A buddy brought out this bottle of 2010 Clos de la Coulée de Serrant to help toast a great achievement this past weekend. One can probably imagine my excitement as I’m a massive fan of these wines by Nicolas Joly. However, I feel compelled to admit that these wines are not for everyone. They vary wildly from one vintage to the next and there can often be quite a bit of bottle variation to boot. None of this has swayed me from my position; that these are amongst the most exciting, singular expressions of a place that I have ever experienced.
Popped and poured. The 2010 pours a deep golden color with medium+ viscosity and no signs of particles or gas. On the nose, the wine is redolent of white tree flowers, desiccated apples and apricots with orange marmalade, honey, lanolin, marzipan and light clove. On the palate, the wine is dry with borderline high acid that is somewhat masked by the equally high alcohol (15%). Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and remarkably rich with wooly, unctuous texture. The high alcohol only becomes apparent as the finish lingers but there is so many other more fascinating things for me than to get distracted by it. Is it oxidative or not? That’s an argument that other people can have. I’m content to simply appreciate these wines for what they are. You can drink these now but knowing how these react favorably to air, it’s probably best to open it well in advance and probably even better to decant. Otherwise, I would expect sound, well-stored examples to live through 2040. — 11 days ago
+2 hour decant(little fine/cloudy sediment). A brooding dark magenta color. On the nose: very aromatic notes..lots of blackberry, floral, pencil lead, wet forest floor, sweet oak. Taste: blackberry, cassis, bitter chocolate, herbs, pepper and a gravelly/new leather long finish with some still there kickin tannins. YUM! Gonna give my next bottle a few more years for a better score. — 2 months ago
+1 hour decant(some fine/chunky sediment). A captivating dark purplish magenta color. On the nose: mellow notes of cherry, tobacco, menthol, wet forest floor. Taste: cherry, herbal, leather, bitter chocolate and a spiced graphite w/some slightly astringent tannin medium plus finish. — 13 days ago
v19. This is really good! Soft white pepper and cedar nose. Fresh, deep, rich black fruit licorice. Tight, chewy, smooth, long, slightly astringent, dried herbal spice and mocha finish. Nicely balanced. — 3 months ago
+2 hour decant(decent chunky/fine sediment). A wondrous dark garnet with bricking. On the nose: perfumed notes of stewed plum, currants, old leather, cigar box, smoked meat, truffles, and touch of mint. Taste: silky, exquisite wine with red cherry/plum, old leather, dusty chiseled granite, bitter chocolate, cedar, and a dry graphite/coffee long finish. YUM! Drinks beautifully and should hold for more years of awesomeness. — 20 days ago
Decanted and simmered for hours. By Hour 3+ this broadened into a deep and luxurious wine. Ripe fruit - currant blackberry. Nice mouthfeel with some mineral residue. Not a long tail on this but it did linger still. Not particularly fragrant. A bit inward overall but all the pieces good and bad kinda fit together and it was nonetheless quite enjoyable. — 2 months ago
Jose Lorenzo
Beautiful golden hue. Creamy, Wildflowers, grapefruit. Probably the best Viura on the market. Cheers — 21 days ago