[wine] Savennieres - Chenin from Loire's Anjou

Anyone ever had one of these? Cheers, Jim May 21, 2010 Savenni�res, a Demanding Wine Worth the Work By ERIC ASIMOV SAVENNI�RES is a demanding wine. The characteristics that make it so distinctive and beautiful require attention and thought, which is perhaps more effort than many people would wish to devote to a beverage. But that is the tradeoff. Savenni�res, from the Anjou region of the Loire Valley, is intense and austere, and not quickly accessible. Unlike Sancerre, its Loire cousin, which comes with an easy Cliffs Notes explanation . It.s just sauvignon blanc! . Savenni�res does not lend itself to the sort of high-concept simplification-by-analogy that can appease the puzzlement of studio executives and wine novices alike. Sure, one could describe Savenni�res as 100 percent chenin blanc, but what does that get you? Chenin blanc is one of the most underrated and underappreciated grapes in the world, achieving greatness only in the Loire Valley, though promising wines do come from South Africa and isolated pockets of the United States. Many people may have heard of Vouvray, a chenin blanc wine from the Touraine region of the Loire east of Savenni�res , but I doubt many people can summon an impression of what the wines are like. Even if Vouvray were to strike a flash of recognition, it offers a very different expression of chenin blanc than Savenni�res. Vouvray is generally easier and friendlier, less of a cerebral wine than Savenni�res. I don.t mean to suggest that some consumers don.t have the ability to appreciate Savenni�res. Not at all. I.m just saying that it is not for everybody. It can.t be. Very few producers make Savenni�res, and only small amounts are available. But if you decide to try it, and are patient enough to savor a bottle over the course of a meal, the pleasures of Savenni�res are many. What makes this wine singular? To ponder that, the wine panel recently sampled 20 bottles of Savenni�res. Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Michael Madrigale, the sommelier at Bar Boulud, and Pascaline Lepeltier, the wine director at Rouge Tomate on the East Side of Manhattan. Pascaline, by the way, is from the City of Angers, on which the Anjou region is centered, so Savenni�res is essentially her hometown wine. To illustrate how hard it is to obtain Savenni�res, our 20 bottles came from only 12 producers. And, while we sought the most recent vintages available, we found only five bottles from 2007 and five from 2006. We were compelled to include seven bottles from 2005, one from 2004 and two from 2003. The various vintages made for a less-than-level playing field for the tasting. The .03 and .05 vintages, for example, showed quite a bit more warmth than the others. But the 20 bottles we put together were an accurate reflection of what consumers would find exploring retail outlets. Great Savenni�res offers a spectrum of unusual flavors. Our No. 1 bottle, for example, the 2007 Les Clos Sacr�s from Nicolas Joly, reminded us of beeswax, citrus and spice, with a mineral, saline quality thrown in for good measure. Combine this with the floral, honeysuckle edge that I often find in chenin blanc, and a texture that is typically and paradoxically rich, viscous and wonderfully light, and you have one complex, unconventional wine that is a long way from chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. We agreed that these wines practically demand to be served with food. They are also excellent candidates for decanting, as the air seems to help bring the flavors to life. In fact, Nicolas Joly recommends opening bottles of his wine a full 48 hours before serving, not really a practical notion, especially if you encounter a bottle in a restaurant. Joly, the most prominent Savenni�res producer, accounted for 3 of our top 10 bottles, all from the 2007 vintage. The Joly Clos de la Bergerie, our No. 3 wine, seemed less complex than the Clos Sacr�s, but shared its balance, liveliness and rich texture. The Joly Clos de la Coul�e de Serrant, our No. 8 wine, might be the most complex of the three, but we were a bit put off by the heat from the high alcohol content, 15 percent. In fact, all three Joly wines were at 15 percent, the highest in the tasting, although we could really detect excess alcohol only in the Coul�e de Serrant. I asked Virginie Joly, Nicolas.s daughter, who now makes the wines, about the high alcohol. She responded that with the warmer climate, the grapes develop a higher level of sugar before they are fully ripe, hence the higher alcohol. Frankly, I find the alcohol level a bit disquieting. While Nicolas Joly is the most prominent Savenni�res producer, and incidentally a global spokesman for the virtues of biodynamic viticulture, other excellent bottles are out there. We loved the vibrant, elegant 2006 Clos de la Marche from Domaine du Petit M�tris, a producer with which I was unfamiliar. And while prices rose as high as $93 for the .07 Coul�e de Serrant, our best value at a mere $20 was our No. 4 wine, the lovely 2007 Ch�teau d.�pir�. Each of the wines in our top 10 has something to recommend it, though we had a marked preference for the younger wines . all five of the .07 Savenni�res made our top 10. Aside from some of the older bottles in our tasting, which seemed tired, we rejected a few that seemed overwhelmed by the flavors of new oak, and a few others that seemed to have an unpleasant lactic quality. Nonetheless, Savenni�res can age beautifully. Not so long ago I enjoyed a beautiful 2002 Joly Clos Sacr�s, which still has many years ahead of it. Pascaline was impressed with the bottles we liked, but nonetheless expressed some disappointment. .They can do so much better with this terroir,. she lamented, suggesting that some of the viticulture and winemaking were not doing justice to the great potential of these wines. I was curious how Michael and Pascaline presented such distinctive wines in their restaurants. Clearly, Savenni�res is not your typical by-the-glass pour. .I almost think it.s our duty to recommend these wines,. Michael said. .They all have personality.. Well, I.m not sure recommending wine is ever a duty. But it is a pleasure. Top 10 Savenni�res Nicolas Joly Savenni�res $52 ... 1/2 Les Clos Sacr�s 15 percent 2007 Rich and round yet focused with lingering waxy, mineral, saline, citrus and spice flavors. (Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York) Domaine du Petit M�tris Savenni�res $28 ... Clos de la Marche 13.6 percent 2006 Elegant, lively and vibrant with classic aromas and flavors of honeysuckle and minerals. (Boutique Wine Collection, Philadelphia) Nicolas Joly Savenni�res $53 ... Roches-aux-Moines Clos de la Bergerie 15 percent 2007 Full-bodied yet balanced with rich texture and flavors of flowers, honey and minerals. (Domaine Select Wine Estates) BEST VALUE Ch�teau d.�pir� Savenni�res $20 ... 13.5 percent 2007 Deep and complex with beautiful floral and wax aromas. (Kermit Lynch Wine Merchants, Berkeley, Calif.) Domaine Laffourcade Savenni�res $26 .. 1/2 2006 12.5 percent Complex, textured and harmonious with herbal, spice and mineral flavors. (Langdon Shiverick, Cleveland) Domaine des Deux Vall�es Savenni�res $22 .. 1/2 14 percent 2007 Lovely aromas of minerals and honeysuckle; viscous texture yet light. (The Wine List, New York) Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coul�e de Serrant $93 .. 1/2 15 percent 2007 Waxy, wooly, spicy flavors; potentially profound but showing heat from alcohol. (Domaine Select Wine Estates) Jo Pithon Savenni�res $23 .. 1/2 La Croix Picot 13 percent 2005 Dry and complex with lingering fruit and mineral flavors (Elite Wines, Lorton, Va.) Damien Laureau Savenni�res $28 .. Cuv�e les Gen�ts 14 percent 2005 Quite closed down, but complex mineral and citrus aromas indicate it will blossom. (Jon-David Headrick Selections, Asheville, N.C.) Domaine du Closel Savenni�res $28 .. Clos du Papillon 14.5 percent 2005 Attractive waxy, mineral and saline flavors with a touch of heat from alcohol. (Louis/Dressner Selections, New York) -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *