WTN: Great value Saint-Véran from Rijckaert

[Tim York]

Saint-Véran “En Faux” Vieilles Vignes 2006 – Vinifié, élevé et mis en bouteille par Rijckaert, négociant – Viticulteur Jean-Paul Voluet – Alc. 13% - (€14,25), made from Chardonnay.

This is just the sort of great value wine that I continually search for and often find. It is not spectacularly cheap but has real finesse and elegance.
C: Quite light yellow.
N: Fine white fruit and minerals with touches of herbs and flowers.
P: Dry, medium in body and flavour intensity and quite long with lively acidity, superbly bright focus of fruit, minerals and aromas with just a dab of cream as a signature of Chardonnay. It has tamed the slight tartness on its finish which showed some 9 months ago and is free of the mild caramel notes which mar some of Rijckaert’s wines. Perfectionists might complain about a slight dip of intensity in mid palate but this did not spoil my enjoyment. It is perfect, like Chablis villages and 1er cru, as a pairing for trout and much more to my taste than most of the richer and more pretentious offerings costing 3 to 4 times as much from the Côte d’Or. 16/20++.

[Mark Lipton]

Thanks for this note, Tim. Rijckaert confuses me, in part because I don't run across many of his wines. On the one hand, the Verget connection worries me, but I've good things about him, too, and I'm generally well disposed to wines of the Mâconnais. I'll have to do more research of my own

Mark Lipton

[Bob Parsons Alberta]

Thanks for the write up Tim. Another name to take note of, have you tasted many of his wines?

[Tim York]

On the one hand, the Verget connection worries me, but I've good things about him, too, and I'm generally well disposed to wines of the Mâconnais. I'll have to do more research of my own

Mark Lipton

Mark, rumour has it that Rijckaert left Verget because of wine-making disagreement, though he himself is discreet on the subject. There is certainly no Verget connection now. Enjoy your research.

Another name to take note of, have you tasted many of his wines?

Yes, I have been to several tastings where he presents his wines and have bought quite a few. They are generally very pure and brightly focussed but sometimes I feel he overdoes that oak (never more than 25% new, he says) leading to caramel notes on the finish and a lot of his bottles are closed by Nomacorc (this one wasn't) which makes me reluctant to age them sufficiently to integrate the oak.

There should be a few of my WTNs on his wines in the archive.