Was reduced on opening but cleared up quite quickly, that said this has a totally different nose to the other wines with really dense fruit but it’s glossy and focused so in no way ponderous – continues to widen in the glass – very impressive. It’s rich with a mineral edge, but like the Charlemagne the concentration bursts across the palate then the acidity ploughs into the finish – grows well in the glass. Rich with a mineral edge and like the Charlemagne the concentration bursts across the palate before the acidity ploughs you into the finish. Very lovely – stylisticly I prefer the Charlemagne but this has a real wow factor despite Christophe saying it’s closed up a little since bottling!
Chevalier-Montrachet
2000 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet
Not so much full-on oak on the nose as many grand crus from Leflaive, but plenty of toasty bread, tight fruit and eventually higher alcoholic notes. In the mouth my first impression is disappointment; soft, rather unfocused but good acidity. The wine then wakes a little with an impressive burst of complexity on the mid-palate that holds into a long – if rather oak driven – finish. It’s long and has some undoubted complexity but maybe I’ve caught it on a bad day as there’s no real focus or spark.
2000 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet
Bouchard are significantly the largest owners in this vineyard with 2 of the 7.3 hectares. The vineyard which is in Puligny lies just above Montrachet itself but is characterised by much stonier and chalkier soil. The wine had a completely different nose to the Corton-Charlemagne, more refined with an amazing depth of high toned fruits. The density in the mouth was very similar to the C-C but to a completely different effect. Whereas the C-C starts with a bang, the C-M is more sedate but then builds to explosion on the finish. A really fantastic wine.