Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is still interesting, if with a slightly heavy emphasis on coconut-oak but a nice acid-red fruit bubbles below. In the mouth this is slightly narrower and sharper than its youth but despite a little coconut flavour there’s good acidity and a nice dimension of fresh finishing flavour with fine length. Half the bottle was left overnight in the fridge. Next day the aromas are more interesting; the coconut is gone and it’s replaced with a little ginger-cake. In the mouth the wine also seems rounder and again no coconut – less narrow, more generous. I’d definitely rebuy this based on the day two performance, as for day one, I’m not the greatest fan of coconut!
Bichot Albert
2007 Bichot Albert Puligny-Montrachet
2006 Bichot Albert St.Aubin
2005 Bichot Albert Santenay Les Charmes
This is the first vinification chez Bichot. Medium-plus colour. The nose is deep and fresh, supported by sweet cherry fruit. Soft and sweet with good concentration. The tannins show a little grain and grab but melt away in the finish. This is a very good mouthful of pure pinot fruit that I expect should offer excellent value.
2004 Bichot Albert Savigny-lès-Beaune
Medium-plus cherry-red colour. The nose starts with a herby, minty element before high-toned raspberry fruit starts to make itself known – really a very nice blend – eventually it settles into a more mineral and herb expression. The palate is 2004 fresh coupled to sweet red fruit, though not quite enough to avoid the mid-palate showing a little hard. The finish, whilst not very long, is very tasty with a real creamy lift.
2001 Bichot Albert Vosne-Romanée
Medium-plus ruby-red. On opening the wine has super red fruit in a Vosne vernacular, then in minutes tightens leaving just a few high tones. Wait about one hour and there is a softening; sweet fruit and a note that hovers between coffee and pipe tobacco. Good texture – fine tannins – real intensity in the mid-palate and excellent balance with the acidity. There is a good finish and a good feeling to match. I’ve liked this wine for a while and given that it seems to be tightening a little, the last few bottles will have to rest for a few years now. Still very good.
2004 Bichot Albert Vosne-Romanée
Drunk as a counterpoint to the Leroy 2004 Vosne-Romanée – but 24 hours later. Medium-plus cherry-red. The nose is dense with tightly bound red fruit, only faintly spicy, just a trace of cedar, quite wide; totally different and more fruit driven than the complex, forward, smoky stems of the Leroy. The palate has lots of forward acidity, the fruit extract is only-just enough to cover this, but
there is still an element of tartness in the finish. The Leroy had better balance, but this seems to have more fruit, plus a little grainy tannin. Open for several hours this crosses the border from almost good to good and seems to have improved in balance, perhaps not a wine to fill your cellar with, but worthy of a few bottles for future reference.
2002 Bichot Albert Nuits St.Georges
Medium, medium-plus cherry-red. The nose soars with red cherry fruit, nice depth too. Fresh, forward acidity that provides a lift to the finish – nicely mouthwatering. A trace of tartness to the fruit, but chilled, this will be lovely summer drinking. Pure and fresh, only the acidity closely avoids rusticity but it’s got a super nose.
2002 Bichot Albert Savigny-lès-Beaune
Clear medium, medium-plus cherry-red colour. The wide nose starts with a hint of barrel-spice and high-toned cherry fruit. Fresh acidity brings sour-cherry fruit to the fore – fruit that has good intensity in the mid-palate and enough sweetness. Well-textured tannin shows just an edge of dryness. I enjoyed it very much, in fact it just hints at a raisiny edge to the finish which could further develop, but this will most likely remain a little on the tart side – a world away from many 2003’s. At this price I bought a couple more.