Well, you can’t get all them all right. Two recent disappointments which was surprising given that both of these wines have very good reputations around the wine-o-sphere (or whatever). Hopefully someone will chime in to tell me I’m full of shit so we can have some good heated debate on this blog. That is the real problem with blogs, there is no full throttle shit-kicking. Maybe people who read blogs are just pussies.
2004 Sella Coste della Sesia Orbello
This was a real disappointment. Seemed to lack structure and delineation. I’ve like other wines from Sella, and was hoping this could be a house red, but it was flaccid and loose on its own, didn’t improve with food and had a disturbing almond/marzipan note to it that I can’t stand (and sometimes find in Brunello). I don’t see the interest or even usefulness here.
2005 Jadot Moulin-à-Vent Château des Jacques
This was a disappointment. Very un-gamay like. It was impressive for it’s density and tannic structure, but seemed to lack snap and clarity. Did not improve over the next couple of days. I’m not sure what to make of this. Maybe it’ll be an enjoyable bottle in 10 years, maybe not, but I’m not sure that it will ever be at the level of Desvignes. I guess if you can tolerate the blockiness and are looking for a sturdier style wine this could be for you. Drinking it, I get the distinct feel of something more manufactured than I’m used to in Beaujolais Cru.
9 comments:
My manhood having been impugned, I still can't disagree, at least not about the Sella. That wine was just blue, juicy, and formless. Haven't had the Jadot, so can't fight there either.
Well, by agreeing, you saved yourself further impugnationality.
I didn't even find the Sella juicy. Frankly, I like the wines, but they don't make me all ga-ga like they do for other folks.
I don't know that I flipped for it, but I thought the basic, mostly Nebbiolo Lessona was a terrific bottle. I've been meaning to try one of the more exalted versions but have been too cheap lately.
Don't get me wrong, the wines are very good. It's just that they've been presented to me as the Second Coming (or First, depending on your persuasion).
While I really enjoyed the Lessona as well, I think it is as good as it will get. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it is unusual for nebbiolo.
To put it into perspective, I don't find Capellano Pie Franco to be mind-blowing either.
Expectations can do funny things to perception. I think the basic Lessona is as good as any $20 red I can think of that I've had in the past year. But yeah, a religious experience, that would be a stretch.
I'm curious to see how it develops. You may be right. I don't really see the stuffing for long-term development either. But not that long ago, I had a 1971 Valtellina Inferno, I think it was, that said it would be good for six or seven years on the label but was mind-bending thirty some-odd years later.
Count me as another underwhelmed by '05 Chateau des Jacques. I included a bottle in a recent large-ish Beaujolais tasting and it was one of the strangest and least expressive wines on the table. I was hoping it was just shut down as i have 3 more bottles.
Love the blog btw and hope you continue it.
Cliff-
Expectations and wine are indeed a bit of a confounding variable. We will often over-rate a wine that exceeds expectations and under-rate a wine that fails to meet them.
Of course, the vlm is immune to this sort of subjectivity and all the views expressed here are objective fact.
Slaton-
It wasn't just the lack of expression , it was the very un-Beaujolais-ness of the wine. Just so meaty and blocky. Moulin-á-Vent can be a bit blocky, but not like this. Very odd and unsatisfactory.
Thanks for reading. I've been working hard the last couple of days at putting notes together to keep up the content.
Jadot Bojo blows. The burgs are spotty but when one are great . . .I think Jadot may actually be a more consistent house when it comes to whites in my experience.
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