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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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