Barge Tasting in Paris(2)

Emmanuel GiboulotEmmanuel Giboulot wines. Emmanuel Giboulot is a Burgundy vintner who makes terroir-driven wines from about 10 hectares of vineyards that he rents and farms organicly on biodynamie methods. He is part of Nicolas Joly's Return to Terroir group. :
__Giboulot "Vin de Pays de Sainte Marie la Blanche" - Terres Burgondes 2007. 100% Pinot Beurrot (Pinot Gris).Sauvignon-like nose. Neat mouth with a beautiful minerality. Emmanuel Giboulot says that this variety is precocious and that he has to be careful not to let it go too far in its maturity, which could happen if he made the mistake to harvest it alongside the other grape varieties. He adds that 2007 brought an interesting plus in terms of acidity for the region's wines. Precise, tight wine. Only 12°. Made from a 60-are vineyard. 11,45 Euro. To drink in 4/5 years, he says, after, it may go toward apricot notes, which is not necessarily desirable.
__Giboulot Côte de Beaune 2007 la Grande Châtelaine. Chardonnay. Beautiful. 18 Euro.
__Giboulot Combe d'Eve 2006. Chardonnay. 18-month elevage in casks (no new casks). soil with lots of clay. Very nice mouth, balanced and quite long.
__Hautes Côtes de Beaune Sous le Mont 2007 (the reds, after having tasted many other whites in-between). Not very dark in color. Nice presence in the mouth. Chewy, fruity and vivid.Fermented in wooden vats and elevage in casks. 13,8 Euro. 30-years-old vineyard located in Villers la Faye, at the bottom of a small mont (mount).Destemmed grapes.
__Giboulot Beaune Lulune 2007. Also a nice clear-red color. A vineyard plot already known in the 11th century, he says. It is actually the ancient location of the village of Pommard, right at the bottom of this slope.The village was later moved further down to its present location.The top of the slope has some dry bushes, quite Mediterannean because of meager soils and the left part of the slope has some sources with trees and more green foliage. 13-month elevage in casks on its lees.Jammy fruit aromas.Probably a bit early to drink this wine, deserves a few years for its potential. Vincent Joly with Marie Laurence SaladinAfter the Giboulot whites, I went to La Tour Grise, a Saumur estate.
__Tour Grise les Amandiers 2005. 100% Cheninc Blanc. Roundness. 10 Euro.
__Tour Grise les Amandiers 2003. The heat-wave year. 14 gr residual sugar. Still well-balanced between the acidity and the alcohol. 10 Euro.
__Tour Grise Zéro Pointé 2008 (white). From the Zéro Pointé range (red, rosé, white), sparkling wines made without dosage and with wild yeasts. Labelled as Table Wine. 100% Chenin. Nose with citrus aromas, and also of freshly-pressed apple, a bit of pear too. In the mouth, the freshly-pressed apple comes forward. 7,5 Euro.
__Tour Grise Zéro Pointé rosé. Cabernet Franc sparkling.
Then, the Coulée de Serrant, where Virginie Joly [pic on left] pours the wines. Nicolas Joly arrives later in the day. His son Vincent was also around.
__Nicolas Joly, Savennières Les Vieux Clos 2007.Bottled las june. Elevage in casks in a surface, non-aircon cellar. A full-bodied Chenin Blanc with minerality. Very nice mouth. 20 Euro.
__Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant 2007. Bottled late august. This Chenin-Blanc wine is one of the Loire most outstanding whites. The soil : schists. This may explain the particular richness and deep substance of this wine. You typically taste the bottle repeatedly stretched over several hours and will find new things coming out.
Domaine Saladin :
__Marie-Laurence Saladin has only one white on the table, along with several reds. Per El 2007. Côtes du Rhône Villages. Marsanne (40%), Viognier (30%), Clairette (20%), Grenache (5%), Bourboulenc (5%). They added only 5% of Bourboulenc because this year there were very few grapes of it. Fresh and mineral. Roundness. 13,5°. 13 Euro.
I tasted several red wines made by the Saladin sisters at the last Paris wine fair and so skipped the reds here. If I find my notes (I bought them a few bottles of reds) I'll put them here. Domaine de la Pinte (Jura)Time to taste the Jura wines of Domaine de la Pinte. I'm still recovering from a cold and these Jura wines will help me speed the recovery, if I make it to the Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille especially that I consider them as having some real properties in that regard [I will alas as often reserve the tasting of these special wines for the very end and forget to go back to the stand]. Philippe Chatillon, the owner, can't be missed with his long moustaches. He takes an active role in wine fairs to present his wines and has thus made a lot to help Jura wines get the attention that they deserve. Meticulous organic work in the vineyard and thoughtful vinification.
__Domaine de la Pinte Arbois Pupillin Chardonnay 2005.Vinified in vats with a 15-month elevage in old casks. The malolactic fermentation is completed. Nice aromatic range. Roundness in the mouth, balanced. 9 Euro.
__Domaine de la Pinte, Arbois Pupillin Melon à Queue Rouge 2006. "Melon à Queue Rouge" is an ancient type of Chardonnay that has mostly disappeared. This particular vineyard-plot is 50-year old. I hear the Philippe Chatillon, the owner, explain to a couple that this wine well with green asparagus or lightly-fried foie-gras because of its anise-like aromas and its richness. Poweful aromas of ripe fruits. Nice refreshing mouth. 16 months in casks and very low yields for this variety, about 20 hectoliter/hectare. The traditionnal low yields of "Melon à Queue Rouge" explain why it has been mostly uprooted and replaced by more productive types of Chardonnay.At la Pinte they have about one hectare of it and make 20000 bottles. 16 Euro.
__Domaine de la Pinte Arbois Savagnin. 4 year-elevage in casks, with the particularity that 80% of the casks were not topped-up (sous voile) and 20% were topped-up. The non-topped-up casks develop a veil at the surface as the wine evaporates through the wood and a pocket of air grows at the top. This type of non-interventionist elevage suits particularly to Savagnin and when performed on nearly 7 years, it gives the unique Vin Jaune with its oxydative aromas and oddly fresh feel at the same time.This wine has this recognizable oxydative character. Very nice balance in the mouth. 16 Euro.
__Domaine de la Pinte Arbois Cuvée S (Savagnin) 2006. This wine has been topped-up, 18 months in new casks. Very very low yields, about 10 hectoliter/hectare. Nice maturity and substance, ripe fruits. Philippe Chatillon says that what is important is to have a good adequation between the plot qualities (including terroir), the cask quality and the millesime. He adds that he has been looking for this particular result for years and he condiders that 2006 was his first success. While sipping this gorgeous Savagnin, I begin to feel the pulse of this tasting event and relax. Winter has been blasted away by these wines.
__Domaine de la Pinte Arbois Poulsard 2005. Clear red color. Light wine with the personnality of this Hura variety. 8 Euro.
__Domaine de la Pinte Côtes du Jura Port Lesney 2004. Wine blend made of complanted red varieties. Very nice nose with candy notes. Also a very clear red.White pepper. You have in this wine Melon à Queue Rouge, Trousseau, Poulsard, Pinot Noir.
__Domaine de la Pinte Poulsard 2005. No label on this bottle. Carbonic maceration. Clear, evolved color. Turbidity.Very nice. The price ? he says 8 Euro without label, much more with one...