2008 Jean-Francois Ganevat, Les Vignes de Mon Pere, Savagnin 1x150cl

Robert Parker – 99-100

The tasting of the 2008 Les Vignes de Mon Père was more like I expected and how it’s been in previous occasions, but I had never really seen the 600-liter barrels where the wine ages for 11 years until Ganevat poured an unexpected sample of the 2016 (that you can read here too). Here’s how the tasting went: A wine that was put in a decanter in advance is waiting in one of the (multiple) cellars, and then it’s poured into the glasses in silence, without saying what it is, waiting for everyone’s reaction. My reaction was, “Wow! This is completely different! What is this? It has a completely different set of aromas, including chicken broth (salty rather than sweet), yeast, pollen, saffron… What is this?” The wine felt elegant and light, but with lots of inner strength; it felt light on its feet but punched you in the face with its pungent flavors and endless aftertaste. My head was spinning, and I couldn’t get myself to spit the wine. “Yes, it’s the 2008,” said Ganevat, full of himself. And rightly so! This is coming to the end of its élevage, but it was still with the lees; so, I suspect the wine is pretty stable and should be bottled soon. It has mind-boggling length and persistence, the nose is fascinating, and the balance is gobsmacking, with a salty finish. Another head-turning Vignes de Mon Père! I recommend that you start negotiating your allocation with your favorite caviste… [29/06/2019]