Venier keeps the grass cut

 Picked up the last bottle of Christian Venier's 2007 La Gautrie sauvignon at La Cave des Papiiles. Rode home with it hazardously in the front basket of a Velib, worried on more than a few occasions that it would liberate itself on one of the bumps from the cobblestone roundabout of Denfert-Rochereau in the 14th arrondissment. Thankfully, the bottle completed its journey intact, though scars are evident in the picture above.

 First, the wine is cloudy, therefore likely unfiltered going into bottle, therefore likely completed malolactic fermentation. On this sauvignon, one, or both (or other?) of these factors have contributed nicely to creaminess, mouthfeel, and length. Also detected was a fine nutty--almond--aspect perhaps from barrel fermentation and/or maturation, though I would guess that new wood, if at all, is very minimal. These traits are in contrast to a decidedly piquant grass aroma. If the grass were just grass, as we see in so many sauvignons these days, this would be a one trick pony. But no, the complexity goes on and on, especially towards the last glass, an hour in. 

Was it a great bottle? Yes. Did it go with pan-seared cod? No. Something out of the fish realm would have been a smarter choice.