Alex Gambal Profile

My cold seems to have abated and I only have to put up with a stupid cough. Unfortunately though, it meant I had to cancel 2 days of visits in the Côtes last week – still I shall be there this Friday as consolation…

I have a few of these still in the cellar, so concerns about the stability (or not) of white burgundy pushed me into taking a peek. It seems that I shouldn’t worry…

2001 Alex Gambal St.Aubin 1er, Les Murgers des Dents de Chien
The colour raises suspicious eyebrows – medium golden – but despite slightly heavy fruit aromas at first, the nose is rather clean and there’s not a trace of oxidation. A little swirling reveals rather young, mainly pineapple, fruit – a good start then. Nice texture, acidity that unobtrusively shepherds you through to the finish and a little extra mid-palate dimension. In its current adolescence the amplitude of the peaks and troughs of this wine have been squeezed a little since it was bought, but that’s what you get when talking to adolescents! Drunk over 4 consecutive nights without a hint of oxidation, and confidence renewed, I’ll wait another 5 or 6 years before taking another look.
Rebuy – Yes

When typing up the notes from some domaine visits I made at the end of last year, I spied a couple of notes that slipped through the cracks of my (apparently not watertight) system. This was a ‘by chance’ tasting when I popped into Camille Giroud to say ‘hello’, only to find a group of winemakers and US ‘movers and shakers’ reaching the end of a spirited tour through the barrels. At first I declined a glass, but my resolve soon crumbled…
2004 Camille Giroud, Chambertin
Deep, initially dominated by oaky notes though they quickly fade leaving a very tight aromatic profile – needs time in the glass. In the mouth it is dense, silky and with plenty of well covered structure. Sneakily long with an edge of barrel flavour. A wine that begs a few years in bottle, but seems to have good potential. The funny thing is that the majority of Giroud 04’s that I’ve tasted don’t have much 04 taint – the ladybirds were there, I photo’d them, maybe it’s not them – but who’s complaining this wine’s lovely.
Rebuy – Yes
1976 Camille Giroud, Clos St.Denis
The nose starts like many old Girouds with that Italian ‘botti’ aroma, however, not much swirling is required to consign that to history as a frankly beautiful floral aroma fills the glass – spectacular. The taste is quite okay but cannot come close to the beauty of the nose; fat, mouth-filling, still some fine-grained tannin. No fireworks here – merely fine.
Rebuy – No Chance!

In my original tasting notes, I said you may have to buy both this and the Chambolle Charmes – I’m glad I did!

The 2005 was just so good that I ‘needed’ to buy some 2006 – even without tasting! Actually the 2006 was the last vintage that Giroud had grapes from these 80 year-old vines – such a shame. This is much easier drinking than the 2005 – right from opening – as it seems to contain much less dissolved carbon dioxide. Anyway these are my first Giroud bottles with the new ‘livery’ – a cleaner and more contemporary design though not quite ‘there’ perhaps.
2006 Camille Giroud Gevrey-Chambertin En Champ
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is a sweet concoction of very well dovetailed dark oak notes and equally dark cherry fruit. In the mouth you start softly, plenty of sweetness, though the fruit doesn’t seem too ripe. Tannin is only really ‘suggested’ quite late, as flavour that peaks in the mid-palate just keeps rolling along. If anything (versus memory) this wine seems slightly denser than the 2005, but the way it just lingers on the tongue is quite the same. A super, if seemingly slightly sweet wine that will drink beautifully for the next year or two, but then you should be patient as it will probably peak closer to 2020.
Rebuy – Yes