Domaine des Baumard Coteaux du Layon Cuvee Le Paon (stained label) 1990
-
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This wine was among those served at a tasting I attended at the Domaine des Baumards in June, 1997 which covered all the wines Jean Baumard has crafted over his career as well as some older ones (back to 1906!). This event is one of the most memorable of my life. I was amazed by the ageworthiness and extremely high quality of Baumard's wines, both in the sweet and dry offerings. But more poignantly, I was stunned that Jean Baumard would invite people from around the world to come taste, criticize, enjoy and judge every wine he had ever crafted. To have his life's work dissected in his presence, vintage by vintage, is a testimony to Baumard's courage, honesty and pride. How many of us would want to have all our work judged in such a manner? Baumard, ever modest, was his own biggest critic. Space constraints prevent me from including notes on the wines so I have only listed the best ones.
Other Vintages
1997-
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. It shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. Somm Secret—Landing in South Africa in the mid 1800s, today the country has double the acreage of Chenin Blanc planted compared to France. There is also a new wave of dedicated producers committed to restoring old Chenin vines.
Praised for its stately Renaissance-era chateaux, the picturesque Loire valley produces pleasant wines of just about every style. Just south of Paris, the appellation lies along the river of the same name and stretches from the Atlantic coast to the center of France.
The Loire can be divided into three main growing areas, from west to east: the Lower Loire, Middle Loire, and Upper/Central Loire. The Pay Nantais region of the Lower Loire—farthest west and closest to the Atlantic—has a maritime climate and focuses on the Melon de Bourgogne variety, which makes refreshing, crisp, aromatic whites.
The Middle Loire contains Anjou, Saumur and Touraine. In Anjou, Chenin Blanc produces some of, if not the most, outstanding dry and sweet wines with a sleek, mineral edge and characteristics of crisp apple, pear and honeysuckle. Cabernet Franc dominates red and rosé production here, supported often by Grolleau and Cabernet Sauvignon. Sparkling Crémant de Loire is a specialty of Saumur. Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc are common in Touraine as well, along with Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay and Malbec (known locally as Côt).
The Upper Loire, with a warm, continental climate, is Sauvignon Blanc country, home to the world-renowned appellations of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Pinot Noir and Gamay produce bright, easy-drinking red wines here.