03 Gouges Porrets

[Rahsaan]

2003 Gouges NSG Clos des Porrets
I'm not sure why I bought two bottles of this wine. Something about liking Gouges and finding a good price. Plus the curiosity of what 2003 would bring. I had a bottle back in September and then a bottle again last night, and they were pretty similar. I suppose if I had the patience/space I could have satisfied more of my curiosity by aging them for many more years/decades. But there are more reliable ways to use my limited space.

Anyway, the wine itself is about what you'd expect. The color is really dark, enough to make my eyes jump when pouring it from the bottle. It shows pretty well on opening because there is evidence of the dark firm Gouges NSG iron that I like and of course there is sweet fruit, but not too much. With air, the tannins slowly emerge and the body thins/loosens out a bit, so not exactly an ideal combination. But there is still enough tension from minerally sinews to go well with food and it was a pleasurable-enough experience.

For someone like myself who is a Gouges fan, it might be interesting to see how this ages. But as I said, I just can't justify the limited storage space. You may be different.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

Many 03s are early drinkers and it doesn't seem likely that they'll age all that well, so it was probably a mercy killing.

 

[nigel groundwater]

Thanks for the TN.
I like the more recent Gouges style and bought a case of the 02 Clos des Porrets and enjoyed an 'early' bottle recently. It was certainly dark but the fruit was a good match for the tannins which were ripe and smooth. Drinking this particular bottle with food was not a 'must' but probably broadened its appeal even further.

While they will continue to develop positively for years I believe they will be happily drinkable from now on even if I intend to do it slowly in order to enjoy at least some of that future potential.

 

[Unknown]

originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Many 03s are early drinkers and it doesn't seem likely that they'll age all that well, so it was probably a mercy killing.

I can neither contradict nor support this statement about 03. It would appear that a number of unexpected successes are crawling out of the woodwork (perhaps literally?) in the general cote d'or vicinity, and those wines are by no means forward. I do not know how common this is, as I didn't buy any and have to rely on occasional generosity of wiser men and women.

 

[Claude Kolm]

2003 is the most diverse vintage I have ever seen in Burgundy. 17% alcohol disasters, and great, classically styled wines -- sometimes in the same cellar.

 

[Rahsaan]

I was just going to say, there is probably evidence to support both Oswaldo's and sasha's propostions.

Far be it from me to say which one fits the Gouges Porrets. I would have preferred the body to have more texture, which may come with time. But who knows.

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by nigel groundwater: I like the more recent Gouges style.

When did you start to see shifts? I only have patchy exposure to Gouges and didn't know whether the forwardness of recent vintages was the vintage or the style.

 

[nigel groundwater]

originally posted by Rahsaan:

originally posted by nigel groundwater: I like the more recent Gouges style.

When did you start to see shifts? I only have patchy exposure to Gouges and didn't know whether the forwardness of recent vintages was the vintage or the style.

My exposure to Gouges has also been patchy and the 2002 was the first full case of their wines I bought after a tasting some years ago when a 'softening' of their style was discussed.

The wines from earlier vintages I have had were much 'tougher' even after considerably longer in the bottle than the 02s and my comment was based on the discussion at the tasting where I found the 02s quite unlike my previous [limited] experience of Gouges wines - and virtually everything I have read and continue to read about earlier vintages.

Of course the vintage has presumably played its part but Claude K will be much better placed to provide an opinion on whether the Gouges winemaking [Christian and nephew Gregory now I believe] has actually changed significantly.

 

[Chris Weber]

Christian was still looking to make vin de garde when I visited there in the mid '90s. I've been patiently ignoring the wines in my cellar that he's made. I just tasted a '96 Vaucrains at Christmas from a friend that, as expected, tasted like it wanted to sleep for quite a while yet.

I don't know about Gregory or any stylistic change in the last 10 years.

 

[Ian Fitzsimmons]

96 may also not be a typical year.

 

[Tom Blach]

I wonder if Nigel is conflating the curious continuing approachability of 02 in general with a softening at Gouges? though the Clos Des Porrets wass probably always the easiest wine there. As Chris but more so a Vaucrains 96 last year was quite impossible.

 

[nigel groundwater]

originally posted by Tom Blach:
I wonder if Nigel is conflating the curious continuing approachability of 02 in general with a softening at Gouges?

Tom, I don't think I was conflating the two quite separate issues of a [putative] winemaking change and the possible impact of the particular vintage in finding the 2002 Gouges Clos des Porrets much less tough and drinkable much earlier than any other Gouges [not many but several with way over 7-8 years in the bottle] I have had.
The general 02 effect may be a reason in itself as might the alleged changes at Gouges which however may simply be inaccurate or plain wrong. The facts about the winemaking are surely known or can be readily ascertained.

I thought the 04 an altogether less attractive wine but the 06 seemed 'softer' and bearing in mind its added youthfulness appeared to fit the possibility of a change in style that had been mooted. The apparent involvement of Christian's nephew was also a potential change agent.

OTOH I have read subsequent TNs and general appreciations of the Gouges wines including one where even recent vintages of the range were characterised as 'wines for masochists'.

I can only say that IMO the 02 Clos des Porrets is a very nice wine, is already approachable and was excellent value for money when acquired in 2009. My comment about liking 'the more recent Gouges style' was based on the 02 and to a lesser extent on the 06 and on opinions voiced at a tasting but accept there may be no such thing as a 'more recent Gouges style'.