A short but brilliant vignette of the equally brilliant Jacques Lardière
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armand rousseau 1996 gevrey 1er cazetiers
1996 Armand Rousseau, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Cazetiers
The first sniff will enrapture some, but disappoints me; initially I think it’s high-toast oak, it slowly fades though, and fast enough that I assume it must really be reduction – yet the flavour of reduction is missing – a bit of both? – probably, because it never completely fades. Slowly you appreciate some beautiful fruit notes and a slowly growing floral element that also supports the subtler toast. Full in the mouth – but with no extraneous plushness – with an earthy fruit that holds well in the finish, but has a great, higher-toned mid-palate dimension. I would say relatively masculine in profile, energetic, but without any undue emphasis from the acidity. Just a cracking bottle!
Rebuy – Yes
mugnier’s 1999 chambolle-musigny
I wasted quite a lot of this wine in its youth: Actually, I didn’t waste any in its first flush of youth when it was just a consistently gorgeous wine, I wasted bottles between its 3rd and 10th birthdays, when the wine was often sullen and typically without charm. It looks like things are now starting to turn around!
1999 JF Mugnier, Chambolle-Musigny
The colour remains quite deep. Aromatically this has the cushioned, brown sugared (oak!) sweetness of fruit that, for so long, has been missing in action. After half an hour it has tightened and is less pretty – more herbal – so we are still some way from peak drinking. Round in the mouth, the tannin still offers a hint of astringency, but it’s quite smooth for all that. Understated concentration and perfectly balancing acidity. The finishing note is redolent of that initial hit of sweet brown sugar aroma. A wine you should still wait for, but one that is starting to show promise.
Rebuy – Yes
unesco and 2011…
A couple of news stories:
Most important for Burgundy, is the news that it won’t achieve its desired aim to have Unesco World Heritage Staus – not this year anyway. It seems some of the rules were changed and a country could only submit one ‘entry’ per category – that meant that Champagne also missed out. This means that at least one more year of shaking everybody’s hands is required, though France already has 37 ‘things’ with such ‘status’. (More here…)
Will Lyons picks out some of his favourite domaines from the 2011 vintage – though (Remi Rollin excepted) none in the Côte de Beaune – no restraint in his recommendation of the vintage.
A little fun from Reilly Ace of Spies…
Cornucopia Vitus from Pinot Noir NZ on Vimeo.
jean-marc bouley 2010 volnay clos de la cave
Hmm, I realise that I haven’t opened a bottle for a bit. Mid-week crisis! Oh-well, there’s one way to dispose of that notion – how about something from Thomas Bouley?
2010 Jean-Marc Bouley, Volnay Clos de la Cave
Maybe a hint more than medium colour – maybe. On first pouring there’s a faint trace of reduction that makes you think of oak but it quickly fades with a stemmy anecdote. Five minutes and the aromas are completely changed, offering a soft strawberry impression. Round with depth, detail and just a little plushness to the texture – but with fine acidity. The tannin is sticky rather than grainy and once you find that tannin, you will also have found another layer of flavour, also with a sweet hint of stems. This is a wine that offers more and more if you have the patience to let it evolve in your glass. VV Good!
Rebuy – Yes
