Tasting Notes
The story
The Saint Véran appellation is on the southern edge of the Mâconnais area of southern Burgundy and many of its wines; like this one, age well.
Domaine Thibert, run by brother and sister, Christophe and Sandrine Thibert, practises organic viticulture and minimum intervention preferring to let the "terroir" and the oak ageing show through in its wines.
The wine
Domaine Thibert St Véran Champ Rond has been a favourite wine of mine for several years and the 2011 vintage proved very popular with Wines With Attitude
® customers. But at a recent tasting of several Domaine Thibert wines this St Véran Bois de Fée 2014 just nudged ahead of the Champ Rond because of its complexity and richness, which is due in part to the fact that it is a year older.
The grapes used to produce this wine come from 50 year old vines which contribute to the complexity of the wine. It is quite full-bodied yet is elegant and retains a crisp finish. Aged with just a touch of oak, the toasty nutty flavours are in harmony with the fruit flavours of pear, lemon, white peach and plum. Both are balanced with a slightly saline minerality.
I was actually quite blown away by how good this wine was when I tasted it in March 2018. The velvety texture, complexity and long, tasty finish won me over. A-mazing!
If served too cold, you will miss all the beautiful flavours. Be careful pouring the last few drops as sometimes there may be a deposit which is harmless and a natural consequence of minimum or no filtration, ensuring, in Domaine Thibert's words, "full aromatic expression and richness of flavour."
Want something a little less complex? The try the Macon Verzé also from Domaine Thibert
Food Pairing
Recommended for drinking with fish, seafood including scallops, foie gras, roast chicken, ham, pork, veal, creamy sauces, parmesan cheese, mushrooms, truffle. Generally it is not so good with other cheeses, tomato-based sauces, Chinese food, Thai food and, though it has the body to stand up to many of them, curries.
Producer's Notes
"High quality cuvee.
The vineyard, facing the sun due south, starts in the village of Chasselas.
Average altitude: 358m.
Soils: originally limestone with “entroque” limestone (Bajocian period), loamy clay, as well as less limestone with rocky bands below 50cm.
Tasting: This wine offers a bouquet that is the perfect marriage between the wood used in the ageing process (toasted bread) and the aromas of the grape variety (pear and lemon). It pleasantly stimulates the nose with its aromatic complexity: hawthorn, chalk, lemon and a slight touch of hazelnut.
The palate is generous, crisp, with an undercurrent of gentle acidity frame that flatters the taste buds. An ample and powerful attack opens on to a dense palate, perfectly balanced by a very fine slightly saline minerality. The elegant, yet structured, finish adds a noble touch to this great Saint-Véran.
A hardy and well-designed bottle, made for long-term storing.
Vinification and ageing: 18 to 22 months, in barrels for 11 months and then in stainless steel vats for 11 months with little or no filtration when bottled.
Suggested ageing before drinking: 6 to 7 years."
