Michel Redde 1998 Sancerre Les Tuileres

Mike wrote in news:42D14B12.4040905 @webwinerack.com:

It is a good Sancerre, but not expecially meant for long storage, and even at that in a cool dark quiet place. The wine may be over the hill or still holding up. Look for some grassiness maybe a little grapefruit. It will not hurt, serve it chilled with seafood.

Mike, the only value is in removing the cork, and trying the contents.

Have no expectations; therefore you cannot be disappointed - but may be pleasantl;y surprised.

Oh yes, have a back up bottle of NZ Sauvignon Blanc handy!!!!!

It turns out the wine was slightly over the hill (as we all assumed), but was still drinkable. The cork was not dry, but was a little worse for the wear.

There was a noticeable oak-based nose, but as the glass of wine breathed a bit the fruit became increasingly enjoyable in both the aroma and taste. I'd rate this old-timer at about an 81 out of 100. It was pretty good.

Mike snipped-for-privacy@webwinerack.com

Mike wrote in news:42D32119.4030506 @webwinerack.com:

contents.

The oak nose intrigues me since I do not associate this maker with oak. I have had the Tuilleries and found it more in the true Loire cat's pee school.

Thank for sharing It is always fun to explore the depths.

"cat's pee?" LOL... honestly, it wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst Sauvignon Blanc I've had either. It was enjoyable for its age.

I'm assuming the oak is from the age of the wine (uneducated guess) if this wine doesn't usually show an oaky characteristic?

The cork wasn't in the best shape, but not deteriorated to the point of being hard to remove. It began to crumble at the edges a little when I tried to push it back into the bottle to store it in the refrigerator overnight. Could the oak have been a result of the cork, or maybe what I'm detecting as oak is really the beginnings of a "corked" wine?

jcoulter wrote:

Mike,

I happen to have a bottle of this Sancerre in my cellar. When I return from La Jolla, I'll be happy to pop my wine's cork, and report to you.

While not from Sancerre, I've recently been drinking up some Chateau D'Archambeau, Bdx, from the same circa. I had assumed that is SB was way over the hill, and had 3 btls left. They are drinking wonderfully. Too bad that I didn't have the mates from the case left, but then I'd probably find that by the time I'd done them all in, they would have faded badly.

As stated, this is not a know "age-worthy" white, but you might be surprised. As is the case with the Ch D'Archambeau, maybe a slightly heavier dish might go better. The foods that I'd normally associate with SB's might not pair with one with a few extra years.

Next week, I'll break out my last bottle and give some TN's. If you can't wait, then I'll compare TN's.

Hunt

Oops, too late. Now, I'll just have to break out mine, and see how it fared.

Hunt