I attended a great offline in Dublin last night where we drank through a range of interesting wines (mainly non-burgundian). We had one flight of red burgundies, which I thought might be of interest.
1988 Daniel Rion Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Beaux Bruns
1990 Hubert De Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots
1990 Domaine Leroy Nuits St George 1er Cru Vignes Rondes
Served with Butter poached pheasant breast, with baby leek, roasted prune and a Bulmers and celeriac puree
This was a superb flight of wine. The 88 Rion is fading a little but was still a tasty wine. The nose was a little bloody maryish but the wine was very pleasant on the palate with a lithe structure and some red fruits, mineral and good length. It was blown out of the water by the other 2 wines though. The Montille and Leroy were 2 great examples of the ying and yang of great burgundy winemaking. The Montille was everything that burgundy should be. It was Gutsy and beguiling on the nose with a little hint of animal along with the sous bous, spice and developed fruits. The palate was incredibly fresh and clean yet complex and thought provoking and most importantly delicious. The freshness in the wine was what differentiated it for me on a night with some great wines. The Leroy was a voluptuous and seriously sexy wine. The mouthfeel and texture of the wine were mesmerizing. On the nose this is definitely burgundy but on the palate I’m not sure I could guess it as burgundy blind. It was seriously delicious though and a real treat to taste.
Thanks to Joachim, who sold me both the Rion and the De Montille.