An assemblage from 13 different parcels. Fresh and complex nose, despite being quite tight. On the palate, a sweet entry that’s wide and interesting. You notice the structure before the texture but then there’s a really defining extra edge of complexity in the mid-palate. It might not be the greatest VV cuvée from this house, but it’s very good.
Medium-plus cherry red. The nose is quite forward, initially black shaded – cherry and olive – then a violet note starts coming through. The palate starts a little tight, but is very well balanced with sweetness from the ripe fruit, drying tannins that show themselves only if you hold the wine in your mouth and forward but well mannered acidity. This wine was a bit of a bargain at ~13 Euro – so I had to invest in a six-pack.
I’ve one superb and one really good Potel 1er Cru from Potel in 99 (Clos des Chênes and En Chevret), time to see how the villages is getting on. Medium-plus ruby-red colour to a watery rim. The nose is dominated at the start by toasty oak – unusual for a Potel wine – though slowly this goes through a caramel stage before it majors on the fruit: beautiful, clear red berries before becoming rather indistinct. Fresh and quite intense though I think there is still rather a lot of oak on the palate where it’s the most likely the source of those grainy tannins. There’s plenty of material here but I’m not 100% sure it will eventually overcome the ‘muddying’ effect of the wood – after-all it’s already 4 years since release. Still, however, I managed to enjoy it to the last drop.
Medium-plus, purple-tinged cherry-red. A fresh coulis of black-skinned fruit greets the nose. The smooth palate shows nicely intense fruit – again black-shaded. There is plenty of tannin, but it’s currently very well wrapped in the fruit extract. Nice balance from the acidity and a really pleasing finish. If I can keep my hands of this wine I think it has quite some potential, not drinking these could be difficult. Not as exuberant as when tasted in barrel but a very good wine all the same.
Medium, medium-plus cherry-red colour. The nose has high tones and a slightly jammy red fruit core. The palate is much more sedate than the wall of tannin that greeted me when I first tasted this on release. The palate has really good intensity that slowly fades. Good acidity and well mannered tannins. I just find that following the burst of fruit at the start and the good length I’d like a bit more in the middle, but it’s nicely sweet and was heartily devoured.
One bottle per year since release and to-date plenty of disappointments – I think I’ve another 7 or 8 left. The first bottle lived up to the original Clive Coates review, all the others were dumb – most unlike the 1997 – perhaps with this wine we’ve turned the corner. Despite a slightly musty note (presumably cork derived but not counted as corked) on the nose and palate, at last we have a wine with personality! The colour is deep and shows little advancement. Powdery red fruit over a slightly ‘dirty’ background. The palate at last shows some interest with dense, even monolithic, red fruit that shows raspberry and strawberry notes. The acidity is good and the finish is also showing much better, slightly creamy extension. Still a year or two away from it’s drinking window, but I’m feeling much better about the original purchase…
A wine that took a little time for me to warm to, but it was worth the wait. Medium cherry red colour. The nose starts very uncouth, high toned and alcoholic. It takes over a hour from opening (no decanting) to start showing a high-toned, fresh and piercing red fruit nose. From the start the palate was fresh, round, nicely concentrated and had very pleasant tannins – a little grain, but not particularly drying. Creamy fruit on the finish too. Next time I’d decant for an hour – otherwise wait two or three years.
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