Eric
and Marc Taillandier, Domaine Taillandier (1992)
The
Taillandiers are an old Savennières family, although the latest
generation’s adventure into wine begins only in 1992 with brothers, Eric
and Marc. Their grandfather, a veteran of the Great War, tended vines here
but had given up being a vigneron
to establish a vine nursery in the village. This business still exists
today under the ownership of the brothers’ uncle, Michel. For the past
15 years, they have been bringing to life land owned by the family that
had been abandoned, and today they farm a total of eleven hectares over
six different parcels, including a newly planted site in La Roche aux
Moines. In addition to their holdings in Savennières, they have also
bought five hectares in the Layon around Beaulieu-sur-Layon and
Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay. The cellar, situated in Beaulieu, resembles a cow
shed.
Wine
Overview:
Despite
the various options in terms of sites available to the Taillandiers, there
has, until recently, been a single cuvée released from the domaine.
Concrete tanks are used for fermentation, and they rely on indigenous
yeasts, and ageing on lees to increase complexity. Eric is against
chaptalisation, malolactic fermentation and the ageing of Savennières in
wood, so the wines remain for one year in tank before bottling without
filtration. Given the style, they demand a decade of maturation in bottle
in order to soften. The conditions of the 2002 and 2003 vintages allowed
the Taillandier’s to make two sweeter wines released as ‘Prestige’
and ‘Sélection’. The total production is around 25,000 bottles a
year.
The
Wines:
The
Taillandier wines are about as authentic a style produced in the
appellation during the 1960s and 1970s as one could expect to find. These
are not pretty wines, full of edges and corners, but come with noticeably
lower alcohol and a structure that has more in common with Mosel Riesling
than many modern examples of Savennières. Neither are they particularly
commercial, but they have the virtue of honesty and one has to respect the
uncompromising attitude of the Taillandiers who continue to eschew the
trend towards producing earlier drinking wines.
2006
Savennières
Polished.
Pale green appearance. Very lean and green nose. Taut and closed. Faintly
resinous with some Riesling-like terpine notes. Chalky, greengage flavours.
Tight and youthful. This really needs time. (02/08)
2006
Savennières ‘Cuvée 2’
Pale
green appearance. Riper nose but delicate and retains the nose of
greengages and green fruits. Richer and more forward, although still very
youthful. The distinguishing difference to the above wine comes with the 8
g/l residual sugar that shows on the palate, balanced by intense passion
fruit-like acidity. A bit pithy and tannic on the finish. Needs time.
02/08)
2005
Savennières
Polished.
Pale green/straw appearance. Relatively ripe for the Taillandier style,
but with an underlying austerity. Good weight on the palate and shows some
ripeness. Austere, but correct. Bone dry with very fresh chalky acidity to
the finish. This is approachable, but really needs time to show its worth.
(02/08)
2004
Savennières
Polished.
Pale with green hints. Clean, polished, fresh and focused mineral nose
with a distinctly lean and green expression. The profile of the palate is
very similar, with a question mark over the overall ripeness. This is bone
dry, very mineral and lean. It really needs time to fatten out. (02/08)
2003
‘Sélection des Grains’
Pale.
Green hints. Ripe acacia-like, but retains a youthful and linear nose.
Rich
on entry and shows some residual sugar (65g/l), but balanced by good fresh
acidity. This is still very fresh with a toasty, marshmallow-like flavour.
Still youthful and would benefit with further keeping. (02/08)
2002
‘Prestige – Tris de Vendanges’
Passillerage
affected fruit. Mid-pale. Distinct green hints. Very clean, but still
quite tight. Good richness on the palate with a distinct green edge. Well
textured. Linear, with very fresh, clean acidity. Delicate. Long finish.
Drinking now, but should age further. Belies the 45 g/l residual sugar.
(02/08)
1996
‘Vendange Manuelle’
Very
pale. Green hints. Very attractive floral, open and delicate nose with
Riesling like minerality. Well focused. Linear edge, but lacks a little
flesh on the mid palate. Very delicate with a structure and juicy acidity
with the chalky, slate-like minerality of Riesling. Authentic. Drinking
now, but has the ability to age further. (04/06)
Eric
Taillandier
Domaine
Taillandier
T/F:
+33 2 41 72 23 70
erictaillandier@hotmail.com
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