Vinothek La Cave: Chillen & Grillen

On July 18th, I attended the “Chillen & Grillen” tasting at Vinothek La Cave (that unfortunately has since then closed). The idea behind the tasting was simple: fresh wines for summer and, in keeping with the seasonal theme, others to pair with a barbecue. It was a pleasant experience, without major surprises or standout winners, but with wines of good quality.

Here, perhaps, a reflection should be made on the “pedigree” wines offered in a tasting like this. As previously mentioned, La Cave is a wine shop that tends to avoid big names. You could describe it as an indie wine shop, according to my own taxonomy of wine shops, but the fact that it offers good wines makes it an excellent example of a shop that avoids the beaten path. However, the balance is a bit off when the wines offered are Chablis and Pouilly-Fumé, meaning that the independent wine shop ventures into more well-trodden territory.

The result, in fact, is often wines that fall below expectations. It’s natural: in these highly sought-after regions, what there was to discover, or at least the good deals, has already been found. What remains are wines that carry the allure of the name, but where a significant portion of the price is often due to the famous letters on the label, as I’ve also pointed out in my impressions of the Pinot Blanc Haus Klosterberg by Markus Molitor.

Where a wine shop like La Cave truly shines, though, is in regions that produce a lot of wine, often of only moderate average quality. It’s impossible not to think of Languedoc. There, serious professionals like the owners of this shop can unearth excellent wines at prices that, due to the lack of a prestigious lineage, cannot compete with the Burgundies and other “noble French” wines, yet sometimes aren’t inferior in terms of quality.

As Hugh Johnson used to say, where there’s a lot of wine, there are good deals. And this is my hope for La Cave: that it continues to find vast stretches of vineyards to roam in search of the next great wine to offer, far from the big appellations. (And since every rule has its exception, last year at this very shop I tasted an excellent Chablis 1er Cru ‘Montee de Tonnerre’ 2021 from Domaine Jean Collet, and the Châteauneuf-du-Pape they offer are always interesting or even exceptional – when in doubt, try them).

Tasting “Chillen & Grillen”, July 18, 2024, Vinothek La Cave, Bacherplatz, Vienna

Here is a quick review of the wines presented at the “Chillen & Grillen” tasting.

1. Crémant de Bourgogne Brut – Domaine Bart
   • Notes of fish, fresh paint, apple, and smoke. Apple on the palate. Extremely scarce perlage. Lovely sapidity. Reserved, long finish with hints of pear. Shame about the perlage.
2. Heritage Bordeaux Supérieur Blanc 2022 – Château Lamothe-Vincent
   • Lemon, smoke, marjoram. Lemon on the palate, with excellent density and a rounded, intense body. Very pleasant salinity and a slightly bitter, crisp finish. Good acidity with a burst. A fresh, enjoyable white.
3. Picpoul de Pinet Bréchallune 2021 – La Croix Gratiot
   • Orange, herbaceous, sweet mustard, and acacia flowers. Such complexity for the price! On the palate, peach and excellent fruit density. Grated acidity that falls powerfully at the end. A super finish with polyphenolic and herbaceous notes, almost like bark, and very sapid. Vertical, rich, remarkable, and complex.
4. Petit Chablis 2022 – Domaine Jean Collet
   • A bit of butter, pineapple, and white flowers. Closed, with yellow flowers on the palate. Low fruit density and timid white flowers, but then it evolves into lime and orange peel. You pay less for it here. Pleasant sapidity and excellent sharp acidity.
5. Villa Paulus Pouilly-Fumé 2020 – Domaine Masson-Blondelet
   • Bergamot, rose, cumin. Monotonous though, with bergamot on the palate and a mandarin finish, very citric and linear, but somewhat dull. Beautiful acidity that guarantees longevity and a long, sapid finish, though there’s an empty spot in the middle. There’s fruit and life, but it lacks dimension and depth.
6. Bag in Box 2023 – Domaine Font Sarade
   • A fun introduction of a bag-in-box wine, which I must say outperformed all the other rosés in the tasting. Rose petals, strawberry, raspberry. On the palate, strawberry tart, lovely acidity, and a saline finish with grape notes that evolve into white wood. A distinguished rosé with body, fruit density, and character, yet still light on the palate.
7. Cynarah Pic Saint Loup 2022 – Château de Cazeneuve
   • Disinfectant, olive pâté, ripe peach. On the palate, very light-bodied with a gentle sweetness of fruit, without any higher dimension, almost neutral. Sapid finish, slightly spicy, and closing again with a disinfectant note.
8. Rosée des Broussees 2022 – Mas des Brousses
   • Mandarin, autumn pepper, rosemary. On the palate, the pepper burns and brings power! A sapid, spicy, pungent but long finish.
9. Tavel Rosé 2023 – Château d’Aqueria
   • Nearly blackberries, blueberry jam, wild strawberries. On the palate, strawberry jam, nice acidity, and a timid tannin that gives weight to a very vertical wine. Long vegetal finish. It manages to retain great energy despite the softness.
10. Les Terres Rouges 2020 – Domaine Font Sarade
    • A deep and vertical nose of licorice, blackcurrant, pepper, and sweet coffee. Seductive body with licorice, but also mentholated, large, and mature. Excellent acidity and a powerful, frosty tannin that fills the mouth. Aggressive finish with pepper and a vegetal note. What a wine!
11. Petit Accent 2021 – Domaine de L’Accent
    • I had high expectations for this wine, as I had previously tasted the Cuvée Elliot 2020 from this producer, which truly fascinated me. This bottle seemed decidedly inferior, still pleasant but on a lower level. Mulberry, persimmon, geranium. On the palate, great lightness, with a finely timid and velvety tannin around the lips that then bites. Floral on the palate, typical of Syrah. It finishes long and citrusy, with spice evolving towards grapefruit. Best enjoyed chilled.
12. Les Antimagnes Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2019 – Domaine des Escaravailles
    • Tomato leaf, dried plum, licorice. Such generosity of fruit! Very accommodating and immediately attractive on the palate with licorice notes, robust tannins surrounding the lips that hold steady until the final spicy finish of bitter and dominant licorice, lingering for a long time.
13. Campredon 2020 – Alain Chabanon
    • A bit too much Brett (or is it Mourvèdre?), meat, and tomato leaf. Extremely silky on the palate, with tannins in tiny vesicles in the center of the mouth. Medium-bodied, with powerful tomato leaf notes and a lifesaving black cherry emerging midway through. Very generous, with a long, peppery finish.
14. Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015 – Clos du Mont-Olivet
    • Good, but not unmissable. Black olives, leather, blackberries. On the palate, blackberry fruit emerges, fresh and medium-bodied, not overwhelming but decently juicy. The tannins are enveloping, with leather and plum notes. Long, severe finish.

In summary:

• Best wine: Les Terres Rouges 2020 – Domaine Font Sarade
• Worst wine: Cynarah Pic Saint Loup 2022 – Château de Cazeneuve
• Surprise: Bag in Box 2023 – Domaine Font Sarade
• Disappointment: Petit Accent 2021 – Domaine de L’Accent