a few wines to get back into the swing of things – week 1 2019

Update 7.1.2019(4.1.2019)billn

2006 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
A golden colour, but not so deep – it looks fine! Hmm, it smells fine too! A little toast, fresh width and fainter sweetness. Weight in the mouth, a freshness that easily carries a richness of extract – growing wider, mineral, concentrated – such lovely texture. Excellent, mineral, length. Beautiful shape, more mineral than tasty – but still yum!
Rebuy – Maybe

2007 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
Plenty of energy on this nose, just a little more appealing than the 2006. Ouch – that’s great – but only just. Many lower wines in 07 can be like battery-acid, this avoids that, but it’s still not a wine for the acid averse. Complex, tasty and with so much zing – just drink is somewhere calm! I love!
Rebuy – Yes

2008 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
A more cushioned nose, faintly sweet, almost a sweet apricot aspect. A hint more age than the 07, but whilst there’s plenty of acidity, this is less driving than the 2007 – it’s the most balanced and delicious of all these wines so-far – still vibrant, indeed electric in the mid and finish. I maybe love this even more than the 07!
Rebuy – Yes

2009 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
Hmm – a fresh nose but with a depth of toasty notes – this needs a litter air. I’m expecting some fat, some richness, but no – fresh, mineral, balanced – yet without an obvious acidity like the last two wines. It seems that this is balanced more by its minerality than its acidity. Open, classy, great texture and importantly delicious – something that to an extent the 2006 lacks.
Rebuy – Yes

I admit that I’m tempting fate, but I’ve never had a sub-par bottle of Alex’s Dents du Chien. Maybe I should pull out the 2004 and 2005 that I have somewhere!

1998 Chézeaux/Ponsot, Chambertin
Well the quick summary would be that this was almost a waste of a bottle. I remember Laurent Ponsot telling me a few years ago that his wines shouldn’t be judged before they were twenty years old – more recently he updated that to 25-years – he had probably tasted this wine just before we spoke!
The nose is fresh but narrow; celery, a considered, almost spiced but certainly understated dark-red fruit aroma. Fresh, clean lines over the palate with a depth of black-cherry fruit, almost black-olive ‘fruit’ – this is a wine of line and freshness, not a wine of weight or concentration. I drank it, all of it, with a certain, measured, enjoyment, but certainly not enthusiasm given the label – or the price-point! Certainly not worth the price of entry today, your mileage may vary in the future…
Rebuy – No

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

There is one response to “a few wines to get back into the swing of things – week 1 2019”

  1. Mark C Johnson7th January 2019 at 6:28 pmPermalinkReply

    Hi Bill, Thanks for the notes! You may want to correct the 2009 which you’ve listed twice. Seems like the first note is for 2008?

    • billn7th January 2019 at 6:31 pmPermalinkReply

      You’ve got your finger on the pulse, Mark!

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