99 Briailles Les Vergelesses

R

Rahsaan

Rahsaan
1999 Chandon de Briailles Pernand Vergelesses Les Vergelesses
The store website indicated that this was the Ile des Vergelesses but when it arrived it was a very different wine indeed. I was quite irritated to discover that mistake but due to the low price and the various complications involved in ordering the wine, my friend (in another state) and I decided to keep our respective bottles.

Initially I found nothing but verification of my disappointment and irritation. Juicy darkish maturing wine, with hints of the sublime elegant floral and earthy aromas I know from IdV and other CdB wines. However, it never goes further than 'hints' because it remains simple simple simple. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing exciting either. I had it pegged as a fine dinner party wine for my non-wine geek friends.

But towards the end of the bottle, after several hours of air, it redeemed itself a bit by gaining a texture with more velvety silky sexiness. So, it will never be complex but maybe I don't need to rush to empty my other bottles and the vintage will win out with some seductive textures in the next few years.

Will see.
 
By reputation, Briailles's style is lean in youth moving toward aromatic elegance with age, isn't it? 'Les' is not supposed to be comparable with 'Ile de.' It's frustrating when that happens.
 
For some of the wines I've had, that would apply but I don't know all their cuvees. On the other hand, this was not very lean and according to their website it is supposed to be pretty full and dark (relatively speaking for the area). It was that indeed, but it was also simple.

Some people are telling me to wait for it to emerge from vintage slumber. Will see.
 
There's a store selling a 1972 Brialle Pernand de Vergelesses and I was interested in buying it in order to taste some old burgundy. But is this categorically too old or is it worth rolling the dice on?
 
I don't know much about 1972 in Burgundy but you might want to specify the vineyard to get a more accurate response.
 
I think a 72 from here has a good chance of being interesting-a very high acid slow maturing vintage coupled with a backward style may mean that the wine is in a very nice place, but it depends where it has been for thirty-seven years!
 
That is always the rub. I think the retailers claim they store their older wines in a temperature controlled warehouse, but I don't have too much experience with them.
 
originally posted by Yule Kim:
I think the retailers claim they store their older wines in a temperature controlled warehouse...
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They probably do. But the likelihood that this has been in their warehouse since release is slim to none. So you have the wide open variability of the bottles' travels before they arrived in their current resting place.
 
Yes, I think so too. I imagine buying older wines in general is always a crap shoot. But, the price is low enough that I think I might take the risk anyway since it seems like, if it survived storage, it should theoretically be quite nice.
 
I do wonder if the three cases of Ile de Vergelesses 72 sold at Bonhams London a couple of months ago ended up here? in which case they might be quite a good bet.
 
originally posted by Tom Blach:
I do wonder if the three cases of Ile de Vergelesses 72 sold at Bonhams London a couple of months ago ended up here? in which case they might be quite a good bet.
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That would be great: stumbling on some nicely aged, pristinely stored old burgundy from good terroir. Probably too good to be true, but I can always hope.
 
I usually date Chandon de Brailles' climb in quality to their shift to organic farming in the late '80s. On the other hand, I've liked practically every 1972 Burgundy I've had in the last 10 years.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
I usually date Chandon de Brailles' climb in quality to their shift to organic farming in the late '80s. On the other hand, I've liked practically every 1972 Burgundy I've had in the last 10 years.
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Jay, it's not just the organic farming. The family moved back to the estate in 1984, and really starting paying attention to the wines at that point.
cheers
 
originally posted by Howard Cooper:
The 1999 Ile de Vergelesses was really good when I had it in Burgundy a couple of years back.
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Thanks for rubbing it in!

Your notes were part of the reason I was looking forward to the IdV. Oh well...
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Howard Cooper:
The 1999 Ile de Vergelesses was really good when I had it in Burgundy a couple of years back.
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Thanks for rubbing it in!

Your notes were part of the reason I was looking forward to the IdV. Oh well...
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Happy to be of help.

Actually, sorry you got the wrong wine. Two stores with a good bit of Chandon de Briailles wines are K&L (which has some 1988s) and Zachy's, but I don't see the 1999 either place.
 
They are pretty widely distributed. Gordon wine and liquors (whoever they are) in MA, Rahsaan, seems to have ordered quite a lot of 07 - I wonder how these are drinking young.

I didn't realize they made a Volnay (Caillerets). Anyone tried it?
 
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