Thank you to all that sent us cellar questions!
The two overarching topics that emerged from this round were Cabernet Franc, specifically different vintages of L’Oublié, and old vintages of our Pinot Noir. It’s quite fitting, really, considering that the splendor of age is the front-and-center of our holiday release with the 2012 Black Ball shining in full force.
The story of L’Oublié began in 2013 - and it happened by total chance. One big barrel of 2013 Madeline was forgotten during bottling – which, normally, would be quite a faux-pas. The stressed-out winery crew, however, were in for a surprise and very relieved to hear that Francois had been curious about extended aging of Cabernet Franc in vessel. Questions needed answering, so the forgotten barrel spent an additional 4 years of aging in the cellar, for a grand total of 6 full years. That is a long time, but just so it happens that long aging in vessel is a time-honored practice among few of our favorite producers in the world - Chateau Musar immediately springs to mind.
We were so thrilled with the results that since then, we’ve kept aside a barrel of each vintage of Madeline (with the exception of 2015, when it was decided to give all of our Madeline the royal treatment and turn it all into 2015 L’Oublié). Only the 2013 and 2015 L’Oublié have been released at this point; the rest are all still in their barrels, huddled together in a corner of our cellar, happily growing and unfolding in beautiful ways. Many other wines have come and gone through the cellar in the intervening years, yet that pyramid of barrels is like a company of old friends biding their time and smiling wisely at old the energetic youngsters around.
2015 L’Oublié – do not open this wine, unless of course, you have a few bottles. I happened to have tried it 3 weeks ago when we opened a bottle for a visiting Italian winemaker. It was showing beautifully, glowing in its power. That being said, this wine has decades of life in it, it’s practically indestructible, so for all intents and purposes its journey is just beginning.
2013 L’Oublié and 2013 Madeline – both are made from the exact same juice, the only difference being that the Madeline went into bottle 4 years before the L’Oublié did. Just so it happens, we opened a bottle of the 2013 Madeline as well during the aforementioned visit. I’d say that it was the best showing of a red wine that day. Its classic bones and refinement were in full light. I haven’t had the 2013 L’Oublié in a very long time, as we only have 60 bottles of it in our library – precious, precious stock – but I am sure it’s a stunner. The 2013 vintage is an interesting creature; all the wines from it have been developing steadily, and symmetrically for years now. No abrupt closures or exceptionally large openings; or as I like to say – no attitude problems with this bunch. I am positive that drinking either the L’Oublié or the 2013 Madeline during 2023 will only add to the pleasures they are showing now. They also both have still at least another decade or two of life in them. If you’re the curious type and the opportunity arises, I’d suggest drinking them side by side. Even though they are made from identical juice and are technically the exact same age, with the only difference being one of where they spent the first few years of their life – they are two completely different wines now. Fascinating stuff! If you have to choose one to open and save the other, my advice will be to open the L’Oublié as it is the more advanced wine and it’ll be showing more of the nuances that the Cabernet Francs from 2013 carry.
Onto the 2011 Pinot Noir now and the related question of which vintages are in a great spot. That wine is magic – and certainly the only Pinot Noir in our books that has reached a point showcasing what Pinot Noir is to us. All the rest of the vintages – 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 have not crossed the borders of this territory yet. Certain ones – 2013, 2014 and 2018 - are in beautiful, open, eloquent spots. But still, they’re only at the foothills of the mountain. The rest – 2016, 2017 and 2020 – are locked behind a few closed doors. All three are wines of exceptionally complex structure and intricate details – but patience is required here. The only Pinot Noir that is somewhere in between these two groups is the 2012. Spiritually, it belongs to the second group, but it has cracked a couple of its doors, so you may be able to glimpse the might and mystique that Pinot Noirs from powerful vintages in Niagara carry. Out of all of them, however, it is the 2011 that is undisputedly wearing the Pinot Noir crown at the moment. It is not anywhere near over the top. You have definitely done right by gifting it your patience. Be ready for its bewitching perfume to bloom out of the glass and wrap around you. It’s always been a wine of tenderness, and now it’s showing the depths of its heart. Even writing about it, is making me want to go grab a bottle and plunge right in. It is purity, it is pleasure, it is elegance.
This naturally brings us to a question we had from an old friend with many Pearl Morissette bottles in his cellar: which are the best vintages to reach out for now? The answer is 2011. Everything I just wrote about the Pinot is equally valid for the Dix-Neuvième Chardonnay, Black Ball Riesling and the Persephone Cabernet Franc from that year. If I have to use one way to describe how 2011s are drinking – it’ll be “sumptuous”. It has always been one of prettiest and most graceful vintages. Alongside with the 2014s – which is the other vintage I’ll suggest reaching for – they are in what in my head is called “the ballet dancers’ camp” of our portfolio. Soaring, aspiring wines with lushness wrapped around their slender frames. Arabesque details, filigreed nuance, waves of emotion. The other visual I have of this camp is La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Think Gaudi, think flow and no straight line in sight. They’re all quite the whirlwinds of experience.
On that note, I wish you all a wonderful holiday season that brings you joy and many moments wrapped in the pleasures of beautiful wines. Keep the questions coming! Please email [email protected]. I look forward to answering them in the January edition.
