1986 Henri Rebourseau, Mazis-Chambertin
Seemingly there remain 3-4 halves from this c.2007 auction purchase of a case of half-bottles. Cutting the capsule reveals a wealth of Penicillium mould – you can imagine a family of spiders living in it – so it was clearly disappointing that only a modest touch with the ah-so ‘corkscrew’ sent the cork and its spider’s nest falling into the bottle – tsk! My handy plastic beaker (decanter) to the rescue!
The nose has a little beef-stock, brett and a balsamic oxidative style – not quite repellent but hardly an invitation. The flavour surprised – positively: Open, nicely balanced, layered and finishing mineral and even showing a little extra menthol complexity – maybe that was the spiders! The nose never cleaned up but also didn’t get worse. The flavour sufficiently good/interesting for me to take a second glass – and for a half-bottle, that’s most of the bottle. A Curate’s Egg of a wine.
Rebuy – Clearly Not!