It’s holiday time – but in part-payment for my absence, I leave you with the Spring Report. Over 280 tasting notes dotted around 15 pages. Feel free to comment and argue, but my moderatory tones will only return in a week…
Cheers
Here is an archetypal 1996, one that many would fail to understand and is almost a self-chastisement even for enthusiasts with it’s piercing acidity, yet – for me at least – there is a lovely fruit and complexity enough to balance.
1996 Joseph Drouhin, Clos de Vougeot
Like all these Clos de Vougeots there’s deep core of colour. The nose has width and high, faintly alcoholic tones but also beautiful red fruits and violets though you destroy the picture if you swirl. A mouthful of perfume, fine but forward acidity, little obvious tannin, yet a very long finish that is borne on the vintage acidity. If you give it sufficient time – more than 2 hours – the mid-palate really fills out with dimension such that the acidity is apparently more balanced. I winced, but I really enjoyed it. Day two the palate is fuller and less pain-inducing – even better!
Rebuy – Yes
DOMAINE BOUCHARD PERE & FILS 2007
VINS BLANCS
MACON LUGNY Saint-Pierre 75cl 17.00 S.Fr
MEURSAULT Genevrières 37,5cl 36.50
MEURSAULT Genevrières 75cl 69.00
MEURSAULT Les Perrières 75cl 75.00
CORTON CHARLEMAGNE 75cl 119.00
CHEVALIER-MONTRACHET 75cl 229.00
CHEVALIER-MONTRACHET La Cabotte 75cl 399.50
MONTRACHET 75cl 429.00
VINS ROUGES
CLOS DE VOUGEOT 75cl 139.00
ECHEZEAUX 75cl 129.00
CHAMBERTIN 75cl 189.50
CHAMBERTIN Clos de Bèze 75cl 169.00
BONNES-MARES 75cl 228.00
An eye-watering offer, though the Meursault 1ers and Corton-Charlemagne are not completely out of sight if the quality is there – and generally in 2007 I think the quality IS there in the whites. To my mind, the majority of the reds are at least 30% overpriced, except (of course) the Bonnes-Mares which deserves special mention as the most overpriced wine of the year – in February I could buy Christophe Roumier’s 2006 in a Beaune tourist shop for that. I wouldn’t want to be a merchant today with these prices.
Two days in the Côtes and a whole book full of notes to try and put in some semblance of order for the Spring Burgundy Report which should be ‘out’ on Friday evening CET. After a tough 2 hours (well, maybe not!) in Vosne yesterday afternoon tasting the 2007 vintage with the vignerons – 52 notes made it into my book – we took a refreshing walk up the hill, into vines to clear our heads. Under the clear blue sky the first thing we saw was the horse and its handler ploughing their very last row of the day, in the Romanée-Conti vineyard…
A few bottles bought at auction for a relative song – of-course it was only a song if they are drinkable…
1994 Bouchard Père, Volnay 1er Caillerets Cuvée Carnot
Surprisingly deep colour, amber at the rim. The nose starts tight and dense, faintly savoury too, time adds a greeny, herbal note – but not unlikeable. In the mouth it has more than decent concentration for the vintage, similarly decent acidity and a grained tannin that retains a little astringency. The fruit has some sweetness, yet there’s still a bit of bitterness in the finish – I have the impression that the tannin grain and and the bitterness are both barrel derived. Overall this stays rather clunky even if there’s not much here to particularly dislike – or indeed like!
Rebuy – No
Profile: JC Boisset
2006 Jean-Claude Boisset, Morey St.Denis 1er Monts Luisants
Medium colour. The nose is about hints of tar, licorice, blacker cherry and bramble fruit over a more mineral base. A narrow entry that widens in the mid-palate and pushes a long finish that’s borne on super acidity. Quite transparent and very interesting. Intense, though almost too understated because of its primary nature. Was a lovely bottle.
Rebuy – Yes
I was ‘pushed’ to try this following reports from another place that this cuvée was starting to show signs of p.ox – that would be a real shame because, from day 1, it’s been a wonderful wine – and it would also mean that I would need to drink up my modest few bottles. A false positive? I could only know by drinking the rest – maybe I’ll wait another year for the next.
2002 Bouchard Père, Meursault 1er Perrières
Medium-pale colour – certainly looks okay. The nose is wide, showing soft fruit and faint lanolin with an even fainter citrus veil – a faint caramel note eventually escapes the glass. Perfect acidity, a little linear in the mid-palate and a super acid-driven length. Not as ‘giving’ as 3 years ago, but understated excellence, still.
Rebuy – Yes
Okay – it’s still a Drouhin – but a different one!
2005 Drouhin-Laroze, Gevrey-Chambertin
Medium-plus cherry-red, still some purple reflections. High-toned black and blue fruit mingles with faint notes of violets – below lies a nice earthy base – lovely. Plenty of forward acidity, but here’s a 2005 that has not yet completely sunk into it’s acidic sleep. Very good fruit, relatively linear but it’s got intensity and length. The tannin is a low-level faint grain and I find no obvious oaky elements. This was a relative bargain and is recommended.
Rebuy – Yes
At last a 1995 that at least hints of a strong future…
1995 Joseph Drouhin, Clos de Vougeot
A deep core of fruit. The nose is an interesting blend of deep notes, leafy sous bois and plenty savoury width – it’s very nice without ever removing its jacket. Wide, super acidity, background tannin and a wave of mid-palate intensity. Slowly fading flavours finish a very interesting wine. Far from ‘easy’ or ‘open for business’ but this is a nice glass today, and should end up being very super…
Rebuy – Yes
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