Synopsis, Our Opinion: A very disappointing blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir.
Producer/Winery: Stéphane Bonjean; Chateaugay, France.
Grape Variety: Blend – 50% Gamay and 50% Pinot Noir.
Geographic Appellation: Côtes d’Auvergne, Loire Valley, France.
Vintage: 2010
Price: $22.00
Purchased From: Manhattan Wine Company; New York, New York.
Paired With: Chicken Marsala, linguine, Caesar style salad and homemade peasant bread.
Tasting:
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He said: Opened for 30 minutes than decanted for 45 minutes before drinking. Almost clear, dark brownish garnet color with the same color rim. Very ripe cherry and blackberry aromas with strong hints of petroleum. Fairly smooth (although not on the first taste) with just a slight edge and a medium body. Abundant cherry flavor, but with a distressing companion chemical or petroleum taste that became very bitter through the long finish and after-taste. Honestly the wine improved tremendously from the first taste to the last, but the heavy bitter chemical taste really killed it. We thought this could be a unique wine, but in the end it was a very disappointing blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir.
With that said we VERY, VERY SELDOM have a wine we pour down the sink, but this was one that I couldn’t finish. It wasn’t corked and it was definitely not as described by the Manhattan Wine Company…”This is easily one of the best wines in our entire shop for the money and it’s drinking perfectly right now.”!!!
She said: Almost opaque, dark garnet with a brown rim, thin irregularly space slowly moving legs. At first the wine had such an unpleasant aroma and taste that I did not want to continue with it. As time went on cherry crept into the turpentine taste and became the more dominant flavor. The mouth-feel was smooth and dry and accompanied by a medium body. The finish was long, but continued the turpentine flavor with a tartness and pleasant tannins at the end. The wine was better with the dinner than drinking alone afterwards, but I would not buy it again.
Alcohol Content: 13%
Closure: Cork.
UPC Code: 3 53022 00521 9
Imported by: Fruit of the Vines; Long Island City, New York.
Photo from Bienvenue a la Ferme.