Vinopolis Newsletter – Monday 01-02-22

 

Can you think of a wine more versatile than sweeter wines? There are few culinary experiences that can compare to eating something high in fat or exceptionally spicy with a sweeter style of wine. This is on account of the sweetness acting as a palate cleanser and the acid cutting through the fat. For a more heightened experience, wines that have undergone botrytis and bottle age offer additional characteristics like crystallized ginger, Manuka honey, honeysuckle and caramel.

Some of the best examples of this style include the Quarts de Chaume region in the Loire, The Mosel Valley of Germany, and the island of Sicily. These areas share a number of characteristics that make them especially conducive to sweeter wine styles; with mineral rich soils, steeped terraces, proximity to bodies of water, and climates that allow for a long growing season.        

Baumard is the most famous producer in the Quarts de Chaume appellation, despite farming a tiny portion of the regions 110 acres. The area has been famous for its sweet wines made from Chenin Blanc since the Middle Ages, with the Quarts de Chaume name originating with the 25% of the crop the peasants owed to the Diocese of Angers as tax. This fame continued into the modern era, with the area being the first in the entire Loire to be classified as a “Grand Cru” site. The proximity to the Layon River creates waves of humidity that are perfect for cultivating Botrytis Cinerea in the grape clusters, which concentrates the sugars in the grape via shriveling.

Baumard’s holdings in the appellation consist of several soil types and are farmed organically. Baumard’s house style can be described as “Seeking a purer expression of site and fruit” and eschews any use of oak during the winemaking process. Expect a spectrum of flavor that encompasses everything from honeyed Seville orange, spiced Anjou pear and lychee with a plethora of lilies and jasmine aromas.       

In stock and available now: 

Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume Loire 2015 750ML ($99.95) $79 special, 22 bottles in stock now
#52 Wine Of The Year – Wine Spectator Top 100 In 2018
Wine Spectator 98 points “Highly Recommended. Waves of creamed Jonagold apple, Cavaillon melon, mirabelle plum, mango and white peach flavors provide thrilling range, while flashes of honeysuckle and verbena add detail and focus throughout. Unctuous yet pure, sweet yet invigorating, with an inner brightness that matches the outward hedonism. Best from 2020 through 2045. 100 cases imported.”
 

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!

We carry a number of sweet wine styles in house including Port, Sauternes and Vin Santo 
 

 

A wholly unique house in that they produce a single wine and only during the most exceptional growing years. Sourced from 20 parcels in the center of Le Mensil-Sur-Oger with their first vintage in 1905, this is one of the rarest wines in the entire world and the apex of Chardonnay, with razor sharp austerity requiring extensive bottle age before enjoyment. 

Each vintage is attributed with its own personality and showing. The house describes the vintages in their set as “, Luminosity in 2007, Romance in 2006 and Serenity in 2004”. All of the bottles on offer were disgorged in 2019, a tribute to what extended aging can do. These are among the most sought after wines in the auction world, with vintages from the 90’s selling for thousands of dollars. 

Salon in stock now: 

Salon Cuvee ‘S’ Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne 2004 750ML ($999.95) $899 pre-arrival special, only 3 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 98 points “Top 100 Cellar Selection in 2016. Salon’s releases are rare and signify a great vintage—the last release was the 2002. Coming from grand cru vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, this 2004 is complex and concentrated, capturing the essence of Chardonnay in Champagne. Intense minerality and ripe apple and citrus fruits accompany the purity and crisp texture that are part of its ability to age. The wine can continue for many years, certainly to 2025 and beyond. -Roger Voss”
Antonio Galloni 97 points “The 2004 Salon (Edition 2019) is fabulous. That is hardly a surprise, as the 2004 has always been magnificent. Subtle, nuanced and classy to the core, the 2004 shows the more refined side of Salon. In that sense, it shares a good bit stylistically with both the 2007 and 2008, but much less so than with the 2006. Sweet floral notes add lift to a core of crystalline, mineral-infused Chardonnay fruit in a Salon that is precise, light on its feet and buffered by enough energy to drink well for decades to come. Disgorged: January, 2019.”
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 96 points “The 2004 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut is another rather structured, tensile wine from a generally rather open vintage. Wafting from the glass are scents of citrus rind, crisp green apple, preserved citrus, fresh bread and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, tangy and chiseled, with fine depth at the core and a long, chalky finish, it’s complemented by a pillowy pinpoint mousse. Unlike many wines from 2004, this Salon (tasted from a bottle disgorged in January 2019) still has potential to improve with further bottle age.”
Decanter 95 points “Almost deceptively silky and soft for Salon. One expects this blanc de blancs, fermented in tank without malolactic conversion, to show slightly livelier acidity. Here the wine is deliciously drinkable – almost too much so – with ripe apple, citrus and floral notes and a supple, approachable texture that is somewhat lacking in tension, consistent with the conditions of the year: a big crop, swollen slightly with summer rains that needed until the final week of September to ripen fully.”

Salon Cuvee ‘S’ Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne 2006 750ML ($999.95) $899 pre-arrival special, only 3 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 100 points “#11 Cellar Selection in 2017. This new release from a great vintage for Chardonnay in Champagne is a perfect blanc de blancs, showing a wealth of intensity from the crisp, chalky, mineral tones to the perfumed apple notes. The aromas hint at developing toastiness that adds depth and complexity. The wine is still young and it will age for years. Drink from 2020. -Roger Voss”
Antonio Galloni 97 points “The 2006 Salon is a very rich wine, almost uncharacteristically so. Deep and exotic the 2006 exudes richness in all of its dimensions, with myriad inflections of sumptuous fruit that fill out its ample, large-scaled frame. Today, the 2006 is surprisingly accessible for a young Salon, but it needs time to shed some baby fat. At times, the 2006 recalls the 2002, but it appears to have more phenolic intensity and overall structure. Even with all of its flamboyance and pure volume, the 2006 retains quite a bit of energy and freshness. I imagine it will be a fascinating, utterly compelling Champagne to follow over the next several decades.”
William Kelley-Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2006 Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Brut is quite tangy and reserved by the standards of this sunny, demonstrative vintage. Offering up aromas of smoke, toasted bread, orange oil, mocha and confit lemon, it’s medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with racy acids and a concentrated, surprisingly structured mid-palate. Concluding with a long and gently empyreumatic finish, this is a fine success. This bottle was disgorged in January 2019.”
Wine Spectator 95 points “The creamy mousse of this graceful Champagne caresses the palate like cashmere, carrying a beautiful range of glazed nectarine, chopped almond, pastry and candied ginger flavors framed by vivid acidity. Seamless, with a long, lasting finish accented by minerally chalk and saline notes. Drink now through 2031.  –AN”

Salon Cuvee ‘S’ Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne 2007 750ML ($999.95) $899 pre-arrival special, only 4 bottles available
Wine Enthusiast 99 points “This legendary Champagne, only produced in exceptional years, comes from the village of Le Mesnil in the Côte des Blancs. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and aged for many years before release. Its minerality, concentration and beautiful fruit are still astonishingly young and deserve further aging. Drink from 2020.”
Wine & Spirits 97 points “This latest release of Salon announces itself with energy and leaves with freshness. It comes from a vintage marked by a cool, cloudy August that delayed ripening; after the vines recovered in September, they yielded this delicate chardonnay, completely saturated with flavor. It comes from 20 parcels in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, a selection established by the founder, Aimé Salon, in the early 1900s, including one estate parcel of 2.5 acres. Other than exclaiming on the wine’s delicious flavors, our panel was seduced by its texture, describing it in variations of silk, satin or chalk and velvet whiteness. It has a presence—a remarkable infusion of chalk soil—that sets it apart.”
Antonio Galloni 96 points “The 2007 Salon is gorgeous. Weightless, delicate and understated, the 2007 is all class. Today, the 2007 reminds me of the 2004 in its bright, citrus and floral-infused profile, but with a bit more creaminess, mid-palate depth and softer contours, all of which will make the 2007 easy to drink with minimal cellaring. Next to the 2006, the 2007 is quite a bit fresher and more delineated, with none of exuberance, power of tropically-leaning overtones found in its younger sibling. At this stage, the 2007 is a bit inward and closed in on itself. Then again, it is Salon. This is another terrific showing from Salon and the team headed by President Didier Depond. Dosage is 5 grams per liter.”
Stephan Reinhardt-Wine Advocate 96 points “…the weightless and delicate 2007 is a coolish, elegant and smoky gentleman dressed in a white tie and silk hat… The performance on the palate is pure yet concentrated, fresh and linear, very elegant and perfectly balanced, but most of all, it is extremely fine and stimulating!…The radiant 2007 Salon is one of the greatest champagnes I have had from this vintage…”

We carry producers from across the Champagne region including Gimonnet, Piollot and Rodez