Anyone care to revisit this topic? I've been seeing some pretty good deals here and there on '04's, but had more or less sworn off the vintage after a string of the "mean greens" over the past 18 months -- everything from Michel Gros Bourgogne, to Rousseau Cazetiers to Clos de Tart. All dreadful. Last night, though, we enjoyed (well, I enjoyed it, anyway......) a Denis Mortet Mes Cinq Terroirs -- finally, no green! I can't say I'm yet ready to take too many fliers on '04 reds, but would be interested in other people's recent experiences with the wines. Any others that avoided the malaise? Anyone have any '04 Hudelot-Noellats?
2004 Reds
(21 posts) (11 voices)
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Hi Sycamore.
It sounds like you have some sentivity to the pyrazines, so I would simply say 'take it on a wine-by-wine bassis' and taste, it's no area for blind buying. Good price + bad wine = bad buy.Revisiting 'the vintage' won't help as there were always wines that seemed to my palate 'clean' (I still have some and I still like them) - my most recent experience (4-months) indicated absolutely no softening of the profile for those with elevated pyrazines.
Just take nothing for granted.
Posted 2 years ago # -
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stuart beaunehead niemtzow
MemberThe last exchange, between Bill and JT, sums up the biggest problem with this flawed vintage, IMO: one man's treasure is another's trash....and the only viewpoint that "matters" is your own. This does not make for a vintage worth any investment, to say the least. I wish I hadn't.
Imagine Bill and JT at the same dinner, sharing a Fourrier Morey...one gagging, the other raving. Then, imagine the same phenomenon with a bunch of other '04s...and add some people to the mix. It would be like a Marx Brothers movie.
Why bother if you don't have to, I say. :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
Maybe JT hasn't tasted the Morey yet Stuart :o)
But basically Stuart says it like it is - it's down to you and your glass - I would certainly have preferred liking all my 04s!Posted 2 years ago # -
burgundyfan
MemberI had this evening first a glass of Vosne-Romanee les suchot from Chapuis(negoce)
which was just great. But now I have a Clos Vougeot 2004 im my glass from Coquard-Loison which is just a class better than the Vosne. It's one of this moments which I always look for. Good lenght, great black fruits. Hangs long on your teeths.Posted 2 years ago # -
Joachim
MemberI had great experiences with the 2004 Roty - especially Champs Cheny VV and Les Fontenys. No regrets at all. Chevillon I had one tainted of four. Seguin was tainted in all cases. I had just one Hudellot Noellat (2004 Chambolle Village) where I was not sure - at least the wine was not very balanced, but if it was tainted, it was just a very hidden note.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Wolfi
MemberWe enjoyed a 2004 Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru from Lignier-Michelot last evening. Still quite young, despite a few hours in a decanter it only opened fully during the later evening. No signs of any "ladybug" flavours or harsh greeness. Complex amd lovely wine which still needs a couple of years more to reach better accessabillity.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Joachim
MemberWhat a great experience, the Roty Gevrey Chambertin Les Fontenys 1er Cru 2004 which I opened on Friday. No sign of Ladybugs at all. Instead, an overwhelming flavour of liquorice and spices, mainly rosemary and peppermint, but no greenness. In the mouth the same taste, dominated by the typical Gevrey Liquorice taste, but additional blueberrys, plums and dark chocolate, all very well balanced and elegant. After one hour the wine developed, showed signs of caramel and vanilla, some dropsy taste as well, which I know more from St. Emilion wines. A wonderful wine and a proof, that there are some really great 2004s.
Posted 2 years ago # -
stefano
MemberA question to Bill or anybody else who has had the chance to taste the 2004's of the DRC: do some of these cuvees have that ladybug/greenies taste??? I am considering buying a bottle of La Tache, so at that level of price, I'd better know before. Thanks for you inputs.
stefanoPosted 2 years ago # -
stuart beaunehead niemtzow
MemberI think it's important to clarify something about this vintage, at least IMO. Saying "there are no signs", whether certain "wines have that....taste", a % of the same producer affected, etc. etc.....is really not the issue. It isn't the wines themselves making this determination. It's the respective taster's sensitivities, especially when you don't "find" anything wrong...So, for me, it's sort of pointless to talk about specific "wines" in this vintage. There's no way to tell what you have unless you taste it...and even then...the next bottle might not taste the same to you..or especially to others tasting at the same time.
YOu can't rely on anyone else...except, maybe those who find the plague in the wines. Then, at least you know it's there, but won't know if it hits your tasting radar until you try. Asking others' opinions or crediting people's ok experiences is, unfortunately, a recipe for folly.
This is the real evil of this vintage and its plague. I say, why bother if you don't have to...and I wish I didn't have to....
Posted 2 years ago # -
stefano
MemberWell, thinking of buying such a wine is already a kind of act of folly (in my case). And as you can't simply phone the Domaine to get there and taste their wines, the only way to get information is to request it from those who have had the chance and the opportunity to taste these wines.
But as a general rule, I fully agree with your view.
StefanoPosted 2 years ago # -
Goughie13
MemberI've long been reading about the red 04's with mere passing minor interest having only a couple of 04 reds in storage & happy to let them slumber(Lafon Volnay Santenots and Rousseau Cd Beze).
Decided to have a recent auction 'punt' on 3 bottles of Denis Bachelet's 2004 Gevrey VV & got them for a good price - in fact I put a low bid in and forgot about it until the advice the wines were mine. My recent experience of this wine has been a case of the '96, nine of which have been excellent - three only left.
Opening the first 2004 today at a family 'do' at a local farmhouse restaurant with no liquour licence I now fully understand & 'get' what the 04 'fuss' is about ! Not a fun experience at all. Very odd nose aromas I really struggle to describe but the palate was a curious combination of tobacco, leafiness, leanness, little fruit, vegetal unripe type flavours, some minerality & goodness knows what else. I can honestly say I've never tasted a red burg like this in what must be 18/19 years.
Curiously, having passed my Riedel to first one of my brothers, and then the lady partner of another brother, I got two wholly differing reactions . The male reaction was, without my having said anything or giving a clue as to why I was seeking an opinion, that it smelt odd and didn't taste 'right' at all. The female reaction (and a girl who likes her wines) was that it was lovely and had 'forest floor', compost, red fruit flavours and was 'excellent'. Strange eh ?
It improved slightly whilst open over about an hour, the acidity was fine, tannins now I think about it I didn't notice at all being otherwise distracted, and between 2/3 of us we all but finished the bottle but it didn't give pleasure - to me at least. I'm not looking forward to the other two bottles & will leave them a while - I wouldn't have normally opened a village at this age but did so out of curiosity. Served me right !
I bought mainly whites in 04 fortunately (the serious wines are in storage from ep) and thus far have been relatively happily unconcerned at the vintage characteristics vis a vis whites but last night read through the recent (current ?) thread on wine berserkers which, ignoring one or two personal 'spats' between a few posters, also caused a little reflective concern. I did also buy various 2004 Lafon Macon's and have drunk those without any issues but reckon I'll have a look at my 04 Cote D'Or whites shortly, and not for premox - fingers crossed !
And 'No' ! I don't think I'll bother with any more 04 reds - too much of a gamble. I'd rather take a chance on premox.
Posted 2 years ago # -
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Michael Warner
MemberThe Bachelet wines I've had have been among the worst affected of the 04s that I have had.
That said, I tried another bottle of Chandon de Briailles Pernand Ile des Vergelesses 2004 over the weekend. Previous bottles have shown strong 2004 characters and been pretty undrinkable, but this was very much more subdued and overall enjoyable.
I'd hesitate to read too much into this - other than that you can catch them on better days.
Posted 2 years ago # -
stefano
MemberHad a Nuits-Saint-Georges ¨Charmotte¨ 2004 from Thibault Liger-Belair. The color was beautiful, showing no signs of evolution. The nose was quiet muted, but still some black cherries and earthiness were there. The wine presented some nice fruit, again black cherries, earthiness and some spices, as the nose. But there were also unpleasant notes coming and going, and unfortunately, this confirms the vintage issue. Nevertheless, the wine shows a good depth, nice balance, length and potential for aging. The next day, no improvement was noticed. In conclusion, a very impressive village wine, but spoiled by the vintage issue resulting in a beverage that does not provide the pleasure you expected from it. I would surely buy again, but from a another vintage.
StefanoPosted 2 years ago #
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