Ian Fitzsimmons
Ian Fitzsimmons
2005 Domaine Claude Branger Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Terroir Les Gras Moutons
Okay straight out of the cellar, but with extended air time, at near-room temperature, takes on stature, with decent weight and a spectrum of grapefruity-citric and white flowery flavors. Complex, refined, a fine wine; at about $12 on release, a fine value.
1996 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon
Amber colored, a bit musty and sherry-like on the nose, sherry-like in the mouth, too, but good sherry, very mildly oxidative, still fresh and lively, pungent with acid and nutty, complex flavors. Rather grand wine, with class and character. I'd imagine sea bass with a light sauce as an excellent food pairing.
2002 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon
Transforming gradually from its earlier, slightly rich and buttery flavors to the really dry, minerally, tangy flavor of aged Savennieres. Still young, good, promising. Don't drink too cool - mid-low 60s (F) is good.
1999 Vincent Girardin Volnay 1er Cru Champans
We opened a bottle two years ago that was a muddled, thin mess, but the one we drank over the last two nights was lovely: medium-weight, balanced sweet fruit and tart acids, sour cherry with a bit of of strawberry and some toasted sesame on the nose. Drink or hold.
2005 Michel Tête Juliénas Domaine du Clos du Fief Cuvee Prestige
From magnum, initially a sizable whack of plummy Gamay fruit hides the wine's structure and overwhelms any sense of finesse. With time, the fruit flavors come into some kind of proportion with the rest of the wine, and the substantial tannic structure dominates.
Day 2: continues to develop and open. Large-scale and impressive wine. Falls short of the 09 Grangen MaV in finesse and balance, but the huge amount of substance and its apparent balance, suggest all kinds of potential. I'd wait another five years or so, at least in the magnum format. Still developing the third day.
2005 Pascal Granger Moulin-à-Vent
Day 1: Texture has opened a lot since about a year ago; palate is still closed, but promising. Some Beaujolais plumpness, but otherwise the fruit is inarticulate.
Day 2: Adieu plumpness: a very nicely-balanced, still-youthful blend of tannin, acid, and fruit. It will be a couple of years before the fruit finds its own voice, but the texture and structure are so good, it's a pleasure to drink the wine now.
Day 3: Still going strong: fraying a bit at the edges, but nicely-balanced and full-flavored on the mid-palate. This is a tremendous wine, and who cares about pinoter-ing. One of the best cru Beaujolais I’ve had.
1999 Domaine des Rémizières Hermitage Blanc
My first Hermitage blanc, so no baseline to judge from. Interesting as a novelty, but not gripping - reminds me of an 03 Armand Auxey-Duresses 1er from several years ago: a bit syrupy in texture, a hint of acid somewhere in there, but nothing to hold your attention. So far, at its best with a chunk of Parmesan after dinner. Day 3, beginning to show some intriguing detail and pungency, but only modestly so.
2004 Domaine Jean Tardy et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
With ample decant, accessible, young, tart, medium-bodied. This bottle is in much better shape than Tardy's 04 NSG Boudots, in which the fruit recedes with air time to reveal an underlying green-tinted stoniness. The Chaumes has much better staying power and may develop well with time, I can’t tell.
2005 Domaine Pierre Guillemot Bourgogne
Tough and dry at first, takes a couple-hour decant to soften. Then decent cherry-ish fruit emerges, modestly sappy acidity, grainy tannins. A pretty, food-friendly Bourgogne, still young.
2000 Trimbach Pinot Gris Réserve Personnelle
Pithy and grittier, in good ways, than CFE. Some stone fruit, a ghostly memory of RS, medium-light body. Fine aperitif or with chicken, perhaps pork loin. First day the finish seemed short; the second more relaxed and satisfying. I'd estimate these bottles are still ahead of their development apogee, with decent storage.
Okay straight out of the cellar, but with extended air time, at near-room temperature, takes on stature, with decent weight and a spectrum of grapefruity-citric and white flowery flavors. Complex, refined, a fine wine; at about $12 on release, a fine value.
1996 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon
Amber colored, a bit musty and sherry-like on the nose, sherry-like in the mouth, too, but good sherry, very mildly oxidative, still fresh and lively, pungent with acid and nutty, complex flavors. Rather grand wine, with class and character. I'd imagine sea bass with a light sauce as an excellent food pairing.
2002 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon
Transforming gradually from its earlier, slightly rich and buttery flavors to the really dry, minerally, tangy flavor of aged Savennieres. Still young, good, promising. Don't drink too cool - mid-low 60s (F) is good.
1999 Vincent Girardin Volnay 1er Cru Champans
We opened a bottle two years ago that was a muddled, thin mess, but the one we drank over the last two nights was lovely: medium-weight, balanced sweet fruit and tart acids, sour cherry with a bit of of strawberry and some toasted sesame on the nose. Drink or hold.
2005 Michel Tête Juliénas Domaine du Clos du Fief Cuvee Prestige
From magnum, initially a sizable whack of plummy Gamay fruit hides the wine's structure and overwhelms any sense of finesse. With time, the fruit flavors come into some kind of proportion with the rest of the wine, and the substantial tannic structure dominates.
Day 2: continues to develop and open. Large-scale and impressive wine. Falls short of the 09 Grangen MaV in finesse and balance, but the huge amount of substance and its apparent balance, suggest all kinds of potential. I'd wait another five years or so, at least in the magnum format. Still developing the third day.
2005 Pascal Granger Moulin-à-Vent
Day 1: Texture has opened a lot since about a year ago; palate is still closed, but promising. Some Beaujolais plumpness, but otherwise the fruit is inarticulate.
Day 2: Adieu plumpness: a very nicely-balanced, still-youthful blend of tannin, acid, and fruit. It will be a couple of years before the fruit finds its own voice, but the texture and structure are so good, it's a pleasure to drink the wine now.
Day 3: Still going strong: fraying a bit at the edges, but nicely-balanced and full-flavored on the mid-palate. This is a tremendous wine, and who cares about pinoter-ing. One of the best cru Beaujolais I’ve had.
1999 Domaine des Rémizières Hermitage Blanc
My first Hermitage blanc, so no baseline to judge from. Interesting as a novelty, but not gripping - reminds me of an 03 Armand Auxey-Duresses 1er from several years ago: a bit syrupy in texture, a hint of acid somewhere in there, but nothing to hold your attention. So far, at its best with a chunk of Parmesan after dinner. Day 3, beginning to show some intriguing detail and pungency, but only modestly so.
2004 Domaine Jean Tardy et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
With ample decant, accessible, young, tart, medium-bodied. This bottle is in much better shape than Tardy's 04 NSG Boudots, in which the fruit recedes with air time to reveal an underlying green-tinted stoniness. The Chaumes has much better staying power and may develop well with time, I can’t tell.
2005 Domaine Pierre Guillemot Bourgogne
Tough and dry at first, takes a couple-hour decant to soften. Then decent cherry-ish fruit emerges, modestly sappy acidity, grainy tannins. A pretty, food-friendly Bourgogne, still young.
2000 Trimbach Pinot Gris Réserve Personnelle
Pithy and grittier, in good ways, than CFE. Some stone fruit, a ghostly memory of RS, medium-light body. Fine aperitif or with chicken, perhaps pork loin. First day the finish seemed short; the second more relaxed and satisfying. I'd estimate these bottles are still ahead of their development apogee, with decent storage.