Today there is more obvious barrel note on the nose, some herbal complexity too – I find more clarity though than for 07 and 08. Apparently not the same level of intensity delivered by the 08, but there is an understated complexity and a very impressive finish indeed.
There was a satisfying release of air around the cork as I began to slide it out – positive pressure behind the cork – impressive for one so young(!) In the glass, at first, there was the smell of coffee and chocolate to offset the usual funk of a newly opened old-timer, slowly it became more about leather and soil. Super-silky, linear and mineral with a very sneaky length indeed – yum! It was at least an hour before I, once more, had the glycerol impression from the lst bottle…
Medium colour. The nose is a symphony; there’s still a pure red fruit note towards the top of the range, but there’s a musky undergrowth that cushions it, lovely depth too – you could just sit and sniff this – which is just fine! Actually the palate’s not that bad either, but the nose gives you the impression that there should be more. It’s still pretty good with a (more) linear (than you expect) but still slightly cushioned impression, decent acidity and still just a hint of astringency on the back of your tongue. The fruit has a little sweetness to it, but not in the rather warm, typical 2000 vernacular. Understated, slighly mineral flavours linger in the finish. Not the concentration of yesterday’s 99 villages Chambolle, but complex and interesting.
Medium golden. Plenty of sweet toasted bread, brioche indeed – (very) nice as it is, it does rather smother any obvious Chassagne-ness. There is a decent whack of concentration though the personality is reasonably direct rather than round. Just about perfect acidity accentuated a little agrumes fruit and a finishing sweet note from the barrel that reminds you of the brioche nose, pus a little toffee. Initially, despite how delicious it is, I find the oak influence is obscuring the vineyard; given about 1 hour your mouth starts to water with plenty of mineral flavour that actually does hint to Chassagne. Despite the caveats, simply delicious.
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose shows quite some powdery aspects but with flashes of fresh raspberry fruit, occasional barrel-notes too. In the mouth there is a really nice balance of fruit, acidity and concentration – a little CO2 exacerbates the tannin making it a little raspy and rustic to start with – you need an hour-plus for the gas to fade – soon it becomes smooth and the extra depth of fruit flavour then comes to the fore. The flavours are long, with some fruit mouth-watering fruit elements but majors on a mineral, stony fruit. A wine to wait for.
A faint creme brûlée floats over green and yellow citrus notes – you have to wait some time before the classic Chassagne green herbs finally appear – it’s a tight and ripe at the core. The entry is silky but quite understated, indeed indifferent, but the mid-palate just launches you into the next dimension with minerals, agrumes fruit, mouth-watering acidity and really super intensity. You’re left with a long line of finishing flavour. This is really super.
The nose is quite different to what I remember of the Chaignots – different vines so a good thing – certainly higher toned though perhaps a little more diffuse because of that. This is quite full, with plenty of tannin – yet the fruit comes through very well indeed – super-engaging personality. I think this excellent.
Medium-plus colour once more. Here the nose is really about pinot (oops – Nuits! – well, maybe…) with a top to bottom elegance, plenty of floral, violet, references too. In the mouth this has extra sweetness and also is much more silky; yet roll it around in your mouth and you’ll find lovely acidity and no lack of velvety tannin – you just need to look for it. The fruit in the mouth is quite high toned, but very pretty. This is actually very lovely now, but has a reserve of balance – which I hope will allow me to still enjoy my last bottle in at least another 20 years. It’s not super-long, but it is super-tasty. Yum. A point worth noting is that if the wine reaches the heady heights of a mere 20 degrees, it becomes a bit diffuse an less impressive – keep to 18 or below and all is well.
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is quite interesting; clearly a few stems that are partially obscuring violet flowers but the stems are far from gothic plus, if you swirl, you get a great punch of floral aromas. In the mouth there’s decent weight that despite being a little light on acidity never seems overly heavy. There is sweetness from the fruit, a little more than a suggestion of minerality in the mid-palate and eventually a mouth-watering finish. This is very moreish wine, it shows the vintage more than the village today, but it is very tasty indeed – and that’s before you look at the great price ex domaine.
You are using an outdated browser. Please update your browser to view this website correctly: https://browsehappy.com/;