weekend wines – week 30 2017

31.7.2017billn

2012 Raveneau, Chablis 1er Butteaux
I was lucky enough to drink the 2010 of this at Au Fils Du Zinc. in Chablis, last month, and it was open, ready and fabulous. This wine is also fabulous, but it’s a long-way away from being ‘ready.’ The nose is all rocks and citrus – it’s a great invitation to drink. The palate has a tight minerality but from the end of the mid-palate into the finish it opens out and the flavours hold tenaciously. Not yet delicious, but certainly tasty and rather compelling and moreish too. Super stuff – but wait 3-5 years while drinking the 2010 – if you are so lucky!
Rebuy – Yes

2004 Pierre Bourée, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos St.Jacques
The cork is soaked right through but manages not to break in half – I expect because it slides out so easily – probably best that this bottle was now opened, given this cork. Quite a deep colour, the nose starts with an overt pyrazine, but shaded differently to when young. Slowly but surely there’s a nice, slightly plummy, but still fresh, dark fruit on the nose – it’s an intriguing nose and quite inviting at the same tine. Supple, silky entry, a slowly growing grain of tannin into the mid-palate and finish. That minerally pyrazine note is more forward on the palate than on the nose, making the finish just a little bitter. I couldn’t for a moment describe this as delicious, but am happy to stay with intriguing. Overall, complex, interesting, and I would say starting to drink – certainly it’s a much easier drink now than when it was young!
Rebuy – No

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

There are 4 responses to “weekend wines – week 30 2017”

  1. Lars Simonsen31st July 2017 at 8:45 pmPermalinkReply

    I have two bottles of Bonnes Mares from Pierre Bouree. There is no indication of vintage on the label or anywhere else on the bottle. I wonder whether the vintage will be stamped on the cork? Does someone have an explanation og the missing vintage indication?

    Br Lars Simonsen

    • billn31st July 2017 at 8:50 pmPermalinkReply

      Vintage is on the neck label – it sounds like you lost yours Lars. My last cork is gone, I don’t remember if it was branded with the vintage…

  2. Lars Simonsen31st July 2017 at 8:57 pmPermalinkReply

    I bought the two bottles on an auction with no neck labels; well that just makes it even more exiting to taste the stuff.

  3. Sycamore6th August 2017 at 4:23 amPermalinkReply

    My experience has been that 90% of Bouree corks are just as Bill described. Tonight I opened a 1999 Volnay 1er in the name of ‘science’. Cork was of course soaked through, and broke cleanly in half. Happily the 2nd half came out with nary a wimper. I pieced it together and gave it an inspection — no vintage imprint. Only an imprint of the crest that also appears towards the top of the label.

    Ps, wine is fantastic — quite open for a 1999 and quintessentially Volnay!

  4. Lars Simonsen6th August 2017 at 9:03 amPermalinkReply

    I opened one bottle of the Bonnes Mares the other night and you are right: No vintage stamped on cork. The cork was not soaked, but fairly fragile and broke into two, but I managed to get it out OK. The colour definitely had a brown shade, but the bouquet was fresh and perfumed, but not overwhelming. Tasting the wine there was again a fine perfume, but not much body and a short after taste with acidity. Getting some oxygen the wine seemed to sweeten a little, so all in all a nice and interesting experience, but not a Grand Cru “wow” experience. I could imagine that it might be a 1988.
    And as Bill would say:

    Rebuy: No

Burgundy Report

Translate »

You are using an outdated browser. Please update your browser to view this website correctly: https://browsehappy.com/;