Monday, October 13, 2008

Puzzle me that


Sorry, just making a bid for the worst wordplay in a blog post title, 2008 edition.

In any case, a Sunday meal of quiche lorraine and arugula salad (or rocket, for the UK faction) gave me the chance to chill a bottle of Thierry Puzelat's 2005 Clos du Tue Boeuf "Brin de Chèvre." Counter-intuitive, perhaps, as I usually like to break out something like Edelzwicker with egg stuff (who knows why); but then, with chunk bacon, onion, egg and cream you can be all over the map, and I have poignant memories of Meursault with the dish. So, shaking it up, here we were with Puzelat's Menu Pineau cuvée in our glasses.

I'd had the 2006 and, probably some time in the distant, dark hipster past, things like 2004 or even 2002, but this was my first encounter with the 2005. It was a thing of absolute clarity and precision. You could walk out on the deck of a seafaring vessel and look through it, seeing sharp for leagues. I've never had a wine with such intense minerality, and such bone-dry command. Not a bit of residual sugar, which had been my slight complaint about the (also much enjoyed) 2006 version of the same.

So, no surprise that this was unanimously (or bilaterally) voted "the best white wine tasted in quite some time."

And the cool thing is that I can actually afford more! (If I can find it.)

5 comments:

Tobias Øno said...

Thanks for recommendation, will seek out. Also a cool and appealing label, this agricultural caveman with domesticated ants-thing.

Brooklynguy said...

I love this and the other menu pineau wines I've tasted by the Puzelats. i've been hearing about how they taste so different (better) over there in France. have you ever had this or any Puzelat wine in the US of A?

Unknown said...

Uh, oh, creeping hipsterism!

Sharon said...

Brooklynguy, no, I haven't; that's interesting, though. See Joe's comment on an earlier post here about how Pacalet's wines have trouble doing the crossover. Similar problem?

Joe, three words: Dard et Ribo. The defense rests.

jason Carey said...

if you want to drink wines like this.. all naturalll.. the vagaries of cloudiness, residual sugar ect will constantly suprise you, not only vintage to vintage but bottle to bottle..
The Puzelats taste good here and in france.. methinks
its the mental romance of being in France