1998

1998 Clair Bruno Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes

By billn on April 06, 2010

Half bottle, plenty of dark sediment adheres to the inside of the bottle. The colour is taking on a slightly browner caste at the rim, relatively young and red it remains at the core. Hmm, the nose let’s us down, slight beefy aromas that hint to brett and a hint of VA too – just this bottle? Wait long enough and a sweet red cherry aroma starts to poke through, but it remains slightly veiled. In the mouth there is the expected pure, candied and detailed red berry fruit, the finish is pure strawberry – beautiful primary flavours still – and it’s 12 year-old Marsannay! The tannin is understated and shows no astringency – beautiful acidity. Lovely, lovely apart from the nose – my worst bottle…

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1998 Serveau Bernard Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses

By billn on March 24, 2010

All I know is that a burgundy shape half-bottle has been decanted. This is very pale, almost salmon pink. The nose is dominated by volatile acidity and esters, much more-so than my recent 72. In the mouth those aromas can still be tasted, but only as a pale backdrop to a sweet core of ripe strawberry fruit, nice enough acidity and almost no tannin to speak of. I don’t mess around – I think it’s a decent 78 Beaune 1er that’s heading for the downslope (assuming it’s not a rhone!). Well I got the ‘8′ and the 1er cru correct, but I’m amazed to see it’s a 1998. It’s tasty and doesn’t smell too bad as the VA moves into the background (~30mins), but clearly this is a wine to ‘drink-up’.

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1998 Gros Frère & Soeur Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits

By on November 30, 2009 #asides

Medium-plus ruby-red. The nose starts a complete jumble of dark wood, similarly dark fruit and some spice – fortunately it knits together rather well in only about 20 minutes; creamy spiced deep red plums and macerating cherry – not quite how I expect a bourgogne to smell, but it’s very, very nice, and frankly it gets better and better. Fresh and still quite astringent in its ‘attack’, yet the dark fruit mirrors the nose with some creamy packaging. Quite intense and, all-in-all, quite impressive in a burly Nuits sort of way. I was ready to dismiss it early-on, but clearly that would have been at my own loss! Definitely needs another 3 or-so years to mellow the astringent tannin – though it’s far from in the ascendant when taken with food – but it’s velvet tannin so ought to be worth waiting for.

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1998 Arnoux Robert Vosne-Romanée

By on November 30, 2009 #asides

The last bottle of this was very good, and only drunk around two years ago, this bottle is not to the same standard. This one has a little volatility – slight cola – and some meaty aromas. The acidity is slightly lifted and there’s still just a hint of astringency showing from the tannins if you look hard enough. Decent length, but not so much love today. It was anyway my last bottle.

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1998 Jadot Louis Beaune

By on November 30, 2009 #asides

This has medium, medium-plus colour – relatively dark and young looking for a 10 year-old. The nose is showing some maturity with blood, iron, graphite – rare Chateaubriand. With time, there are faint oxidised notes which rather disconcertingly gives me the the overall impression that it smells more like Chianti than Beaune, but that’s short-lived, additional time builds a slightly musky base – seems more like burgundy now! Good acidity and a decent base of grainy, almost velvety tannin that appears in the mid-palate – hardly any astringency now. The fruit has a dark-red sweet-sour presence, but is well (sweet-sour) balanced. Medium length. I would say that this is approaching its plateau of maturity – another couple of years should do it – and given its relative power, it should hold there for at at lease a decade…

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1998 Boillot Jean-Marc Puligny-Montrachet

By on November 30, 2009 #asides

This has medium colour, but the colour is hovering somewhere between golden and orange. The first aromas are tight, slightly honied but as it opens the oxidative character comes to the fore. In the mouth there’s good acidity, sweetness and above-average density – it’s quite silky too. Particularly impressive length with intensity and many dimensions that include creamy, caramelised fruits. It starts as borderline drinkable for someone who dislikes oxidation, but fills out with ever-more complexity and interest – indeed very drinkable.

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1998 Potel Nicolas Romanée Saint-Vivant

By on November 30, 2009 #asides

Double-decanted, poured after an hour. Plenty of lumpy sediment but no fine stuff to cloud things. The nose needs another 30 minutes to open, but it becomes wide and very Vosne; spicy, leafy, somehow ‘warm’ and textured smelling – overall it’s very good though not necessarily better than a (very) good 1er cru. The acidity is slightly forward – though not excessive – no harsh or astringent tannin, just a latent velvet edge. The flavours are a little tart but there’s a slowly deepening intensity in the mid-palate and a width that’s faintly cream-edged. Very good, if not great length. There is no primary fruit here, but it’s a wine that I would leave for at least another 5 or 6 in the cellar. It’s a reasonable grand cru, but today it’s far from a great RSV. This experience was not spoiled by the cork, only by opening the bottle at least 5 years too early…

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1998 Fevre William Chablis Le Clos

By on November 30, 2009 #asides

Medium-plus yellow – not quite a golden colour. The nose has a little matchstick and oak, it’s quite dense, the fruit is ripe though not tropical. Decently soft, slightly waxy texture with an impression of flavour from the matchstick aromas. I would say that the only obvious mineral aspect is the finish, but it’s very long and creamy. Dense with good enough acidity. This is actually rather good – though bought for peanuts 8-or-so years ago – yet I have the impression it would have been even better in a few more years.

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1998 Jadot Louis Corton-Charlemagne

By on November 30, 2009 #asides

The first pour – ooh quite light colour – but the more you pour, it seems to get darker much faster than expected. The end colour is similar to the 98 Boillot. The nose starts with an unusual ‘warm wool’ aroma, perhaps a little oaky too – but not a hint of oxidation. The wool fades to leave width wafts of ripe fruit – not that much maturity, but the last drops almost have that volatile edge of a redcurranty red-wine. In the mouth, it has intensity, but keep it on your tongue and it bursts with interest and complexity. Very good length. Excellent!

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