Thomas Batardiere, Les Cocus, VdF

No formal notes: enjoyed more than L’Espirit Libre bottling from the same vintage. (Perhaps I appreciated the single parcel over the blend?) More pronounced fruit on the nose, and pear on the palate, than L’Espirit Libre. Happy to revisit future vintages, and maybe even save a bottle to have some age wind down the verve.

Very beautiful bottle, singing right now but will probably develop more secondary characteristics over the next five years. Color: light gold, relatively rich hue for youngish, low-intervention chenin Nose: tons of fresh apples and pears, hint of bruising and new cider, fresh rain and dew, blue stone Palate: light plus body, fresh orchard fruit up front, honeydew melon, light beeswax, beautiful rounded and lasting late palate with honey drops, extremely mineral, wet stone, nice tucked in acidity, great structure

First time trying this bottling. Definitely a leaner style. Younger vines I think. Good acidity and fruit to bring it together. I think that it just needs a fair amount of time to gain weight but I wanted to check in on a bottle. Fairly similar to a 2021 Noels a couple years prior.