This weekend was definitely a ‘must try harder‘ weekend…

2015 Dampt Frères, Bourgogne Tonnerre Le Clos du Chateau
The 2014 of this was a match for 95% of Chablis 1er crus – taught, mineral but absolutely deliciously intense wine – and all for about €9. The 2015 isn’t really like that – there is concentration, certainly enough weight of flavour, but rather like the 2015 Vaillons of Long-Depaquit, tasted a couple of weeks ago, this simply lacks a little deliciousness. Perhaps it will improve with time, but today it’s a realtively easy pass…
Rebuy – No

1996 Jean-Claude Belland, Chambertin
Last time out – already 10 years ago – this was young and delicious – today no-longer. Of-course every bottle will be different, but this showed a pretty unpleasantly bretty nose. The palate has weight – indeed poise – fine balance and layers of flavour. The flavours showed a little less of the brett – but a wine with a poor nose is a wine that ultimately you can’t rescue – that was the case here. Given that it was Chambertin, I persevered with a second glass – indeed a third on the next day – but it wasn’t to be…
Rebuy – No

2012 Le Grappin, Savigny-lès-Beaune
Fresh, herby, bright red fruit. The palate is fresh and open with a bright personality. Despite the faint green tinge – like fresh mint on strawberries – this was delicious. Yum!
Rebuy – Yes

Digging around in the cellar, I first thought that this was my case containing a mix of Jadot’s 98/99 Beaune Grèves – often seen in this diary in the last years – but out of the corner of my eye, I though – hmm, that’s not a Grèves! Judging by the labels, both the Rugiens and the Suchots were bought in bulk/barrel. The Clos de la Barre is all Jadot, despite it not saying ‘Domaine’ on the label.

1999 Louis Jadot, Volnay 1er Clos de la Barre
A beautiful long cork that glides out with just the right amount of pull.
A fresh, mulled red fruit with faint sous-bois and herb – compelling stuff. Weighty, supple, still with tannin – it’s a young finishing structure but a wine that is very giving – there’s just enough sweetness and cushioning ‘fat’ to be very moreish. A fine and expanding wave of finishing flavour too. Excellent and certainly with a decent level of maturity.
Rebuy – Yes

1999 Louis Jadot, Pommard 1er Rugiens
Just a rubbish cork – it split in two and the rest comes out in tiny pieces. Despite that Jadot have domaine Rugiens, this shows that they are in the market to buy wine too.
Ooh – no lasting problem from the cork – just an iron-heavy, bloody redness of aroma – ooh – that is sooo good! This shows a similar freshness to the Barre, narrower, less fat but more intensity and line – young but multi-dimensional. Long, staining flavour – absolutely brilliant but despite a fine floral element to the flavour this is really too young – the extra fatness of the Barre making that wine much more approachable today – but Bravo!
Rebuy – Yes

1999 Louis Jadot, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
This time another great cork – at least as good as the one from the Volnay…
Here the nose, whilst open, shows a little less power and volume than the first two wines, but it is both composed and still very impressive – and maybe if you search hard enough, you can probably convince yourself that there’s a little Vosne-spice here too – i.e. there probably isn’t! I love the fact that all three wines have completely different shapes in the mouth; the Volnay was round with a little fat for comfort, the Pommard was more linear and muscular, and here we have a wine with super width – almost a wave of flavour that flows over the palate. Here the flavour impression is one of some maturity and – yes – spiciness of complex fruit. This plays beautifully over the palate, and of the three I would say it is currently the most ‘ready’ – whatever that means. Super wine!
Rebuy – Yes

I’d say that that was a good weekend – and there were 2 of each in the case – so maybe I shall wait 2 more years and drink the ‘poor orphans’ when they are 20 – or maybe not – if I find them again 🙂