WTN: 2002 Domaine du Clos Naudin, Vouvray Sec
If you've ever met Alder, you know that he always carries a little notebook to write wine tasting notes. I'm not so disciplined. When I'm at dinner, in a restaurant or at a friend's house, I don't bother with my notebook. I worry that it makes my companions feel self-conscious. Or maybe it's me that feels self-conscious.
So it's significant that I went to grab some paper and a pen when we opened the bottle of Vouvray we brought to our friends' house. I love Vouvray—few regions bring Chenin Blanc to such heights in such diverse ways—but this wine's balance and complexity reminded me why. I expected the intense minerality typical of Loire Valley whites, but the wine also offered up aromas of roasted pears and flowers, with whiffs of banana peel, peaches, and creamsicle. There was, perhaps, just a hint of yeastiness. The wine's acidity seemed slightly lower than I expected, but it still had plenty of bite. Minerals again dominated the flavors, suggesting the slightly bitter characteristics of ash (the fiery residue, not the tree). The wine gave the sensation of biting into a Granny Smith apple, and the finish left a peppery sensation on the tongue. This wine grabs you and doesn't let go.
We ended up drinking this as an aperitif, but we brought it to go with Zante's Indian Pizza, pizza with Indian food on it. The acidity in this wine makes it quite food friendly, and the swirl of intense flavors should hold their own against a variety of backdrops. The label on the back suggests that we got it at K & L Wines, but I have no recollection of it.
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