Lampyres does interesting stuff. They’re low intervention, etc., etc. So I’m slowly working my way through what I can get my hands on of their range. This one is made from Pineau d’Aunis, also known as Chenin Noir. I think this is a first encounter for me with this grape. For this review, I had a guest co-reviewer, TY.
In the glass
‘Very cool colour.’ So cool, in fact, I’m not quite sure how to describe it. Light to medium, red. TY suggests garnet, but I’m not sure. Perhaps some orange hues. Hint of cloudiness. It’s a wine I keep coming to back to admire visually throughout the evening. At least, you know, until it’s all gone. Then I can’t.
The nose
‘Wow!’ That was TY’s reaction, not mine. She says it is quite pronounced. I think she was just having me on. Mine was more ‘Nope.’ Upon much sniffing and probably more than a little imagining, I came up with ‘maybe strawberry.’
TY says it reminds her of strawberry laces and sweet pick-and-mix. Glacé cherries. A sort of artificial sweetness, in a good, nostalgic way.
The palate
Dry, light. High acidity. My initial reaction, and second and third, and eventually confirmed by TY when I asked, is that it doesn’t taste like wine. It has an almost watery mouthfeel. But it’s not a bad thing here. Maybe it is the relatively low alcohol (12% ABV). I’m not quite sure what’s going on.
It has a slightly astringent finish, but that works well in this context. I had wondered if there was some carbonic maceration, but I can’t find anything to support that.
It tastes somehow familiar, and it takes me a while to place it. It’s non-fizzy sturm, an Austrian wine-thing. Or, Federweisser, if you prefer the German name. After the harvest, when the wine is fermenting, there’s a tradition in Austria and Germany (probably elsewhere, too) of taking the juice when it’s halfway between, well, grape juice, and wine. And then drinking it. It’s sweet, usually about 5-6% ABV, and somewhat fizzy. Cloudy as well, hence the Austrian name. It’s still fermenting, so it varies by the bottle. It’s one of the great simple pleasures in life.
TY pretends to know what I’m talking about as I expound upon the charms of sturm, and how this wine reminds me of it. It isn’t sweet, but the parallel still stands.
She also thinks there is a hint of petillance. That’s possible, given it’s unfiltered and unfined, but I’m not picking anything up.
Rating
An easy Very Pretty on the visuals.
Yummy-plus. It’s a dangerously drinkable wine. It’s probably a good thing it’s on the pricier side, or I’d be stocking up, and the stocks wouldn’t last long.
Sustainability
Certified organic. Wild yeasts, unfined, unfiltered. Hand-harvested. I can’t find a website for Domaine Lampyres, so can’t confirm much more.
The technical info and such
12% ABV. 100% Pineau d’Aunis. £28.99 from Cambridge Wine Merchants.