The Baumard nv Vert de l’Or Moelleux Lot 0708 originates with parcels in Rochefort and Saint-Lambert that are planted with Verdelho, which was evidently grown here and there along the Layon a century ago and of which these few remnants remain, their vine age venerable enough and the resultant wine distinctive enough that Baumard has maintained both. Since, however, the law allows for no classification other than “Vin de table” (indeed, the word play in this wine’s name is because its true identity cannot be officially recognized) and therefore any reference to vintage must be expunged or buried in a lot-code, a decision was made to blend together the 2007 and 2008 vintages. (Depending on conditions, Baumard will sometimes also render a dry wine from this fruit.) Marzipan, candied citrus rind, glazed pineapple, and herbal distillates in the nose as well as on a broadly rich palate whose overt sweetness toasted nut and citrus peel elements help to balance. The long finish here preserves considerable complexity, providing counterpoint to its sweetness even if the overarching impression is confectionary. I can’t decide whether it’s remarkable or should be expected that this tastes as much as it does like a Baumard Coteaux du Layon! I am sure it will keep well for a dozen or more years, but as to whether its evolution will prove in any way singular or revelatory I lack the experience to judge.I finally had the pleasure to taste personally with Florent Baumard (for more about whose domaine and methods, consult my report in issue 172) and found him a disarmingly astute critic of his own wines whose confidence I share that the best is yet to come from this vast and already justly renowned estate. I find a freedom from bitter or coarse elements and a clarity of flavors in the more recent wines that is welcome and which, when pressed, Florent Baumard suggests might in part be attributable to increasingly selective and watchful (though not necessarily gentler) pressing. The envelope-pushing here is evident in the quality of Baumard’s relatively high-volume sparking wines, rendered from blends unfamiliar outside of the Loire. The wines I tasted five years ago were good, but only modestly-recommendable (and I elected not to publish notes on them in issue 172). The lot numbers of Baumard non-vintage sparkling wines appear on the front label in very tiny, faint letters under the words “sparkling wine,” but cannot be read without good eyesight, and not if the bottle is wet! The Baumards’ “regular” bottling of Savennieres is from their Clos St. Yves vineyard between the Clos du Papillon and Roche aux Moines, and a fact of which I was not aware when I published my notes in issue 172 is that two different labels are used interchangeably, one of which indicates the vineyard name.Importer: Ex Cellars wine Agencies, Cambridge, MA; tel. (617) 876-5105
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