Château Pierre Bise is rightfully acknowledged as one of the very best producers in the Loire Valley. While much of the spotlight falls up on the estate’s Chenin Blanc-based sweet wines, the reds are excellent in their own right and bargains in the contemporary wine marketplace.
The dry Savennières Roche aux Moines is on a par with the high standard set across the high portfolio. Even in a warm year such as 2009, the wine doesn’t show any excess of alcohol (as can be the case with some producers in Savennières).
It is dry and savoury, but not uncompromisingly so. In as much as the wine is most definitely not about up-front fruit, it is a wine that will appeal to those with a slightly intellectual bent. There is plenty of structure here, more than enough to ensure a long life ahead. Those seeking something a little bit different with real verve and interest, at a modest price-tag (see what $45 gets you from Burgundy!), should look no further. This is a wine that is most definitely about place, a wine that can not be replicated. It mightn't be fashionable, and it mightn't be everyone's cup of tea, but it sure is good.
2009 SAVENNIÈRES ROCHE AUX MOINES
Producer: Château Pierre Bise
Variety: Chenin Blanc
Vintage: 2009
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $45.00
Date tasted: 4 August 2012
Tasting Note:
Decanted half an hour before tasting. Bright golden yellow. Not fruit driven! Crush rocks, touch of honey, red apples. Slightly closed initially. Dry, medium bodied and savoury, quite chalky in texture. Not a wine for the uninitiated! Slightly sinewy, but displays lovely palate weight and plenty of interest. Will age extremely well.
Score: 18/20
The dry Savennières Roche aux Moines is on a par with the high standard set across the high portfolio. Even in a warm year such as 2009, the wine doesn’t show any excess of alcohol (as can be the case with some producers in Savennières).
It is dry and savoury, but not uncompromisingly so. In as much as the wine is most definitely not about up-front fruit, it is a wine that will appeal to those with a slightly intellectual bent. There is plenty of structure here, more than enough to ensure a long life ahead. Those seeking something a little bit different with real verve and interest, at a modest price-tag (see what $45 gets you from Burgundy!), should look no further. This is a wine that is most definitely about place, a wine that can not be replicated. It mightn't be fashionable, and it mightn't be everyone's cup of tea, but it sure is good.
2009 SAVENNIÈRES ROCHE AUX MOINES Producer: Château Pierre Bise
Variety: Chenin Blanc
Vintage: 2009
Region: Loire Valley, France
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Natural cork
Retail Price: $45.00
Date tasted: 4 August 2012
Tasting Note:
Decanted half an hour before tasting. Bright golden yellow. Not fruit driven! Crush rocks, touch of honey, red apples. Slightly closed initially. Dry, medium bodied and savoury, quite chalky in texture. Not a wine for the uninitiated! Slightly sinewy, but displays lovely palate weight and plenty of interest. Will age extremely well.
Score: 18/20
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