Haegelen-Jayer 1999 Nuits-St-Georges “1er Cru” Les Damodes (Burgundy) – Starts a little tentatively, then grows into its maturity. Soft, lavender-hued fruit and rich, tilled soil abound; the wine’s gentle, but there’s a strength behind it as well, though the muscles might not flex as they once did. Fully mature, but note the caveat: this bottle is a recent acquisition from closeout and so I cannot verify its provenance. (10/10)
Browse Tag
burgundy
Michael, Royaux the boat ashore
Fèvre 2004 Chablis “Champs Royaux” (Chablis) – A forceful mineral hash leavened by a surprising thickness and a buttered corn quality that seems to be de rigueur at this house, even though I’d really prefer they leave it out. (9/10)
Hospices by hospices
Hospices de Beaune 1993 Marc de Bourgogne (Burgundy) – As red-Burgundian as a marc can be, full of the lovely blended fruit and autumnal richness of a nicely-aged wine and a warmness that never tips over into burn. (8/10)
Or, chat high
Barthod 2002 Chambolle-Musigny “1er Cru” Les Chatelots (Burgundy) – Primary, still, with a New Zealandish aroma of beet-infused macerated berries, but then plunging down a rollercoaster of earthy aromatics and portended complexity. Young, still. No surprise there. (8/10)
Moor or less
de Moor 2007 Bourgogne Blanc Chitry (Burgundy) – Light complexity – Complexity 101 – with a quartzy, light-then-flat-then-light-again texture, all skew angles and occult tangents, yet somehow formed and whole. Peachy? No, not really. Perhaps apricotty, but then maybe it’s crystallized. Or maybe not. Enjoyable. (7/10)
de Moor 2007 Bourgogne Blanc Chitry (Burgundy) – Overwhelmed with VA, stench, degradation, and awfulness. From the same case as the previous, very intact bottle. (8/10)
Take this wine and Chevillon
Chevillon 2006 Bourgogne (Burgundy) – Every time I drink a Chevillon of anything but surpassing age (and that almost never happens), I laugh at the occasionally-stated opinion of non-Burgundy fans that there’s nothing of sufficient heft for their palates. In terms of alcohol or supercharged, candied fruit, that may be true. But to apply the descriptors “light” or “elegant” as the epithets they so often are to this wine would be ludicrous. Full-fruited in the red spectrum, with only hints of black, but very earthen and lavishly structured, this is an extremely powerful drink for what is still just a basic Bourgogne. Well, “just” is unfair here, because this is neither constructed nor priced as “just” anything. I like it. I’ll like it even more with a little more maturity under its wide leather belt. (7/10)
de Moor, de merrier
de Moor 2008 Bourgogne Blanc Chitry (Burgundy) – Subtle. Clear running water, gently flowing over stones, plus lovely blended stone and citrus fruit. Perfectly under-structured, if that makes sense. The wine is kinda beautiful, but in a shy, somewhat girlish way. I’d describe it as a bit of a Lolita, but now this note is starting to creep me out. (7/10)
But sometimes, I don’t Bousse so much
Chevillon 1999 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Bousselots (Burgundy) – Graphite-dominated. Closed and difficult. From a very cold cellar, and it’s sometimes hard to muster up sufficient patience for these wines from more typical conditions, but this is as closed as a wine can get. (6/10)
We are the Champs
Fèvre 2007 Chablis “Champs Royaux” (Chablis) – Fine-grained minerality, citrusy exotica, rapidly-declining finish. This wine has an enormously appealing texture that surpasses its aromatic interest, and it’s a pretty fine value (for Chablis). No, it’s not Great (or even great), but what do you want for this price? Ideally, one would wait a few years for the preservative buffer to subside, but it’s not as inaccessibly sulfured as some of its brethren. (6/10)
Beurot-ing animal
Lucien Boillot 2006 “Les Grands Poisots en Souvenir du Beurot” (Burgundy) – A little oxidized, though I couldn’t possibly say if it’s premature or not. Those looking for anything expressive of pinot gris as they know it will also be disappointed, but I don’t see that as a lack, necessarily; the terroir will give what the terroir gives. This is coppery in aroma and antiqued in flavor, and I think mostly it’s just a little old. There are a lot of petals floating around in the aged broth, however, and it’s not exactly without appeal. (7/10)