« Maume’s Mazis - A vertical tasting | Main | Clos v Clos - our lucky winner reports back »
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 ! *****
Topics: Tasting Notes |
March 31st, 2010 at 3:01 am
[…] … As the son of Melisande and Benedicte de la Courcel he is a Prince of the Blood and there …Goody Goody Yum Yum |Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website. Anti-spam word: (Required) To prove […]