2004 des Chézeaux (Ponsot), Griotte-Chambertin
The nose starts high-toned with a backdrop of vintage 2004 cedar. Slowly the cedar recedes giving space for a much more mineral aspect than is usual for this vineyard and certainly less alluring. The palate is silky with fresh acidity and super intensity, but unusually the length is again very mineral. It’s actually quite super, but I’d never pick it as Griotte. Day 2 the nose is transformed to the classic soft, but deep red cherry, perhaps including also a shade of raspberry and importantly the cedar is totally vanished – that’s very promising. The palate gains a little more depth and the finish remains unchanged – mineral but very long. This could become a super wine – but wait for 2015 as a minimum – I think it will need it as it was even slightly better on day 3!
Rebuy – Yes

Here is a bottle designed to cause injury to delivery personnel – at about 50% heavier than the standard bottle it will add 4 kilos (9 pounds) to a 12-pack – though perhaps they only come in six-packs. Some might call this a statement, but it’s a more like ‘mine’s bigger than yours’ if you ask me…

Anyway I’ve wanted to get to grips with a wine from this maker for a while – he seems to polarise opinion; ‘brilliant wines, but not my style’ say influentiul critics. I’m assuming there will be a lot of oak – but let’s see.

2004 Lucien Le Moine, Bourgogne Rouge
Medium, medium-plus cherry-red colour. Obviously a 2004 with soft cedar top-notes that mingle with raspberry and eventually redcurrant. When opened there is too much carbon dioxide; you can see the density and good texture but little else. I stoppered it and returned next day. The CO2 is gone and the fine texture and good depth remain. I’m sure there’s more villages wine than than ‘regional’ in this blend – it’s almost good and apart from the texture I see little overt oak. So what’s the rub? – Well, €18 per bottle (in Beaune) – it’s good, but not that good.
Rebuy – Maybe

I probably won’t pay the (high) entry price to check on the more famous labels.

1998 Robert Arnoux, Vosne-Romanée
Bright, shiny, medium, medium-plus ruby-red colour. The nose starts with quite a waft of spicy, toasty oak but fortunately this hangs around for only 10 minutes or-so. The end result is wide, with higher tones and mainly red fruits that have just an edge of black about them. There is good concentration with even an extra kick in the mid-palate – it’s all coupled with good, smooth texture too. Excellent acidity and long finishing – very successful and better than many a 1er cru.
Rebuy – Yes

Two interesting pieces I noted in the interweb in the last days; one on terroir and the other about a burgundy ‘transplant‘.

Enjoy…

Back home from a few days travelling and I was really looking forward to a nice bottle. No1 was an excruciatingly corked Clos de la Roche. Now things were getting desperate so here is bottle No2; I bought this from the producer’s shop and thought it might be useful substitute – wrong…
1998 Thomas-Moillard, Vosne-Romanée 1er Malconsorts
A rather unnattractively muddy, if deep mahogany red colour. The nose is high-toned but the fruit seems a little cooked in profile, wide but unappealing in a stewed tea kind of way. The tannin rather sticks out and I suppose that this was one of those hideously astringent 98’s in it’s first couple of years, but the tannins have moderated – if only a little. The acidity is quite clean and good and eventually you find the one redeeming feature of the wine; nice fruit in the finish with a creamy edge and an understated length. Only two more lie in the cellar, fortunately, and I expect that in the normal Thomas-Moillard style they won’t be close to mature for at least another 10 years. I think they will always be rather uncouth and lacking style. Shame, as the starting material hints of much more potential. It’s very rare that I ‘waste’ wine, but this bottle was poured down the sink on day 2…
Rebuy – No

1999 Dujac, Morey Saint-Denis
Medium-plus ruby-red colour. The nose is brown-sugar sweet with quite some understated density, very subtle stems and eventually a mix of black cherry and a last note of redcurrant. The palate is very well textured with fine grained tannin offsetting dense fruit and very good acidity. The only negative today is a little oak-driven bitterness on the finish. This is showing as a very young wine – much younger and denser than the 1995 at the same stage of evolution (or perhaps better to say age) – I wouldn’t open another for 3-5 years. Perhaps it’s time to dig out another 95…
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Joseph Drouhin, Laforet Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Bright medium cherry-red with a trace of purple. The nose is like a bowl of fresh cherries, a little tart and high-toned with just a faint edge of garden mint. The palate shows plenty of freshness and an unexpected intensity in the mid-palate. The texture is good and tannin only shows as transient rasp on the tongue before a almost good finish. In any other vintage this would be a great bourgogne, in 2005 it is ‘merely’ well above average – and did I mention the value – it’s only around €10.
Rebuy – Yes