Thevenet is important.
If you love French wine than you should know about Thevenet, just as you know about Lu-Lu Bize-Leroy, or Raveneau, or Dagueneau. The Thevenet family is known as the old school benchmark winemakers for over-the-top, Grand Cru-esque styled Maconnais wines. They harvest a little later than normal, but do so with laughable low yields. Then their elevage is incredibly long, and you usually aren't supposed to even think about drinking the wines unless they have a couple years on them.
I couldn't resist myself. Last week I saw a bottle of Thevenet St Veran Clos de L'Ermitage Cuvee Vieilles Vignes 2006. I grabbed it. There came a point on Saturday when my wife and I wanted some white. It was in the fridge- my mistake to begin with (this should have been down in the cellar). And when I blew the hatch and tasted it I knew I had screwed up. The wine was wound wound wound. Like super G tight.
It opened over the weekend and was enjoyable. I don't want to say that I didn't enjoy drinking this wine. It's just that I've had older Thevenet wines, so I know what this artist intends for proper consumption- and it ain't fresh release wines to be opened right away.
But anyway, point is for $25 this is drinking better than most 1er Cru Chablis, better than most AOC Chassagnes and Pulignys. It is incredibly interesting and unique. I'm not going to do the fruit profile thing cause that would cheese it up a lot; and the wine's better than that. Let's just leave it at this- it's a very very serious wine.
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