Saturday, December 27, 2008

Name That Wine


Just for fun, here's a photo of a bit of detritus from the Christmas Eve feast. Bonus points to anyone who can name the wine* (click the photo for an enlarged view). Details to follow shortly, so don't delay.

* Immediate family of publisher and other participants in said feast excluded.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Edmund Vatan Sancerre Clos De Neore. perhaps the best there is!

Director, Lab Outreach said...

John T beat me to the punch. I'd know fast Eddie's green wax anywhere. And I would argue only with the "perhaps". How was it?

And happy New Year!

David McDuff said...

And here I thought Fast Eddie was the Governor of the great state of Pennsylvania!

John T scores as the first to correctly ID Vatan's rather distinctive cork, though I've yet to determine what those bonus points will be worth.

Thanks for playing, guys.

David McDuff said...

Oh yeah, the Vatan was young but oh so tasty. Complete notes should be posted later today, so stay tuned.

Anonymous said...

Well to clarify the perhaps, I have heard that Edmund Vatan passed a few years back, and I haven't seen these bottlings as often as I have in the past.

Even in the off years, this Sancerre has amazing structure and place, it is always an absorbing experience to drink. I have also had the experience of his red Sancerre way back in the early 90s, it was similarly structured with a strong mineral core.

Both Cotat's make Sancerre's at this quality level, though I find Vatan to be more transparent.

Director, Lab Outreach said...

I was just kidding about the perhaps. But as of this summer, Vatan is alive and well but getting up there. His kids, apparently, have no interest in the business, so he has scaled back his production to just the Clos De Neore. I've heard the rest of his vineyards have been transferred to his cousins. There's just 50 cases of the Neore made each year. And only 10 make it to the US. Best to get them while you can.

Director, Lab Outreach said...

My math skills are appalling. It's 500 cases made & 50 exported to the US.

David McDuff said...

Thanks for the stats (and the correction), Herr Director. 500/50 sounds more like it as Chambers Street alone gets more than ten cases of the US allocation.

I had heard the same thing as John T about Vatan, re: supposed death. Misinformation does have a way of spreading as accepted truth around the Internet. Happily, I believe Edmond is still with us. Sadly, we see yet another great estate (I'm thinking of Truchot in Burgundy in particular here) doomed to ceased existence (eventually, in this case).

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