Medium-plus colour. The nose is a precocious and heady mix of sweet dark red and black fruits covered by a heavy floral scent; what’s the word I’m looking for(?) – ah yes – Gorgeous! It becomes a pure beacon of blackcurrant as some other great 99s show. Silky smooth with a hint of fat – there is real executive texture here. No fireworks, this 99 is restrained and linear right the way into the mineral / fruit with a creamy undertow finish. Subtle but very, very long. Wow, where have you been all my life Jean Raphet(?) Despite how friendly it is, clearly the palate is just a little tight yet there is ample material here for the future – such a shame there were only 2 more.
Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze
1999 Jadot Louis Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze
After 4 months without a corked bottle, bugger – corked – now I only have 4 of these left. The colour is medium, medium-plus ruby red with just a little less cherry red at the rim than the first wine. The nose starts with a waft of dark, spicy oak but this is quickly gone to reveal a dark and understatedly spicy base. Time in the glass opens the wine out into a redder and finer vernacular without much in the way of density. Lithe and rather linear the plate shows forward acidity, but such is the superb intensity that this is kept quite in balance. What tannin can be discerned against the background of acidity and intensity has just a little astringency and the faintest edge of bitterness. The length is impressive, but it is rather ‘thin’ and an extension of the flavours I associated with the tannin, just a little tart too. The nose is now rather good, but the palate needs some time and currently shows much less ripe than the Mugnier Amoureuses.
1999 Girardin Vincent Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze
Deep colour. There’s deeply toasty and creamy black fruit on the nose. Primary, painfully intense fruit with excellent acidity and buried tannins. Excellent but very hard to drink right now – I’d guess that you need another 7 or 8 years before this wine starts to bloom – but bloom it will. Very impressive wine.
1999 Faiveley Joseph Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze
Nightmare – bottle 1 – tainted as tainted can be, a big shame. Bottle 2 – medium-plus ruby red, still cherry at the rim. The nose starts in an almost syrah way, slowly unknitting to give a little woodspice then really dense black cherry that slowly becomes more red and shows a little coffee. There’s still a little grain from the wood, but this is one full-on wine with incredible length – you really can taste it minutes later. The palate has fine tannins, good acidity and super-intense fruit, shaded towards black. This is a wine that’s a big black shadow of its future self and despite commendable depth doesn’t yet shout ‘I’m a great wine’, but wait another 10 years and things might be starting to get very interesting.
1999 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze
Not a domaine owned vineyard, but the same supplier of grapes used for many years. Medium colour again. The nose is deep with some barrel toast evident, but not giving much more away. The palate is very round and tannic, but the tannins are finely grained. Lovely depth of concentrated fruit. Actually a very forward and drinkable wine here. Very lovely.