Ian Fitzsimmons
Ian Fitzsimmons
2001 Pavelot Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Guettes:
Day 1, fragrant and teasingly bright but confined by earthy-feeling structure. Day 2 it about explodes with tangy, sappy, fruit-filled flavor, featuring a meaty-muscley wow factor. If this wine is what Pavelot is about, sign me up. Drink or hold.
2000 Fevre Bogros Bouguerots
From magnum: closed and rebarbative on day one; after two days in the fridge, open and full of pungent power, but lacking the distinctive finesse and sour flavor of other Fevre GCs Ive tasted. Hold, unless driven by pox fear.
2005 Vissoux Fleurie Poncie
Day one: dark, musty, voluptuous, savory, structured. Day two, fruitier and, unexpectedly, tighter-tasting. Despite Jims love for this wine, its lesson to me is that my Beaujolais love is for wines with more structure in the balance. Drink or hold for a few years.
2006 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
Last year this wine was soft, pleasant, but not distinct. In July, it wine was all cherry fruit, with enough ripe acid to make it elegant and enough tannin to give it bottom: distinct compenents, well proportioned. No Beaujolais grapiness. Great dinner wine. Drink or hold
N.V. Laurent Perrier Champagne Grand Siecle (allegedly mostly 1996 vintage)
At first, tough and ungiving. With extended air time, as the bubbles receded, orange peel, bread dough, pineapple emerged in a skein of airy depth and complexity. Most interesting champagne of my (limited) experience. Drink or hold
2008 A. & P. Villaine Clous
On opening, like a young Granite de Clisson: lemony, mineral, a bit of awkward richness. With air time, melts to a kind of primordial soup, seething with saline mineral dust. Distinctive and good. Villaine says to hold these for 5-7 years, but this is good now with air time. The 07 was leaner.
2002 Hubert Lamy St. Aubin 1er Cru Derriere Chez Edouard
Deep red, pure mocha on the nose and kind of a dark-fruit strawberry flavor. Much more substantial wine than I expected from the Appelation. Hold.
1996 Trimbach Frederick-Emile
Medium yellow, pretty open with modest fruit and powerful, delineating acids. A mild sherry note that, however, did not undermine the wines depth, finish, or general quality. Ill start drinking these now.
Day 1, fragrant and teasingly bright but confined by earthy-feeling structure. Day 2 it about explodes with tangy, sappy, fruit-filled flavor, featuring a meaty-muscley wow factor. If this wine is what Pavelot is about, sign me up. Drink or hold.
2000 Fevre Bogros Bouguerots
From magnum: closed and rebarbative on day one; after two days in the fridge, open and full of pungent power, but lacking the distinctive finesse and sour flavor of other Fevre GCs Ive tasted. Hold, unless driven by pox fear.
2005 Vissoux Fleurie Poncie
Day one: dark, musty, voluptuous, savory, structured. Day two, fruitier and, unexpectedly, tighter-tasting. Despite Jims love for this wine, its lesson to me is that my Beaujolais love is for wines with more structure in the balance. Drink or hold for a few years.
2006 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
Last year this wine was soft, pleasant, but not distinct. In July, it wine was all cherry fruit, with enough ripe acid to make it elegant and enough tannin to give it bottom: distinct compenents, well proportioned. No Beaujolais grapiness. Great dinner wine. Drink or hold
N.V. Laurent Perrier Champagne Grand Siecle (allegedly mostly 1996 vintage)
At first, tough and ungiving. With extended air time, as the bubbles receded, orange peel, bread dough, pineapple emerged in a skein of airy depth and complexity. Most interesting champagne of my (limited) experience. Drink or hold
2008 A. & P. Villaine Clous
On opening, like a young Granite de Clisson: lemony, mineral, a bit of awkward richness. With air time, melts to a kind of primordial soup, seething with saline mineral dust. Distinctive and good. Villaine says to hold these for 5-7 years, but this is good now with air time. The 07 was leaner.
2002 Hubert Lamy St. Aubin 1er Cru Derriere Chez Edouard
Deep red, pure mocha on the nose and kind of a dark-fruit strawberry flavor. Much more substantial wine than I expected from the Appelation. Hold.
1996 Trimbach Frederick-Emile
Medium yellow, pretty open with modest fruit and powerful, delineating acids. A mild sherry note that, however, did not undermine the wines depth, finish, or general quality. Ill start drinking these now.
