2006 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
A golden colour, but not so deep – it looks fine! Hmm, it smells fine too! A little toast, fresh width and fainter sweetness. Weight in the mouth, a freshness that easily carries a richness of extract – growing wider, mineral, concentrated – such lovely texture. Excellent, mineral, length. Beautiful shape, more mineral than tasty – but still yum!
Rebuy – Maybe
2007 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
Plenty of energy on this nose, just a little more appealing than the 2006. Ouch – that’s great – but only just. Many lower wines in 07 can be like battery-acid, this avoids that, but it’s still not a wine for the acid averse. Complex, tasty and with so much zing – just drink is somewhere calm! I love!
Rebuy – Yes
2008 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
A more cushioned nose, faintly sweet, almost a sweet apricot aspect. A hint more age than the 07, but whilst there’s plenty of acidity, this is less driving than the 2007 – it’s the most balanced and delicious of all these wines so-far – still vibrant, indeed electric in the mid and finish. I maybe love this even more than the 07!
Rebuy – Yes
2009 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
Hmm – a fresh nose but with a depth of toasty notes – this needs a litter air. I’m expecting some fat, some richness, but no – fresh, mineral, balanced – yet without an obvious acidity like the last two wines. It seems that this is balanced more by its minerality than its acidity. Open, classy, great texture and importantly delicious – something that to an extent the 2006 lacks.
Rebuy – Yes
I admit that I’m tempting fate, but I’ve never had a sub-par bottle of Alex’s Dents du Chien. Maybe I should pull out the 2004 and 2005 that I have somewhere!
1998 Chézeaux/Ponsot, Chambertin
Well the quick summary would be that this was almost a waste of a bottle. I remember Laurent Ponsot telling me a few years ago that his wines shouldn’t be judged before they were twenty years old – more recently he updated that to 25-years – he had probably tasted this wine just before we spoke!
The nose is fresh but narrow; celery, a considered, almost spiced but certainly understated dark-red fruit aroma. Fresh, clean lines over the palate with a depth of black-cherry fruit, almost black-olive ‘fruit’ – this is a wine of line and freshness, not a wine of weight or concentration. I drank it, all of it, with a certain, measured, enjoyment, but certainly not enthusiasm given the label – or the price-point! Certainly not worth the price of entry today, your mileage may vary in the future…
Rebuy – No
There is one response to “a few wines to get back into the swing of things – week 1 2019”
Hi Bill, Thanks for the notes! You may want to correct the 2009 which you’ve listed twice. Seems like the first note is for 2008?
You’ve got your finger on the pulse, Mark!