1996 Santenay 1er Cru Clos Tavannes

B

Brad Widelock

Brad Widelock
This wine possessed a harmony that I do not have within myself, but aspire to. I long to sell someone a wine that is this good, or will turn out as it has. If I grow old as well as this bottle has, then I will look forward to aging, for I will definitely be better off and, perhaps, have the ability to leave some bread crumbs for others to follow. My first thought after tasting this wine was it’s integrated; all the parts total more than the whole. Peace upon the winemakers for they light lamps that glow late into the night and make the tale told by an idiot well worth listening to.

Thanks to Bill Mayer for this wonderful bottle.
 
Yet another example of a mature 1996 (and thus a short-to-medium term wine, by design) which is in balance, vis-a-vis one big mess after another, among the higher end unresolved examples from the vintage.
 
I remember when Bill Mayer and I visited Pousee d'Or ca. 1989. After tasting the current vintage in barrel and the most recent vintage in bottle downstairs, Gérard Potel took us upstairs to his study and served us a wine blind. It was fantastic -- youthful, firm, and complex. We both guessed somewhere on the Côte de Nuits, but it was 1966 Santenay-Clos Tavannes, a real lesson for us.
 
And more particularly, those were the Potel bottlings. There are also Landanger bottlings of the same wine. (Look for Potel's signature in the upper left corner for the former.)
 
Anyone have a feel for how interesting the more recent (07, 08, 09 and 10) Tavannes might be? Or Pousse d'Or in general? A friend here has an opportunity to import them, but I have no sense of their strengths and weaknesses, or "sweet spots."
 
P d'O has an excellent reputation in general, afaik; haven't heard of a drop off since Potel departed.

Off the gray market, recent Tavannes seems to start at ca. $46, which seems a bit high, if you don't have Brad's and Claude's experience to work with.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
P d'O has an excellent reputation in general, afaik; haven't heard of a drop off since Potel departed.

Off the gray market, recent Tavannes seems to start at ca. $46, which seems a bit high, if you don't have Brad's and Claude's experience to work with.
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Actually, there was a big drop for several years after the change in ownership, but Landanger, the new owner with no previous wine experience, has proved to be a savvy learner and the last several vintages have been excellent.
 
claude is correct about the drop and then apparent improvement - Landanger seemed to have a bit of a heavy hand with extraction and oak but is learning quickly I understand. Interesting that of all of the wines historically produced by that domaine (i.e., the volnays, the pommard and the santenay - as opposed to the post-Potel acquisitions), the clos tavannes seems to have suffered the least in the transition from pre to post Potel.
 
originally posted by Claude Kolm:
originally posted by BJ:
I'm a Muzard fan, myself.
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We're talking 16 years ago. I'd never heard of Muzard back then -- had you?
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For some reason I want to say my first Muzard was a 99. Whatever it was, it made an impression.
 
Alas, last night a 2004 Pousse d'Or Volnay Clos de la Bousse d'Or 13.0% was a disappointment. Tons of wood, dark, with an unpleasantly bitter finish, and acidity in a separate compartment. Perhaps 2004 was too soon after the mortgage bankers (always them) pulled the rug from under Nicky, and Landager was not quite up to speed yet.
 
Isn't it great that we have Oswaldo to do the jobs Americans won't do?
 
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