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jollies…
It’s time for a break. Amongst other places, a few days on the Costa del Yorkshire awaits – I expect only tumbleweed around here for the next couple of weeks!
2008 des croix beaune grèves
David Croix told me his 2008s were like monks – totally silent when opened in the morning before singing later in the day. I think I know what he means, only this monk seemed to be en grève… 2008 des Croix, Beaune 1er Les Grèves Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose shows a faint savoury edge but little else for at least an hour, swirl madly a there’s dark but tight core of fruit with faint oak seasoning. Given plenty of time (2+hours) the nose shows a little inky depth before sticking with a glossy dark red/black fruit personality, only the last drops have a pure redcurrant essence. The palate starts just a little tart, but within 30 minutes it’s opened a little addng both texture [....]
2007 l&a lignier bourgogne aligoté
2007 L&A Lignier, Bourgogne Aligoté Medium-pale greeny-yellow. The nose has impact and depth – super – savoury undertones and a dried pineapple. The first sips make me think to grapefruit, mainly because it seems under-sugared – slowly either it mellows or I become less sensitive – I expect it is the latter! Lovely freshness with a hint of peach and a good texture too. The finish is understated but retains some sneaky flavour. I enjoyed this in a slightly masochistic way and perhaps a year or two will allow this to mellow a little. Rebuy – Maybe
1990 tortochot gevrey clos des corvées
1990 Tortochot, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Corvées Medium colour – and quite a remarkable colour at that – you might think it cam from a 2001 or 2002, not a 20 year wine. The fruit aromas have sweetness, concentration and a bloody depth. A texture that just about avoids fatness but delivers in its stead a velvet impression from fading tannins – were they a bit astringent in their youth? – I expect so. Very well balanced, though it is a wine whose whole personality is about up-front impact, the finish being medium at best despite the quality of what went before, and showing some nice dried cranberry/currant. Yet for a 20 year-old villages wine I revert to my earlier adjective – remarkable. Can you expect [....]
just a friday evening…
One of the more interesting things about writing on one subject for a number of years is that you slowly get to know more and more people. Friday evening I was very happy to finally take up the invitation of meeting a Swiss correspondent (of some years) and his wife plus an equally ‘focused’ friend. With homemade faire we managed to get through 2008 villages St.Aubin from Thomas Morey, 1999 Bernard Morey (Thomas’s dad) 1er Puligny Les Truffière, 1996 Serveau Morey 1er Les Sorbets and as a coup de grace 1982 Sérafin Charmes-Chambertin. Lots of fun I have to say. Quickly from memory I would say 1-tight, 2-linear, young, reasonably concentrated, 3-slow to open, elegant more and more detailed as you waited, 4-extra fat, interest [....]
burgundy as a replacement for bordeaux?
“The new standard of excellence is Burgundy…” Are wine-drinkers becoming restless? Is Burgundy becoming the new Bordeaux? Let’s hope not, I might feel the need to defect – or burrow deeper into only St.Romain and Monthélie !
2006 alesia san mateo county…
The boys of Noble Wine (who are occasional advertisers here) are some of the rare importers of Kevin Harvey’s wines from the US into Europe. Kevin is a very keen follower of things burgundian so I was very interested in what his personal rendition of pinot noir might be. I have this and a ‘Rhys’ (though it also says Rhys on the cork of this wine) which I’ll also open in the next days. I’m not really expecting ‘burgundy’, but given the costs of export/import, these cost me (even with a ‘good price’) something in the order of a cheaper grand cru. 2006 Alesia, San Mateo County Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose wears a heavy, musky pinot fruit and it’s edged first with a fine [....]
The Wild Vine – Todd Kliman (2010)
Subtitled: A Forgotten Grape and the Untold Story of American Wine Now here is a book that I didn’t really know whether I wanted to read, or not. The marketing commentary gave me the impression that the storyline might have been a little twee [adj. Brit excessively sentimental], but I’m glad I went through with it! What we have here is part historical research, part novel(?) and certainly the narrative of our author taking a journey – though Sideways it is not! The book follows the ups and downs – and it’s quite a lot of downs – of the Norton vine; from discovery, the immigrant population who took to the vine, through prohibition, back from the brink and then the hard slog of marketing [....]
1986 fougeray de beauclair bonnes-mares
The last of my quartet from 1986. I was surprised by the cleanliness and decent condition of the first three, can this really make 4 in a row? It seems so. So what have I learned about the vintage from this small sample? There’s impact, there’s a weight of concentration and I expect that there was some very astringent tannin during the early years. Perhaps these wines are a little too monolithic, certainly there is no delicacy though the acidity is up to the job. All were drinkable and far from fading, and whilst the Clos de Vougeot will take the aromatic plaudits, this Bonnes-Mares is the most complete wine. I’d say that the wines are like 1992 with more concentration. 1986 Fougeray de Beauclair, [....]
2008 des croix corton-charlemagne
2008 des Croix, Corton-Charlemagne Medium yellow. The nose starts with a width of Charlemagne herbs, slowly but surely taking on a warmer, slightly heady orchard blossom aroma. Start drinking when it’s too cold and this is certainly not a Charlemagne of instant impact, rather it builds both concentration and intensity in the mouth. In the mid-palate there is GC extract and intensity that fades on beautiful acidity. Silky understatement but considerable length, no extraneous inputs, just pure wine. Yum! Rebuy – Yes
Alfred Gaspart une année dans la vigne: Photographies 1936 – Rafaèle Antoniucci (2006)
Here’s a book that’s been on my bookshelf for a couple of years now, but one that I do periodically return to. Unlike the recent Lincoln Russell book of photos there is a thread of text that runs through this – though it helps if you can read French! Alfred Gaspart only later in his life became celebrated as an artist, but he seems a fascinating individual. He was born in Argentina in 1900. Whilst his mother was Argentinean, his father was of French Basque origin. Also with two sisters Alfred and the family moved to France in 1903. Gaspart studied art and began working in both painting and photography, initially settling in Paris. From his Paris base he travelled to, and took much artistic [....]
1986 confuron-cotetidot clos de vougeot
Much as I (for some reason) covet a wax-sealed bottle, they are certainly messy when it comes to extracting the cork. If you haven’t seen them, Nicolas Potel’s new domain have red or yellow wax that only half covers the cork, and the top wines (and magnums) of L&A Lignier have a cool, dark brown wax seal. As I start this operation, the corkscrew obviously starts to rip the cork so the ‘ah-so’ comes to a perfect rescue – well, only perfect if you can clean up the mess of chipped wax before the domestic management arrives on the scene! 1986 Confuron-Cotetidot, Clos de Vougeot Medium, medium-plus colour. The first sniff will weaken your knees, such is the depth of dark macerated cherry and baking [....]
