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A Visit to Château Pierre-Bise, 2010
Château Pierre-Bise
This update relates to wines tasted in July 2010.
For more on this estate, including all my relevant tasting notes, see my Pierre-Bise profile.
Having recently written up my meeting with Claude and Joëlle Papin (as well as Yves Guégniard and Vincent Ogereau) in London at the lunch and tasting to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of RSJ, Nigel Wilkinson's Loire-focused restaurant, it seems only proper that I now look back to my other tasting of Claude's wines this year, when I visited Château Pierre-Bise in July.
I readily confess that if I ever find myself anywhere near Château Pierre-Bise it is very difficult for me to not pay a visit; whereas Domaine Huet holds my personal award for most-visited-domaine in all the Touraine appellations, in Anjou that crown is most certainly worn by King Claude (pictured below, 'holding court' at the 30th Anniversary RSJ tasting). And with good reason. He is a thoughtful winemaker, usually brimming over with philosophies on terroir-expression, the soils and stones with which he works, and the interplay between these and that other great influence on the white wines of Anjou, botrytis. And this dedication comes through into the glass, the wines themselves often vibrant, pure, rich and exciting.
Although
the wines tasted here were of high quality across the board, one or two are
perhaps worthy of extra comment. My favourite from among the dry wines presented
was the 2008 Savennières Roches-aux-Moines, a wine which displayed the
fine definition of the terroir, linear and bitter in style, challenging and
precise. It is a wine that should be destined for the cellar, although I have to
confess I have already consumed a couple of bottles from those that I purchased.
Perhaps worthy of a more detailed examination is Claude's offering from Quarts de Chaume in the same vintage, 2008. Note that this was not a year richly blessed with botrytis in this appellation, a deficiency reflected by the decision made at Pithon-Paillé to blend the fruit from their tiny holding of vines in Quarts de Chaume with their négoce Anjou Blanc in 2008. They thus have no 2008 Quarts de Chaume to offer, but their 2009 is superb. Claude, however, has bottled his 2008 Quarts de Chaume as is usual, the wine a fascinating study of the character of the appellation without a heavy application of the mask of noble rot. For that reason I find it to be a fascinating wine to taste, complex and also charming, with zesty fruit mixed around a lightly sweet, sagey vein. It is not one for those seeking a traditionally sweet dessert wine, displaying neither the richness of botrytis nor the intensely sweet but crystalline vibrancy that comes from passerillage, but I find it a wine of considerable academic interest, and I will enjoy continuing my 'studies' with my other bottles in the future. (14/10/10)
Château Pierre-Bise, July 2010 - Tasting Notes
These wines were tasted in July 2010. I have presented them in order of
tasting, hence the interposition of the Quarts de Chaume amongst the Coteaux du
Layon notes. All my notes on Pierre-Bise wines, including those below, are collated under my Pierre-Bise profile. Click
to locate stockists.
Château Pierre-Bise Anjou Blanc Le Haut de la Garde 2008: Really
attractive apples and pears on the nose of this youthful wine. It has an
appealing lightness, slightly stony, leaning towards that papery style some
young Chenin can show. On the palate good character, stony texture as the nose
suggested, with a medium-weight body. Attractive wine. 15.5-16.5+/20
Château Pierre-Bise Anjou Blanc Le Haut de la Garde 2007: This is
certainly more open and accessible than the 2008 tasted alongside, and against
the apples and pears also evident here we have a touch of honey too, and overall
this seems more attractive right now. A good, toothsome style on the palate,
evolved and quite seductive, although softly textured. Good. 16.5+/20
Château Pierre-Bise Savennières Clos
le Grand Beaupréau 2009:
This is plainly much more structured than the Haut de la Garde, showing on this
tasting a steely, stony, tightly coiled composition. The palate is restrained,
with similarly tight fruit here, refined and mineral, with just the lightest
touch of honeyed warmth. very good potential here. 16.5-17.5+/20
Château Pierre-Bise Savennières Roches-aux-Moines 2008: This is
clearly a step up from the Grand Beaupréau although it is a different vintage of
course. The nose is well defined, with minerally-stony elements around the
fruit, along with a little straw. On the palate it shows a much greater
definition, sappy, pithy and bitter, a linear style giving fine structure to the
substance. Tightly coiled, bright acidity, finely composed, a little austere
even, with some depth, this is a very good wine which should be destined for the
cellar. 17.5-18+/20
Château Pierre-Bise Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Clos de la Soucherie 2007:
This has great character on the nose, full of sweet fruit. I don't find the
botrytis I noted last time, and in fact this seems more raisined in character.
This palate has a certain style, crystalline and defined, with perfectly honed
fruit sitting within an appealingly fresh frame. This seems to have tightened up
somewhat since my last tasting. 16.5+/20
Château Pierre-Bise Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu Rouannières 2007: Like
the Clos de la Soucherie tasted alongside, this wine shows a sweet and
crystalline fruit character. The palate is impressive, perhaps rather more
minerally and punchy than the Soucherie, although again very much a wine that
depends more on passerillage more than botrytis. 16.5+/20
Château Pierre-Bise Quarts de Chaume 2008: This vintage has a summery,
mid-gold hue, and not the depth or richness of colour that we might expect from
this appellation. The nose offers a very reserved character, with some nuances
of honey sweetness, although this is a minor element in a complex array of
straw, menthol, crunchy yellow plum and the zest of oranges and lemons. As the
nose suggests not a majorly sweet wine on the palate, mid-gold fruits, with a
sweet but also slightly bitter character. Structured, lightly crystalline, but
more in the vein of sugar-coated sage than anything opulent. Nice grip. A little
soft-focus in the finish. This needs time to show its best. One for the purist terroirists
rather than the hedonists. 16+/20
Château Pierre-Bise Coteaux du Layon Rochefort Les Rayelles 2005:
Tasted at the domaine, but this note also based on two subsequently consumed bottles. A rich orange-gold hue
here, and a nose which as expected gives up aromas of honey, apricot and very
overt botrytis. This has great texture, rich and viscous, minerally although
this character is swamped a little by the texture of the wine, and the acidity
feels low in the mouth. A seductive character though, towards opulent, with
honeycomb and caramel flesh leading into a heady finish. Very long. Good wine.
17+/20
