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1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Saturday 17 April 2010

Julien Courtois: two bizarre wines

2005 Equiss, VDT (colour here deceptive, actually grey, brown)


14th April 2010: Dynamic Vines tasting (cont) 
Julien and his father, Claude, have vines in Soings-en-Sologne at the western edge of the Sologne, a wooded region with many ponds and small lakes and famous for hunting. Not long ago I tasted Julien's 2004 Originel (100% Menu Pineau). For the 2007 (£18.20) the blend has changed to 80% Menu Pineau with 20% Romorantin. I was agreeably surprised by the 2004 whereas the 2007 lacks charm and is quite oxidative and medicinal.

I then moved onto two truly bizarre wines, especially with regards to their colour. The photo gives the 2005 Equiss (VDT – 100% Menu Pineau) a rich golden colour when in actuality the colour was an extraordinary greyey brown-like the colour of dishwater. Julien must have considerable talent to achieve such a curious hue! This is a vendange tardive but vinified dry. It does have a touch of honey but I certainly wouldn't want to pay £31.60 even if I did want to play a joke on friends. The 2005 Franc de Pied (VDT – 100% Menu Pineau) is also a vendange tardive and exhibits the same colour as Equiss. Also very oxidative with a note of iodine like an Islay malt. Again £31.60 a bottle.

The three reds were a little better. I tasted two Gamays – 2007 'Element-Terre' (£16.50) made from Gamay Chaudenay (a teinturier) – quite rustic with some greenish tannins in the finish. 100% was a Gamay à jus blanc was also from 2007 and was the best of the reds but very poor value at £17.90. The last red was the 2007 Ancestral, presumably a blend, supple with some fruit but quite marked acidity.  
Steven Spurrier was also at the tasting and I asked him what he thought of the Julien Courtois wines and he admitted he was equally bemused by them.        

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