IS 2005 the best? Hmm...

Yesterday we had a bottle of 2005 La Poussie Sancerre. I shall note that this bottle costs twice that of our delectable and beloved Pascal Thomas "Réserve Spéciale" - but was not twice as good. Not 1.3x as good. Not 1.00005 times as good, but rather, maybe 0.66 times as good. Yes, about 2/3 as good.

Why? We opened it and drank, in nice summer evening dying warmth, with a pasta dish including shaved Crottin de Chavignol goat cheese, basil, cherry tomatoes, and prosciutto (or rather, "jambon de pays"). But the damn thing was too fat.

It makes me think of the words on the packaging for a special high-end soap: "surgras au karité". I don't know what karité is (I could look it up, but since it isn't the point, I'll just battering-ram on), but "surgras" literally means "superfat" (or "overfatty"). This is my impression of some - more, more than fewer - 2005 whites that are meant to be sharp and minerally, from the Loire to Chablis to the Côte d'Or. Too much of a good thing...

And just as 2004 red Burgundies are often thin, green things, I think the much-vaunted 2005 vintage might not always spell exquisite balance for whites...

Give me back a little zip!