1998

1998 Mortet Denis Gevrey-Chambertin

By on March 31, 2007 #asides

Medium-plus ruby-red colour. The nose still shows plenty of woodsmoke and a trace of ash – time in the glass brings higher tones and fainter red fruits to fill the scene. Very good texture with a real extra dimension of creamy black fruit on the mid-palate and into a finish that still shows a little bitter oak. The oak is far from dominant on the palate but is still a loud voice. The tannins remain grainy and a little astringent. For my taste the oak is one or two notches too high – still.

Comments for this entry

1998 Gelin Pierre Fixin Clos Napoléon

By on March 31, 2007 #asides

Medium ruby-red colour. The nose starts very subdued, only slowly starts to take on a more tertiary, slightly alcoholic edge – eventually becomes quite interesting. The palate is well textured with super acidity and impressive mid-palate concentration – if it had any astringent tannin in its youth then it’s already melted. It’s ready now and I’m sure it will hold for a few years more, it’s just a little Gevrey in style and very well priced.

Comments for this entry

1998 Remoriquet Henri & Gilles Nuits St.Georges Les Damodes

By on March 31, 2007 #asides

The colour is very deep and surprisingly still clings to a young, faint cherry-red hue. The nose is brooding, dense and very focused – eventually a little underbrush compliments the black-skinned fruit. Concentrated, slightly metallic flavours and plenty of well covered fine tannin are the first impressions followed by faintly mouth-watering acidity and a long, fresh finish. This wine impresses with its very fresh, linear and concentrated yet still quite primary delivery – it is quite aloof – haughty even – but there are no hard edges. I would say it will benefit from at least another 3 years in the cellar.

Comments for this entry

1998 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambertin

By on March 31, 2007 #asides

Deep colour, a core of garnet with a ruby rim. The nose is very deep, and quite reduced. With time the nose is much fresher with higher-toned jellied fruit – almost confiture – creamy black-skinned fruit forms its base – this is now lovely. The nose continues to really impress, the higher tones have become ever redder though the base remains black and creamy. A fresh palate with laser-like intensity – this is excellent – plenty of velvetty tannin and certainly longer than Grivot’s 97 Richebourg, though that length (like the Richebourg) is quite oak based and initially slightly bitter. The fruit needs five minutes to provide a nice sweet black impression, still quite primary, but it starts to come through on the finish too – with just an edge of creaminess, there are plenty of tannins bathing the mid-palate and finish but they seem quite round. The last bottles should wait a minimum of five years in the cellar, probably much longer – but they will be excellent.

Comments for this entry

1998 Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Vieilles Vignes

By on March 31, 2007 #asides

The first few sniffs disappoint, a little undergrowth but little else. Slowly a dense red note builds at the core with a slightly herbal, menthol note above, with time some extra width of high-toned fruit and occasional glimpses of coffee – the herbal element is now much more in the background, just as the nose was almost coming together, but then a little cedar thing started to develop. The palate is dense, plush and very well textured – contrasting to the minerality of Bouchard Père’s Chambertin. The tannins come through on the mid-palate onwards and finish slightly bitter but there’s a real creamy base and this is probably the longest finishing. With time in the glass the palate remains dense, plenty of silky tannin and exquisitely long if not particularly involving.

Comments for this entry

1998 Fontaine-Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet

By on September 30, 2006 #asides

Golden. The nose is savoury with hints of oak, still a little one-dimensional. The palate is wide and well textured though I was expecting a little more fat – one of the winemakers present opines that the yields might have been ‘comfortable’ on this wine. There are very faint oxidative hints that would be entirely appropriate on a 10+ year-old wine, but here we have only 8 years. It’s a nice wine, but given the appellation I had higher expectations. The finish is a little short (vs the Corton-Charlemagne it is paired with) but that is probably the limitation of the vintage.

Comments for this entry

1998 Lejeune Bourgogne

By on September 30, 2006 #asides

Medium ruby red with a slightly amber rim. Very nice, if relatively advanced aromatics, a core of sweet baked red fruit, hints of camphor and cedar. The palate is sweet, shows forward acidity and grainy but not astringent tannins. The finish lasts but somehow seems a little ‘thin’. It’s a reasonable burst of interest on the mid-palate too. Pretty-much mature and very drinkable, if not the most elegant glass.

Comments for this entry

1998 Grivot Jean Vosne-Romanée Bossières

By on June 30, 2006 #asides

Medium-plus ruby colour. The nose is sharper and more focused than that of the 99, higher toned with a little cedar. Still drying tannin, but not with the volume of my last tasting about 3 years ago. Fresher, perhaps less concentrated but with good length. This is a better drink today than the 99, the extra density of the latter will probably give it a longer, if not more interesting, life.

Comments for this entry

1998 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus

By on June 30, 2006 #asides

Deep ruby-coloured. High tones over a glossy base, plus some meaty and faintly herbal notes – great at the start, interesting but not great at the end. Depth, freshness and density, plenty of tannin, but only faintly astringent. Very nice fruit and length, needs at least another 3 or 4 years.

Comments for this entry

Burgundy Report

Burgundy Report

Big Red Diary overview

Burgundy Reports overview

Latest reports:

Translate »

You are using an outdated browser. Please update your browser to view this website correctly: https://browsehappy.com/;