Deep ruby colour – still looks very young. Lovely fruity nose of damson and black cherry – some coffee too – a blend of aromas to wallow in. Structured and fat, with big, still grainy tannins and plenty of acidity. Really excellent, creamy concentration. Hardly budged since last tasted 2 years ago – lovely now and has real potential to stay lovely for the next 15 years.
Medium ruby colour a little browner at the rim. The nose is oaky with a medium-high toast note plus sweet and creamy cooked cherry tart. Smooth palate with tannins that really only show up on the finish – unfortunately there’s something rather bitter about the acidity – which shows up most on the finish. The finish is reasonably long with a creamy tinge. Given 30 minutes-plus in a decanter and the toasty oak is gone from the nose, replaced by a surprisingly earthy character and roasted fruits. The bitterness tones down a little – but only a little. Another wine that’s a bit of a curate’s egg.
Very deep ruby colour right to the rim. The nose is a little earthy, supporting black cherries and a savoury, meaty note. The palate is sweet, showing refreshing acidity and medium, drying tannins. The mainly black fruit has lovely concentration – blackberry being dominant and slightly roasted in character – and sustains a very long finish. Perhaps the oak is still making the palate slightly harsh, but frankly this has excellent potential and needs all of 4 or 5 years before it really starts to drink well.
Medium-plus ruby core moving through brown to amber at the rim – this could be 20 years old from the colour. On opening you’re met with a pronounced medium toasty-oak nose which gradually subsides to the background becoming more like plum and coffee. The nose constantly evolved – from the colour I was expecting a cooked fruit profile, but gradually primary red an black cherry is unlocked from the mix – even redcurrants too after a time. The palate has very silky tannins with long acidity. This feels really sumptuous in the mouth and shows perhaps a little more cooked fruit than the nose with a deep plum pie. If there is one area of disappointment it is in the medium plus finish – given the nose and silky palate I’d expected an extra length – but it wasn’t there. Still a lovely wine and this producer’s version is usually cheaper than many a Charmes’.
Medium-plus ruby at the core still showing some cherry red. The nose is a little subdued with bright red berries and rose petals. Lovely fat with pure, concentrated redcurrant and cherry. Good acidity and tannins that you need to search for. Some vanilla on the long finish. A lovely bottle which showed in a subdued way – perhaps in it’s shell? Even if not, there’s more than enough material to safely leave this for a few more years.
Here we find the elegance of Romanée Saint-Vivant. The colour is paler than Moillard’s with a not-quite medium ruby. The nose is a little understated but shows a top-end of red fruits on a creamy, slightly vanilla base – with time a more meaty tone starts to emerge and definitely no roast fruit notes here. The palate is obviously fat with very silky tannins that you need to look for – no fireworks but a definite RSV elegance. I’d say that this is just a little subdued or, perhaps, even closed, despite the exceptional length. Very, very lovely.
Deep ruby – no sign of age. Bright blueberry and black cherry nose trailing off with a hint of coffee. The palate has good fat and acidity. Nice black fruit with slightly grainy, medium-density tannins. Very good length too – BUT – there seems no ‘involvement’ with this wine and it seems flat. I suspect the insidious entry of low level taint – you can’t tell that it’s corked and unfortunately there is no back-up bottle for reference. This was drunk following Méo-Camuzet’s Bourgogne – and all four people drinking preferred the Bourgogne despite the obviously better underlying material of this wine. Not cooked – must be tainted – a shame.
For around 60€ Domaine Charles Thomas produce one of the best value RSV’s that you can find. If you compare the price to some domaine’s village wines at ~50€, it’s a bit of an eye-opener. That wine was, until recently, labeled as Domaine Thomas-Moillard. Now this wine from Moillard-Grivot is not the same wine as it is made from purchased grapes for the négociant arm of the Thomas business. The colour is deep ruby, hardly any lighter at the rim. The nose at first soars with floral notes to be replaced by a deep meaty note and unusually even a trace of cedar. The fruit is black and a little roasted in character. The palate is fat, concentrated and silky smooth. The tannins are deep but silky. The length could be a little better – this is RSV after-all – but even though the fruit on the palate is also a little roasted this is super wine. Judged as RSV, this wine certainly lacks the required elegance – judged on price, even at 60€ it is very fine. Personally I’d keep this in the cellar for another 3 or 4 years
Medium ruby, just a little browner at the rim. The nose has fresh red berries as a top note but if you stop swirling, the glass gradually fills with a vanilla note. The palate is also quite fresh with very good acidity. The wine seems at first to be a little slight despite intense fruit but in the end I put this down to how the primary the fruit was showing – more like a 1996. The tannins are deftly hidden but very velvety. Very, very elegant and very tasty – also just a touch of vanilla on the finish. This excellent wine has gorgeous balance and should have a very long life.
You are using an outdated browser. Please update your browser to view this website correctly: https://browsehappy.com/;