Domaine des Baumard, Coteaux du Layon, Sainte Catherine

The dessert course had a passionfruit element, so I dug this out of cellar recalling its tropical elements. Light on its feet, this was a pleasure. Chenin can be such a shape shifter, here delicate and exotic. A treat, and wish this bottling was more commonly available. Can't recall a more recent vintage on offer in years.

2005 vintage

Compared to notes from bottle opened in 2018. Has opened up and may be at or approaching peak. Prominent botrytis notes on nose. Sugars not yet subsumed. Enchanting.

2005 vintage

Dinner at Thierry's place (Karori, Wellington, NZ) : Under screwcap. Served double blind by Thierry. Unctuous and candied fruit with apricot botrytis character yet pure and clean. Fresh with decent acidity and – to me – not overly sweet.

2005 vintage

Unctuous and sweet. A remaining quarter of the bottle that sat in the fridge for weeks was still drinking well with true Chenin character.

2005 vintage

This was simply the most beautiful Chenin based dessert wine that I have ever tasted, surpassing a number of Huet's Vouvray wines. Relatively pale golden hue for a wine with significant botrytis. Great aromatics bursting out of the glass: candied fruit, honey, spices. The acidity nicely balances the RS providing a very harmonious mouthfeel. Very long and intense finish. This will continue to drink wekk for a long time with the screwcap finish.

2005 vintage

Can’t beat the sweet chenins. Light on its feet and powerful at the same time.

2005 vintage

Complete agreement with RGCM's last two tasting notes, which perfectly describe this wine. I bought 2 bottles from Acker's weekly auction, and this was my first. Only thing that I can add is that the bottle had a Stelvin closure. This bottle is just more proof that Stelvin is a wise choice for ageable wines.

2005 vintage

Prior bottle was just over 4 months ago and my notes were quite consistent. Huge apricot notes on the nose along with orange and pineapple qualities. Slightly above medium bodied with orange, pineapple and apricot again the dominant fruit notes. Tart notes on the back of orange and lemon as well as acidity provide good contrast. As with my prior bottle, the acidity isn't quite up to the level of some of my earlier bottle which takes away slightly from …

2005 vintage

Brilliant, but drank it still a bit too early. Rich flavour and lively Chenin acidity made this fantastic. Was empty way too fast.

2010 vintage

Prior bottle was three and a quarter years ago and this wine has held up well. Apricot, orange, pineapple and lemon notes on a nose that remains quite aromatic. Still between medium and full bodied (has kept its depth, not thinned out) with white peach upfront, moving to orange, pineapple and other tropical notes on the backside. Moderately tart acidity as well as citrus notes of orange and lemon on the backside still provide quite good structure and contrast. Overall, …

2005 vintage

Effortless. A bouquet of fresh flowers, pickled ginger, honey, beeswax, alfalfa. So pure and clean - it's a great wine that happens to also be sweet.

2005 vintage

Pale gold. Aromas of medium + intensity- dried citrus peel, apricot, honey, honeysuckle, ginger, mango, lanolin. On the palate the wine is sweet with high acidity, medium alcohol, full body. The flavor intensity is pronounced with dried citrus peel, apricot, honey, honeysuckle, ginger, mango. The finish is long and pleasing. An outstanding wine- well balanced, demonstrating intensity and complexity and length on the finish.

2005 vintage

It had been about 8 years since I had a Baumard CSC (last one was '07) and I mistakenly forgot how bloody sweet this wine is. Opened with some Thai food thinking that a demi-sec chenin would hit the spot with spicy Asian food, but I quickly realized this needs to be treated as a dessert wine. It is truly lovely with gobs of apricot and honey, and certainly it is balanced and hemmed in with great Loire chenin acid, …

2005 vintage

At first the nose was thin but as the air had its way, this beauty released the aromas. Peach Peach Peach but also a natural perfume quality of Northern CA spring. The mouthfeel is HUGE coating every taste bud and hangs out for a couple of seconds then builds in the mid-tongue with a crisp acidic liveliness. Tropical flavors linger for a long while. A fantastic treat on a warm night. What a fun and exciting, 15 year stunner.

2005 vintage

The loose cork fell into the bottle with a small push from the Ah-so. Unsurprisingly, this was more advanced than my last bottle with a orange tint golden color. Nonetheless, this has a lovely floral, honeyed nose with a little nuttiness. The RS and acidity are really well balanced. Fully mature wine that I suspect with a solid cork would have decades left in it. Lovely understated elegant wine. NR due to the cork condition.

1969 vintage

OMG. Long and intense with rich apricot and hazelnut lifted by a hint of lemon curd. Incredibly concentrated. Yet rich as it was, sampled alongside an otherwise very fine 01 Coutet Sauternes, the Coutet felt viscuous and cloying where this Baumard was clean and fresh. Only 12.5% alc too.

2005 vintage

So hints of Apricot, and hazelnut but unfortunately this one was a bit oxidized. Maybe storage issues. Drinkable but not quite on point.

2005 vintage

Prior bottle was almost nine months ago and this wine continues to impress. Extremely pretty nose with apricot, peach, melon and citrus. Between medium and full bodied with a purity of fruit that shines through brightly: apricot and peach upfront, shifting to more tropical notes of orange and passion fruit through the middle. Backside shows some white orchard fruits now (apple and pear) to go along with the citrus notes of tart orange, lemon and lime. Still has enough acidity …

2005 vintage

J’aime ce liquoreux frais et très équilibré qui dans tous les millésimes possède un superbe équilibre. Fruits jaunes confits, notes florales, belle longueur. Très beau.

2010 vintage

Steve makes Brisket; 9/9/2018-9/11/2018 (Steve and Jennie's) : This is one of those great dessert wines. The nose and palate are quite sweet, but not cloying in any way. There is rich ripe fruit and acidity, and it is so lively. This was a real treat, and I'm quite jaded when it comes to dessert wines. I love it when someone brings something from this producer, or if I see a bottle for a good price.

2005 vintage

This is my kind of wine. So pure. Really vibrant, showing no signs of age but still quite approachable. Pale complexion in the glass, but the nose is crazy good. Lighter tropical fruit profile, which I brought to pair with a carrot cake that has pretty prominent pineapple and coconut inclusions. That worked so nicely as the wine had a sweeter profile than the cream cheese frosting. Delicious, slurpable, lively wine. A great vintage that continues to deliver. Great now, …

2005 vintage

Popped and poured. Rich aroma of melon and caramel. Intense, pure, complex mix of flavors includes apricot, lichee, and orange peel. Honey finish. While the flavor profile is different, this reminds me a lot of Barsac. It has a similar raciness and complexity, plus (for me anyway) the finish concentrates on the roof of the mouth. For Barsac I call this "Melon ball", here it would have to be "Honey Ball" which sounds kind of weird, and may be something …

2005 vintage

Prior bottle was nearly 11 months ago and this wine continues to show consistently. Mixture of orange, apricot and citrus notes on the nose. Medium bodied with apricot and other mixed orchard fruits upfront and simply fantastic mid-body depth where the tropical notes come to the fore. Remains quite well balanced with the noticeable tart lemon, lime and orange towards the back. Retains good acidity which provides a touch of additional contrast towards the back, but continuing the trend I …

2005 vintage

Fuller and richer than I expected. Muted nose of melon and stone gives way to (pow!) an explosion of tropical fruit and nuts and honey on the palate. Lots of sugar with enough acidity to match. Slick mouthfeel and a long finish of almonds or something. Power and cohesion all around. This bottle was an afterthought that I'd basically forgotten at the back of the wine cave. Every so often, life deals a nice surprise.

2005 vintage

Brought to a friend's cabin, enjoyed a couple glasses, and left it in their fridge. Get invited back ~1.5 months later, open the fridge, and...lo and behold!! This is actually in a better spot than when first opened, so I agree with the many others saying this has decades to go. Peach tarte tatin in a glass. Sweet and viscous, but has savory edges of sharp cheese rind and white pepper. Lime curd, butterscotch, pineapple. Utterly delicious. The smallest sip …

2005 vintage

Yowza. This is everything to love about chenin. Energetic acidity, apricot and tropical fruit, some minerality underneath. At a crossroads of young fruit and some depth starting to poke through, and enjoyable on both levels. Undoubtably two to three decades of development ahead but you won’t go wrong opening a bottle now.

2005 vintage

bottle #2876

2005 vintage

Simply a stellar wine... after an evening of some great wines, this one simply stole the show. Similar to prior showings, apricot, botrytis, and extraordinarily elegant feel throughout, good acidity. Just delicious!

2005 vintage

Much more youthful than expected and quite expressive, touch a sweetness but within balance, nice depth and richness yet lift, beautiful match with cheese

1969 vintage

Twelfth Annual White Truffle Dinner (Chez Weber - Chicago IL) : Late night, brief note. Demi-sec. Roasted almond, candied lemon peel and some apple pie. Very good length and balance. Great with Vacherin tonight.

1969 vintage

Incredibly fresh and mineral-laced honey, this is drier than I thought, full and rocks, very structured. Delicious, if not as complex as I would hope for $50-60.

2010 vintage

Simply fantastic. A real treat. Lush golden yellow. Dense honeyed feel, but not overly sweet. some butterscotch, candied walnuts. Drink it if you can find it.

1969 vintage

Dallas - A little hootch and some tender viddles on a Monday night (Dali Wine Bar, Dallas, TX) : WIML93 Tasted December 1, 2009 at an offline. Yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose showing a bit of honey up front with added notes of spice and a bit of flowers. Flavors of light honey notes, a bit of lemon rind and some roasted almonds. Medium acidity and body. Drink now. Not quite as good as earlier bottles …

1969 vintage

The first birth year wine. Waxy apples, and great freshness of fruit, balanced with acidity and keeping a great freshness. Nearly all of the Rs is absorbed at this point, ;leaving a mouth watering fresh and very complicated wine. I wish I had more time with this bottle and could watch it develop over a couple days. The next blle will receive that treatment. 92 pts.

1969 vintage

WIML95. No formal notes. Even better than the last bottle. Amazing.

1969 vintage

5th Annual Italian Offline Pre-Game (Simple Bistro, Toronto, Canada) : Gold colour. Aromas of lanolin, apple juice, flowers. Full-bodied, unctuous, with apple juice/cider, apricot puree coming out from a wine of great purity and complexity. With time, it even shows hints of a buttered sesame bagel from St. Viateur in Montreal. Long finish, ~45+ seconds. Delicious!

1969 vintage

corked...

1969 vintage

Dinner at home with Mom & Steve & Barb. Very badly corked.

1969 vintage

amazing, this wine was not tired at all.

1969 vintage

Dinner and Fine, Aged Wine at Le Francais (Wheeling, IL) : Gold with a slight green tint. Nose is reticent offering some bees wax. The palate, on-the-other-hand, is just lovely. Offering up tropical fruits and vanilla cream. Impeccably balanced with a very long finish. Just terrific and 37 years old to boot!

1969 vintage

DAWGS Offline with mattach and PurpleHaze (Mi Piaci's in Addison, TX) : WIML94,WA93,NOWS Tasted June 5, 2006 at an offline. Opened and served immediately in a Riedel Champagne flute. Yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Slightly closed nose of lemon and cinnamon. Flavors of lemon curd, crème, a touch of pineapple and some apricots. Still somewhat lively acidity on the palate, quite a pleasure to sip as an aperitif. Drink now. The only pricing I can find on …

1969 vintage

Light honey color with phenominal overtones of vanilla with a hint of citrus/lemon. The vanilla flavor just kept going on and on. The best "older" white wine I have ever had.

1969 vintage

Fearrington Dinner (Fearrington House Inn Restaurant) : Medium gold in the glass. Very mild oxidative notes but otherwise drinking like a wine much younger than 36 years old. Nutty with brown sugar, pineapples and a light sweetness to it, this wine was very Chenin Blanc in it’s makeup. A long finish closed things out and I think this wine suffered being served right after the much bigger and younger ZH. This would be a good wine to have with a …

1969 vintage

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Domaine des Baumard, Coteaux du Layon, Sainte Catherine

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