Back home, completely jet-lagged from Spain. You don’t need to return from Japan to get jetlagged, you just need to go direct from the nightclub (BiKiNi) to your 7:00am breakfast meeting…
Barcelona is a great place to spend 3 or 4 days – I can’t recommend it enough – there is all the culture that you can dream of and it has a nice facile side too!
Oh, and by the way, I also found time to work while I was there!
You only need to look at notes for the 2004’s tasted here in the last 2-3 months to see that something is going-on in those bottles – and it’s not entirely pleasant – so I had to write something about it.
Initially I felt compelled to say something, simply because I felt that others were (I felt) misrepresenting the wines (in general); by describing them as ‘green’ many were also taking the a logical assumption that the wines were unripe – many without even tasting them – and this was becoming accepted as fact by many others who also had not tasted nor would they based on this ‘fact’. I had my say, and it seems that we agree that there is something about these wines – let my try and explain.
This ‘vintage artifact’ is quite specific, and in quite a large percentage of wines it is also quite pronounced, let me try to define it:
Some people say green, some people say herbal, but I will define it as a type of cedar smell. At low levels it gives a pleasant cedar, or almost menthol edge; as it becomes more pronounced, it is more resinous, eventually resembling the well-known (in the UK) ‘coal-tar’ soap. What is really surprising, is that it is often quite pronounced on the palate too – though perhaps this is what burghound would better describe as ‘inner mouth perfume’.
So what isn’t it;
It is a conundrum for two reasons:
So that’s not really great news; it came almost out of nowhere, and is now undermining/dominating the personality of many, otherwise vivacious, flavourful wines. At a lower level this aroma may have been present in a number of vintages, though was quickly subsumed into a mix of secondary aromas.
Hopefully this will be no more than an interesting and transient interlude in the evolution of these wines, but having spoken to several trustworthy sources, no-one is totally sure.
I will keep testing the bottles of-course 😉
No wine today – well, maybe a glass of Rioja with some gambas later-on.
I just took a jog down to the end of the ‘Diagonal’ to Barcelona’s version of London’s giant cucumber – the Agbar Building. It does look rather cool – less obviously dominating the sky than the Swiss Re building, but more colourful. I understand it looks even better at night, so I will have to revisit it.
On the way back up the Diagonal I decided to jink right and do a loop of the Sagrada Familia. Of-course once you get there it is impossible not to linger; I think you can make a case for Gaudi being on the same level as da Vinci in terms of artistry. There is no corner, facade, or pillar that seems without a story. The older parts, already darkened by the years, look much more Gothic than the newer – slightly more organic – shapes; I wonder if it is all still his design or new people developing his style. What they can construct from concrete is amazing.
I’ll post a few extra pictures as and when I have the opportunity.
I think this might just be the first 2005 that I’ve opened at home…
2005 Joseph Drouhin, Laforet Bourgogne Chardonnay
Medium yellow. The nose is sweet and high-toned with green-skinned fruit and pear. Wow – this has very good texture for the appellation and super acidity to match. The flavours are a little ‘stoney’ and mineral. There is good mid-palate intensity and a reasonable finish too. This subtly oaked wine – it’s about texture rather than flavour – this is very impressive for its label and just a little Chablis in style. Bravo.
Rebuy – Yes
The last wine from this domaine for a while:
Domaine Georges Mugneret, Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Chaignots
Darker than the Gevrey that preceded it, and a shade lighter than the Vosne that preceded that. The nose is deep and dark, initially just a little monolithic, slowly it gives a peek of black cherry, cream, and faint coffee mixed with smoke. Seems to fill the mouth and has a super intensity to the mid-palate. Powerful and mouthwatering this shows a higher level of tannin than the Gevrey and it’s perceptibly grainier too – though certainly not misbehaved – it’s very well covered. The finish is longer with an edge of cream to the fine burst fruit. A super NSG.
Rebuy – Yes
Altogether more about it than the Gevrey today, but it’s a little more challenging to drink than the Vosne which would be my drink of choice for the next couple of years from this trio.
The young vines of the domaine’s grand cru Ruchottes-Chambertin have (for the recent vintages) been set-aside to produce this declassified ‘village’ wine. I thought the 2002 to be the the standard of a good premier cru but the 2003, whilst good, to be less successful. Here’s my first look at the 2004:
Domaine Georges Mugneret, Gevrey-Chambertin
This wine is lighter in colour than the domaine’s 2004 Vosne (that preceded it) – medium, medium-plus cherry-red. The nose is a little more reticent, slowly building a musky density with a mineral/cedar background, eventually some very smooth red fruit. The palate is also very smooth – you slip in almost un-noticed – the acidity is just about perfect, only slowly making your mouth water for more. Work the wine around on the palate and you notice the cedar/mineral element again and also there’s a little-tannin ‘grab’, otherwise they remain very well hidden. There’s a nice expansion in the mid-palate and a very understated but perceptible length. Today there is little about this wine that says it’s better than the slightly cheaper Vosne, and certainly it doesn’t show the same potential the 2002 did at this stage. Well made, and though that cedar thing is going on, it’s maybe a rebuy, but for (at least) the next two years or-so, I would reach for the better and cheaper Vosne in preference.
Rebuy – Maybe
For now, I’ll retain an open mind as to whether this is better than the 2003, but the 2002 is still much the better wine.
Whilst they are far from commonplace, some producers are looking to extract a little extra from the consumers for this vintage. I have already forward purchased from several producers with prices at, or below, 2004/2003 levels, but some are going the other way: I am exhorted by a swiss merchant ‘attention – quantities are low’, but to restore the universal balance I see just in time that the prices seem too high
Oh, and I must add 7.6% tax…
For your background information these local prices are close to double what other good producers charge. This is a well-known domaine with a great reputation, but with new/untested viticulture and elevage. Frankly, a joke – no bottles will be purchased chez nanson…
2004 Mugneret-Gibourg, Vosne-Romanée
Quite a deep cherry-red colour. Right from opening this has a deep, forward nose that begs further sniffing; concentrated red and black cherry with just a powdery edge and an undercurrent of spice in a cinnamon/clove type of way. The palate is well-textured, concentrated and (for a village) very concentrated. The acidity is fresh but not racy and there are fine, well-covered tannins. Understated length finishes a complete village wine. Not even a hint of green – Excellent.
Even on day two this has held together perfectly. A great way to start the year.
Rebuy – Yes
As soon as I finish this bottle (tomorrow) I will have to open up the ‘village’ Gevrey for comparison…
So that was 2006!
Not such a bad year (provided you have no association with a ‘war zone’), many good wines were drunk and they easily outweighed the number of disappointments. The 2005’s tasted throughout the year in barrel were harder to taste than (for instance) the 2002’s but really started to come together at the end of of 2006 – a great vintage for both colours that should provide a lot of fun drinking this year and beyond. The quality of the grape harvest was was patchy but many super wines will be made in Corton and further north.
My favourite post of 2006 belongs to Bert Celce of wineterroirs who took us through a tour of wine additives – quite an eye opener.
Transfer of the year in 2006 can only be the coup by Robert Parker when he hired Neal Martin for eRobertParker. It was a far-sighted move to bring the the pithy, witty writing of Neal to a new stage – it’s just a shame that Neal is now lost to those who do not pay…
My best value wines from 2006 were very easy to choose – and that despite close to 600 wines tasted/drunk during the year:
1999 Francois Gay, Ladoix and 2002 Louis Jadot, Bourgogne Chardonnay
The red punches way above it’s appellation and was a joy to all that drank it, likewise the plush rather than steely white with its coat of perfectly judged oak was often mistaken for a grander wine. Approximately 16 Euros for the red and 8 Euros for the white provide a true education in burgundian value.
My favourite 1er Cru wines from 2006 were the ones that really stood out from the crowd, I will choose two reds and two whites, first the reds:
2004 JC Boisset, Chambolle Charmes and 2003 Leroy, Gevrey Combottes
Both wines show a mind-bending concentration and yet balance. The Charmes is an unbelievably complex and long wine, whereas the Combottes is about its crystalline delivery. The Charmes is not cheap, but a bargain when compared to the Leroy – note that both of these wines will ‘better’ most grand crus.
2002 Bouchard P&F, Meursault Perrières + 2004 Amiot, Chassagne Vergers
If both of my red picks major on power, then here we look at subtlety and joie-de-vivre. The Bouchard is subtly concentrated but understatedly multidimensional – a wine to marvel in its many reflections. The Amiot was one of my first bottled 2004 purchases, and during the first 6 months of its life stunned in its vivacity, encapsulating all the fresh, citrus infused minerality that 2004 can offer. It’s still fun now, but already just a little less forward – my last three bottles are now sleeping.
The most impressive Grand Crus of 2006 are 2 reds and one white:
1990 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, La Tache
This can only be described as ‘ultra-wine’, unfortunately its price is pretty much unaffordable for anyone who didn’t buy in the first 3-4 years from release. The icon of a generation.
2003 Domaine des Chezeaux, Chambertin
Because of the domaine’s metayage arrangements you will also find exactly the same wine under the Ponsot label for a few dollars more. The Chezeaux/Ponsot Chambertin is usually quite a lacy and understated wine – at least for a Chambertin – but 2003 brings extra density and a peacock’s tail of complexity to the finish. Worth an extra search.
2002 Antonin Guyon, Corton-Charlemagne
Few grand cru whites really stood out from the crowd in 2006, but this forthright ‘take me as you find me’ powerhouse won-over all who drank it this year. Well balanced, but with quintessential Charlemagne power.
Just in case you were interested, the best wine I tasted from barrel in 2006 was Comte Liger-Belairs’ La Romanée.
I’m already looking forward to wines yet to be drunk in 2007…
You are using an outdated browser. Please update your browser to view this website correctly: https://browsehappy.com/;