Velier Saint James Brut de fût 2001

Oh, it's so good! Very nice balance of yellow fruit and barrel influence! But not too round, very complex, the barrel influence dominates somewhat.

Full, round Agricole with pronounced wood maturity and - uncharacteristically for an Agricole - red fruits like cherry.Very well integrated alcohol. Overall very good.

Great Agricole. Nice barrel influence. On the palate red fruit and nice spice.

Lovely release and I especially like the flavours in the empty glass where the chocolate and spice stand out. Nice and intense nose and palate.

Charming nose, with a marked prune note, but the mouth is less successful, the woodiness is a bit astringent.

Nice high ABV. This drives the aromas. The nose is powerful and intense. Woody, spicy and fruity. The wood is prominent with a fine woody acidity. Vinegar and pipe tobacco are also clearly present. Nevertheless, I can detect a very slight caramel sweetness. The fruit is more cherry and prune. In terms of spices, I have caraway and baking spice. Palate: also nice and intense. Pleasantly woody with some leather and tobacco. The cherry, prune and grape come through again. Has something of red wine about it. Oh yes, old oak takes over. It is also beautifully spicy with liquorice and allspice and a hint of menthol. The finish is woody and fruity, becoming more and more grassy. Higher percentages are so good for an agricole. More of it, even if I haven't found 'my' Agricole yet.

I am continuing my little St. James flight, and find this one a bit better than the 14yo variant I tried earlier. It is less herbal, but has more fruit (especially with some drops of water).

Good Saint James. I really preferred the nose, very woody but also very greedy. In the mouth it's good, sweet because the alcohol is super well integrated. Marked by the wood, maybe a bit too much. Otherwise what is a pity is the lack of length. It passes right away...

I like it a lot, but doesn't quite come close to the phenomenal Corman Collins 2002 bottling.

Really cool Saint James brut de fut! Surprisingly little wood and lots of freshness and fruit!

An sich ein sehr guter Agricole. In der Nase sehr lecker, am Gaumen und im Abgang stört aber die Bitterkeit, daher Punktabzug. Ich werde mich dem Rum aber nochmals nähern, in einer Solo-Verkostung. Der momentane Eindruck könnte auch durch die andern heute mitverkosteten Rums verfälscht sein.

Al naso è molto accattivante, profumato e intenso con prugne (frutti rossi), legno, frutti secchi, pelle, zucchero bruciato, vaniglia, un filo di tabacco e qualche spezia. Molto buono! Al palato è inizialmente speziato, poi sopraggiungono i frutti rossi e infine una dolcezza da sfondo, il tutto arricchito da violetta, fringipane, vegetali, legno tostato e tabacco fine, ma l'aspetto speziato è dominante. Lascia un retrogusto molto buono, legnoso, terroso e secco. Grazie a Dr.Django per il sample.

Deutlich gereifter Agricole. Holzig, bitter, Tabak, aber auch deutlich dunkle, getrocknete Früchte. In der Nase milder wie am Gaumen. Im Abgang weiter deutliche Bitternoten und Gewürze. Nicht ganz rund, aber durchaus interessant.

In comparison with the 2001 V

When I first smelled it, it was very woody, with a hint of something like leather or oriental wood, spices...very intense taste at first taste...a bit like medicine - cough drops. For being 18 years old and 50% I was expecting a smoother expression, but now I realize it's agricole...aha. After aging for a while in the glass, the expression softens a bit and the fullness and woodiness comes out...