I may have been a little disappointed by the first two Drouhin ‘négoce’ bottles, but the third in the series is a real star! 1993 Joseph Drouhin, Charmes-Chambertin
There’s a deep core of colour here – looks relatively mature. The nose starts deep, sweet and earthy – that’s a great start – concentrated, macerating dark fruit that very slowly gives up a redder berry-note. In the mouth there is intensity, depth and really good acidity – it is a luxurious rather than ‘fat’ impression. The tannin is a mere after-thought and the flavours, with a bitter chocolate edge, linger very well. Despite it being more than 15 years since it was harvested, it’s still a young wine, but clearly it’s in an early phase of maturity and certainly drinkability! A clear ‘rebuy’ with it’s blend of power and elegance. Really super stuff. Rebuy – Yes
I just ordered a case (yes a whole one!) for 53 Swiss francs a bottle – you can put that into context yourself versus the recent Jadot and Faiveley offers…
1995 Joseph Drouhin CortonI bought 11 mixed bottles of older Joseph Drouhin wines – at seriously great (1999) prices – but that of-course hangs on decent quality and decent storage, hence, only one bottle of each before a rebuy decision. To start with, here’s 2 notes from the opening 3 négoce bottles – a mixed result: 1996 Joseph Drouhin, Vosne-Romanée
Medium ruby-red colour. The nose has a very faintly lifted and coffee tinged impression – it seems quite 1996-ish – underneath is tight red cherry fruit at the core and small impression of prune – as a whole this is actually quite nice. Given time there’s a hint of smoke and dried currants – lovely. Chewing the wine is not so easy given the typical 1996 acidity, but it yields faint but sandy textured tannins. Some impression of maturity to the fruit flavours, but whether you wait 2 or 10 years I’m not sure you will ever get a ‘comfort wine’, it will always fully reflect the vintage, but as someone with who is not acid-averse, no problem for me. Faintly lingering flavours are the last(ing) impression. Clean and quite tasty. Rebuy – Maybe
14 year-old Corton is typically an adolescent, in combination with the 1995 vintage, that seems reinforced… 1995 Joseph Drouhin, Corton
Medium ruby-red colour – perhaps a little muddy. For the first 2 hours this is a ‘so what’ wine, a nose that seems a little roast and shows flavours that offer little interest and no charm. Very slowly the nose takes on a little width, and whilst far from effusive seems a little fresher. The palate slowly becomes fatter and develops more complexity – its best ‘angle’ is certainly the mix of lingering flavours, though the acidity and tannin are pretty good. Rebuy – No
1998 Denis Mortet, Gevrey-Chambertin
I’ve opened one of these almost every year since release – it’s rare that I buy a 12-bottle case, but occasionally ‘research’ is important! Frankly, due to the oak treatment this has been a roller-coaster ride. Last year I didn’t think so highly of the wine, the year before, perhaps, being it’s peak – yet this year it’s on decent form again. 1998 Denis Mortet, Gevrey-Chambertin
The colour is quite deep, but showing plenty of age with a little mahogany cast. The nose is complex with high and low tones; ash, coconut, deeper faintly reductive notes and some sweetness of fruit at its core. Excellent acidity though with a late metallic impression. Decent length, resolved tannin and some reasonable sweet fruit. Interesting and more balanced than the the last time out, less marked by the oak, though the base is still obvious. Rebuy – Maybe
It seems I’ve been rather tardy in keeping you abreast of Burgundy ‘chatter’ on the interweb, so here’s a list of recent reads:
Domaine Thomas-Moillard ProfileCharles Thomas Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Malconsorts
Ha! Someone, probably me, had put these two bottles out of sight in the cellar – perhaps with the aim of prolonging their stay – but that was thwarted! Frankly both are rather tight so that today their delivery of drinking ‘pleasure’ is curtailed, yet both are well put together, have decent concentration and no real faults. If you see them at a good price you should definitely try them – the €50 asked by the domaine is borderline high for today’s quality – but if I was to position some of the ‘producers’, I would put Bichot/Clos Frantin, Potel and also the occasional Remoriquet higher for absolute performance – I don’t know the Lamarche or Hudelot-Noellat versions. The lighter, stemmier Bourée bottling is a very nice one but a completely different style. So watch out for the 06’s and particularly beyond as they will have received the Pascal Marchand / Bernard Zito treatment!
Anyway – I never seem to have an easy ride with these Charles Thomas wines; there was the corked then strangely smelly 2001 (my last 1998 was put down the drain) and here the capsule seemed tightly glued down, though there was no wine discolouration of the cork below. That was just the start, neither waiter’s friend nor Screwpull would dislodge the cork, only the ‘ah-so’ saved the day – and that from a young wine direct from the producer. 2002 Charles Thomas, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Malconsorts
Medium-plus ruby-red colour. The nose had a little bottle-stink, but that was gone in a couple of minutes. There’s a little of that beefy aroma that I disliked on day 1 of the 2001, but it’s better balanced with sweet, spicy red fruit, eventually nice creamy-edged redcurrant for the last drops in the glass. It’s a little tight and acid-forward, though the impression is of a wine that expands into an intense mid-palate. The tannin comes quite late to the scene and has a little rasp – though it’s understated. Tight and young but a bottle that looks like it has a decent future. Worth buying a couple. Rebuy – Yes 2005 Charles Thomas, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Malconsorts
Medium, medium-plus colour. A nose that remains compact over the three hours the wine lasts; complex, creamy fruit with a nice acidic redcurrant lift. Like a many, many 05’s it’s now acid-forward in stance, though the tannin remains completely submerged. The fruit is completely primary and in the redcurrant, raspberry area rather than cherry or darker fruit. Clean and understatedly long. I already see some transition from the older vintages. Rebuy – Yes
DOMAINE LOUIS JADOT 2007 VINS BLANCS
CORTON CHARLEMAGNE 75cl 124.00 Swiss francs
CHEVALIER-MONTRACHET Les Demoiselles 75cl 329.00
MONTRACHET 75cl 399.50
VINS ROUGES
BEAUNE Les Theurons 75cl 38.00
VOSNE-ROMANEE Les Beaux-Monts 75cl 85.00
VOSNE-ROMANEE Les Suchots 75cl 89.00
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY Les Baudes 75cl 79.50
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY Les Amoureuses 75cl 199.50
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN Clos Saint-Jacques 75cl 109.00
CLOS DE VOUGEOT 75cl 119.50
ECHEZEAUX 75cl 139.00
CHAMBERTIN Clos de Bèze 75cl 246.00
Frankly an amazing price for the Amoureuses relative to the Clos St.Jacques. Overall, I would say these prices are disconnected to the general market and will be very difficult to sell – the Charlemagne is about 12% higher than Bonneau du Martray and many cuvées are significantly more expensive – 40% or more – than Faiveley’s 07’s. I’d be tempted by a Beaune and perhaps a CSJ but that’s as much enthusiasm as I can muster…
Jean-Claude Bessin Chablis Vieilles Vignes 2005 2005 Jean-Claude Bessin, Chablis Vielles Vignes
Pale yellow-green colour. The nose is fresh with sea-shells and an undertow of ripe melon-style fruit. Reasonably fresh and certainly intense in the slightly ‘padded’ mid-palate. Despite the padding it could only come from Chablis due to the mineral core that goes through the center. Pretty good acidity and a good length. Frankly, blind you would say a decent 1er cru or even an ‘average’ grand cru, such is the concentration from those old vines. Very impressive stuff and on another planet to ‘basic’ Chablis from the likes of Fevre. Rebuy – Yes
Jean-Philippe Fichet 2005 Bourgogne Rouge 2005 Jean-Philippe Fichet, Bourgogne Rouge
Medium, medium-plus colour – actually a very bright red. Wide and round, quite fresh aromas with sweet fruit and bouquet-garni too. Today the acidity is bright, providing a slight metallic edge to the flavour, but it also pushes the mouth-watering flavours much longer. The texture is smooth and though the concentration is not amazing in the context of 2005 it is way above average in the context of regionals from other vintages. I’m not overly concerned by the bright acidity as many wines from 05 are starting to show in that way, a super bourgogne. Rebuy – Yes
Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er du ChâteauI sometimes have problems to appreciate this cuvée when released – for example I found the 2001 angular and lacking balance – I wouldn’t have recommended it, yet a few years later it was super – so, assuming it wasn’t an errant bottle, I was wrong. Here again, early on with the 2006 I can’t recommend it, though I suppose BPetF deserve some credit; at it’s price-point they lavish a lot of oak on the wine and despite that being the dominant flavour and aroma today, clearly it will improve with time. The thing is, at this price-point, bottles tend to be drunk young – so that means disappointment if today is anything to go by… 2006 Bouchard Père et Fils, Beaune 1er du Château
A bright and pretty medium cherry-red colour. The nose is a broad and forward blend of sweet toasty elements, some coffee even something faintly resembling fruit. Obvious, but quite well textured and slightly astringent tannin. Good intensity that grows and grows before peaking in the mid-palate. Helped by perfect acidity there is a very good length – but that length is mainly oak derived and relatively bitter – much more than a bitter chocolate effect. I’m sure this will be nicer, and perhaps even ‘worthy’ in a couple of years, but frankly today the forward oak left me with little to enjoy. Rebuy – No
Two more weekend wines that offer very high quality at their respective levels: 1996 Maison Leroy, Bourgogne Rouge
Limpid, medium, medium pale ruby red – looks lovely in the glass. The nose is restrained yet finely transparent with clean strawberry, raspberry and cherry impressions. In the mouth it’s a delightful combination of lightness yet intensity, transparency and freshness. Frankly this wine excels, drinking very well now despite still being far from mature. Filigree burgundy that’s more about impression than weight. Rebuy – Yes 1999 Ghislaine Barthod, Bourgogne Rouge
A little deeper, medium ruby-red versus the Leroy, with a nose that is denser but at the same time less pretty – darker fruit that today is less sucessfully delineated. In the mouth there is also a little more density and certainly an extra dimension of flavour in the mid-palate. There is more ‘material’ in the glass and more secondary development than the Leroy, this wine had a significant advantage in purchase price too – it’s a really good regional wine – yet I would certainly go for the Leroy in preference today. Rebuy – Yes
