|
Red Burgundy |
Romanee Conti |
2005 |
Echezeaux
|
1 |
Bottle |
75cl |
£1,150 |
The soaring nose of spicy cassis, black cherry and violets this displayed from cask has now become very reserved and brooding, merging into rich, full and utterly delicious flavors that possess a beguiling texture and unusually fine tannins compared to what I typically see with the Ech. This is a big wine by any measure with excellent mid-palate density and superb length. Really good stuff and as the "value" play in the DRC line-up, one to strongly consider because it surpasses its normal quality level by more than a fair margin in 2005.
|
|
94 |
|
Red Burgundy |
Rousseau |
2009 |
Chambertin
|
2 |
Bottle |
75cl |
£1,275 |
Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils
2009
Chambertin
Grand Cru Red 750 ml
Score: 98
Tasted: Jan 10, 2012
Drink: 2029+
Issue: 45
Producer note: Eric Rousseau's take on the 2010 vintage was "almost every aspect was marked by the weather and most of it wasn't favorable. The night of the 19th of December 2009 had a 15° C drop in just a few hours that caused the sap in the vines to freeze, expand and ultimately kill many vines. We certainly had some of our villages vineyards hit relatively hard. Then the weather was cool and wet during the flowering which caused a lot of shot berries to materialize, which of course was the major driver of the lower yields. In fact we had the lowest yields in 2010 that we have had during the entire decade and I include 2003 in that comparison. Our yields varied between 20 and 30 hl/ha but on the other hand, it is almost a certainty that without the low crop levels we never would have had sufficiently ripe fruit. I didn't wait very long to begin picking and began on the 22nd of September and picked until October 2nd. There was some sorting work for under ripe berries but really no more than usual. Sugars were very good and ranged from 12 to 13.5%. The harvest weather was also very cool and it took a bit longer to get the fermentations to begin but after that I did my normal vinification. Right after the fermentations were finished the temperatures fell even further which means that the cellars cooled off earlier than usual. This had the effect of delaying the onset of the malos and since there was a lot of malic acid, the malos were long and slow. I don't know about elsewhere but here at the domaine 2010 is a really beautiful vintage. There is tension and verve to the wines and they make me think of the 2008s but with better density and riper tannins. And unlike the 2008s, I don't think that the 2010s will close up once they're in bottle." As to the now in-bottle '09s, they confirmed the seriously impressive quality that they displayed at this time last year. But as good as they are, and they are sensational, the Rousseau '10s are also amazing, in particular the Chambertin which is utterly brilliant. Rousseau noted that he used no new wood at all except for the Clos St. Jacques, Chambertin and Clos de Bèze. (Frederick Wildman, www.frederickwildman.com, NY, NY; Berry Brothers & Rudd, www.bbr.com, The Wine Society, www.thewinesociety.com, O.W. Loeb, www.owloeb.com, The Rare & Fine Wine Company Limited, www.therareandfinewinecompany.com, and Justerini & Brooks, www.justerinis.com, all UK).
Tasting note: This is also ultra-pure and densely fruited with notes of anise, mint, wet stone and a sauvage hint that introduces intensely earthy and mineral-driven big-bodied flavors that are rich, powerful, serious and densely concentrated, all wrapped in a silky, palate staining, explosive and colossally persistent finish. This is actually relatively expressive and approachable for a young Cham yet the balance and harmony is present for this to age for decades. A brilliant effort and one of the best vintages ever for this justifiably revered wine.
|
|
98 |
|
Red Burgundy |
Leroy |
2006 |
Latricieres Chambertin
|
1 |
Bottle |
75cl |
£1,650 |
Domaine Leroy
2006
Latricières-Chambertin
Grand Cru Red 750 ml
Score: 96
Tasted: Apr 01, 2008
Drink: 2023+
Issue: 30
Don't miss!
Producer note: Lalou Bize-Leroy calls 2006 the "modern day equivalent of 1962. In fact, 2005 and 2006 are very much like 1961 and 1962. There are of course always differences but to the extent that any vintage can really be compared with another, those are reasonably good parallels. We had slightly better yields in 2006 than 2005, coming in at between 19 to 20 hl/ha. In 2005, not including the Bourgogne, we were barely at 15. I view the wines as being built on their fruit but that doesn't mean that they won't age gracefully, much as the '62s have. I have every confidence that the wines will go 20 to 30 years with no trouble and the best examples will easily surpass that. In terms of more recent comparisons, the '06s remind me a bit of the 1986s in their youth in the sense of being more fruit-driven but the '06s are more complete wines and should age better. The '06s also have remarkable transparency of the underlying terroir and offer everything a burgundy enthusiast will love." In contrast to several recent vintages where the wines were bottled very early, the '06s were bottled in December, which is essentially the same month that the '05s were bottled in 2006.
The Leroy '06s are, with one notable exception, striking wines by any measure and several of the 1ers are simply stupendous. And for those readers who sometimes find the Leroy wines to lack elegance because they are so concentrated, then the '06s should appeal more because they have impressive elegance and display more finesse than certain other, more concentrated, recent vintages. This is not to imply that the '06s are not dense wines because they are but my point is that there is a certain tenderness, even a delicacy to them that is not always apparent early on with some other vintages. (Martine's Wines, Novato, CA; Justerini & Brooks, John Armit, Howard Ripley and Lay & Wheeler, all UK).
Tasting note: Despite the relative proximity of this with the Clos de la Roche, the two wines are really quite different as here the equally reserved but not reduced nose reflects medium high-toned cool and strikingly layered red berry fruit aromas that introduced almost aggressively mineral-infused full-bodied flavors that possess superb precision while culminating in a finish that seems to go on and on while buffering the dense but fine tannins that coat the palate. I very much like this and the underlying sense of tension is palpable.
|
|
96 |
|
Red Burgundy |
Leroy |
2000 |
Richebourg
|
1 |
Bottle |
75cl |
£2,750 |
Domaine Leroy
2000
Richebourg
Grand Cru Red 750 ml
Score: 94
Tasted: Apr 29, 2017
Drink: Try from 2020+
Tasting note: There is some lightening at the rim but no actual bricking. The fresh and ripe aromas display the initial hints of secondary development along with plenty of spice and floral elements to the solidly well-concentrated medium-bodied and muscular flavors, all wrapped in a lingering and complex finale. This is clearly still on the way up yet not so far away from its peak that it couldn't be enjoyed now if a more youthful fruit profile is your preference. In a word, impressive.
|
|
94 |
|
Red Burgundy |
Fourrier |
2005 |
Clos Saint Jacques
|
4 |
Bottle |
75cl |
£550 |
Domaine Fourrier
2005
Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques"
1er Cru Red 750 ml
Score: 94
Tasted: Nov 18, 2016
Drink: Try from 2025+
Tasting note: (with thanks to Doug Barzelay). Initially this was heavily reduced and required a full 45 minutes in a vigorously shaken decanter to really dissipate the funk. Like many '05s at this stage in their evolution this remains reserved and tight but the concentration and balance is seriously impressive. That said, the reserved nose, while offering glimpses of what is to come, is still notably closed and the supporting tannins shaping the impressively scaled flavors remain markedly firm. I remain highly optimistic that in time this is going to be a genuinely great Clos St. Jacques but for now it's basically infanticide, and this is true even with extended aeration. I would advise just letting this slumber away for the better part of another decade as it's going to need it but when it finally matures, we're in for a real treat! Tasted twice in the last 3 years with almost identical results.
|
|
94 |
|
Red Burgundy |
Fourrier |
2004 |
Clos Saint Jacques
|
3 |
Bottle |
75cl |
£275 |
Domaine Fourrier
2004
Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques"
1er Cru Red 750 ml
Score: 91
Tasted: Oct 09, 2013
Drink: Now+
Tasting note: There is just a touch of secondary development to the otherwise gorgeously pure and still very fresh red pinot and raspberry fruit nose that is nuanced with hints of spice, crushed leaf and earth. There is good delineation to the supple and wonderfully complex flavors that explode on the strikingly long finish where some gas is in evidence; as such I would recommend decanting this for 20 minutes first. At to maturity, for my taste this has reached its initial inflection point where it could be drunk now with pleasure or held for another 3 to 5 years first depending on how much secondary influence you enjoy.
|
|
91 |
|
Red Burgundy |
Fourrier |
1999 |
Clos Saint Jacques
|
2 |
Bottle |
75cl |
£475 |
Domaine Fourrier
1999
Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques"
1er Cru Red 750 ml
Score: 91
Tasted: Apr 16, 2002
Drink: Try from 2011+
Tasting note: Much deeper color than the foregoing wines. The breed is immediately evident on the nose with ripe red and black fruits and big, rich flavors, plenty of structure, silky tannins and quality length. The subtlety here is impressive, especially for young Clos St.-Jacques.
|
|
91 |
|
Red Burgundy |
Rousseau |
1995 |
Ruchottes Chambertin
|
1 |
Bottle |
75cl |
£450 |
Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils
1995
Ruchottes-Chambertin - Clos des Ruchottes
Grand Cru Red 750 ml
Score: 89
Tasted: Jan 02, 2012
Drink: Now+
Tasting note: (opened from personal storage). This is surprisingly forward for the vintage with a gorgeously elegant and fully mature nose that features plenty of Gevrey earth, truffle and a certain animale character. The light to barely medium weight flavors display fine complexity and lovely intensity on the mineral-driven and delicious finish where a touch of dryness surfaces that isn't enough to really impart a sense of imbalance. This is drinking perfectly now and there is little if any benefit to holding it further as it will probably eventually begin to dry out though that shouldn't happen for at least a decade. Consistent notes.
|
|
89 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
|
2000 |
Mouton - owc 1x150
|
2 |
Bottle |
Mag |
£2,750 |
Perhaps the most beautiful packaging ever on a Bordeaux bottle, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild literally produced a work of art in the gold-engraved bottle of 2000 Mouton Rothschild. Of course, one can’t drink the glass, but this is a top-flight Mouton Rothschild, eclipsed only by the 2006 and 2009. A rich, tannic, earthy style, with loads of creme de cassis and floral notes, the final blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Merlot is a full-bodied wine with plenty of coffee, earth, chocolatey notes, and still plenty of tannin to resolve. I gave it an anticipated maturity range of 2015-2050 back in 2003, and that looks on target. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate June 2010
|
|
96 |
