Back Vintage Saviennieres from Domaine Du Closel @ Decades Old Prices!

To use Rodney Dangerfield's "I never get any respect" line in relation to a wine is about as cliche as the word "smooth." However, I spent last week in the hospital with a burst appendix and watched a lot of old––amongst other things––Rodney Dangerfield clips. So the man is fresh on my mind and Saviennieres is definitely a wine to be brought up in relation to this famous quote. 

There are many reasons wine geeky people go a little crazy for Saviennieres. The most obvious, is that there really is nothing else like it. Sure, it's made of Chenin Blanc but it might as well be from another planet all together. There is a delicate yet pronounced bouquet on Saviennieres that always stands out in a crowd and always whimpers a fine yet pronounced exoticism. It tends to get lumped in with drier Riesling and Vouvray but that still doesn't do it justice. It is one of those wines that simply exists as it's own entity on this planet.

Secondly, there is price. QPR. Saviennieres is cheap for the fact that it can age extensively.  If someone wants case of wine to give to their kid at their wedding or bar mitzvah, Saviennieres is always my go to go for whites. Very few other white wines can age with this sort of majesticism and longevity. 

Domaine du Closel dates back to 1495 as a wine growing estate under its historical name, Château des Vaults. The family of current proprietor Evelyne de Pontbriand acquired it in the late 19th century, and its modern history has been shaped by three generations of women, including her great-aunt and her mother before her. In her 17-year tenure, Evelyne has elevated Closel from a well-established domaine into a standard-bearer of excellence for the appellation. Since taking over in 2001, she implemented many changes: the conversion to certified-organic in 2009 and to certified-biodynamic farming in 2015; a shift to the harvesting of well-ripened but not overly ripened or extremely botrytized fruit; more meticulous sorting plus gentler pressing of the grapes; fermentation with natural rather than selected yeasts; a serious reduction in sulfur usage; and the addition of barrels to the aging regime.

For today, we have a line up of some slightly old and very old Saviennieres from the two main sites: Papilllon and Jalouise. For the money, wine does not get better or more interesting. 
 

• 10% off any 6, 15% off any 12
• Available September

Clos du Papillon
Closel is fortunate enough to own almost the entirety of one of the top three sites of Savennières: the renowned Clos du Papillon. The vines in the Clos lie in a small ravine or coulée with an ideal southwestern exposure and shallow, sandy, rocky top soils over schist mother rock. Wines from this vineyard are among the most complex and ageworthy whites in the world, and maximizing its personality each vintage has been the entire focus of Evelyne’s transformation of Closel’s work in the vineyard and the cellar


2004 Savennières Clos du Papillon
Newsletter Price:  $65.99
Wonderfully fragrant with bedazzles of crushed rock, marzipan, acacia, sea oils, lime zest, peach and marshmallow. Exquisite balance with layer upon layer of complexity.   Cooler vintage on heels of hot 2003, the stress of which reduced the ’04 crop. 13 months in barrel. RS 7.95g. Acidity 3.83g. 14.5%.

2007 Savennières Clos du Papillon
Newsletter Price:  $65.99
Aged 18 months in barrel. RS 2.2g; acidity 3.9g. 14.5% alc.

2011 Savennières Clos du Papillon
Newsletter Price:  $63.99
Insanely exotic aromas of white flowers, almonds, peach, corn, tulip fields, jasmine and green tea.  Insane on the palate with fat and chewy flavors subdued within an exotic warmth. Aged 16 months in barrel. RS 1.4g; acidity 4.85g. 14.5% alc.

2013 Savennières Clos du Papillon
Newsletter Price:  $61.99
Aged 18 months in barrel. RS 9g; Acidity 4.85g. 13% alc.

2015 Savennières Clos du Papillon
Newsletter Price:  $64.99
12 months in old barrels. RS 4.2g. Acidity 4.1g. 13.5%

La Jalousie
La Jalousie is a blend of several parcels of younger (20-30-year-old) vines planted in schistous soils on gentle hills. The wine is made similarly to Clos du Papillon but aged in tank only. The concept is that of a more modern style of Savennières: lighter, brighter and more fruit-forward. Like the rest of the Closel vines, they are biodynamically farmed, low-yielding and harvested by hand. Jalousie is inherently less powerful than Papillon but equally suited to long aging under the proper conditions in the Closel cellar.

Unfortunately as most of these are just being released into the U.S. now, there is not any tasting notes on them except a universal Wayne's World EXCELLENT

2001 Savennières La Jalousie
Newsletter Price:  $52.99

2002 Savennières La Jalousie
Newsletter Price:  $52.99

2004 Savennières La Jalousie
Newsletter Price:  $52.99

2005 Savennières La Jalousie
Newsletter Price: $52.99