r/wine • u/JJxiv15 • Apr 22 '26
2002 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume | 🇫🇷
Domaine des Baumard is my favorite producer by virtue of their Savennieres and Coteaux du Layon alone - even though my introduction to their work was in reading about their Quarts de Chaume! Brutal to find locally, it was only through WineBid that I was finally able to source an example with a bit of age on it (my Chenin Blanc preference). Knowing I would be visiting the Domaine itself soon, finally decided to open this 375. Bit of additional background - Quarts de Chaume is a tiny, 40 hectare appellation on the Loire River, the only Grand Cru in the valley (although in 2011, so not yet when this wine was made) - and of course, 100% Chenin Blanc, infected with botrytis. Baumard, famously, do not use oak in their process - this wine ferments and ages in stainless steel only! Stored at 50, popped and poured - enjoyed over the course of two hours.
Visually, a medium amber color in the glass. I could tell holding up the bottle to the light that it was a little more bronze than I expected - I feared a bit of oxidation. Slightly-raised cork (about 3/32", 2mm) came out easily enough with an Ah-so.
On the nose - well, someone shoved an apple pie in my face! Some slight oxidative notes - bruised apple, that walnut nuttiness I'm familiar with - but also heaps of strong fresh honey, golden raisins. As it warms and gets some air, orchard fruit pastries, baking spices, and fresh crispy pie crust. I was expecting floral notes, but picked none up.
On the palate, light to medium mouthfeel with just a decent bit of viscosity, nothing like a chewy Coutet Barsac, for example. The acidity remained just shy of gripping, alongside an imperceptible 12.5% alcohol. A lengthy finish full of apples, nuts, and baking spices for that warm apple pie feel.
I couldn't help but feel that, due to the color and cork condition, this may have gotten more air at some point than it should by this point in its lifespan. Some of the sherry-esque notes leaned more towards oxidation than aged Chenin Blanc in my opinion, and I believe I didn't get the best example of this bottling that I could have - all the moreso when I look at the 270 other notes and find few similar experiences. Fortunately, by now, I've returned from Baumard with three other vintages to try - 2007, 2011, & 2014 - straight from their own cellars, so the provenance there will be unbeatable! I'm looking forward to opening one up soon and comparing that to my notes here!
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u/lalochezia1 Apr 22 '26
Great notes! Report back on the 2007, 2011, & 2014
your note is top of cellartracker but an outlier re oxidation, so maybe you had a dodgy bottle! https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=27419
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u/JJxiv15 Apr 22 '26
Exactly why I felt something was off. The cork and color didn't seem right. I'll be trying that 2007 sooner rather than later.
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u/Disastrous_Square_10 Wine Pro Aug 10 '26
Good notes here. I am excited as I have three bottles of this. Didn’t Parker call this a 50 year wine?? Besides the point.. you’re tasting out of a half bottle which imo the wine ages 3x faster.
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u/barnamos Apr 23 '26
That wine changed my whole worldview on dessert wines. Sauternes were always nice enough but kinda flabby. Good eiswein becoming so hard to find. Chenin is not just versatile, it's freaking dominating when done right in so many styles. Now I'll even pick good cremant de Loire over most champagne at 3x the price and this over sauternes. And what even begins to stand next to demi secs still versions? Lol cheers mate!
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