CHARDONNAY DU DOMAINE élevé en fût de chêne 2004

IRISH TIMES (October 2004) by Mary Dowey:
« This is a smashing example (of chardonnay), combining ripe apple and honey flavours with a crisp lemon tang. A smooth, creamy texture adds to the appeal thanks to subtle oak treatment. This is the kind of wine that goes with anything from a handful of tortilla chips to roast chicken. »

SAUVAGEON 2008

WWW.THEWINEDOCTOR.COM By Chris Kissack: A new project, only started in 2007 (in a non-commercial quantity) this is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc cuvée. Managed in a manner akin to the Limoux wines, this means barrel-fermented Sauvignon with a short period of barrel age before bottling. The nose belies the variety, although the palate has more in common with the estate’s various Limoux cuvées than with any Sauvignon preconceptions you might bring to this wine. Full, substantial palate, sweet and almost nutty, this is as far from Marlborough Sauvignon as you could get. I know some people find the combination of oak and Sauvignon to be the devil’s work, but I really like this. 16-16.5+/20 (July 2009) … retasted in July 2012 This is barrel fermented, and is not your average Sauvignon Blanc. On the nose there is a firm, rocky minerality, and exotic fruit elements suggestive of stone fruit and pear skin, although with a deep, savoury, wild and feral character. Alongside is a richer, toffee-melon edge most probably a residual element from the oak. It also has an appealing matchsticky element to it which gives it a really attractive feel, and which enhances the minerality. The palate has a similarly well defined savoury substance, surprisingly deep with a good meaty-fruit character. A fine substance, with fresh, defining acidity here, and overall a really very attractive, pithy, tropical style backed up by a dense phenolic backbone, giving a slightly bitter streak – attractively so – into the finish. It is pretty long too. Lots of winemaking and style here, but overall I like this. 16/20 (July 2012) JANCIS ROBINSON Relatively deep straw for a Sauvignon. Reminds me on the nose of New World wines in the 1990s. Lots of fruit there and even quite fat and peachy. A million miles from the current fashion for dry ‘minerality’. On its own rather off-mainstream terms this could give pleasure   GUIDE DES VINS GILBERT & GAILLARD 2011 Robe jaune clair lumineuse. Nez bien mûr évoquant la pêche blanche, les agrumes. Un sauvignon ample, gras, équilibré par la fraîcheur. La palette aromatique s’enrichit d’une note vanillée. L’ensemble est persistant, à déguster sur des crustacés.   Bright pale yellow colour. Very ripe nose suggestive of white peach and citrus. A full-bodied, fat sauvignon, balanced by freshness. The aromatic range is enhanced by vanilla notes. Great length. Serve with shellfish. JANCIS ROBINSON PURPLE PAGES (May 2010) Very tropical, lots of very sweet ripe pineapple on the nose. Tropical opulence with lots of freshness and packed with Kiwi fruit, green mango and pineapple. A herbal gorse-bush top note. Quite unexpected (TC)   GUIDE DES VINS 2011 Patrick Dussert-Gerber Un pur sauvignon, dont le nom évoque une forte personalité aromatique et un caractère bien marqué, finement bouqueté, suave, parfait sur des filets de sole.    

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SAUVAGEON 2009

LES MEILLEURS VINS DE FRANCE 2011 Gault & MIllau On trouve ici une vision toute différente du sauvignon. Plus ensoleillé, il laisse apparaître des notes de fruits exotiques doublées en bouche par une chair ample et consistante. THE LEON STOLARSKI BLOG by Leon Stolarski Chateau Rives-Blanques Sauvageon 2009 Vin de Pays d’Oc Sauvignon Blanc, from vines planted as recently as 2006. Sauvignon is not a variety permitted by the Limoux AOC, so this has to be labelled as a vin de pays, but it benefits from the same oak treatment as the Cuvée de l’Odyssée. And it makes for a really interesting, quirky wine. The nose is oaky and buttery, but with lots of other aromas, such as lime and mandarin, fennel, cloves and herbs. The palate is again quite oaky, but adds structure, rather than dominating, with some quite intense flavours of orange, honey, apple pie and spice. It is very long and very interesting. I want some! ROSEMARY GEORGE MW TasteLanguedoc.blogspot.com Sauvageon is the clue that it is Sauvignon, but they didn’t want to put Sauvignon on the label. 2009 was the second vintage, after a very small crop in 2008, for the vines were planted in 2005. As for Limoux, the wine is fermented in barrel and the oak is nicely integrated, with some restrained Sauvignon fruit and good body and texture with balancing acidity. A harmonious mouthful, promising well with some bottle age. GUIDE DUSSERT-GERBER DES VINS 2012 + 2013 Goûtez ce pur sauvignon dont le no, évoque une forte personnalité et un caractère bien marqué, finement bouqueté; suave; parfait sur des filets de sole LE GUIDE HACHETTE DES VINS 2012 Elevé en fût de chêne, aux arômes de boissé, de fumé et de noisette grillée; agrémentés de notes citronnées et au palais ample et gras

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SAUVAGEON 2010

  100% young-vine Sauvignon Blanc, aged in barrels, 30% new. Hints of elderflower and pea pod on the nose. The fruit flavours are zesty and delicate, whilst the oak adds complexity without dominating. Although neither Sancerre nor Marlborough in style, I guess you could say it combines aspects of both – and the result is a really lovely wine. GUIDE DES MEILLEURS VINS DE FRANCE 2012 La Revue du Vin de France un peu exotique et graissé par le bois

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