Medium-plus colour. The nose starts like coal with a thin red-fruit coating – in the glass the fruit becomes ever stronger and the coal, fainter – really, really pretty. There’s not the punch and concentration of the ’99, but the flavour and density are really super. Good balance and a velvet texture, the acidity sucks you into a good, mouth-watering finish. Intense, slightly earthy, red-fruited velvet – super.
Esmonin Frédéric
2001 Esmonin Frédéric Ruchottes-Chambertin
Medium, medium-plus relatively young colour. The nose starts wide but diffuse, slowly focusing to give a really impressive red cherry note. To start with the major impression in the mouth was the tart fruit/acid balance, this was moderated by food and seemed okay later – perhaps that was just me – the acidity remains ‘intense’ though is buffered by quality red fruit. Very little tannin and a finish that lingers as long as the mouth-watering acidity supports it – which is quite a while. Intense without obvious density, primary in both aroma and flavour – but engaging enough. Very young, it’s rather good, though it’s not ‘great’. Reminds me of many a ’96, with more primary fruit.
2001 Esmonin Frédéric Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze
A medium-plus, young, ruby-red colour. The nose is a beauty; superb depth, remnants of dark oak, wide notes of turned soil, baked bread and a slightly peppery dark fruit. Slowly but surely a soft red fruit note builds in the glass, the last drops showing a super-precise and penetrating redcurrant perfume. In the mouth this is full, velvety and still shows quite some oak flavour. There’s a little high-toned ‘mouth perfume’ and a very long bitter chocolate and oak finish. To dwell on the oak would be to ignore waves of fruit flavour that wash across the mid-palate, not to mention another burst of flavour before moving into the finish. Clearly a very young wine, but it just oozes class; that it was bought en-primeur for less than most premier crus of 2005-2007 makes me love it all the more. Really, really super.
2001 Esmonin Frédéric Chambertin
Medium, medium-plus colour – certainly paler than the Bèze. The nose starts with coffee/caramel oak and sweetly browning sugar – slowly it develops a very pretty red berry note. In the mouth there’s good intensity that is driven by great acidity – the acidity also helps push a very good length. Quite linear and not overtly powerful. The nose gets better and better – it becomes a gorgeous and complex melange of candied and jellied red fruits. It doesn’t appear to be a ‘great’ Chambertin as today I miss a punch and complexity in the mid-palate, but it’s a very lovely wine and certainly has the balance to age very well.