Sunday and Monday – picturesque, but very cold…
Comments for this entry
a little snow…
eugénie’s 2007 vosne-romanée
2007 Eugénie, Vosne-Romanée
Medium-plus colour. I have an impression of a little coffee at the centre of this wine’s aromas, but mainly this is a clean and almost 2006-style of Vosne with a textured depth to the aromas, edged with a little dark minerals – very fine. Across the tongue there’s nothing of the facile sweetness that some 2007s display, but there is a little of that borderline lack of ripeness that some other producer’s wines show – in this case it is on a really low level and adds an interesting element. There’s no denying the extra dimension of flavour it the end of the mid-palate. An excellent 2007 indeed.
Rebuy – Yes
giggle…
Sounds like this debate about “natural” wines irritates people in about the same way as listening to someone brag about their Prius — it’s not the car that’s the problem, it’s the cloud of “smug” that surrounds it (thank you, South Park).
across the spectrum…
More comment (grist) to the mill.
Hopefully these will be last words from me for a while on this carbuncle on the face of an old friend…
Yes Spectrum did indeed fire out some hastily written words about their amazing quality control, they are even prepared to take into consideration intervention from the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti – or words to that effect. And to such extent that midday on Wednesday they had pulled a dozen lots out of the sale. Bizarrely others which seemed similar, remained in the sale – rightly or wrongly the wines of other producers were never questioned.
Then of-course came the sale itself with multiple lots suddenly withdrawn, including the de Vogüé, apparently at the request of the domaine – it’s unlikely we will get to the bottom what should not have been sold here, but at least there is some optical impression of ‘the right thing’ being done – yet you are still left with the feeling that the whole thing was done in a begrudging way, and without explanation. Let’s be realistic though, whether it was ‘the right thing’, or ‘the wrong thing’, I bet legal-eagles were earning a tasty sum to come up with the chosen strategy. Business is business, and perhaps we cannot now complain that the sale was not ‘legit’, but everyone observing this seems to be left with a certain taste in the mouth, i.e. that if Don Cornwell (in particular), Jancis Robinson etc., had kept quiet, and several people (including myself) hadn’t contacted DRC and C&B (amongst others), everything would have been sold ‘as seen’.
To lighten the atmosphere surrounding this subject (a little) I offer you a selection of the sequential tweets of twitterer @Pigeage, who somehow avoided being kicked out of the sale!
– Oh, and no one here has heard of this Rudy fellow…
– Yikes, just spoke to Kevin of #Spectrum re provenance and got blanked! He’s now talking to security #beenthrownoutofworsepartys
– I’m in the room! Lots of cashed up punters keen to bid. It seems #winebeserkers and JR don’t hold much sway here. #ifonlytheyknew
– Keep that paddle down boy!
– Lots 67-74 withdrawn, no mention of why
– Lot 15 very suspicious mag of La Tache goes for £9,500 on estimate of £12,000 quelle horreur!
– Lot 37 7bt of 1990 RC goes for £47.5k on an estimate of £50k, date labels stamped when should be printed…allegedly…
– Lot 41 1990 RC goes for £10k on £15k est! Oh wait, funny label, dodgy stamp, oops #fakingit
– Lots 62-74 withdrawn on “very good advice”. So no shady DRC Montrachet then. Good advice indeed.
– What’s that, another glass of Champagne? Don’t mind if I do…
– Room emptying rapidly. A rich fart perhaps.
You get the impression 😉
spectrum wine auction: corney & barrow respond…
It’s worth pointing out that Corney & Barrow – the UK agents for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti – have taken the unusual step of publishing a press release this evening with regard to the Spectrum Wine Auction that happens tomorrow – you remember, the one with the dodgy label(s) on theoretically blue-chip DRC.
http://www.corneyandbarrow.com/images/assets/document/Vanquish-Spectrum%20Auction.pdf
[Archived]
It seems they can do nothing other than register their concern – but have taken the unusual step of fully crediting (and linking) the wineberserkers forum, in particular the critique (analysis) of Don Cornwell that I linked to on Sunday. It seems a shame that many of the (anticipated) Asian buyers might not get this message, though perhaps C&B are hoping to shame the company into retracting lots…
Also, I really have to ask, what are the ‘traditional media’ doing here? Their silence is deafening. Decanter usually lead on ‘news’ but their coverage has been an anodyne afterthought with no critique, indeed I should be critical and say it is actually puffing the dubious denials of the auctioneers. That wineberserkers (you can also read Don Cornwell into that) has been credited in a press release by wine-merchants to the Queen is actually one of the most amazing things I’ve seen in a long time; not amazing that C&B would issue a press release to distance themselves from this, but rather C&B actually crediting and linking to a web-forum in a PR that will overwhelmingly be distributed to ‘old media’ where it will (in large-part) not be read until after the sale (sigh…)
there but for a second….
A good-old story. Lucky really, no-one would have believed those bottles with TJ etched on them anyway…
camille-giroud 2009 corton
2009 Camille Giroud, Corton
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is at first reticent but the array of pretty red and black fruits is certainly enticing. Eventually there’s a more savoury soil note which isn’t so nice – I hope that’s just a phase. Silky entry, with good freshness. There is a wiry strength to this, linear until the flavours grow in the mid-palate then decay in a subtle but long finish. Overall this has quite a mineral personality and largely submerged tannins – but it’s certainly less involving than the 2008 was at this time last year. A good wine but with a question-mark over the aromatics…(?)
Rebuy – Maybe
big boys…
It’s old news (for some) but this is a captivating narrative from Jay McInerney, brought to the fore by current discussions of wine auctions.
niellon 2008 chassagne 1er chenevottes
2008 Michel Niellon, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chenevottes
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.
Rebuy – Yes