Medium, medium-plus colour. The first sniff will weaken your knees, such is the depth of dark macerated cherry, padded with earth. Like the last two 86s I’ve opened, here is a wine that seems excellently balanced – the acidity is good – yet it’s not refreshingly moreish, it doesn’t beg you to take another sip, all have somehow seemed acid-shy when they’re not – strange. The texture is silky before a fine but astringent tannin starts to take over. A high-toned fruit expands across the mid-palate before very slowly lingering – it’s a high-quality finish. This is a wine of power and still some aspect of youth, it’s a bit of a cliché to say ‘austere’ but there is still something of that about it – am I allowed to say a 24 year-old wine is too young? – the nose suggests more today than the full package actually delivers. No rush to open the last two bottles…
Confuron-Cotetidot
2006 Confuron-Cotetidot Bourgogne
Medium cherry-red. Sweet, only slightly smokey stems, rather candied red/blue fruit. The palate is as sweet as the nose, with understated acidity. Occasional sips give a padded, slightly plush texture, but most show a mid-palate/tannins with a slightly astringent, sharp effect. Quite long finishing, but this far from a ‘together’ wine. Day two, less aromatically interesting, but more ‘together’ on the palate. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and say wait another year or two – it’s not really for today though…
2001 Confuron-Cotetidot Vosne-Romanée
Medium, medium-plus colour looks wonderful in the glass. The nose is wide and deep, lots of red fruit action that tends towards confiture. This is a lovely, ever evolving, involving nose – at times there is even a smoky, stem element. The palate starts a little racy and linear with forward but reasonably well-textured tannins, but the tannins also seem to have more than a hint of bitterness about them. There is a core of slightly bitter, tart fruit that is actually very long in the finish. Time in the glass slowly brings out a sweeter side to this wine – I started to warm to it. Lovely aromatics, but this is a wine that needs to improve to gain table space – hopefully it will come with age.
1999 Confuron-Cotetidot Vosne-Romanée
Medium ruby red, looking very pretty in the sunshine. The nose has a touch of raisin, redcurrant and eventually strawberry. There’s a mineral, soil inflected aspect to the palate, good acidity and smooth tannin. Overall there’s a nice balance and good fruit too, perhaps a little more secondary and spicier than many 99’s but it’s very, very drinkable.