2007 Lignier-Michelot, Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles-Vignes
Oops – a cork that slides out way too easily – I’m almost surprised that the worm of the corkscrew didn’t push it deeper into the neck! It’s one of those, not very attractive, pale-looking things – it looks peroxide washed.
Given the cork, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the wine was prematurely aged – certainly, the colour is far from youthful – but the nose confounds me with quite a muffled and reductive start – the flavours playing a similar game. Only 10 minutes from opening and there’s a significant improvement; the nose remains a little clumsy but has flashes of Chambolle fruit – the palate too – but a little better than the nose. The half a bottle that made it into day 2 didn’t hold up well. Maybe I should blame the cork, but on this outing…
Rebuy – No
2007 Fourrier, Morey St.Denis Clos Solon Vieilles-Vignes
Another unimpressive cork, indeed an infuriating cork that breaks in half, the last part coming out in one piece – but only just! Fortunately, it seems, nonetheless, to have been a good seal and has a decent (untreated) colour.
Like the Lignier-Michelot, the colour is showing some age. Also a wine with a little aromatic reduction – but you can almost blink and then it’s gone – maybe 5 minutes at the most – I neither ‘shook’ nor decanted this bottle. The nose freshens nicely, and with each little swirl, you get a floral reward. In the mouth, it’s fuller and deeper flavoured than the Chambolle – more clarity of flavour and with a fineness of structure that I’m really appreciating. This is a lovely wine – despite the cork. Yum!
Rebuy – Yes
2007 Camille Giroud, Chapelle-Chambertin
The best cork of the lot – a Trescases for what that’s worth. It looks untreated and was well-sealed and robust.
Like the previous wines, the colour here is far from young – as I may have expected from a 2000 or 2001, but I’m surprised by the aged consistency of these colours – here the Chapelle is also the lightest coloured of all these wines too – it’s barely medium intensity. But here’s a nose that delivers far more than ‘medium’ intensity – full and round at the base, initially a little creamy, let is stand in the glass and there’s forest-floor and even a suggestion of balsamic, swirl and you have a heady weight of floral perfume – now we are talking! In the mouth, the shape and weight of their flavours belie the colour – complex, initially silky and even more floral perfumed than the nose – what a wine. Slowly a hint of structure, worth calling-out as faint rusticity, creeps into the finishing impression – but it’s a wine that simply declaring its youth. Bravo – super wine!
Rebuy – Yes
So, this particular bottle of Lignier-Michelot is a little prematurely aged. The Fourrier has the youngest fruit, the Camille Giroud the youngest structure, both of these last two wines are simply excellent for their respective labels. Despite their colours, these 2007s have come on very well…
There are 2 responses to “2007 à trois – with good, bad & ugly corks!”
We’ve been on a relatively impressive run of broken corks ourselves — grrr! — including two in the last week or so that broke in half, then required elaborate surgery to extract the lower half…..in about 1000 pieces…..Out comes the filter……
I have been using the pump to open corks. I wonder if that would be a lot better for corks that otherwise would not do well with the corkscrew?
Those that are not ‘cemented’ in place, probably, almost certainly, yes – with those that are you risk having so much internal pressure that glass could break.
But how would you know if you had a “cork that otherwise would not do well with the corkscrew?” before you start?
I use it for all my bottles. So I usually don’t think about whether the cork would not do well with the corkscrew. Of course I rarely drink bottles of the vintages you are talking about. Not reached that financial status. I am a chemist by training – so much more interested in the chemistry of wines.