Many people – pundits included – like to have a definitive answer for why there is the green-streak in (possibly) a majority of 2004 reds, some growers say that even whites show it. The most common response (given reason) is phenolic maturity with equal second place (should that be third?) going to hail/rot. Well many that show the trait saw no hail and also no rot – the phenolic ripeness crew are now looking smug – but wait: Here is a wine made by Laurent Ponsot – the last of the late pickers – that shows the trait, do you really expect me to believe it’s a ripeness issue? On opening, his Griotte initially shows it to an even higher level, more of that when I eventually write the note.
In the end I feel pretty safe to continue describing this as a ‘post-bottling vintage phenomenon’ which I hope will fade as it arrived i.e. unheralded, because the unimpaired 2004’s continue to drink like 1996’s with fruit – in fact fresh fruit coulis wines.
2004 des Chézeaux (Ponsot), Chambolle-Musigny 1er Charmes
Medium, medium-plus cherry-red colour. The nose starts virtually cedar-free with a tight, round core of red fruit. Slowly there develops a lovely deep red cherry note and bit-by-bit a background of cedar emerges – not enough to spoil the wine, just enough to point to its origin. Good texture and lovely acidity, it’s a wine that starts narrow but opens wider and wider, expanding into a good if rather mineral-infused finish. There’s a reasonable amount of tannin but it’s finely grained. I’d leave this about 5 years before revisiting. Day 2 the cedar is 90% gone (hopefully a positive sign) and we have a lovely, long and tasty wine that would be a certain rebuy.
Rebuy – Yes