This and the Chardonnay were the best of the nite....big dark red and black fruit, weighted yet balanced on the palate with fruit, elegant mint/pine needle, acid and solid tannin structure. A blend of the 10 best barrels... Kudos to @Jasmine Hirsch who has taking over reigns of winemaker! We had a wonderful time! — 4 years ago
Excellent nose, with a little vanilla and jasmine. Not too ripe or concentrated, but a very refreshing st peray. — 5 months ago
A luscious demi-sec Vouvray. Floral nose with hints of jasmine and chamomile. The light sweetness on the palate provided notes of pineapple, melon, pear, and yellow apple. Great foil for spicy food! 100% Chenin Blanc. 2/17/23. — a year ago
Tasted double-blind. The nose showed white flowers; sort of a mix of magnolia, jasmine and citrus blossom. The palate came across off-dry with some potential residual sugar. Pastilles and honeysuckle. I thought this was well balanced and seemed to have higher acid. My call was a Chenin Blanc; a Vouvray, demi-sec from a recent vintage. Obviously, I was way off. I’m told the relatively higher ABV in these wines, plus the fact that they are made in stainless steel, give the perception of higher acid. Anyway, it’s nice to drink Viognier that tastes like this. Now I wish I had a dozen oysters! — 4 years ago
It has been a little while since we have had Olivier’s 2014. It’s our last bottle of three and the honey notes have definitely deepened.
The nose shows; sweet & sour lemons, green & golden apple, lime zest-candy, ripe pineapple, green melon, apricots, white peach, gentle, warm, white spice, beautiful chalkiness, caramel, vanillin, honey, candle wax notes, sea spray-fossils, understated limestone & volcanic minerals, fruit blossoms, yellow flowers/lilies, spring flowers, jasmine with mixed flower greens.
The body is full, thick & slightly waxy. Nice viscosity. sweet & sour lemons, green & golden apple, lime zest-candy, overripe pineapple, green melon, apricots, white peach, grapefruit w/ a touch of sugar, gentle, warm, white spice, beautiful, powdery, chalkiness, caramel, vanillin, honey, candle wax notes, light butter & cream quality, fresh herbaceousiness, sea spray-fossils, understated limestone & grainy, grey, volcanic minerals, light sulphur/flintiness, fruit blossoms, yellow flowers/lilies, spring flowers, jasmine with mixed flower greens. The acidity is round/phat...really well done. The nice finish glides gently with elegance, good balance, just hits the low end of rich & lush and depositing soft, powdery minerals as it long sets.
Photos of; Domaine Hubert Lamy, the road sign that lets you know your in St. Aubin, Winemaker-Olivier Lamy and their Domaine branding. — 4 years ago
This was impressive & fun: it pours pale yellowish green and immediately throws grapefruit & ginger, just so floral - jasmine & honeysuckle like some Gewurz I’ve had. Lime peel, saline, salty & surly - terrific nose whose flavors were mirrored on palate. Great acidic backbone, kinda nervy but also nice mouthfeel. Just a pleasurable experience — 7 months ago
Took a minute to warm up, but once it did the nose burst open with notes of leychee, jasmine and sweet floral notes. The flavor was off-dry, with a creamy floral sweetness that cascaded over the palate, with a slightly mineral/slightly spicy mid-palate, and ends with a dry minerality and taste of wet river stones on the finish. First Boxler but definitely won’t be the last. PS: as it continued to warm, I became aware of how fresh tasting the wine was. I’m still waiting on the food to finish, but I’m excited to see how it will emerge. — 2 years ago
The nose reveals; green apple, candle wax, lime candy, pineapple, tropical melons, cream, some buttered popcorn, white peach, honeycomb, dry & fresh herbs, soft, powdery chalkiness, saline, limestone minerals, volcanics, sea fossils, steeliness, vanillin, lanolin, cheese rind with yellow lilies/flowers, jasmine and fruit blossoms.
The mouthfeel is; full, round, lush and gorgeous with high viscosity. Green apple, candle wax, lime candy, very ripe, juicy pineapple flesh, kiwi, tropical melons, cream, some buttered popcorn, white peach, honeysuckle to honey, caramel notes, dry & fresh herbs, soft, powdery chalkiness, saline, hints of dry grass, grippy limestone minerals & grey volcanics, sea fossils, white spice, steeliness, vanillin, lanolin, cheese rind with yellow lilies/flowers, jasmine and fruit blossoms. The acidity is lively and round. The finish is minutes, nicely balanced in fruit & minerality, palate penetrating white spice with some mid intensity heat.
Gets better and better as it warms and opens up.
Photos of; Lalou Bize-Leroy (aka “The Queen of Burgundy”) tending & singing to her vines, one of their amazing vineyards and their 2015 wines aging barrel. — 4 years ago
David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
Haven’t sipped this in quite awhile. 375ml to refresh my palate memory.
40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Meunier. Varietals fermented separately in stainless steel vats. 5 to 10% of wine is vinified in old Burgundy oak barrels.
Texture is round and elegant. The fruits are; both peach, mango, apricots, slightly oxidative white citrus-lime hovers the edges & pineapple juice. Nougat, marzipan, toasted nuts, brioche, saline, crushed chalk, white spice that presses into the palate, notes of cheese cloth, limestone marl, moist, pulpy, grey volcanic minerals, yellow lilies with spring white flowers, jasmine blooms, round, soft acidy and a well; balanced, structured & tensioned finish that lands squarely on mid minerality and lasts 90 seconds.
Photos; Charles Heidsieck signage, Charles Heidsieck, chalky tasting area in their cellar and Cote de Blanc vineyard. — 2 months ago