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Pierre-Bise Layons & Chaumes, December 2009

I'm looking forward to returning to the Salon des Vins de Loire again this year (just a few weeks away in fact), not least because once again I will be able to taste through the latest releases from Chateau Pierre-Bise. In the meantime, here are notes on five wines pulled from my cellar racks in December 2009, encapsulating the range from Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu through Chaume and Quarts de Chaume. I suppose to fully explore the quality levels from this region I should also include generic Coteaux du Layon and Coteaux du Layon-Villages, but I think the three categories presented below will suffice.

So remarkable was the Quarts de Chaume (and from 2001, not even a noteworthy vintage) that I featured it as my wine of the week after this tasting. This wine and the 2004 Chaume are of particular interest because of the recent appellation upheavals, which have seen the wines of Chaume renamed four times in recent years; for more on this, see my update on the 2001 Pierre-Bise Quarts de Chaume, or my guide to the Coteaux du Layon.

The tasting was also notable for the perceived differences in the three Layon cuvées, all of which were purchased at the domaine in 2003, and which have been stored by me ever since. On previous tastings of these wines I have been unable to tease them apart in terms of quality, but here today I found some more apparent differences, perhaps a result of the increasing maturity of the wines. I had a preference for the L'Anclaie here, followed by the Rouannières and then the Clos de la Soucherie; it is a close-run race though, I would certainly not turn my nose up at any of these wines, all of which are testament to the skill of Claude Papin. (5/1/10)

Chateau Pierre-Bise, December 2009 - Tasting Notes

These wines were tasted in December 2009. All my notes on Pierre-Bise wines, including those below, are collated under my Pierre-Bise profile. Click to locate stockists.

Chateau Pierre-Bise Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Clos de la Soucherie 2001: A good colour, fairly rich deepening lemon-gold. The nose is quite ethereal, with floral notes and honey. Sweetly textured on entry, rich throughout, with honey and beeswax through the midpalate, and a new caramel-citrus twist at the finish. Very long, firm and composed. A touch grippy at the end even. There is a little organic note in the middle, perhaps an evolving secondary note, but overall still very good indeed. 17.5+/20

Chateau Pierre-Bise Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Rouannières 2001: This has a delightful aroma, rather more expressive than the Clos de la Soucherie that preceded it. It gives a blast of pure, crystalline honey, with lots of quince-botrytis elements, then notes of herbal tea and a fine, rocky minerality. The palate starts of broad but very well defined and polished, and lusciously sweet. There is a little element of high-toned volatility running through it, but only at the level that provides interesting complexity, and on top of that I find a note of subtle, toasty, Maillard-like, golden-roasted meat. The finish is slightly organic, savoury and very, very long. 18+/20

Chateau Pierre-Bise Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu L'Anclaie 2001: A rich orange-gold now, and a great nose, full of honey and beeswax, with elements of white chocolate, quince and nougat. A lovely palate, rich and layered, full of creamy quince and honey and very, very stylish. This is showing not only intensity, but also a fabulous balance of structure, and a lovely textural quality to the substance of the wine. This seems to have been more touched by botrytis than the Soucherie and Rouannières cuvées, and in the finish there is sweet oatmeal biscuit, honey and caramel. This is brilliant stuff, potentially a very long-lived and a wine I shall be happy drinking many years in the future I think. 18.5+/20

Chateau Pierre-Bise Chaume 2004: This wine has deepened a little in colour, and is taking on a wonderfully rich, lightly coppery, onion-skin hue. Delicate aromas drift from the glass, of thyme and oranges, with a fine minerality. there are even elements of white chocolate, with gentle touches of hazelnut, honey and nougat. Beautifully rich and creamy and yet nicely poised on entry, with a melange of oranges, caramel and honey-toasted nuts, this has a remarkable character. There is a freshness to it, a slightly dry structure which affords it great presence and poise, although the memory of this fades as the finish, characterised by citrus and nuts, lingers on and on. Brilliantly polished, with a seamless texture and not a hair out of place; this is a superb and complex wine which is very fine indeed for drinking now, but which will only get better I feel. 18.5+/20

Chateau Pierre-Bise Quarts de Chaume 2001: This is a bright and yet deeply golden wine, which shows good evolution on the nose, where there are aromas of light toffee and honey, orange blossom, minerals, quartz, botrytis, apricot and more. But there is also something less tangible too, a seam of savouriness, more like oatmeal; it is fine and appealing. A beautiful palate ensues, tangerine brightness and sweetness combined, bright and acid-rich marmalade, full and creamy too, and full of crusted minerals like the nose. Brilliant, fresh and yet sweet, complex, overall a brilliant wine. Although a delight now, a little more than the three Layons tasted alongside, this wine absolutely demands to be cellared for a good few years yet. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 19+/20