CLOS DE TART 2009 – Subscription
CLOS DE TART Grand Cru 2009 75cl 298.00 (Swiss francs)
CLOS DE TART Grand Cru 2009 150cl 626.00
In current circumstances this is too rich for my blood, but the valid question is: Given that this is cheaper than most Musignys, are you tempted?
On a related note, the first 2010 subscription offer came through the post las week, interesting pricing – more in the Spring Burgundy Report – hopfully sometime during the 1st week of April.
This was beautiful two years ago – still as good now?
1996 Maison Leroy, Bourgogne
Medium colour. The nose starts a little disappointingly with something that reminds me of brett – this is backed-up with a metallic taste – my first bottle like this. Time in the glass and the aroma is less overt, eventually showing a baked tart red fruit. In the mouth the metallic taste is transient, leaving a smooth, nicely acidic wine with decent intensity of warm round fruit and a mouth-watering finish. My last bottle was much finer but if brett is the culprit, all or none of my remaining bottles could have it. Still as the character faded this was very drinkable indeed.
Rebuy – Maybe
1999 Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny
Medium, medium-plus colour. There’s a depth of really super dark red and black fruit – quite glossy and initially very primary – given time there’s a floral dimension, rather heavy but not to worry, it’s young. Wow; swirl this around in your mouth and there’s a hint of silk but more importantly there’s an intensity that soon rebels – you have to swallow. Okay the acidity is reasonably bright, but the intensity is really about flavour and the depth of that flavour is enough to balance. An impression of tannin remains and a little bitter edge to the long flavour too – eventually the mid-palate takes on an extra dimension of higher-toned, pretty fruit. This really will become one of those sweet and delectable mature wines. Very impressive – you might think was only four or five years of age – not 12; unfortunately that means you should still wait another 4 or 5 years! Super.
Rebuy – Yes
2007 Mischief & Mayhem, St.Romain
This showed very well indeed when first bottled, but shortly afterwards (after I had bought!) it seemed a little sharp and sherbety – waiting 18 months has really paid dividend. Medium yellow colour. Hints of yellow fruit overlay a denser core of fruit too. In the mouth there is plenty of acidity but there is real balance here too – no sense of thin or sharp – with a slightly creamy impression in the mid-palate there now seems to be a little padding similar to an 08, but without that tropical element. Very decent length too. I think I’ll work my way through these during the heat (hopefully!) of the summer.
Rebuy – Yes
As re-told by Alder Yarrow…
This wine has the distinction of being the first case of wine I ever bought ‘en-primeur’, and is the first case (x12) of Grand Cru that I ever bought – I think I can still count on the fingers of one hand the number of GC 12-packs I’ve bought! I now have just 6 bottles of this left…
1996 Dominique Gallois, Charmes-Chambertin
Deep and vibrant – lovely colour. The nose has lots of maturity about it, and certainly plenty of complexity; depth, a little morel mushroom, also a little cigar-box that slowly morphs into cedar-ish hints, not unlike the of 2004 pyrazines but in no way over-powering. In the mouth there’s lots of intensity here; super acidity and very understated tannin – very long with a quite mineral flavour. Sweetness of fruit remains an undertow. You could get a great idea of of a mature Charmes by drinking this already – and that’s a very different personality to a young Charmes – but have no fear, there’s another 20 years of interest here for sure. Yum.
Rebuy – Yes
You might remember my “alex gambal buys 5 hectares – or does he…”, note from December. Things were not exactly as reported by Clive, so Alex said he’d come back to me when everything was ‘sorted out’. Here’s his news-release:
Dear Bill,
It is official as of Wednesday AM and I wanted you to have accurate information on my acquisition of Batard, Puligny and Chassagne vineyards. Also, here are photos from the first day’s work.
Please let me know if you need any further information.
Regards,
Alex——————————————————————————-
Gambal acquires Grand Cru Vineyard Batard-Montrachet
First American in history to purchase vines in the Grand Cru Montrachets.
March 2, 2011Burgundy, Cote D’Or, France: Alex Gambal, a successful American winemaker in Burgundy, and owner of Domaine Gambal, announced today that he has acquired vines in the Grand-Cru Vineyard Batard-Montrachet. He becomes the first non Frenchman in history to purchase vines in this storied area.
Gambal put under contract Domaine Brenot of Santenay, consisting of 3.5 hectares of vines in Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Santenay in Fall, 2010. The seller, Philippe Brenot, was Gambal’s professor at the wine school in Beaune from 1996-1997. The parcels of Batard-Montrachet had been in the Brenot’s family for many generations. One parcel was given to Philip Brenot’s grandfather as a payment for medical services early in the 20th century.
The Batard-Montrachet parcels total .3744 of a hectare (~.92 of an acre) and can produce a maximum of ~ 7 1/2 barrels of wine (187 cases). The Batard consists of four parcels, three of which lie in the upper part of Batard that is considered the best or “Premiere Classe” according to the 1860 classifications, called “Les Batards Montrachet.” Gambal kept two of these parcels that equal to a bit less than one half of the surface area and will make 75-85 cases a year.
The parcel of Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseigineres is classified a village wine but because of its excellence it is often referred to as “Baby Batard.” The vineyard covers .3020 of a hectare (~.75 of an acre) and can produce ~ 7 barrels (175 cases).
The Chassagne-Montrachet vineyard “L’Ormeau” has a surface of .1299 of a hectare (~ 1/3 of an acre) and will produce 3 barrels (75 cases).
Also acquired was a house on the square in Santenay that will be turned into a guest and rental residence.
Gambal’s vineyards now total 3.4 hectares (8.4 acres) and include an old vine vineyard in Savigny-les-Beaune that was recently acquired under a long term lease. All of Gambal’s vines are farmed biodynamically and will be certified “AB” after the three-year certification process.
For more information, contact Alex Gambal at: alex@alexgambal.com
Alex Gambal
14 blvd Jules Ferry
21200 Beaune
Cote D’Or, Francealex@alexgambal.com
www.alexgambal.com(33) 03 80 22 75 81
(33) 03 80 22 21 66 FAX
A lovely long weekend on the Graubunden slopes. Decent piste conditions, despite them only having about 25% of the normal amount of snow this year – and they have more snow here than many other Swiss ski areas!
Took a couple of magnums for the team to work their way through too. The first was Alex Gambal’s 2002 St.Aubin 1er Dents du Chien. Toasted bread and an altogether perfect midlle-years palate that had plenty of complexity and savouriness, this was singing. Next was Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey’s 2008 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Caillerets. Also a little toasted bread on the nose, a line of acidity and linear fruit before opening into the finish with a very, very long cream dimension. For it’s youth a stunner.
Ah to be in Switzerland…
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