mmm - thanks JT!

1996 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Cork was soaked through and ullage was a bit low for a Leroy. I had to temper my expectations for this and sure enough the first pour did not wow. As with the low-yielding style, the color was ultra opaque and dull and of course very concentrated (but not soupy). Although 1996 is a vintage with high acidity, the sheer extract has masked it away, leaving a well-balanced wine. The palate was saturated with lush black fruits and herbs and true to the terroir, everyone guessed correctly that it was a Vosne. I kept revisiting this over the night and it held up reliably and in fact improved, evolving into hints of orange peel and animale with a grand cru finish. No doubt this has the stuffing to last for a long time but did not provide the wow factor at the moment. Nonetheless an outstanding wine chez Leroy.

The Clos Vougeot chez Jadot is certainly worthy of being classified as a Grand Cru despite it being located at the bottom half of the Clos.

1990 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Guessed this was a Gevrey from the rustic, earthy and darker fruits profile but clearly I was wrong. Grand Cru intensity coupled with superb length and smooth melted tannins made this an outstanding Clos Vougeot, perhaps testament to the vintage. An almost full-bodied wine, this wine is already in the secondary phase and drinking perfectly now. Time to drink up as it did not last that long in the glass. Almost outstanding.