The Year of the Rat … 1972
By Peter | June 11, 2009
OK, there are many of these to consider, but the one in question is 1972 - a year that doesn’t seem to have any ‘good’ history. This was the year of (Sunday) Bloody Sunday and the miners strike, the Vietnam war was festering towards a conclusion and Roberta Flack cleaned up at the Grammies with “the first time ever…”. Sorry, just typing it is too tedious, though I’m sure some of you might like it.
On the upside, Britain finally joined the European Community and I got to see Tutankhamun’s funeral mask at the British Museum after queuing for hours. But I digress - 1972 was indeed the year of the Rat, something I’ll remember whenever I meet Linden. Allegedly “rats” are noted for their charm and attraction for the opposite sex which should be some compensation for the vinously impoverished year of their birth.
The real purpose of this piece is to give you an insight into the 1972 vintage of red Burgundy, following a tasting organised by Linden Wilkie (of the fine wine experience) to raise money for Pebbles, a South African childrens charity. To cut to the chase, I have to admit that the quality of the accompanying meal, and the pleasure of contributing to the very worthwhile work of the Pebbles Project, are more firmly lodged in my mind than the quality of the wines. Not that we suffered from very many poor bottles - Linden had obviously taken great care in acquiring his birth year wines - just that, in the main, they were not complete or exciting wines, tending to flavours of decaying sweetness, and often with what Michael Broadbent pinned down perfectly: “a telltale bitterness on the finish”. At the very top level - DRC, and de Vogue’s Musigny - the wines were still palatable and interesting (and I don’t at all mean that in the very condescending English way). But let’s be frank, this is not a vintage that I will be looking out for to find “forgotten gems”.
The following wines were tasted in London in March. Scores, as ever, out of 5:
1 Correct wine - no faults but no interest either
2 Decent wine, some interesting qualities but overall not sufficient quality & balance
3 Good wine, basically well balanced and offering some real interest and quality
4 A very good wine - exceeds expectations for its context (appellation/price)
5 Outstanding wine by any standard
1972 Savigny-lès-Beaune “Les Serpentières”, Maison Leroy
Pale smoky garnet, with some ruby still at the core. Sweet, raisiny, slightly volatile nose with brambly fruit. Touched with figgy notes and sousbois. Good, but not classy. Round and caramelly, very solid but good acidity. Lingering acidity, but rather coarse gaminess on the finish. Still in decent shape but not exciting. But at least there’s no bitterness on the finish. A second bottle showed even better : fruitier and altogether better balanced. 3-
1972 Corton-Pougets, Louis Jadot
Medium/pale tawny ruby. Less density than the Leroy, but also less aged looking. Juicy, fruity redcurrant compote. Again rather volatile and a touch mushroomy but really surprisingly good. Round and nicely balanced, but a touch bitter and tannic on the mid-palate. Bitter on the finish too, but well composed otherwise. 2+
1972 Corton Grancey, Louis Latour
Very pale plummy garnet - the palest so far, though still lively looking. Deep-toned, beautifully gamey, but somehow “solid”. Slightly chocolatey and muddy. Needs a little time to come out in the glass, but when it does it shows lovely round and ripe fruit. Well balanced, caramelised, red fruit. Good density and gaminess, with firm – almost bitter – tannins. Good finish. 3-
1972 Corton ‘Clos de la Vigne au Saint’, Louis Latour
Very similate colour to the Grancey, though slightly paler at the rim. Gamey and very volatile on the attack. Then solid, but rather dirty. Again, improves a lot in the glass. Lovely spicy red fruit and deep sousbois. Well balanced but rather coarse flavoured. Again grippy and bitter. 2+
1972 Vosne-Romanée “Les Suchots”, Domaine Faiveley
Medium ruby, really quite dense at the core, with a nice tapering rim showing brick. Immensely youthful (though perhaps only by contrast !) on the nose – fresh, vibrant and almost minty. Meaty base, but with lovely floral spice. Very rich and quite sumptuous. Beautiful succulent mouth entry, but quite grippy tannins right behind. Rich and meaty. Still a caramel character to it, but remarkably youthful. With air it becomes a little too beefy (Bovril) on the finish, but really quite excellent. 4-
1972 La Grand Rue, Domaine François Lamarche
Really very pale – mahogany, just touched with red. Light and spicy, and somewhat volatile. Something rather austere, perhaps tomatoey to it. Firm and acidic, but lacks fruit in the mouth. Definitely a caramelised tomato edge to it, but no depth of flavour. Clinging on by its fingernails, and just about enjoyable. 2+
1972 Clos de Tart, Mommessin
Medium caramel/ruby. Very pale at the rim. Quite muted nose, dense and warm and spicy though. Surprisingly rich, almost lush mouth entry (certainly by tonght’s standards !) – round and nicely stylish. Quite fresh, good fruit and structure. Very nice long finish. Really very good – complete and harmonious and very satisfying. 4-
1972 Richebourg, Charles Noëllat
Really very tawny – almost madeira in character. Nose is oxidised : sweet, caramel, nutty and bitter. Sweet silky mouth entry, but that’s all there is good to say. No life left. NR
1972 Grands-Echézeaux, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Medium tawny ruby, almost caramel coloured on the rim. Not decanted cleanly, and showing quite some haze. Lovely, meaty, richly fruited nose. With time in the glass a nice floral edge develops. A touch raisiny, but still glorious. Slightly dirty on the mouth entry. Firm tannins but well poised. Great chewy texture, but slightly hot on the finish. Real interest here. 4-
1972 Musigny, Maison Chanson Père et Fils
Beautiful, crystalline purity – bright ruby at the core, touched with garnet throughout. Amazingly bright, almost youthful appearance. Sweet and supple on the nose, still with a lovely floral and spicy edge. Perhaps just a touch volatile. Clean and pleasing, sweet red fruit on the mouth entry, but a little hollow on the mid-palate. Tannins are bitter but not prominent. This is the skeleton of a lovely wine, but lacks the flesh for proper earthly pleasure. 3-
1972 Musigny, Domaine Comte de Vogüé (Averys)
A very tawny blood red. Medium-full colour – amazing density compared to the other wines. Quite full and meaty, but with a lovely perfume – really spicy and a touch leathery – and sweet red fruit. Sweet and creamy mouth entry. A touch madeirised, but great density on the mid-palate. Lovely layers of flavour, but hovering on the caramel and Bovril. Long on the finish. A great wine, but this bottle just isn’t quite singing. I really wonder whether this one was “fortified”. 4
1972 Bonnes Mares, Domaine Comte de Vogüé
Pale and tawny, madeirised colour. Dull and sweet nose. Very sweet on the front of the palate, a touch of coffee grounds, bitter tannins and lots of acidity. This has seen better decades. Schade. NR
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Not Bad - Just Different … 2003
By Peter | May 6, 2009
On the train to London (yet again) I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. Family life had been turned upside down again for mere wine. But this truly was unmissable - an opportunity to revisit a goodly sized sample of the very best wines from one of the most contentious Burgundy vintages in recent years. We tasted through 25 wines, all of which had been brought along by the participants from their private cellars … in other words these were the 2003s that the ‘Burgundy cognoscenti’ had put their hands into their wallets for.
Perhaps this is therefore a biased sample, but it did demonstrate two things absolutely clearly:
- None of these wise men bought many 2003 whites, and even when they did they are already looking disjointed and unbalanced
- The reds – at the top level – are much better balanced and better drinking than is generally believed.
2003 was a wild year for the vignerons, commencing with severe frosts shortly after budbreak, and culminating in a heatwave of epic proportions. In case you missed it, August 2003 saw temperatures over 40 C, with heat related deaths across France (and the UK). According to the vintage report in Burghound this was the hottest vintage since 1523 !
The resulting harvest was a small crop of small, thick-skinned berries. There was no problem with sugar (and hence alcohol) levels, but acidity levels were dropping fast when the Ban de Vendange was announced in mid-August. Growers had to decide whether to pick early and retain acidity or hold on for proper ‘phenolic’ ripeness (ie ripeness of the entire fruit, including pips and stalks) and pick late. Of course, late in this vintage was still only the beginning of September, perhaps 2 weeks earlier than a ‘normal’ harvest.
So, the scene is set for a vintage of high alcohol, high tannin, deep coloured wines veering towards the baked. However, it didn’t always turn out this way. Most good growers exercised a very light touch in the cellar, and often bottled early to preserve freshness. Also, in a bizarre turn of events, many growers reported seeing the acidity of the wine increase during fermentation.
The end result – when everything was handled well – proved to be surprisingly pleasing. The wines are not “beacons of terrorir”, but the best show lovely definition and typical terroir character, albeit on a larger and riper frame than usual. Only a handful of the wines tasted showed any stewed, jammy or baked character and alcohol levels were almost never intrusive.
The big surprise for me was that the wines were so open – at this stage of evolution Burgundy is often rather hard and charmless. I’m certain that the well-balanced wines will continue to drink well for at least another 5 years. After that – who knows !
To finish, we should revisit the title of this piece, and the words of Philippe Engel (R.I.P.) quoted by Allen Meadows:
“Overall, 2003 is certainly not typical but the wines are actually quite good, just different.”
The following wines were tasted in London in April. Scores, as ever, out of 5:
1 Correct wine - no faults but no interest either
2 Decent wine, some interesting qualities but overall not sufficient quality & balance
3 Good wine, basically well balanced and offering some real interest and quality
4 A very good wine - exceeds expectations for its context (appellation/price)
5 Outstanding wine by any standard
Domaine William Fevre, Chablis GC Bougros “Cote de Bouguerots”
Big buxom and nutty with a hint of lard and a little greengage fruit. Quite voluptuous, nutty oak and ripe pear fruit. Acidic without being fresh. 2+
Domaine Dauvissat-Camus, Chablis 1er Forest
Nice ripe green orchard fruit. Quite sturdy nose. Nice spicy lightness on the top though. Smooth and buttery - an acidic edge to it, but not really fresh. A little oily too and a bitter edge on the finish. 2+
Domaine Francoise Jobard Meursault 1er Genevrieres
Not showing much on the nose, and yet comes across as a little loose in character. Spicy and a little buttery, but not really fruity. With air becomes a little oaky and alcoholic. Quite full and creamy, some minerality, but not really any interest. A bit hot on the finish too. Better than the two Chablis, but only just. 3-
Domaine Jean Noel Gagnard, Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Caillerets
Very ripe pear, lifted with baking spices and a nice seam of oak. Smooth and round, lots of class here but not a lot of freshness. A natural and intense feel - good minerality and a twist of lime. Finishes firm and just a little hot. Good, and an honest interpretation of the vintage. 3
Domaine Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er Les Gravieres
Full colour. Ripe, plummy dark and oaky. Nice lift to it. Round and voluptuous cherry fruit but quite sweet - bordering on the jammy. Well balanced with very refined tannins, just lacks a little freshness and excitement. 3-
Domaine Jean-Marc Pavelot Savigny 1er La Dominode
Medium purplish cherry red. Nice perfume - quite delicate and fragrant. Clean fresh and pure - just with a slight bubblegum edge to it. Lovely flair and definition. Good balance. 3+
Domaine De Montille Beaune 1er Cru Sizies
Deep plummy red, but quite broad paler rim. Lovely earthy, fragrant, savoury nose. Very good. Smooth and very well composed. Nice freshness too. Good intensity, and yet with a lightness of touch. A little dark-toned on the finish but otherwise excellent. 4-
Domaine Jean Grivot, NSG 1er Cru Les Boudots
Very deep plummy red. Narrow rim. Deep, intense, and spicily perfumed nose. Remarkably “Boudots” for the vintage : this is almost Vosne like, but meaty and a touch rustic. Broad and rich, with leafy elements, and very tannic underneath. Dense and long on the finish. This has potential, but lacks freshness today. 3+
Domaine Henri Gouges, NSG 1er Cru Les St Georges
Very deep blood/plum. Dense deep and dark, but a gorgeous perfume. Quite entrancing. Big and bold mouth entry. Very ripe though - almost a bit stewed in character. Rather dry tannins on the finish. Quite impressive but lacks finesse. 3
Domaine Robert Arnoux, Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Chaumes
Deep cherry/blood. Quite closed nose. Plummy, just a touch metallic too, but not giving much up, Smooth sweet cherry fruit on the mouth entry. Seamless, and with good freshness. Oak evident on the mid-palate. Well balanced and very satisfying, but lacks presence on the finish. 3+
Domaine Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle Musigny 1er Les Charmes
Medium-full colour. Broad spicy nose - even a touch of bacon fat. Not very Chambolle. Mouth entry quite lush, but soft and gentle, even unfocused. Quite spicy and tannic too. ‘Soupy’ but with a hard finish. Not convincing. 3-
Domaine Hudelot-Noellot, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes
Medium-full colour. Lovely perfume impact : spicy and earthy, and with great finesse. Smooth and supple in the mouth, but rather soft and loose. Nice flair, but again lacks freshness. Good for the vintage though. 3+
Domaine Rene Engel, Grands Echezeaux GC
Quite full colour. Lovely full and spicy nose. Perfect Grands Echezeaux - meaty and luscious, slightly gamey and sturdy without being at all rustic. Round and plummy. Just slightly loose, but very finely honed and with real freshness on the finish. 4+
Domaine Rene Engel, Clos Vougeot GC
Medium-full colour. Firm, meaty, sturdy, slightly gamey nose. Just a touch of truffle too. Smooth, supple and full in the mouth, yet with good freshness, Not the greatest finesse, but lovely balance and flavour profile. Super, long, finish again shows real freshness. A great success. 4+
Domaine Joseph Roty, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys
Full colour. Dark, chocolatey, and ripely fruited. Lovely and plummy and quite fresh, with a real meatiness underneath. Round and supple and not too heavy in the mouth, but just a little loose. Nice earthy touch and great length. Very successful. 4-
Drouhin Laroze, Chapelle Chambertin GC
Medium purplish ruby. Robust, earthy and sweet toned. Quite charming. Smooth and voluptuous mouth entry. Nice freshness too. Very well poised, no hard edges at all, but the tannins are a touch bitter. Really quite good, just lacks a bit of energy and class. 3+
Domaine Armand Rousseau, Clos De La Roche GC
Quite full colour. Lovely earthy, dark cherry fruit, with a real feral edge to it. Smooth and supple, sweet and slightly estery. Lovely full body and perfectly refined tannins. Superb winemaking, but ultimately its just all too smooth, and doesn’t excite me. Plus there’s that worrying estery note. 3+
Domaine Fourrier, Gevrey-Chamberten 1er Cru Clos St Jacques
Very full colour. Super nose - spicy and ethereal nose, with a lovely touch of freshly turned earth. Great finesse. Mouth entry is soft, silky, insinuating and voluptuous. Nice freshness, but a little too much alcohol. Finishes long and balanced, but just a touch candied. Very impressive. 4+
Maison Louis Jadot, Gevrey-Chamberten 1er Cru Clos St Jacques
Medium full. Lovely firm, spicy nose. Very Gevrey and very classy, with a meaty undertow. Lovely, perfectly poised mouth entry : fullish, spicy and with a touch of sousbois. Really good long fresh finish. Just delightful. All the finesse and beauty of the Fourrier, but just backed off on the throttle a touch, and all the better for it. 5-
Domaine Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chamberten 1er Cru Clos St Jacques
Mid red. Very firm and taut nose. Spicy, but not showing much more - perhaps a bit closed today ? Very supple and easy in the mouth - almost strikes me as not being like Burgundy. Full and firm but lacks character. A good wine though, and worth re-tasting in a few years. 4
Domaines Georges Mugneret et Mugneret-Gibourg, Ruchottes Chambertin GC
Quite full colour. Smooth and lusciously silky in the mouth, this seems more earthy than mineral. Very composed : cool and fresh and no lack of balance. Lovely drinking, but just lacks flair and precision. 4
Domaine Armand Rousseau, Ruchottes Chambertin GC
Medium-full colour. Quite closed nose. Silky smooth mouth entry … even bordering on bland. Nice rich mineral core though. Good strong finish, just a touch bitter on the tannins. 4
Pascal Lachaux, Griottes Chambertin GC
Very full red. Nose is rather light and sweet with a herbal edge and cherry fruit. Quite charming. Very nicely poised mouth entry - cool and fresh with ??? ripe fruit and a touch of earthiness. Super balance and very refined. Long and slightly warm on the finish, and the tannins just a touch drying. 4-
Domaine Armand Rousseau, Chambertin Clos de Beze GC
Full colour. Deep, intense nose with beautiful, earth-driven fruit. Fabulous concentration. Mouth entry is quite full and slightly candied. Rather big and heavy but great intensity. Not an easy wine but very impressive. Very long finish shows superb balance. 5-
Mommessin, Clos De Tart GC
Very, very, deep colour. Really very subdued on the nose : just a touch of licorice showing, Mouth entry is sweet, big and impressive. There is heaps of extract, but also bucketloads of heat. A wall of tannin, and dense, dark fruits. Great length, fullness and balance on the finish. Just isn’t together today (probably needs aother 10 years). Could well turn out on the upside of this score. 4+
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Life-Changing Stuff … DRC 2006
By Peter | February 16, 2009
London seemed full of beauty, with clear skies and winter sunlight picking out the pigeons strutting the pavement. Lou Reed was whispering in my mind and the air was tingling with excitement – or perhaps just the last vestiges of the night’s frost. I was on my way to a much-anticipated luncheon at the Ledbury (which did indeed prove to meet or exceed all expectations). In my benevolent state of mind, I even harboured good-will towards the tourists clustering on the pavement for their first sight of the Tower.
What price a mind-altering substance of such perfection ? Well, this year, the best will set you back almost £1500 a bottle, all-in. That is, of course, if you are in the fortunate position of even being invited to apply for an allocation. But let us not digress to the sordid issue of money. You either can, or cannot, afford it, and the question of value is simply not to be addressed.
The substance in question is, of course, the wine of the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. I have been fortunate to share many bottles from this estate over the years, and indeed my “Road to Damascus” moment in wine was thanks to a bottle of their Echezeaux from 1961. However, I had never tasted Romanee-Conti itself, and indeed had never tasted DRC on release before, so when Bill Nanson told me he was unable to attend Corney & Barrow’s tasting of the 2006 vintage, I cleared my diary forthwith.
As a result of this inexperience, you may find my notes more descriptive of what each wine is than of its virtue in the context of the last five vintages. I cannot do more for you ! For those who don’t know me, my scoring is on the following scale:
1 Correct wine - no faults but no interest either
2 Decent wine, some interesting qualities but overall not sufficient quality & balance
3 Good wine, basically well balanced and offering some real interest and quality
4 A very good wine - exceeds expectations for its context (appellation/price)
5 Outstanding wine by any standard
Vosne 1er Cru Cuvee Duvault-Blocher
Nice, but not outstanding. 3+
Surprisingly pale (even allowing for these minute pours). Light cherry, touched with blood. Light and tapering rim. A fine and typical – though perhaps slightly sturdy – Vosne nose; perhaps a little closed. Intensely spicy, and with a touch of mocha underneath. Fruit is rather reticent though – warm cherries and plums, with a slightly baked edge - and seems even to close down more with air. Mouth entry is sweet and medium weight, with spiciness to the fore. Fills nicely on the mid-palate, with lovely, earthy, vibrant cherry fruit. Finishes firmly with good fine-grained tannins adding a little bite.
Echezeaux
Very good, but doesn’t wow. 4-
Same colour as the Vosne, but if anything even slightly lighter. Instantly more impressive on the nose though – voluptuous, with lovely ripe fruit and good depth, though also held more tightly in check by structure. A touch sturdy perhaps, but really very sexy. Fruit is firm, red, and slightly high-toned. Mouth entry really quite round and ample, though only medium weight, with fine, refined, fruit. Doesn’t really show any development on the mid-palate, though there is nice density. Finishes long and spicily lingering.
Grands Echezeaux
Fine stuff – real flair and balance. 4
Just a touch darker than the Echezeaux – and deeper (more blood red) too. Fabulous, pure, nose, streaming red fruits, a touch of white chocolate and flowers too. Quite entrancing ! With air some deeper, darker, elements appear, adding real profundity and a broad meatiness to that initial “hit”. Mouth entry is a real notch up on the Echezeaux: bigger and finer, with robust red and black fruits and a touch of the earth. Mid-palate shows superb balance – nice freshness – and power, but perhaps not great focus. There is a real flair to the flavours though, and a lovely spicy, sweet and sour, finish that lasts and lasts.
Richebourg
Seamless, but lacks wonder and power today. 4
Somewhat lighter and more bubble-gum pink toned that the Grands Echezeaux. The nose is really deep and spicy, showing powerful cherry and warm earth aromas, but lacks the impact of the Grands Echezeaux. Perhaps a little closed, but certainly muscular and tight rather than flamboyant. Mouth entry is wondrous – really seamless – but only medium weight. Lovely freshness, and predominantly red fruit. Mid-palate gives up powerful, deep, spicy fruit, touched with kirsch and the most fabulously refined, fine-grained, tannins. Finishes as seamlessly as it began. Really harmonious, but I sense its glories are rather hidden today, and my “score” may prove to be rather conservative on this one.
Romanee-St-Vivant
Beautiful, slightly aloof, and intense. 4+
A deeper, more purplish colour. The first wine today that I would describe in Coatesian terms as “medium-full”. The nose is full of fabulous dark perfume – violets, game, and deep black cherry fruit, even a hint of dark chocolate. This has a depth and intensity that I haven’t experienced with RSV before (though I didn’t get to taste the ‘05s). Sadly, as with all of the wines today, the nose seems to close up in a matter of minutes. Mouth entry is medium weight with silky smooth fruit, really good acidity and focus. Mid-palate shows an austere undercurrent (stems, perhaps) and really dark fruit at the base. Lingering, chocolatey, spicy finish.
La Tache
Fabulous, brooding, monster. 5
Again deeper – more bloody – colour. More density to the rim too. Wonderful impact on the nose: deep dark fruit with Asian spices hovering overhead, a fabulous swirling gaminess on the mid-register, succulent cherry and kirsch fruit, and floral topnotes. More with every sniff … dark and brooding hints of woodland floor too. This has it all on the nose - in case you can’t tell, I really liked this one ! Mouth entry is big and very firm – big black fruit and a tarry core. Quite a mouthful, but the mid-palate shows lovely freshness, a real floral lift, ad layers of meaty richness intermixed. Great density and spicy complexity. A stunning wine.
Romanee-Conti
Supreme elegance and harmony. 5-
Slightly lighter colour – more pure cherry red here, only just medium. Nose is penetrating and perfumed: spice and flowers at the front, but also really deep and with a haunting (menthol ?) edge to it, and a touch of well-hung game beneath. Lovely flair. Unassuming mouth entry – just medium weight, and with perfect balance. Mid-palate shows pretty red berry fruit and floral touches. Clean and sweet and harmonious. Supremely elegant. Wonderful finish – sweet, harmonious and floral – must last at least a minute.
These wines were for me a perfect presentation of the 2006 vintage – one, incidentally, that I like very much, and bought heavily for my personal cellar. The very best red Burgundies in 2006 – and you do have to choose carefully – are beautifully pure and classy. They have less substance and longevity than 2005, but a more fluid, transparent and earlier drinking style.
I was pleased to note Aubert de Villaine’s comments quoted in Corney’s literature:
“We had ripeness levels that were as high as those we obtained in 2005… I honestly do not know which other vintage 2006 resembles but I believe the wines will be wonderful examples of Burgundy with supreme finesse and elegance, providing generous aromas and silky textures.”
It seems churlish in retrospect but I added at the end of my Romanee-Conti note “Just seems to lack a little power for me”. I include that here in the hope that it helps you understand my personal taste better … if I could get an allocation of 2006, I would be praying for the Grands Echezeaux and the La Tache.
My thanks of course to Bill, and to Corney & Barrow, for the invitation to taste these wondrous wines.
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Clos v Clos - our lucky winner reports back
By Peter | November 18, 2008
So many of you were keen to win my ticket to the Fine Wine Experience’s Clos de Tart versus Clos de Lambray tasting last month ! Only one could go, but here is the eighteenth next best thing - a full report. Many thanks to our competition winner, Paul, for writing up these notes, and allowing us to publish them here.
Anthony Hanson introduced the tasting by talking about the site of the two vineyards, next door to each other in Morey but with Clos des Lambrays slightly higher (about 1/3 of it above the most advantageously situated mid-slope) and with a slightly less favourable, more northward aspect.
Lambrays has seen significant replanting since 1977, and the average vine age is now about 40 yrs with the vineyard covering around 8.5ha. Winemaking involves careful sorting and rigorous selection for the Grand Cru, especially over the last 5 years [ed: with deselected grapes used in the 1er cru “Les Loups”], with whole bunch fermentation (i.e. including stalks) leading to a lighter colour. Elevage is in about 50% new oak. Thierry Brouin has managed the domaine since 1980.
Clos de Tart consists of 7.5ha and has been managed by Sylvain Pitiot since 1996. Pitiot has drastically reduced yields, to the point where each vine only gives 5-6 bunches of fruit. 10% of the stems are retained, the fermentation/maceration are both more intense and longer and the wine is aged in 100% new oak.
2005 Clos des Lambrays
Medium ruby. Ripe, slightly oaky, some toast, lovely pure fruit. Lovely purity and decent depth on the palate with ripe, rounded tannins, well judged oak and very good length. Fresh, youthful but elegant. Excellent ***(*1/2).
2005 Clos de Tart
Deep ruby, narrow pale purple rim. Nose shows ripe, darker purple fruit, vanilla. Very intense, slightly smoky with just a hint of sauvage complexity about it already. Fuller, riper and richer than the Lambrays on the palate, a fair amount of oak but there is plenty of fruit here as well as mouth-coating, dense tannins, but it all seems in balance with electric acidity carrying a mouth-coating, exceptionally long, smooth finish. Lovely, and certainly one for the long term. WOTN ***(**).
2003 Clos des Lambrays
Medium ruby, with an already quite wide garnet rim. Slightly more developed nose - showing some spice. Only medium intense, with slightly spicy red fruits, some perfume. Quite restrained, ripe but in no way over-ripe or overdone, indeed nice and fresh if slightly tannic on the medium length finish. Tannins may resolve given time, but does seem to lack a little focus and purity if overall a decent effort for the vintage. ***
2003 Clos de Tart
Deep/opaque ruby/purple, very narrow rim. Very ripe, jammy nose lots of brash vanilla oak which dominates. Very sweet. On the palate, very ripe, intense black fruits, more oak, rich and mouth-coating soft tannins, fresh, slightly jarring acidity, some heat on the long oak dominated finish. Mmm. Someone said more Barossa Shiraz than Burgundy and it’s hard to disagree. Great now if you like shiraz, if burgundy’s more your thing lock it away for 20 years and hope for the best, as it may come round. *(?).
2002 Clos des Lambrays
Surprisingly developed appearance, mahogany core, wide rim. Ripe, quite understated strawberry fruit nose, some spicey, caramelly complexity. More fresh and youthful on the palate with elegant, perfumed red fruit, fresh acidity, integrated tannins and quite a long seamless finish. Not sure that this bottle is typical in terms of its development, but this is drinking well now. ***1/2.
2001 Clos des Lambrays
Pale, evolved garnet core, wide rim. Light/moderately intense nose, indeed noticeably less intense than the 2002 but with some interesting complexity with slightly caramelly notes. Again elegant and seamless with fresh acidity on the medium/good length finish. Drinking well and pelasant enough but not sure if its really showing GC quality. **1/2
2001 Clos de Tart
Medium garnet/ruby core, medium pale ruby rim. Fresh, intense nose with pure red fruits, some vanilla oak, but well integrated and some attractive floral perfume. Good depth and lovely purity on the palate with lovely texture, rich but with attractive contrasting acidity, great mid-palate length and complexity and an extremely long, well balanced finish with some attractive savouriness just beginning to emerge. Outstanding. ****(*).
1999 Clos des Lambrays
Medium/deep garnet core, narrow pale garnet rim. Slightly closed on the nose, some slight mustiness, underlying spicy, earthy red fruit. Again subdued fruit on the palate and a stripped, tannic finish - seems this is lightly corked. On going back to this an hour or so later it showed more fruit on the palate but the finish was still a little disjointed, tannic and short. NR (flawed)
1999 Clos de Tart
Medium garnet. Slightly caramelled, sweet, red fruited nose, some nice perfume but quite evolved and seems to lack some precision. Nicely balanced on the palate though but again the fruit seems to lack a bit of focus and the finish is a little short and dry. **
1995 Clos des Lambrays
Pale mahogany, wide tawny rim. Sweet, slightly toffeed, but also nicely perfumed nose. Complex and interesting with a note of Christmas cake. Harmonious, developed, savoury mid-palate, with mature slightly caramelly fruit, fresh acidity. Elegant and complex, although there are still some tannins showing on the finish at the moment, suggesting that it still may improve with a few more years. ***(*).
1995 Clos de Tart
Medium mahogany - developed appearance. Slightly more intense than the Lambrays, but similar on the nose if a little more youthful with some underlying sweet strawberry fruit. More fruity still on the palate, slightly denser and richer than the Lambrays, with greater fruit concentration, but similar flavour profile. Some drying tannins on the finish which, although others felt were slightly green, I thought just a little firm and thus would balance out with time. ***(*).
1985 Clos des Lambrays
Pale/medium tawny, pale tawny rim. Vegetal, slightly cabbagey nose, but with some nice mellow fruit too and some attractive bovrilly notes. Actually I quite like this, and although lacking a little charm it has interest and length across the palate too. Does trail away a bit on the finish. Interesting and characterful, but drink up! ***
1985 Clos de Tart
Medium tawny/garnet. Fresher than the Lambrays, if with a slightly “stinkier” nose. Some fresh, spearminty fruit here too though. Decent length and balance on the palate, and a sweet lingering, harmonious finish. Mature and very drinkable. ****
1982 Clos des Lambrays
Very pale tawny. Complex, slightly nutty, caramel nose. Still some freshness here too - actually I think it rather charning! On the palate it has decent depth and length too and a lingering sweet fruited finish. Decently complex, mature and very drinkable. Although others weren’t so keen I really liked this, but does need drinking up.. ****
1966 Clos de Tart
Dark, muddy brown, completey oxidised. Shame. NR (flawed)
This was a really interesting, well put together tasting where the different styles of the two domaines really came through, especially in the later vintages.
Clos des Lambrays: all restraint and elegance, with pure red fruit, a dash of oak seasoning, balanced and eminently drinkable, even at a relatively young age.
Clos de Tart: more extracted, concentrated, riper, richer, denser, certainly oakier. At it’s best - at least for me - a better, more satisfying and potentially longer lived wine. At it’s worst (as in the 2003) a caricature, even - I have to say - something of an abomination. And certainly more expensive, especially of late.
Is this the terroir talking or the wine-making style? Well, that’s obviously difficult to say - but one suspects that whilst the slightly more favoured aspect/position of Clos de Tart does at least play a supporting role, ultimately the lower-yielding, later picking and more extractive approach probably has the greater say.
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Goody Goody Yum Yum
By Peter | October 9, 2008
I have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed some splendid older wines during the course of our non-summer. These are really what it’s all about, and a huge thanks to everyone who contributed these wines. In no particular order :
Leflaive – Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, 1993
Deep golden straw. Gentle nose showing praline and brine, but with real depth and poise to it. Quite full in the mouth but with a beautiful, refreshing, streak of acidity adding real crispness. Toasted hazelnuts on the finish. A lovely wine, and for me showing perfectly today. Top ****
Jayer-Gilles – Echezeaux, 1990
Deep blood/ruby, barely any paler rim. Mellow slightly smoky nose, shows a deep damsony fruit along with quite a bit of oak and a slightly disturbing edge reminiscent of swimming pool. Firm and fruity in the mouth and really quite sharp edged. Complete but not harmonious. Top ***
DRC – Echezeaux, 1990
Slightly muddy medium ruby (my pour was near the end of the bottle, so others may have done better). Deep and curly on the nose, spicy and with a lovely floral edge to it. Full and smooth in the mouth with good acidity. Seems too mature – perhaps marred by storage or by the sediment ? – but still a lovely wine. ****
Rouget – Echezeaux, 1993
Bright dark blood ruby. Vanilla led spicy oak on the nose, with bold plummy fruit. Very big, well structured, and robustly fruited, yet the vanilla persists on the palate. Seems very good indeed, and I expected it to develop in the glass, but instead it seemed to become rather empty. Still, a bare ****.
Laurent – Grands Echezeaux, 1997
Garnet tinged ruby, broad paler rim. Broad and earthy, and rather rustic on the nose, which seems afflicted by a bit of reduction to start with. Medium bodied, but rather simple. Surprisingly (to me at least) no obvious oak, and a good reflection of terroir and the year. In the end rather 1-dimensional, but nice and ready. **
Meo-Camuzet – Clos Vougeot, 1993
Medium ruby, showing a touch of garnet on the fairly broad rim. Full and spicy on the nose, but rather solid. This took a couple of hours to open up properly, when it showed lovely richness. Ripe and full-bodied, and well endowed with earthy, chocolatey notes. Bare ****
Meo-Camuzet – Clos Vougeot, 1989
More complete and harmonious – better drinking today, but the 93 will win in the end. ****
Trapet – Chambertin, 1985
Quite pale ruby, lots of browning on the very broad rim. Lovely lean woody nose, shows a touch of tobacco and dollops of old school linoleum. Gentle mouth entry, still with good structure and acidity and vestigial plummy fruit. Good length and a nice gamey touch on the finish, but overall this is rather elderly and austere, especially in such virile company. ***
Pousse d’Or – Volnay 1er Bousse d’Or, 1988
Medium ruby, touched with garnet throughout and with a broad, gently fading, rim. Lovely soft redcurrant nose, very floral. Fresh vibrant and firmly structured. Quite dry and earthy. Nice length. **
De Courcel – Pommard 1er Grand Clos des Epenots, 1988
Quite pale ruby, but more youthful looking than the Pousse d’Or - quite good colour to the rim. Robust, meaty and red fruited. Stylish and big. Broad, velvety and deep. Gamey and well poised. In tasting this was overwhelmed by the more forceful wines, but this is the one I enjoyed most with the meal. ***
Comtes Lafon – Volnay 1er Clos des Chenes, 1990
Deepish ruby, touched with garnet, but good colour to the rim. Big nose of brambly fruit touched with sousbois. Nice and fresh still. Lovely and round in the mouth, and yet fine and fresh, and avoids sturdiness. Beautifully integrated. ****
Leroy – Vosne-Romanee 1er Beaux Monts, 1990
Deep ruby, good density to the rim. Very youthful. Robust, earthy and oaky. Good density of fruit, bit not too sweet. A touch of cedar like wood too. Big, round and voluptuous. Great finish. Still seems a baby, but very very fine. *****
Lamarche – La Grande Rue, 1990
Medium ruby touched with garnet, fairly broad paler rim. A little reserved on the nose, but with a rich plummy character. Well balanced in the mouth with red fruits and a distinctly savoury edge. Good character but not generous. ***
Leroy – Clos de la Roche, 1990
Medium ruby, just a touch of bricking on the rim. Full and meaty nose, showing classic blend of fruitcake and spice. Very richly endowed nose, but the palate lives up to it (without being over-done). Full and round and quite oaky, but very stylish. Very ripe fruit and good length. Lipsmacking. Just *****
DRC – Romanee St-Vivant, 1993
Medium blood ruby, very narrow paler rim – clearly still quite youthful. Nose is lovely and perfumed and light, yet with great depth of ripe, ripe red fruit. Mouth entry is smooth and light and acidic. Really light on its feet, yet with great flavour authority. Fine focussed finish. Needs more time … today ****
Chandon de Brialles – Corton Clos du Roi, 1993
Medium cherry colour, not much sign of age. Dense yet fresh red fruit on the nose, and a touch of iodine. Seems rather simple. Quite light and well-composed in the mouth. Crisp and fresh, light on its feet. Pleasing but not great. ***
Gros Frere et Soeur – Richebourg, 1992
Rich fat and sweet. I came to this late in the tasting and perhaps was “over”-wowed, but marked it wine of the day – this truly transcends the vintage ! *****
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Maume’s Mazis - A vertical tasting
By Peter | September 12, 2008
Earlier this year I joined a group of august Burgundy lovers and professionals at a tasting organised by Linden Wilkie of the Fine Wine Experience. As ever the organisation was superb, and the wines - other than a couple of corked bottles - showed really well. My stock of the 1998 was bought up within a couple of days - good evidence of the quality (and especially QPR) of the wines.
These are superb wines, in a firm, slightly wild and uncompromising style. They have heaps of character but are not smooth, fruity and open-hearted in their youth. Not wines for “beginners”.
2002 - Medium blood red, broad paler rim. No age showing yet. Nose quite reticent, but showing a lovely earthy, smokey, animal character I noted as “burrowy”. Mouth entry is firm and tight - there is a sense of coiled up energy here. Great release on the mid-palate. Quite sturdy plummy fruit and minerality. A real edge to it, especially on the finish. Quite austere but very pleasing. Deep and fruity on the finish with a rich earthy tone. A lovely Mazis, but needs 10 more years for me….
2001 - Medium/pale blood red, quite broad paler rim. Just showing a touch of age. Interesting candied, gamey nose. Not quite clean, but not unappealing. Mouth entry firm, ripe and soft. Plummy and earthy again. Mid-palate shows only moderate density, with a real earthy, tannic edge. Finish is nice and long and stretched out with acidity.
1998 - Linden’s bottle was corked. My tasting note from an earlier bottle : Nice bright blood red - not great intensity of colour, but a slight purplish tinge and only a very narrow paler rim. A delightful burgundian nose of exotic spices and violets over dark fruits and earthy notes. Not a fine nose, but very striking and well balanced. In the mouth it is firm and full-flavoured, quite sweet fruit with good tannic structure and oak still a little to the fore.
1997 - Medium blood/garnet, quite some bricking on the broad paler rim. Nose is ripe, broad and farmyardy. Very nice, but rather fat, and a little coarse in a sexy way. Mouth entry is quite full and grippy with firm plummy fruit. Mid-palate rather brash. But good depth of fruit. Lingers on the finish, but doesn’t charm.
1996 - Corked. The only discernible feature is the strong acidity typical of the vintage.
1995 - Really very deep blood/garnet. Not much paler rim. Ripe dark cherry on the nose, with a nice light touch of game. Quite charming in the context of the wines so far, but not especially complex. Mouth entry is quite firm but well fruited - and really very tannic immediately behind. Mid-palate shows really good fruit density, but a big tannic grip around it. Seems well balanced and very young still. Should keep well.
1994 - Nice medium blood/garnet. Quite broad paler rim showing quite some bricking. Light, fragrant, gamey nose - quite sweet red fruit there too. Mouth entry almost tart with very crisp red fruit and a rustic earthy edge. Mid-palate shows little development : quite soft and gentle, and just a bit tannic around the edges.
1993 - Very deep blood red, with a touch of ruby to it. Not much paler rim and barely a touch of orange. Robust, spicy nose. Seems quite velvety, dark and earthy. Mouth entry is quite big and brash, with high acidity. Mid-palate doesn’t go anywhere - there are fresh dark fruits and a sense of warmth, but no more. Quite big and ample. Nice long finish with rich fruit and acidity - lipsmacking stuff. Very nice, but very primary still. Try again in 5 years.
1991 - Medium blood/garnet. Quite broad, slightly browning rim. Nice woodland nose with a touch of spice and soft red fruit beneath. Smooth and silky on the mouth entry with nice spiciness and even a bit of woodiness. Mid-palate shows quite rich, chocolatey, texture and dark, woody fruit. Very complete and nicely mature, but not a great wine.
1989 - Medium garnet, touched by blood. Quite broad paler rim, just a touch of bricking. Lovely ethereal perfumed, nose - floral touches and rich, fecund earthiness. Caramelised ripe fruit. Mouth entry is full and creamy and yet has freshness too. Mid-palate is luscious with dark red fruit and great acidity. Fabulous fresh long finish. Really quite voluptuous. Super wine and my wine of the night.
1988 - Quite deep garnet, just a nice bricking to it. Nose is robust, plummy and smoky. A touch of loganberry. Mouth entry is medium bodied, firm and slightly rustic. Medium weight in the mouth and rather pruney. Finish is firm and gamey. Not a delight in the context of the other vintages, but a solid wine.
1985 - Medium garnet, caramel colour on the rim. Rich nose - full of farmyard, touched with bramble fruit and fresh woodland cepes. Mouth entry is soft but nicely pointed with acidity. Lovely richness of plum conserve and gamey duck. Lingers beautifully on the finish. This doesn’t show striking density or complexity but is just perfect. Runs the 89 close for wine of the night.
1983 - An amber, olive colour almost throughout, but showing garnet at the core. Fat nose - touches of bacon and mushroom. No fruit left really, and a bit of volatile acidity showing. Very animale but still attractive. Rather offputtingly volatile on the mouth entry, and not a lot of fruit density. Mid-palate is rather austere. Finish is tight and grippy still. Doesn’t charm. Perhaps there are better bottles out there.
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Trauma
By Peter | June 24, 2008
I decided tonight - as an addendum to the 1998 tastings - to open my solitary bottle of Rousseau’s Chambertin, thinking to add the tasting note to those already there. I know you are already ahead of me : it was corked. Interestingly corked though. On the nose I first thought “is it corked ?”. Perhaps, but there is some fine wine here anyway. The palate confirmed that it really was corked, but again that it is a fine wine underneath. Within 10 minutes the wine was overwhelmed and undrinkable. It was as though the wine, weakened by a decade of poison was still fighting for its life. I’ve never experienced this before. But I still feel inclined to search out some better bottles !
TN : Clear and bright, quite pale blood/ruby, with a touch of garnet and some bricking showing on the rim. To be honest, the colour did make me wonder whether all would be well. On first opening, the nose has magnificent intensity : freshly turned earth, rich, woody, spice and rich dark fruit. The darkness of the fruit and a sort of bitterness on the nose made me question again whether all was well. The mouth confirmed definite cork taint, but with a richly fruited, sweet and fresh wine beneath. There is real density and class to the wine, and a good long finish. Magnificent but marred - underneath is absolutely the best 1998 I’ve tasted yet. It seems that the domaine went very easy on the extraction and retained really good freshness, only to lose it all to the demon cork.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
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Recipe : “Bourgogne à la 1998”
By Peter | June 20, 2008
“Despite what you may have heard or read, the 1998 red Burgundies at the mid to top levels are very good and at the highest levels, they are nothing short of phenomenal.” – Allen Meadows (Burghound) in 2001
“all of this focus on the potential pitfalls of the vintage does not do justice to the large number of truly fine wines made in 1998 … should hit their peaks around their tenth birthdays, and drink well for twenty or so years after that. In short, they are outstanding wines that deliver all of the glories that Burgundy can offer. If they do not quite possess the same dimension of the best wines of 1999 or 1993, there is still great pleasure to be had amongst the stars of this underrated vintage.” – John Gilman in 2004
Of course headlines like “1998 – not as bad as you think” don’t do much to motivate the market, and tasting the wines didn’t help either. The 1998s I tried in the first five years after bottling ranged from unpleasantly hard to undrinkably hard. So were our sages right ? If so, then the top wines have been both underrated and undervalued. Ten years on, it seemed a good time to evaluate a score of wines from this often maligned vintage, and offer some guidance on where - if anywhere - the better wines lie. Oh, and just in case you are wondering, the recipe (and shopping list) are at the end of this little essay….
The first thing to note is that this is a low yielding vintage – often as low as 20 hl/ha (for comparison in 1999 some appellations allowed yields as high as 50 hl/ha). Density and concentration are almost a given. The Achilles heel of the vintage however, and probably the thing on which its reputation rests, is the generous tannins from small, thick-skinned grapes. If a producer then extracted heavily, and oaked generously then we can expect no pleasure from the wine by now.
Always in Burgundy we should look to the producer first, and the appellation second, and in 1998 this is more than ever true. There were so many pitfalls that it took great skill and judgement – and perhaps even luck – in both the vineyard and cellar to turn in a good result. The problems include:
- small berried fruit thanks to very dry weather through a large part of the growing season
- intense heat in July and the first part of August, dehydrating the fruit and in some case causing the vines to “shut down”
- heavy rain in late August and September, bringing some development of rot around harvest time
Harvesting began from September 17th with more rain making the choice of picking time critical. Growers who waited were rewarded with both better physiological ripeness in the grapes (the earlier heat-induced shutting down having delayed proper ripening) and a period of clear cool weather. In the end, the smart/lucky growers got fruit that was mainly small-berried, with good sugar levels and acceptable acidities. The final step to achieve good quality was thorough sorting, eliminating any rot or under-ripe fruit. After all this it’s easy to see how yields were so very low !
Finally, the testing nature of the vintage continued in the cellar where it was essential to handle the grapes gently and not indulge in extended maceration. I also suspect that lower fermentation temperatures will have given better balanced wines in this vintage, though can’t be definitive on this limited sampling. On top of all this, whilst the density is sufficient in most wines, this vintage’s typical balance between fruit, sweetness and acidity did not lend itself to heavy use of oak.
I hope that has been heavy reading - it must have been heavy work for the successful vignerons. They were rewarded, as you will be if you select carefully, with full-bodied, sappy wines that are well-structured and with great intensity of flavour. They are generally coloured by a sort of warm sturdiness, and are less exciting – as a result of lower acidities – than the equivalent ‘93s or ‘99s. Certainly the great wines of ’98 seem to be those with the best acids, and this is a key feature to look for in the vintage.
The better wines are NOT as hard or tannic as their reputation suggests and are now starting to drink nicely. I have come to be very wary of anything that isn’t yet attractive, and suspect that they may never come round to a satisfactory balance.
Life is too short to drink poor ‘98s, but you shouldn’t miss out on the great ones ! They do reflect their terroirs quite well, and can provide thoroughly satisfying drinking over the next 5 years or so – while you wait for the ‘93s and ‘99s to be ready,
The recipe:
Wait for properly ripe fruit with good acidity, sort carefully for rot. Avoid overheating, and do not over-season. Bottle young, and mature in a cool, dark place for 10 to 15 years. Formidable !
The shopping list:
1998 as a whole has quite a lot of chaff to sort from the wheat, and you may well feel that it’s not worthwhile, but there are very good wines, and they are (currently) good value. If you want to pick out the best wines I would suggest only buying where you can find a fairly recent tasting note that you trust. Then eliminate wines that have none of the + or more than one of the – attributes below:
+ fresh, acidity, balance, red fruit
- tough, structured, hard, hollow, oak, metallic, black colour
The tasting notes:
For interest, I have also included older tasting notes on 2 of the wines, so that you can see the extent of opening up that has taken place over the last couple of years.
Ambroise, Corton-Rognet 1998
Very dark ruby - almost black in the core. Big black fruit on the nose, with a spicy perfumed edge and a touch of tarriness beneath. Bright, brash, black fruit on the palate with a hefty dose of oaky spice. Full and complex on the mid-palate with earthy and meaty flavours under the black fruit, but quite a tannic bite still on the finish. Should do very well with (much) more time.
***
Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes 1998
Clear bright medium blood/ruby. Slight paler rim. Looks just a little aged, but there is no discernible browning. Nose of fresh red fruit with a nice floral lift and a distinct farmyard touch. Mouth entry is clean and perfectly balanced. Sweet juicy fruit, good acidity. On the mid-palate a sense of mineral earthiness develops, and again some floral tones. Finish is long, persistent and well-balanced. Very good indeed. Drink now and over the next 5 years.
****
,Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras 1998
Good lively colour - nice blood/ruby. Slightly spicy, chocolatey, red fruit on the nose. Mouth entry is cool, again with a chocolatey touch in front of earthy raspberry fruit. Medium bodied and savoury, with good balance and slightly dry tannins. Finish is quite long, spicy and full. One to hold longer.
***
Burguet, Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles Vignes 1998
Deep blood/ruby. Narrow paler rim shows just a touch of brick. Powerful nose. Deep and earthy with lovely ripe red and black fruits - raspberries and plums together. A sprinkling of oak spice and a touch of meatiness make this really attractive. Mouth entry is broad and quite gentle, but with nice ripe raspberry, blackberry and plum fruit and enough balancing acidity. Fills the mouth gradually. A real sense of mineral earthiness and a touch of oak showing on the mid-palate. Finish is long and beautifully balanced. A terrific village wine that is drinking really well now, but not for keeping.
bare ***
Chevillon, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles 1998
Quite deep cherry/ruby, good depth of colour to the rim, and some distinct signs of browning in the rim. Very fine nose : spicy rich cherry fruit with touches of tobacco leaf and a real meaty undercurrent. Mouth entry is soft and smooth with nice fresh red fruit and a lovely richness to it. Mid-palate is quite full, with beautifully integrated flavours : spicy and savoury with nice rich fruit. Finish is lovely - long and savoury with just a touch of sweet cherry fruit. Just a touch four-square but very well balanced : a very good ‘98. Drink now and over the next 5 years.
top ***
de Montille, Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds 1998
Opened, decanted, and served immediately. Pale bright blood red. Nose is very crisp and yet richly scented at the same time - lovely floral and mineral topnotes over red fruit, with a touch of oak spice and some brambly fruit at the very bottom. Mouth entry is perfectly poised, with lovely smoky, spicy red fruit. Only medium weight but broad somehow - without gaps. Perfect balancing acidity and a touch of unresolved tannins still on the very long finish. Very good stuff that will benefit from a few more years in the cellar.
****
Faiveley, Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges 1998
Quite deep blood red. Narrow paler rim shows hardly any sign of age (nor of youth). Nose is warm and earthy with Asian spices - clove, cinammon, anise - and just a touch of plummy fruit. Mouth entry is quite full and tough, and yet not heavy. Mid-palate shows dark and earthy with touches of chocolate but no fruit to speak of. This is a big and well-stuctured wine, that I suspected of being TCA tainted - enough to strip the fruit but not reveal itself. However a second bottle showed exactly the same, so perhaps it is a typically backward Faiveley wine that remains resolutely closed for now. I will hold and hope.
NR
Georges Mugneret, Clos Vougeot 1998
Quite dark blood red, just a hint of age. Full and plummy nose with great complexity - floral tones, a touch of spice, a medicinal edge and some meatiness as well. Very smooth mouth entry with lovely fresh acidity and nice red fruit. Full flavoured but not at all big or heavy. Clean long finish. A very good wine indeed. Now to 2020.
*****
Girardin, Clos de la Roche 1998
Quite dark blood/ruby - touch of tawniness in the rim. A very gamey, meaty nose showing plummy fruit, some kirsch, and oak spice. Voluptuous more than enticing. Mouth entry is full and slightly sweet with ripe blackberry fruit and meaty flavours, Quite full-bodied and long lasting sweet flavours, but with a tannic bite on the mid-palate. Full and satisfying. Drink now with food rather than holding.
**
Grivot, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers 1998 (Jun 2007)
From a half decanted from the whole bottle and resealed…3 days on. Still dark blood red, but with just discernible browning on the rim. Fabulously rich rustic nose of earth, game and very ripe plums. Mouth entry is velvety and the tannins have really softened up. There is almost ghostly sweet redcurrant fruit with a nice peppery spice on the palate - not great weight but nicely balanced. Finish is still tannin dominated but of decent length. Good with cold meats, but not on its own. The fading fruit and still forceful tannins make me think this should be drunk in the next 5 years.
**
Grivot, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers 1998 (May 2004)
Good dense colour - really dark blood red, fading towards rim, but no discolouration. Nose is a bit metallic at first, but opens out, with stony/black cherry and roast pork underneath. In the mouth it is very tight and structured, with well balanced acid wood and tannin. But is there enough fruit here to last?
NR
Jadot, Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules 1998
Lovely bright blood/ruby. Quite broad paler rim, just a touch of bricking showing. Nose is warm and spicy with red fruits and a touch of pine forest floor. Lovely smooth and rich mouth entry with ripe fat cherry fruit. Quite a bit of tannin beneath, but bright, fresh and well poised. Medium weight, but seems just a little light on the mid-palate, with a long spicy finish. Good, but I would give this another 5 years to really shine.
**
Jadot, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots 1998
Lovely bright blood/ruby. Quite broad paler rim, just a touch of pink in the rim showing the very first signs of age. Quite rich spicy earthy nose : a lot more to it than the Bousselots and Beaune Ursules. Full and velvety mouth entry with quite ripe dark fruit. Mid-palate is ample and richly spicy, with quite a firm tannic structure and a slightly dry earthy finish. More to it than the Beaune but no more ready.
top **
Jadot, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Bousselots 1998
Medium ruby, decent depth of colour to the rim, which is just showing slight signs of bricking. Nose is quite tight with rich cherry fruit and a touch of earthiness. Not as rustic as you might expect. Mouth entry is quite flat - even dull - but fullish. Nice deep weighty, earthy red fruits on the mid-palate and a nicely “delicately rustic” fading away at the end. Not big but very well balanced - except for a touch of grippy tannin on the finish. I don’t think this one has anywhere to go.
bare **
Lafarge, Volnay “Vendanges Selectionnees” 1998
Medium garnet/ruby. Fades gracefully to the rim. Touch of bricking throughout. Nose is of very ripe cherry with touches of sweat and kirsch, and with a delicate spicy earthiness beneath. Quite sexy, but without being classy. Mouth entry is silky and yet also very firm, showing prominent tannins and sweet red fruit. Mid-palate is medium weight but somehow a touch hollow. Seems overripe and overtannic, yet without enough fruit density. I can’t see this getting better.
*
Maume, Mazis-Chambertin 1998
Nice bright blood red - not great intensity of colour, but a slight purplish tinge and only a very narrow paler rim. A delightful burgundian nose of exotic spices and violets over dark fruits and earthy notes. Not a fine nose, but very striking and well balanced. In the mouth it is firm and full-flavoured, quite sweet fruit with good tannic structure and oak still a little to the fore. Very good wine, that can be drunk now but will continue to improve.
***
Ponsot, Chapelle-Chambertin 1998
Medium ruby/garnet. Broad paler rim with a distinct touch of bricking. Soft gentle tea and spice nose, quite rich fruitcake type fruit but only medium intensity. Very soft and gentle mouth entry. Ripe red fruit and fruitcake on the mid-palate with robust tannins behind. Quite classy, but not big, and over-endowed with tannins. Should develop for a few more years.
***
Ponsot, Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 1998
Pale and tawny blood red, with some age showing. Gentle, floral nose, quite a touch of sousbois. Classy, but very quiet. On the palate again unassuming - gentle oaky plummy fruit. Although the wine it still fresh and very firm there is a sort of faded grandeur to it. Delightful in a very understated way. (I hope) this might just be a little closed still, and could put on weight. Try in another year, and if it’s no better then drink up.
***
Potel, Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes 1998 (Nov 2007)
Medium ruby, good colour to the rim. On opening, the fine redcurrant and spice nose is submerged by brett, and the medium weight fresh red fruit leads to a very dry mid-palate. After half an hour the brettiness has eased and the nose is really quite fine with floral touches. The wine is still somewhat drying but with food is super. After 5 hours the nose is quite stable - fresh/floral redcurrant and oaky spice. Mouth entry is acidic but supple with clean red fruit and oak spiciness. Medium/full and very classy palate, just a touch of drying oak still showing on the finish. Good length. Keep and hope.
**
Potel, Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes 1998 (Aug 2006)
Bright dark cherry colour. Lovely firm spicy red fruit nose, some oak showing. Strikingly dry, even overtannic, in the mouth - with a metallic edge that could be rot. Decent weight of fruit, but both the palate and the (long) finish are marred by this austerity. To be honest, I’m not sure whether it will ever come round.
NR
Serafin, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers 1998
Nice blood/ruby colour, distinct touch of orange. Smoky, earthy, nose - almost medicinal - with black fruit and a touch of kirsch. A pleasure to smell this one over and over. Clean, fresh black fruit on the mouth entry. Quite robust and earthy on the mid-palate. Good long sweet and spicy finish. Very good stuff. Now - 2015.
****
Serafin, Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles Vignes 1998
Lovely deep limpid ruby. Just a touch of orange showing on the narrow paler rim. Vibrant nose - oak led, layered fruitcake. Lovely richness and depth of red and black fruits, with a nicely lifted spicy frame. Great stuff ! Mouth entry is full, firm and yet fresh. Mid-palate shows underlying oak with very rich fruit : black cherries and plums. A little gamey touch adds satisfying complexity. Tannic frame is still very firm and protrudes just a touch on the finish, demanding to be served with food at present. The good length finish retains freshness. Super wine in a modern, buxom, style that has the fruit and balance to improve further - though not for the oak-averse !
top **
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Volnay – Dancing on the dark side
By Peter | June 19, 2008
A quick report on a delightful tasting last week, organised by Genesis Wines, and hosted by Etienne de Montille. All the wines came from the Domaine’ reserves and were in tip-top condition.
The top wines – nay, all the wines - of this Domaine are fairly austere, and seem to need 10 to 15 years, even in the lighter vintages to become approachable. The Volnay Mitans that we tried, and which inspired the title, was deep and dark and seemed to have a really wild, animal fur aspect to it. Les Mitans lies low down on the slope, below the village and near to les Carelles and les Angles. Not particularly auspicious terrain, and I wouldn’t have expected it to have this character, which Etienne ascribed to the fact that their vines here suffer from “dégeneracion”. Fanleaf degeneration is a incurable viral disease, which gives, as you might expect, deformed leaves, poor fruit set and very small berries. These small, thick-skinned berries give the much darker, denser more spicy/meaty character than you might normally expect from Volnay.
The same character was evinced in the ‘93 and ‘95 served. The ’95, though almost ready, was at a much lower level of intensity and satisfaction than the ’93 which is probably still 5 years away from its peak..
These were followed by the Pommard Rugiens ’89, the last vintage of apprenticeship for Etienne before he took full control with the ‘90s. This didn’t have the class that I expected, although perhaps that is down to the fairly loose-knit character of the vintage. It was full, square, a little meaty and firmly tannic - quite Pommard in fact. It’s fair to say that I had much higher hopes for this wine, which was acceptable rather than exciting.
I loved the intensity and character of the Domaine red wines, though they were not universally liked. If there were one complaint it would be a lack of finesse – though perhaps the ’93 will get there in time. The negociant wines “Maison deUX Montille” were rather bland and forward by comparison. To round off the evening, the Domaine Puligny Caillerets 99 “en magnum” - and perfectly matched with Berkswell, a soft, washed rind cowsmilk cheese - was a real treat.
Pol Roger 1999
Seemed a little closed and even oxidised at first, but opened up nicely. Really vibrantly fruity – for me apricots – and nicely bready. Just a touch of licorice bitterness on the finish puts me off. 3
Deux Montille Pernand-Vergelesses Sous Fretille 2005
Green fruited, rather fatty nose. Broad but rather unfocused, with a nicely judged very light use of oak. Well made but uninspiring, and not for keeping. 3-
Deux Montille Meursault Poruzots 2005
Vibrant spicy, appley nose. Nice nuttiness underneath with a touch of bacon fat. Worryingly also a touch oxidative and rather flabby. Mouth shows real poise and crisp fruit : rather better than the nose, but with traces of sherry and peardrops on the back end. I would worry about incipient POX with this so worth checking on if you have any. 3+
Deux Montille Chambolle-Musigny Babilleres 2005
Very deep ruby, quite beautiful to look at. No paler rim to speak of. Frivolous nose – lots of cherry fruit, but also a touch estery – perhaps cherry lozenge is the best description. Very delicately oaked – lovely soft and flowery mouth entry with fairly good depth of red and black fruits. The oak shows on the mid-palate, but isn’t at all overpowering. Really quite easy. Too easy – it doesn’t offer any interest for me. Quite short on the finish but smooth and complete. Drinking nicely now, but not a long keeper, and no apparent relation of the estate wines. 3
Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Mitans 1993
Quite amazingly dark blood/ruby. Narrow paler rim with just a touch of brick. Beautiful, vibrant nose that both shocks and seduces – lots of perfume and dark fruits rolled up with animal fur. Shows great depth and minerality - quite awesome. Mouth entry is powerful with vibrant red fruits and striking acidity. Medium/full-bodied on the mid-palate which shows rich cherry and bramble fruit with loads of depth and just a touch of gaminess. Finish is long, sweet and earthy. This was hugely enjoyable with the lamb served, but tasted alone later the tannic structure is still quite commanding. Without doubt the best red wine of the night, and still 5 to 10 year from its peak. 4+
Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Mitans 1995
Only mid ruby – shockingly light when compared to the ’93 served alongside, they must have really dialled back the extraction here – fading gracefully at the rim, which is showing some bricking. The terroir is striking here – with the character of the nose exactly the same as the ’93 but less intense, perhaps even a touch ponderous. Mouth entry is lovely and velvety with quite some spice showing. Mid-palate is just medium weight, a touch estery and with ripe red fruit and sousbois. Tannins a touch bitter on the finish. More advanced than the ’93, this doesn’t have the depth or class. 3+
Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Rugiens 1989
Medium ruby, touched with garnet throughout. Narrow paler rim showing a touch of orange. Much more rustic than the Volnays, this is more meaty with brambly fruit and a good dollop of sousbois. Very earthy and solid, yet with a warm generosity to it. The mouth entry is still very fresh, with lots of acidity and red fruit, and the mid-palate develops a real dirty earthiness – perhaps even a touch of brett ? Really quite full-bodied with a solid tannic structure, but not a great deal of complexity. 3+
Domaine de Montille Puligny-Montrachet er Caillerets 1999
Fairly pale lemon/gold. Initially quite reticent, the nose really began to flower after an hour or so. Very intense citrus and minerality with just a touch of honey and herbs. Really quite lovely. The mouth entry is quite full and yet fresh and seems to expand in your mouth. The mid-palate has good intensity, showing ripe apples, citrus and mineral flavours, with good depth and superb balance. Very dry, and yet creamy. Finish is long and intense and quite firm today. A lovely wine that promises more in the future – say another 3 or 4 years in magnum, perhaps ready from a bottle.
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There’s more to Pinot than Burgundy, but not much more
By Peter | March 28, 2008
A mite tabloid on the headline perhaps, but I have found only a handful of wines that have the balance, poise and quality of expression of a good Burgundy. Obviously they are different in style, and cost as much as Burgundy (in the UK anyway) …… but you didn’t expect anything different did you ?
Anyway, all this started simply as the search for some top class New Zealand Pinot Noir to add to our list, but has ended up as a rambling monster of some 80 tasting notes. I have missed out the Burgundies that crept in, but the likes of Italy, Bulgaria and the Loire remain to provide a fascinating overview of Pinots on the market today.
My conclusion is that Burgundy still produces something special, but that the best producers in the cooler climate regions are getting closer and closer to the quality level of top Burgundy, albeit mostly in different styles. In the relatively more established regions such as California and New Zealand we are starting to get wine made from older vines, and from better clonal selections at that. This has an enormous influence on the quality, which for the majority of wines is way better than it was a decade ago. In addition the best producers - many of whom have done time in Burgundy - have learnt how to manage their particular vineyards and winemaking choices to avoid the demons of over-extraction and excess alcohol. However, they are also learning to market their wines better, and for the most part are heading down the track of establishing “single vineyard terroir” wines, with price tags to match. So, no bargains, but there are some very good wines indeed.
At lower price levels there are good wines to be found, but you will need to search (or have a good guide) to find them. New Zealand is an obvious hunting ground, but you should also consider the cooler climate areas of South America. Chile and Patagonia in particular offer some really good values, and deserve to be watched closely as the vineyards mature. If you haven’t read my note on Ocio before, do have a look under “New World Pretenders“.
All these wines were tasted during January and February this year, for the most part at two major tastings. You can read all the tasting notes - if that sort of thing grabs you - here.
A final word of advice - if you find any of the Escarpment single vineyard wines, grab them. You won’t regret it (and if you do, I’ll buy them off you !). I have tried without success to get any from the importer, but they must be around somewhere……
RECOMMENDED QPR WINES
Wine (Region) - Typical Retail Price - My Score
* indicates a wine that we are, or will be, listing, and the price is ours !
£ 15 and under
Torres, Mas Borras (Penedes) - £ 15 - 3+
Escarpment (Martinborough) - £ 15 - 3+
Malma Classico (Patagonia) - £ 9 - 3-
Miroglio, Tracia Sant’Ila (Bulgaria) - £ 9 - 3-
De Martino, Parcela 4 (Chile) - £ 11 - 3-
£ 15 to £ 25
Escarpment Kupe (Martinborough) - £ 23 - 4+
Escarpment Moana (Martinborough) - £ 23 - 4+
* John Forrest Collection (Waitaki) - £ 19.30 - 4
Tarrawarra (Yarra) - £ 17 - 4-
Te Mania Reserve (Nelson) - £ 17 - 4-
* Chamonix Reserve (Franschhoek) - £ 16.20 - 4-
Over £ 25
* Littorai Hirsch (Sonoma Coast) - £ 48.50 - 5
* Michelle Richardson (Central Otago) - £ 26.00 - 4+
Felton Road Block 5 (Central Otago) - £ 33 - 4
* Neudorf Moutere (Nelson) - £ 24.50 - 4
Special Offer Half Dozen “Best of the New World” :
1 bottle each of
* Chamonix Reserve 2006
* John Forrest Collection Waitaki Valley 2006
* Escarpment Kupe 2005
* Neudorf Moutere 2004
* Michelle Richardson 2005
* Littorai Hirsch 2004
With detailed notes, including delivery for £ 149, a 5% discount off our list prices.
We have only 6 cases remaining, please order off the website (just type “new” in the search box) or email us if you would like to grab one.
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