Medium, medium-pale colour. Aromatically more impressive than you expect from the colour, deep with a faint edge of coffee – only turning redder and finer with a little tobacco and spice as you slowly drain the glass – no green notes. Light but intense in the mouth – it’s the slightly bright acidity that adds to the apparent intensity. Red berry fruit that slowly fades, good, understated velvet tannins. It’s precocious though quite well balanced, I’d be tempted to drink this younger rather than older. Tasty.
2004
2004 Gelin Pierre Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Meixvelle
2004 Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée La Colombière
Medium, Medium-pale colour. Aromatically more impressive than you expect from the colour, deep with a faint edge of coffee – only turning redder and finer with a little tobacco and spice as you slowly drain the glass – no green notes. Light but intense in the mouth – it’s the slightly bright acidity that adds to the apparent intensity. Red berry fruit that slowly fades, good, understated velvet tannins. It’s precocious though quite well balanced, I’d be tempted to drink this younger rather than older.
2004 Vougeraie Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice
2004 Vougeraie Vougeot Clos de la Prieuré Rouge
2004 Comte Armand Auxey-Duresses
Medium yellow – perhaps already with a glint of gold. The nose started rather exotic and ripe but quickly settled to a core of brioche and sweet pastry with a faint pineapple rim. Almost lush in texture this gives the impression of being from a much riper year than 2004. Reaching the mid-palate the texture is a little less smooth and rolls into a medium finish. Nice, but probably just a little heavy in the mid-palate for a rebuy chez Nanson.
2004 Drouhin Joseph Rully
The nose is denser than the 05 Chablis, a little fatter too. Hidden in there is an interesting note that gives me the impression of beans – haricot blancs sounds better – but it’s much nicer than it sounds, honest! Made in barrel means the texture in the mouth is more plump and less mineral than the Chablis, but it gives a longer impression on the palate, there’s nice acidity too. Very good and stylistically very, very different to the Chablis which is my preferred style. The oak has added shape, rather than flavour.
2004 Drouhin Joseph Puligny-Montrachet
The nose is both wide and deep; neither fat nor high-toned it delivers subtle blossom and cream. Very well textured in the mouth, giving the impression that real muscle could be under the jacket, but the jacket stayed on in our short time together. There is good minerality and super acidity that pushes long into the good finish. Perhaps it’s just a little tight as there was little I could put my finger on – I summarised by writing ‘very efficient and understated Puilgny’.