TN Another meeting of the Weird Wine Group

[mychurch]

A trip back to Europe had a few gems – an 88 Magnum of Leibfraumilch that was full of life and a weird 69 Colares, that was a cross between a Vin Jaune and an Old Vouvray – but the vinus highlight was a get together with my tasting buddies for another meeting of the Weird Wine Group. Unfortunately my Ruggabellus arrived one day after I flew out, so my contributions were of the normal variety. Did not matter though, as the contrast in styles made for a fun evening

NV Anne de Bourbon Brut, Union des Vigernons de Saint-Pourcin, France
Great start. Apparently its against AOC rules to bottle a 100% Tressallier, so this has some chardonnay in the blend. Very strong mousse. This has a lovely bitterness with traces of fennel and some tropical fruit. Its powerful and the finish is long. Yum. I served a sparkling Vouvray at my wedding last year and this would have been a good alternative. 3*

2016 Cote de Toul Aubin Cepage Antique, Vincent Laroppe, France
Wine of the night. This is the very rare Aubin Grape and apparently this is the only straight bottling of this grape from the only actual producer (although more producers are in the pipeline) Its low acid, with glycerine in the mouth and its actually a crossing of Gouat and Savingnin. Vines are 40-80 years old and its fat, with lots of stone fruit and some fudge on the finish. No idea how this will age, but its a real treat now, although maybe a bottle would be a bit rich to finish. Buy if you see it. 3.5*

2017 Le Gars Met les Violes, L'Arbre Vike, France
Slightly pink, this is orange style. Natural nose, with a hint of cranberry. Made with Gamy, this has actually been under flor for a while. High acidity, hint of gueze, needs sun and food, but it’s great to drink. Touch of creamy strawberry on the finish. They would go mad for this at the Sun Moth in Melbourne. 3* (under 10 euro a bottle at the cellar door)

2015 Maloka Single Vineyard Ondarrabi Zuri, Astobiza, Spain
Telling point here is that I did not like this much at the tasting, but its the one I took home for a nightcap and I really enjoyed it. The grape is Ondarrabi Zuri. Reductive nose, which blows of a bit. Celery and spicy veg. Quite a delicate wine, with a gentle mouth feel and almost a dry Riesling like taste. Opened up like a top Alberino, with some saline notes. Cost Jelle 50 euro in NL, but if you can get this at under 20 then its recommended. Shame about the stupidly large bottle. 3*

2014 Anjou Blanc, Boudignon
They sell Boudignon in Melbourne, but its very expensive and so I picked some up at auction in Belgium. No room for every bottle in the case, so we try this, the basic cuvee. Its great. It has depth with much more body and concentration than the real Weird wines. Still needs to integrate the oak, but this has plenty of fruit and it is a great Anjou Blanc. Yum. 3*

2014 Heida, Cave Renaissence, Switzerland
From the highest vineyard in Europe, this is a grape that delivers a big wine. Nope. This reminds me of Canadian Vidal Icewine, with a tropical fruit and veggie soup. Yuk. Actually, Old Cotat has a similar taste, so if you like that, then buy this as it’s cheaper. Mid palate and finish have a caramel touch. Weird and not for me. 2*

2016 Petite Arvine, Cave Renaissence, Switzerland
Apricots of course. This is always a big wine and this is no exception. Much better balance than the Heida, this is intense, and rich, with lots of stone fruit. Have had better though. 2.5*

2015 Cuvee S, Eric et Berengere Thill, Vin de France (Jura), France
Ha ha ha. This is weird. It’s from the Jura, but there are none of the weird tastes we associate with the region. Veggie nose, but the sweetness dominates the mid palate and finish. Caramel and toffee. Needs a bit of time. 3*

2000 Merlot, Lumiere d'Argent, France
Ramon has a habit of bottom feeding at auctions and Mic picked up the 2 full cases of this, that Ramon had just bought, for him. Oh dear. Bottle 1 was dead and bottle 2 was just hanging in there. Travel shock ? Nope. This is cheap plonk that comes from the same people who sell the infamous La Pauline in the Netherlands. Destined for the cooking pile. 2* (being kind here)

2016 Dunaj, Juraj Zaprazny, Slovakia
I may have tried the Dunaj grape before courtesy of a Czech wine friend, but if so, it wasn't very memorable. This is not bad. Its high acid and refreshing and blind I would have gone for an Austrian Blaufrankriech. Crunchy and juicy, with some blue fruit. Nice. 3*


2014 St Joseph, Pierre Gonon
My other bottle and this does fit the theme – something definitely weird about all Gonon wines I have tried as the bottle is mysteriously empty after a very short time. This has the trademark weightless feel in the mouth and combined some liquorice, berry fruit and a touch of leather – decanting 4 hours helped. Not sure for how much longer this will be affordable, but its a great wine. Yum 3.5*

NV Petite Liquorelle, Moet Chandon
A real oddity – a 200ml sparkling liqueur from Moet. We think it was made in the 70's, which probably explains the lack of bubbles. Not a lot on the nose, but its actually fun, with plenty of toffee and cream. Think s a dark coloured baillys with a hint of fizz. 2*

[Waiters Friend]

Interesting that your group looked at a Moet & Chandon Petite Liqueur (as it was labelled in Australia). I drank quite a few of these in the early 1990s, generally with romantic intent! - but I recall them being an interesting drink (for two - how did you divide a 200ml bottle among your tasting group?). It was labelled petillant, and was indeed modestly sparkling in the day. This from a UK retailer's website:

"First introduced in the 1980’s Petite Liquorelle was an attempt from Moët & Chandon to market a new style of cocktail drink, a mixture of M&C Champagne and Marc de Champagne, which is a eau-de-vie made from Champagne grapes. Unfortunately the drink did not turn out the be the commercial success they hoped for and consequently Petite Liquorelle was discontinued in the 1990’s."


The same retailer is offering them for E60 and similarly ridiculous prices are available (if in stock) through Wine Searcher. Not worth it now, of course, and the wine retailed for about $7 in Australia around 1990. Interesting nonetheless.

[mychurch]

200ml of the Chandon could actually serve a lot of people - it was very strong tasting and a small glass was all that was needed. Fun stuff- Jelle picked some up at auction for not a lot and it’s a wine he will bring out when old relatives come to visit. 2 were driving anyway, so hardly any of the wine was actually drunk at the tasting.

Have a photos of everything, but an accident in Melbourne airport between a toilet and an i-phone means I have not got them to hand at the moment.