2010 Edmond Vatan Clos La Neore (Ex-Domaine)
95 WA
$399.00/750ml (In Stock - limited) Buy Now
The Vatan 2010 Sancerre Clos la Neore is fascinatingly – indeed, almost mind-bendingly – complex, already in the nose. Musk, white truffle, citrus oils, bittersweet floral perfume, lime and tangerine, as well as fusil, chalky and maritime mineral notes associated with Kimmeridgian origins waft in a kaleidoscopically interactive array. Fresh citrus and a stony-chalky undertone take the lead on a silken-textured palate but with almost electrically charged vivacity of interaction emerging in the long, saliva-liberating finish, mirroring the wine’s remarkable aromatic show. This will be at least a twenty year keeper worthy of comparison with such memorable past vintages as 1988, 1990, or 1996, each of which has shown gloriously when tasted within the past couple of years.
2018 Edmond Vatan Clos La Neore
96 VM
$699.00/1.5L (In Stock - limited) Buy Now
(Only Produced in Magnum)
Clarity is a term that accurately describes the 2018 Sancerre Clos La Neore. It has a pure and intense core of fruit. But it's not fruity. It's a sophisticated style with a distinctive aromatic profile. Chamomile tea, lemon, honey, and an almost tonic-like edge. While showing the ripeness of the 2018 season, it retains its shape with a corset of acidity and phenolics that guide the wine on and on. --Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous Media
It's very difficult to get an appointment with Anne Vatan, but dogged persistence pays off. And boy is it worth it. This prized Sancerre domaine is little more than a garage winery before garage wineries were famous. Having taken over the family domaine following the retirement of her father in 2007, she has leased out some of its vines to wine producer Vincent Gaudry while retaining the jewel in the Monts Damnés crown: Clos La Néore, which Gaudry also tends for her as she is not always in Chavignol. Home is sometimes Paris and sometimes Saumur - she is married to Nady Foucault of Clos Rougeard fame – a home they share with their small dog Prince George. The winery is very basic - just five enamel tanks and one stainless steel, the latter for blending before bottling. There's not even a press here: the grapes are pressed at Gaudry's winery in Sury-en-Vaux, a 9-minute drive away. Clos La Néore is worth seeking out but it's not that easy. You can't even buy a bottle from her at the domaine, although if you book a table at La Petite Maison, a cool new restaurant in Sancerre, run by vigneron Luc Prieur's wife, it's on the wine list and well-priced. Clos La Néore is one of the world's most sophisticated Sauvignon Blancs. It is always pure and attractively austere with enormous substance. Produced from a 1 hectare parcel of mass-selected vines that were planted by Edmond Vatan in 1970 on clay-limestone.
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