1996

1996 Romanée-Conti La Tâche

By on October 31, 2005 #asides

The deepest colour yet – looks quite old though with its mahogany colour and browning rim. The nose is a little gamey and still shows some mushroom – but this time much more subtle – together with high tones and jammy red fruit. Beautiful texture and weight in the mouth. This is the first wine with such volume. There is again a crescendo effect as you savour the wine, the finish being of bitter chocolate coated red fruits. Still a rasp to the tannins and lovely acidity. Very classy.

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1996 Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet

By on June 30, 2005 #asides

Medium yellow colour. Heavy musky nose, a little cream and still plenty of oak. There’s gorgeous acidity and a very impressive length. Beautiful texture – lovely. Concentration without weight – gorgeous and very young.

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1996 Bachelet Denis Charmes-Chambertin

By on June 30, 2005 #asides

Very deep colour. The nose starts with a little pine and then beautiful intense red fruit – reminds me of the 99 de Vogüé Amoureuses – a superb ‘sniffers’ wine. The palate is young and athletic – too young – but very balanced. A wine in waiting, but aromatically wonderful.

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1996 Grivot Jean Clos de Vougeot

By on June 30, 2005 #asides

Deep colour. Dense, deep nose with hints of earth, focused black fruit and hints of pepper and cedar. Good concentration with a fabulous burst of black fruit and mouth wrapping tannins. Very young and very much enjoyed.

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1996 Drouhin Joseph Musigny

By on February 28, 2005 #asides

Medium-plus ruby-red. From 12°C the nose starts deep, dank and woody with a touch of forest floor – much nicer than it sounds! As the wine warms in the glass, the fruit starts to take over, first it’s deep and plummy with hints of roast too. As the wine gets closer to room temperature the fruit gets ever more primary and and pure – beautiful red berry fruit – reminds me of the 99 de Vogüé Amoureuses of last week. The palate has just a little fat but is superbly balanced and beautifully round. There is almost a hidden density to this wine coupled with excellent fine tannin. The finish is very good but not quite a match to the rest. My best Musigny experience and a wine I absolutely don’t regret opening – wine of the year so far.

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1996 Gallois Dominique Charmes-Chambertin

By on February 28, 2005 #asides

Medium-plus garnet, very little fading. The nose is sweet and meaty with a little ash and dried red fruits – more oak than I remember from the last outing. Muscle without fat, some grain to the tannin but melded to lovely ’96 acidity and again some earthy ash. Intense fruit and a lovely, slowly decaying finish. It might not be top-drawer, but it’s a very worthy Grand Cru.

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1996 Castagnier Guy Clos de Vougeot

By on February 28, 2005 #asides

Medium-plus core of ruby only fading slightly at the rim. The nose starts with a little oak, slowly settling down to a dense red cherry fruit, slightly powdery but little else showing. The palate shows fine tannins that slowly build and very good acidity. Tightly presented, intense fruit, deep but still quite primary. Tasty enough now, but I’m really looking forward to tasting this again in another 3+ years.

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1996 Castagnier Guy Clos St.Denis

By on October 31, 2004 #asides

I don’t drink Clos Saint Denis enough – this wine confirms it. The nose seems a little oak-heavy to start with but opens gorgeously – very 93 in it’s fruit complexion and slightly dried cranberry effect. The nose gets more ebullient with time. A focused core of fruit wrapped in 1996 acidity. I’m glad I drank many ’96’s young as I still don’t really know if they will soften with age – but I’ve enjoyed many them on the way. Silky palate but I would have preferred a little more length – worth the purchase only for the nose, it’s like a slightly purer version of Dujac’s ’95 Clos de la Roche – gorgeous!

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1996 Castagnier Guy Bonnes-Mares

By on October 31, 2004 #asides

Just a trace of dried wine below the capsule. The colour is medium-plus ruby-red, fading to the rim, but little colour change. The nose starts with some oak, takes a little longer to disperse than with the Clos Saint Denis, eventually a sweet red fruit comes through. Fatter than the Denis with less obviously 96 acidity – but still fine. More tannin and with a slight grain. There seems to be more material here, but in just a little more primary form. It’s easy to drink but it’s about 4 years since I last tasted this one and at the time I thought it was the most forward – not today.

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