In the tasting glass, this wine is a shade lighter in colour vs La Tâche, it’s also the only wine in the line-up to show some ruby colour. The nose starts with a blast of fruit and spice – very much like La Tâche – but closes down much faster. A quarter of an hour with the glass yields a few more floral notes, and then something a little green that morphs into a cedary pencil-lead note. The palate is very round, without the initial fireworks of the La Tâche, in fact it’s very understated. This is a wine that you could easily overlook after La Tâche and the RSV, but what sets it apart is the crystalline purity of fruit in the mid-palate and the faint but haunting finish. Very special
2001
2001 Romanée-Conti Grands-Echézeaux
Again a medium, medium-plus cherry red colour. Where the Échézeaux was ‘broad’ in the nose, this is more focused though giving-up less. Higher toned with more maraschino cherry. The palate shows higher acidity and again, svelte, discrete tannin. The palate is also more focused and deep, though less ‘broad’ than the Échézeaux. There’s similar outstanding length, but to start with the wine doesn’t have the overall appeal of the Échézeaux. Slowly the nose starts to develop a wide, subtly spicy undertone (takes more than 10 minutes in the glass) which also starts to increase in depth. The palate is unchanging. I tried the second bottle and there was more obvious oak – though transient. This showed a little more depth than before and even a black edge to the fruit on the finish.
2001 Boillot Henri Corton-Charlemagne
Deeply coloured for such a young wine, a shimmering gold. The nose has a creamy fruit-salad sense to it, almost brooding. The palate is a Charlemagne tour-de-force with it’s upfront burst of flavour and stunning concentration – it was a challenge to drink the second glass – but I persevered!. Keeping the wine in your mouth brings thoughts of a stream gushing over rock, but if you need a respite and try swallowing you’re in for a shock, it’s like opening the curtains and letting in the sun as the finish unfolds with deep, creamy waves. Best young Charlie I ever tried – as if I haven’t bought enough white wine already…
2001 Thomas Charles Bonnes-Mares
Only medium colour – cherry red. The nose is very subdued, but shows a few high tones. Given 40 minutes opens up just a little more to give a deeper profile, perhaps a trace of caramel too. The palate on the other hand, shows very fine, concentrated fruit with good fat. Nice acidity with forward, but well mannered, tannins. Should become a very good bottle.