2004 Coulee de Serrant

The deep brass-colored 2004 Savennieres Coulee de Serrant offers a yet more unusual aromatic spectacle than the Clos de la Bergerie. Apricots and their kernels, quince paste, marzipan, jasmine, and daffodil-like, faintly stinky, musky floral notes are backed by animal and mineral nuances I find impossible to pin down. In the mouth, there is a satiny texture, salty, saliva-inducing mineral inflections, persistent musky florality, and high-toned inner-mouth esters. Salt, stone, quince paste, pistachio, honey and fruit pits dominate this densely-compressed wine’s impressively long finish. It lacks the charm of Joly’s ostensibly lesser 2004s, but then, charm is probably not high on his list of vinous virtues. How will these 2004s age? I know of many vintages of Coulee de Serrant that have needed years just to come around to the level of richness or expressiveness that these display today. But frankly, I am skeptical of the future development of these 2004s. After 18 hours, they showed interesting development, but nothing one could really call improvement. (And it need not matter, as they were gorgeous an hour after opening.) After 36 hours (from roughly 1/3 full bottles) they were unappetizingly oxidized, the Clos de la Bergerie looking like a pale Amontillado sherry – not the behavior one anticipates from young Chenin. Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000