27.99 down from €29.95 from 28th Oct 25 to 5th Jan 2025
  • Source: O’Briens stores and obrienswine.ie

Domaine Antoine Olivier Santenay Temps des C(e)rises 2023

Santenay Rouge Le Temps des C(e)rises bottle shot

Santenay is an appellation surrounding the village of the same name in the Côte de Beaune, the southern half of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. Around 85% of production is red and the balance white, with the usual Pinot Noir and Chardonnay taking the respective lead roles. What is relatively unusual is that the AOC regulations allow Pinot Blanc to be used for whites, and up to 15% Pinot Blanc and / or Pinot Gris used for red wines. There are no Grand Cru climats within Santenay and a dozen Premier Crus.

Antoine Olivier follows in the footsteps of his winemaking father and grandfather, taking over in 2003. The Domaine has been slowly expanded to include sites in the nearby villages of Savigny, Pommard and Rully, and has included replanting in previously abandoned vineyard sites. Antoine is now the most significant producer of Santenay Blanc.

This Santenay Rouge has a lifted, floral nose with fragrant red fruits. The titular cherries appear on the palate, along with strawberries and raspberries. This is the proper Burgundy experience in a glass. It’s not cheap, but you pay for the elegance and delight in it.

  • ABV: 13.0%
  • RRP: €34.99 down from €40.99 from 28th Oct 25 to 5th Jan 2025
  • Source: O’Briens stores and obrienswine.ie

La Crema Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2022

la crema sonoma coast pinot noir bottle shot

Sideways fans will think of the Santa Barbara area for California Pinot, but the Sonoma Coast also does well with the variety. The AVA is at the western part of Sonoma County, running along the Pacific coast. There are nine sub-regions of which the Russian River Valley AVA is the most well known. Cool coastal breezes and banks of chilly fog both help to reduce temperatures compared to further inland.

La Crema makes wines in five regions in the northern half of California – from Monterey up to Anderson Valley – plus Willamette Valley in Oregon. Their Sonoma Coast wines include “regional” bottlings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, topped by single vineyard expressions of each variety.

This Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is intensely aromatic, with punnets of fresh red fruits and a few black berries too. The palate is also complex, with bright fruits and mocha notes. There’s spice here too, though everything is well balanced and harmonious. If your opinion of California wines is that they lack subtlety then you owe it to yourself to try this wine.

  • ABV: 13.5%
  • RRP: €30.99 down from €40.99 via the O’Briens app in December
  • Source: O’Briens stores and obrienswine.ie

Seguin-Manuel Nuits-Saint-Georges “Vieilles Vignes” 2021

Seguin-Manuel Nuits Saint Georges Vieilles Vignes bottle shot

Seguin-Manuel bottle over 50 different wines, including seven Grands Crus. This old vine Nuits-Saint-Georges sits somewhere around the middle of the range in terms of quality – but this is no middling wine. The vines are over 30 years old and sit on clay and limestone soils south of the town itself. After hand harvesting, the grapes are pressed and allowed to ferment over two and a half weeks. The young wine is then matured for 14 months in a mix of new (25%) and older (75%) oak casks.

Just a sniff of this wine is enough to let you know it’s the real deal. When wine geeks talk about the chase for great Burgundy, this is what they mean. Everything is lifted, heightened, powerful, yet purposeful. It tastes just heavenly, but the experience is more about how it makes you feel – special. This is a special wine that would make an amazing Xmas treat.

  • ABV: 13.0%
  • RRP: €65 down from €79 in the O’Briens December Fine Wine Sale
  • Source: O’Briens stores

Conclusion

These wines are all at appropriate price points, and you really do get what you pay for. The La Crema is a total bargain at the promotional price, but the Nuits-Saint-George is a really special wine that would make an amazing gift for any Pinot fan.

Single Bottle Review

Wine Review: Hauller Alsace Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes 2017

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Last year our family holiday (remember them?) was in Brittany which, although convenient for the ferry ports, isn’t a quality wine producing region.  My vinous needs therefore have to be met by trying various wines from the supermarkets, and of course many of those were from Alsace.  Two rules of thumb were therefore brought into play:

  1. French supermarket wines aren’t always great; they tend to be sold on the appellation name and at a low price, so the bottle contents (especially without a reputable producer on the label) tend to be very average.
  2. Alsace has many family names shared by different wineries – so don’t assume it’s the same one.

On the second point, when researching the producer of this wine I found Famille Hauller in Dambach-la-Ville, but there was no sign of Hauts de Hauller on the website.  A forensic review of the back label found that it was bottled by “JHF”; that turned out to be J. Hauller et Fils, a different company entirely!

Hauller “Hauts de Hauller” Alsace Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes 2017 

Hauller Alsace Sylvaner Vielles Vignes 2017

Sylvaner can be a bit meh, but this bottle sported the magic words “Vieilles Vignes”.  Old vines are prized for the additional concentration and depth of flavour they can bring to the finished wine, offset (for the vigneron) by lower yields.  A modest price premium over wines made from younger vines is the balancing factor and looks after both the consumer and producer…happy days!

I picked a bottle of this up in Intermarché and liked it so much I managed to bring a couple home as well.  I’ve often posited that Alsace Sylvaner is somewhere between the out-and-out raciness of Riesling and the rounder fruit tones of Pinot Blanc.  These aspects are true for this Vieilles Vignes example, but it also has richness and some weight – almost like a dash of good Pinot Gris was added to the recipe.  The end combination is a wine that is dry, crisp, refreshing yet incredibly appealing.  I just wish I’d brought more back with me!

  • ABV: 12.0%
  • RRP: ~ €7
  • Stockists: Intermarché (France)
Tasting Events

Lidl French Whites Spring 2020

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Lidl Ireland have just launched a range of French wines which will be available for a limited time only – until stocks run out.  Below are brief notes on six whites that would be making their way into my trolley: two from Burgundy, two from the Loire and two from Alsace.

Wally AOP Touraine Sauvignon 2018 (13.0%, €9.99 at Lidl Ireland)

Wally Sauvignon Blanc

There are several different Touraine appellations in the Loire Valley but this is the one which removes any doubt as to which grape variety you will be drinking.  While not reaching the heights of Pouilly-Fumé, Quincy and the other Sauvignon based wines further east, Touraine is the French standard bearer for inexpensive fresh, tasty Sauvignon Blanc.

Wally has a very expressive Sauvignon nose – grass, gooseberry and grapefruit.  These notes continue through to the palate, but there are no rough edges – it’s (almost) smooth in texture.  Great value for money!

Comte d’Ardières AOP Sancerre 2018 (13.0%, RRP €16.99 at Lidl Ireland)

Lidl Sancerre

Probably the most famous Sauvignon appellation, Sancerre is one of the most prestigious wine regions of France.  Despite that, quality and style can vary as there are multiple soil types and aspects.  I don’t know who the Count of Ardières was, but the wines named after him are very elegant and mineral in style.  There’s also lots of fresh citrus and a long tangy finish.  Worth trying with delicate white fish or oysters.

Collin-Bourisset AOP Coteaux Bourguignons 2018 (13.0% €9.99 at Lidl Ireland)

Collin Bourisset Coteaux Bourguignons Blanc

For those not familiar, Coteaux Bourguignons is an appellation that covers the whole of Burgundy proper and Beaujolais, for both red and white wines.  It can thus be made with fruit from all over the region, but is often a label used for wines from the south around the Maconnais / Beaujolais border.  The grapes for this white are not given, but on tasting it appears to me to be substantially or totally Chardonnay.  It has some oak on the nose and palate plus citrus and stone fruit.  This is proper white Burgundy, a steal for a tenner!

AOP Chablis 2018 (12.5%, €12.99 at Lidl Ireland)

Lidl Chablis 2018

After the trials and tribulations of frost and hail over consecutive years, Chablis producers had to put up their prices so that they could still make a living.  The phrase “there’s no more cheap Chablis” was uttered many times.  Thankfully, the 2018 harvest was the best in 20 years according to the president of the Chablis Commission, so things are returned to normal.

At €12.99 this would definitely be considered a “cheap Chablis”, though I’d wager Lidl’s average bottle price is several Euros less.  It has the classic Chablis nose of citrus and soft malolactic character.  The palate shows red and green apples, lemon and lime fruits plus stony minerality.  This is an excellent wine for the price and was the standout wine of the tasting!

Camile Meyer AOP Alsace Gewurztraminer Vieilles Vignes 2018 (13.0%, €10.99 at Lidl Ireland)

Alsace Gewurztraminer Vieilles Vignes

When it comes to wine Irish people rarely have a sweet tooth, and usually eschew anything with more than a few grams of residual sugar.  Perhaps this is because of ‘Nam-like flashbacks from sweet, unbalanced, flabby German whites from decades past (you know the ones I’m talking about), who knows.  This means that the limited number of Alsace Gewurztraminers available in supermarkets are usually quite dry.  There’s nothing wrong with that in itself – each to his own – but for me Gewurz needs a bit of RS to complement its round, rich character.

And here’s the perfect example at an inexpensive price point.  It’s VERY Gewurz on the nose, with lychees, Turkish delight and rose petals.  The aromas continue on the palate but a little more subdued, but matched nicely by an off-dry finish.

AOP Crémant d’Alsace Brut NV (12.0%, €12.99 at Lidl Ireland)

Crémant d'Alsace Brut NV

France’s second best selling sparkling wine is represented by this fresh and fruity little number.  It’s made in the traditional method and is fully sparkling so is a steal at this price (given the double duty on such wines in Ireland).  This is a great alternative to Prosecco; fun and fruity but drier and better balanced.

 

 

 

 

Opinion, Tasting Events

I Wanna Give You Devotion – Part 3

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Vignobles_val_de_loire

Along its many twists, turns and tributaries, the Loire River encompasses a multitude of wine styles: white, rosé and red (plus orange nowadays); bone dry though off dry, medium and sweet; still, lightly and fully sparkling; neutral to highly aromatic.  After all, at over a thousand kilometres in length, it dwarfs (swamps?) the Shannon (360 km) and Thames (346 km) as it winds through 15 départements.

In some ways the different sub-regions are not that related, especially when it comes to grape varieties, but the key thing the wines generally share is acidity, even in sweet wines – all down to a relatively northern latitude.

The Loir (no “e”) River is a sub-tributary of the Loire (with an “e”) River via the Sarthe River and runs fairly parallel to the north.  Close to the city of Tours is the appellation of Coteaux-du-Loir which covers 80 ha and can be used for white, rosé or red wines. Adjoining the top of this area is the AOC of Jasnières which only produces white wines from Chenin Blanc.

Here are a couple of stunning Loir wines from the Nomad Wine Importers tasting:

Domaine de la Bellivière Coteaux du Loir “Eparses Vieilles Vignes” 2013 (13.0%, RRP €46 at SIYPS, ~ €116 in restaurants: L’Ecrivain, Patrick Guilbaud and Ely Wine Bar)

belliviere-vveparses-bt 2

Domaine de la Bellivière was set up in 1995, ad has been run on organic lines since 2005 and was certified as such from the 2011 vintage.

This wine is made from various parcels of old Chenin Blanc vines – and old is really apt here as they are between 50 and 80 years old – mainly planted on clay with flint over “tuffeau” (the famous local limestone).

Natural yeast fermentation is in one to three year old barrels (75%) and new oak (25%). The different parcels are vinified and matured  (for at least a year) separately before being assembled to produce the final cuvée for bottling.

This is a deliberately dry wine, still with Chenin’s typical honey notes but also floral and stone fruit aspects.  Very fresh and intense!

Domaine de la Bellivière Jasnières “Calligramme” 2013 (13.0%, ~ €137 in restaurant: The Greenhouse)

belliviere-calligramme-bt 2

The Calligramme is made in Jasnières itself so is of course (you have been paying attention, haven’t you?) 100% Chenin Blanc.  The vines are from 50+ year old plots which are mainly southerly in aspect, on the slopes (“Coteaux“!) down to the Loir River.

As with all the Domaine’s wines, the sweetness of the final wine depends on the character of the vintage; only in years where botrytis is well developed are the wines left with some residual sugar.  In other years – such as 2013 we have here – the wine is dry but intense.  Apple, peach and floral notes are joined by minerality, giving the wine a real versatility for food matching.

Also from the Nomad Wine Importers tasting:

 

And finally, the obscure reference in the title of these articles on Nomad’s wines: those of a certain vintage and taste in music (such as myself) might have recognised the allusion to the 1991 dance music classic “I Wanna Give You Devotion” by Nomad!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x45BtoJpoks&w=560&h=315]