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Tonight, for Friday dinner with two guests, we had three great (B). One white
and two reds. Dinner consisted of salmon-fillet in souffle coating,
eggplant-curry soup, roasted duck stuffed with prunes & chestnuts, apple pie
in whipped-cream.
Criots-Batard-Montrachet 1986 Labore-Roi
2/96. A present from one of our guests.
Criots-Batard-Montrachet is the "least" considered of the Puligny-Chassagne
white Grand Crus. It lies entirely in Chassagne-Montrachet. Unlike for red
wines, 1986 was an excellent - some times superb - vintage for white (B).
Labore-Roi is a middle-of-the-road Cote d'Or negociant.
My friend received this bottle as a gift some time ago, thus could not vouch
for its provenance.
COLOR: Very impressive deep golden yellow. The looks and the feel of this wine
suggests a lot of viscosity.
NOSE: Intense bouquet of ripe and mature white (B). Rich buttery hazelnuts, no
fresh fruit, but too much pronounced oak.
TASTE: Again, very rich and mature taste that lacked somewhat in freshness.
Big and fat in the mouth but a bit coarse in the finish.
LENGTH: Moderately long aftertaste that got better once the bitterish finish
was over.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied wine but weak structure and balance. Though
full of taste, the total lack of acidity and freshness leaves an impression of
staleness.
OVERALL: An excellent wine with some flows in winemaking and/or keeping
conditions. I am pretty sure that a better example of this vineyard from the
same vintage would have merited even higher.
MARK: 17/20.
Chambolle - Les Amoureuses 1989 L. Jadot
2/96. Acquired from Beaune Dec-94 for $47 (imported for $62 net).
The best 1er Cru vineyard of Chambolle-Musigny from Jadot's own domaine.
COLOR: Excellent rich color, resembling a Bordeaux more than it does a
Burgundy.
NOSE: Fresh red fruit nose on a background of a good 'Bourgogne Nose'. Wet
forest floor, earthy tones and wood.
TASTE: In spite of the allegedly 'feminine' appeal of Chambolle wines, this
particular example felt very 'masculine'. Plenty of vigorous fruit, high
alcohol and plenty of tannins, all add up to a complex taste that is still
very young in every respect.
LENGTH: Different layers and flavors explode in the mouth during the long
lingering aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied wine, excellent structure though could use a
bit more 'flesh'. Tannins still abound. I had this wine a year ago and thought
it might be totally open by now. Not so...
OVERALL: An almost-superb wine that should be given some more time. I can
still remember the outstanding 1985 version of the same wine. I doubt that the
'89 will ever reach such height.
MARK: 17.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.
Grands Echezeaux 1985 R. Sirugue
2/96. Bought in auction Oct-95 for $100 (imported from Chicago for $110 net).
My first experience of this relatively unknown grower who has a tiny holding
(0.6 acre) in the exalted vineyard of Grands Echezeaux. I bought this specific
wine solely on the recommendation it received from R. Parker. 1985 being of
course a great vintage.
COLOR: Typical good medium red color, noticeably clearing around the rim.
NOSE: At first quite nasty. The 'Bourgogne Nose' seemed like it was really
taken from a badly kept barnyard (or piggery for that matter). After a while
things got better. Some mature cherry nose replaced the pig-sh*t, but even
then, the aroma was not the strong suit of this wine.
TASTE: Being so disappointed by the nose, I took my first sip fearing the
worst... SURPRISE!!! A wonderful, fruity, rich, round and silky taste! We all
found it hard to believe that such a mediocre-nose (at best!) can be followed
by such a glorious taste. In the mouth this was a gods' nectar. Mature and
mouthfilling fruit, a complex elegance that manifests itself through silkiness
and delicacy rather than through sheer power. A truly great (B) on the palate.
LENGTH: Excellent long and lingering aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium body but extremely well-structured. The matured
fruit, the ample 'wininess', the right amount of acidity, and the weak tannins
- all contribute to the perfectly harmonious balance.
OVERALL: A superb wine but for the strange nose. I have encountered
many wines where the taste did not fulfill the promises made by the nose, but
rarely the opposite. Still, the overall impression for this fully mature wine
is superb-plus.
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.
Yak's Home Page |
Introducing Yak |
Yak's Rating Scale |
Yak's Burgundy Primer |
Tasting Notes Archive |
Wine & Food Adventures |