Goisot Bourgogne Cotes d'Auxerre Gueule de Loup

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Bottled in February, his 2008 Cotes d’Auxerre Gueule de Loup reflects in Guilhem Goisot’s opinion an ideal combination of the advanced ripeness and pronounced mineral character attributable to this heat- yet also water-retentive white, rocky Portlandian limestone site. Iris, gentian, citrus oil, crushed chalk, and sea breeze in the nose lead to a subtly creamy yet refreshing, expansive yet delicate palate impression. Salt, iodine, crushed stone join persistent zesty citrus, piquantly cyanic cherry pit, and bitter-sweet floral essences in a strikingly long and buoyant finish. This beauty should be worth following for at least 5-6 years. Extreme millerandage characterized his family’s 2008 crop, explains Guilhem Goisot, and even if one did not know that, it is easy to imagine the concentration of tiny, sparse berries when one tastes the superb collection rendered here this year. Yet even with these low yields, 2008 was not the vintage to threaten too much of a good thing, and the natural sugars sufficed for a collection of Chardonnay weighing in entirely between 12-13% alcohol from ripe, healthy fruit.Thomas Calder Selections (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29; also imported by Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA, tel. (510) 559-1040

From a rocky yet clay-rich (hence, water- and acid-retentive) Portlandian limestone site, the Goisot 2007 Cotes d’Auxerre Gueule de Loup smells of citrus oil, diverse flowers and herbs, and ocean breezes; comes to the palate refreshingly and lusciously endowed with grapefruit and lemon; and finishes with admirable penetration and transparency to salt and stone nuances. If richness of texture is a prime concern, this will not be the Goisot offering to favor, but this ball of energy, refreshment, and minerality will be versatile and fascinating to follow for at least the next 6-8 years. Guilhem Goisot (whose name has now replaced that of his mother in this estate’s official title) echoed the sentiments of many regional growers that the grapes – while already adequately high in sugar at the end of August – were simply not ripe. But time was on an Auxerrre vintner’s side in 2007, and the Goisots were able to pick selectively, parcel by parcel, for three weeks, as compared with nine days in 2006. Their single-vineyard bottlings came close to 13.5% in natural alcohol, those few lots that approached 14% having been consigned to blends. Sauvignon, with its characteristically southwestern exposures (hail-free this year), was picked last – albeit already mid-September – and adequately ripe.Thomas Calder Selections (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29

The 2006 Cotes d’Auxerre Gueule de Loup comes from a rocky yet clay-rich Portlandien Limestone site whose wine the Goisots first segregated in vintage 2004. Like its single-vineyard siblings, assembled in tank (the occasion of its sole racking) for a several month stay before bottling, it smells of tangerine, lime, and lily-of-the-valley; comes to the palate quite firm, with a chalky sense of density and saline, savory pan-dripping character; and finishes long on juicy citrus, sizzling citrus zest, and quite profound layering of the savory and the stony. While the track record is not yet in place for these Goisot single-site wines, I would anticipate at least 5-7 years’ interesting evolution from this one. The Goisots farmed organically before that implied any fashion statement, and have long been the foremost vintners of appellation Saint-Bris (Sauvignon Blanc). Their Chardonnays of Cotes d’Auxerre appellation have been enhanced in recent vintages by the addition of barrel-fermented bottlings from individual sites that offer a level of complexity comparable to top-notch premier cru Chablis.Importer:Thomas Calder Selections (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29