By billn on December 12, 2008
The garden looked pretty with snow, so I pulled out a hearty, warming 2004 – oops, should have been the 2005. Never-mind. I can open that at the weekend.2004 Thierry Mortet, Gevrey-Chambertin Medium colour. The nose has more than a hint of 2004 about it, plenty of high-toned cedar but a quick swirl displays the frankly lovely red berry/cherry fruit below. In the mouth it’s a little mineral and perhaps a hint flimsy in the concentration department, but despite that, the flavours are really long in the finish. Slowly the palate’s texture apparently thickens with concentration. If you’re immune to the 2004 cedar it’s a buy. Rebuy – No
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - No (2008) |
By billn on November 26, 2008
Domaine Les Perrières is based in Gevrey, and seemed to be appreciated by RMP Jr himself – including this particular wine – when he published his 1989 ‘Burgundy’ book. RMP noted that proprietor François Perrot made wine from a 2.77 acre parcel of Petit Chapelles – Matt Kramer’s book of the same year lists SC Les Perrières as owning just 1.6 acres, so he must have been farming additional parcels too. So what happened to the domaine? Well it still seems to exist, semi-anonymously, maybe it’s worth a visit… Anyway, this wine is another auction purchase – I also got a coupe of bottles of ‘64 Clos de Bèze, but don’t expect to be opening those any time soon – given the bizarre performance of [....]
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - No (2008) |
By billn on October 23, 2008
The lunch menu offered up a tantalising wine option – Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Rouge – I never heard of it, clearly it was worth investigating. Of-course when the bottle arrived the mistake was clear, it was actually from Olivier Leflaive. Anyway the bottle was here so why not give it a whirl(?) 2006 Olivier Leflaive, Bourgogne Cuvée Margot Medium cherry-red. The nose started red and a little powdery, the powdery edge slowly lifted to reveal simple but nice enough red berry aromas. The palate had reasonable balance, likewise the concentration was not bad for an 06 bourgogne. It’s only a few hours since I drank more than one glass but I can tell you little more. It was okay, but in a forgetful sort of [....]
Posted in Degustation, Other Sites, Rebuy - No (2008) |
By billn on October 19, 2008
The packaging is great. The expectation it sets also; Pinot Noir Les Vieilles Vignes. The price is not exceptional for a bourgogne, in fact at 20 Swiss francs it’s far from cheap. Let’s be clear, this is a nice tasty wine but tastes like Beaujolais not pinot – and not a stunning Beaujolais – a top crus Beaujolais can be cheaper and certainly ‘better’. Incredibly disappointing, the laurels easily sit with the Beaujolais in this case. 2006 Vincent Girardin, Bourgogne Pinot Noir Les Vieilles Vignes Medium, medium-plus cherry-red. The nose is fruity, a little gassy and smells like cheap Beaujolais. Sweetly ripe, quite well balanced with a small edge of dissolved gas. Good length. Tastes like Beaujolais. Rock-stable for 2 hours. Rebuy – No Clearly [....]
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - No (2008), Rebuy - Yes (2008) |
By billn on October 16, 2008
For me the ‘average’ face of a mid-range 2003 is shown by the Beaune, and that’s the reason you don’t see many notes for 03′s on this page. The Pommard is altogether better, and comes close to being enjoyable! 2003 Albert Bichot, Beaune 1er Cru Medium red, still some hints of cherry. High tones that are reasonably fresh. The tannin is a little drying and the acid is a little sharp – certainly far from seamless.. Not a great balance here. Rebuy – No 2003 Albert Bichot, Pommard 1er Les Arvelets Medium, medium-plus red – again with just a hint of cherry-red. The nose is deeper with a savoury, meaty aspect. The acidity is just a little prickly, but this fades with time. The tannins [....]
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - Maybe (2008), Rebuy - No (2008) |
By billn on October 4, 2008
2004 Nicolas Potel, Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes A good, medium, medium-plus colour. The nose alas is a mix of cedary green and mushroom, there’s a pretty red fruit trying to peek through but frankly it’s drowned. In the mouth it’s nicely concentrated with good fat and a lovely red fruit base. The acidity is good but slides you into a finish where the green raises its head again. Such a shame. Rebuy – No
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - No (2008) |
By billn on September 28, 2008
As a post-script to the last 2 days, I think I do note drinking a glass or two. Here a modest selection drunk over the last two days: 2000 Camille Giroud, St.Aubin 1er Les Charmois Medium golden. High tones over slightly creamy base – quite vibrant if not an integrated whole. Ripe fruit offset by slightly bright acidity. Quite long, and certainly very tasty. Rebuy – Maybe 1987 Camille Giroud, Meursault 1er Les Perrières Medium golden. An understated nose that shows a little creamy wool. The palate is linear – perhaps (old) boney – but very smooth and rushes you into a reasonable – creamy again – finish just a little faster than you might wish for the appellation, but it’s probably the appellation that [....]
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - Maybe (2008), Rebuy - No (2008), Rebuy - No Chance!, Vintage 2008 |
By billn on September 27, 2008
2004 Vincent et Denis Berthaut, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Chézeaux Medium cherry-red. The nose starts with a dark oaky element intertwined with plenty of the 04 cedary green thing – after five minutes you have lost the dark part, it’s even eventually asparagus! In the mouth The fruit is sweet, but it’s really pushed into the background by the slightly mouth-puckering effect of the tannin/acidity. There’s plenty of that cedar thing in the mouth too. It may have a future, but it’s hard to see it. Rebuy – No
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - No (2008) |
By billn on September 14, 2008
Ah, those were the days, now where was I? 2005 Jean Tardy, Chambolle-Musigny Les Athets Medium, medium-plus colour. A deep, slightly baked fruit impression intertwined with a dark oak note – I think the oak is influencing the fruit. In the mouth the texture’s okay but I have the impression there’s some dissolved gas here making the tannin a little forward and the acidity slightly prickly. There’s some extra dimension, but it’s clearly not showing its best. Day 2 and the nose starts less interesting, but slowly a red-currant note tries to assert itself. The ‘rasp’ that I associated with dissolved gas is still there on the palate, though the tannin seems less forward. Tight? For sure, but versus some other village chambolles I could [....]
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - No (2008) |
By billn on August 25, 2008
Chambolle still has many nice wines in 2006, but at the villages level, there is clearly not the density to be found from the 2005 vintage. That said, I continue to buy a number of tasty, balanced wines – one of these two made it into the basket, the other not. I literally found this terrible on opening – an already open Potel-Aviron 05 Morgon Côte du Py was so much better on every level (at about 30% of the price) – a little (actually a lot of) patience helped considerably! 2006 Arlaud, Chambolle-Musigny The colour is more red than cherry or purple. The first sniff did not impress – no focus, dirty oak, no fruit, in fact soupy. The flavours were not dissimilar, no [....]
Posted in Degustation, Other Sites, Rebuy - No (2008), Rebuy - Yes (2008) |
By billn on August 16, 2008
2005 Guy Breton, Morgon – p’tit Max Medium, medium-pale colour. A high toned, slightly volatile nose. In the mouth that hint of volatility remains but the mid-palate shows a nice depth and also good texture. Reasonably well balanced with little overt tannin, but at best, an okay wine. Rebuy – no
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - No (2008) |
By billn on June 13, 2008
2005 Bertagna, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Les Dames Huguettes Medium, medium-plus cherry red. Frankly I don’t like the nose – it’s quite forward, but it’s mainly the bubble-gum notes of a less than satisfying Beaujolais. In the mouth the acidity is quite bright and the flavours are metallic. As it stands, it’s a big NO! I have to give it a chance, so most waits for day 2: Another day and the bubble-gum is on a slightly lower order, but aromatically the wine is far from interesting. Perhaps not so metallic tasting, but the acidity remains very tart – I don’t mind high acidity, but this is tart high acidity. If represenative (and why shouldn’t it be?) a startling failure for the vintage. Rebuy [....]
Posted in Degustation, Rebuy - No (2008) |
