Better than Snow
Lucien Aviet, Named Bacchus
(Montigny-les-Arsures)
At Bachus' everything remained unchanged - only Gorki, the dog, has aged distinctly (see our report Visit at Bacchus' in December 2002). Madame Aviet welcomed us heartily and offered us - like it's custom here - the reds first for degustation.
We started with the Ploussard and after that tasted three different vintages of the Trousseau. A very interesting and profitable comparison between 2002, 2004 and 2005. The 2002 appeared the most open, the 2004 was brighter and not so dense but very fine. The youngest, 2005, had already been bottled and is regarded to be very promising. It is dense, concentrated and has substance. Read more in the degustation notes at the end of the page.
When we got to the white wine, Lucien Aviet entered the cellar with a thick bundle of brushwood for the stove. The Savagnin and especially the Vine Jaune have a complexity that can keep you busy for long - and that's the reason why we stayed so long.
You feel like staying and can't help thinking Bacchus' cellar is a living room, too.
The mighty, carefully carved barrels feature crossbeams on the front that are being used as shelves for all sort of finds.
Aviet possesses a collection of old bottles from former centuries. For instance, he showed us a German beer bottle made of pottery.
After finishing the degustation, we were quite impressed as we left the cellar and stepped out of the door. It had started to snow heavily. The whole week before had been spring weather, on the journey here there had been some sleet and now a short winter had arrived.
We parked the car beneath the canopy so we could load our purchases in the dry. Meanwhile, Gorki scouted the newly interesting surroundings curiously. Vin Jaune and its maturing have a lot to do with youth and age and the youth of age. Nowhere else can you contemplate about that so peacefully like at Bacchus' in Montigny-les-Asures.
Bottle Samples:
Ploussard Cuvée des Docteurs 2005
Bright red. In the nose apple skin, blueberry, some white chocolate. In the mouth apple-like acidity, bright berries, ripe red gooseberry.
Trousseau Cuvée des Géologues 2004
A bit darker. Intense bouquet with red fruit jelly and forest berries with earthy tones. The acidity goes in the direction of red currant. Red apple skin. First impression is simple, but it definitely is a complex wine with the potential to unfold itself over the next ten to fifteen years.
Trousseau Cuvée des Géologues 2002
Dark and more dense than the 2004. Nice resin tones. Dark fruit, especially blackberry and black currant, and some liquorice. Can be kept for twenty years.
Trousseau Cuvée des Géologues 2005
Very bright and for Trousseau strong red. Still closed. Tones of boiled jam. Great potential. Aviet says in a good cellar it can age for 25 years.
Chardonnay Cuvée des Docteurs 2004
Bright colour. Flowery and fresh with lemon. Beautiful Chardonnay that will surely open.
Savagnin Réserve du Caveau 2000
Peat, walnut, soil. Terroir wine. Good acidity, long finish, opens up in the aftertaste. Very good!
Vin Jaune Cuvée de la Confrérie 1999
The 99 Vin Jaune turns out relatively slender, but is very delicious instead. Yeast gauze, creamy notes, fantastic fine acitity, walnut, Comté and butter. Lucien Aviet also gave us his estimation how long you can keep this wine. We bought some, and when he handed us the bottles he said he would guarantee for a lifetime - but only if you have a good cellar. Just store it, ignore it, sometime later come across it and drink it!
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