Nuits - Clos des Argilleres..... Beaune - Les Cent Vignes.....

Nuits - Clos des Argilleres	1985	D. Rion

9/96. Acquired in auction Apr-96 for $52 (imported from Chicago for $64 net).
This is probably the best wine made by the superb yet unpretentious domaine of Daniel Rion. The 1er Cru vineyard of Argilleres is the pearl among the 1er Cru holdings they have in Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-St. Georges.
A few months ago we were privileged to visit the domaine, run now by Patrice Rion and see, taste and buy some of its newer efforts.
COLOR: Good, healthy, medium-deep red color, very slightly clearing towards the rim.
NOSE: Superbly rich and fruity. Multi-dimensional though not overly complex. Good delicate 'Bourgogne Nose' with some soft elements gained from its 11 years of aging.
TASTE: In every aspect as good and as enticing as the nose. Mouthfilling, and full of flavors. A truly excellent wine that displays all that a good, mature (B) should display. The bottle disappeared in less than 30 minutes... (4 people).
LENGTH: Long lasting very pleasant aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-full bodied, extremely well balanced, rich in every respect. Absolutely 'en point' now.
OVERALL: Superb+! The best Nuits-St. George I've ever tasted. Perfect now but will hold on for a few more years at least.
MARK: 18+/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

Beaune - Les Cent Vignes		1985	L. Jadot

9/96. Acquired from Beaune Aug-93 for $23 (Imported for $32 net).
The third (and last) bottle of this favorite Beaune 1er Cru I taste in 4 years. The previous bottle, tasted two years ago, was a let-down compared to the first one tasted back in 1992.
COLOR: A bit darker than the Argilleres, some brownish hues give away the wine's age.
NOSE: Complex and mature, but far from dead. Discernible red-fruit aroma mingles with earthy leathery tones of an old (B) wine.
TASTE: More 'advanced' than the Argilleres on the palate too. Still extremely good and tasty. Maybe a little bit past its prime, but certainly back in business from the temporary dormant stage it fell into some two years ago.
LENGTH: Not much of an aftertaste, though no hard finish at all.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Mid-weight, moderate acidity, weak tannins. Still a lot of 'wininess' surrounds the usual mature elements. Perhaps a tiny bit off-balanced.
OVERALL: Excellent! A top-level "lowly" Beaune 1er Cru. Drink up.
MARK: 17/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.

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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.