Ian Fitzsimmons
Ian Fitzsimmons
Not too much disorder last night. A few wines from the last week of 2012:
1999 Burgaud Cote Rotie
Tight on opening; with a couple of hours' decant, voluminous cherry-fruit aromatics, like a very good Burgundy, but fresher. Intense red fruit - cranberry? - and brilliant, fresh acidity. Ample tannins somehow intensify the wine's flavors, seeming to deliver them in particulate form. There was a slight old or tired element that made the whole less exciting than it should have been; not going down hill, a tiny bit out of balance, but I don't have a ton of experience drinking aged Syrah-based wines, and perhaps this is normal. Lots of sediment, so stand the bottle up a day before decanting. I've always liked the label on this bottle.
2010 Pavelot Savigny les Beaune 1er Dominode
From 375, like the Guettes and Gravains last week, young and aromatically reticent. Nice density and even texture, ample structure and sense of material organized around a clear, intense line of acidity. Less substantial than the Guettes, less elegant than the Gravains, but most complete of the three; 'spherical,' in the sense of harmonious presentation with no rough edges or disproportionate elements.
2010 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Bourgogne
For a regional, this wine had perfectly decent fruit, soft but not squishy, with acids and structure in equal proportion. Not especially impressive, but perfectly good bourgogne, and apt to develop with time in the cellar, in view of its balanced constituent elements.
2010 Clavelier Bourgogne Vieilles Vignes
Drank this over two days. A thin layer of fruit covers a very tough exoskeleton of chewy, charmless structure. A touch of 2009 ripeness would be welcome in this bottle. It may turn out very fine six or eight years on; young bourgogne can be hard to read, and the 2009 Grivot Bourgogne is just as tough. But it fails to woo at the moment.
NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle
From magnum, supposedly mostly 96-based blend. Healthy, fresh, fine bead, good acidity. Very refined. Not a ton of flavor, to my palate, which is not especially well-gauged to Champagne. Very nice to drink over the three days leading up to New Year's.
2001 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Last bottle of this case, sadly. Classic Pauillac in middle age. Fine, grainy tannins, iodine; some tart, plummy fruit discernible after an hour or so after decanting. Still rather tightly wound and will not suffer from additional time in the bottle, or an hour or two in the decanter.
1997 Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Ste. Catherine Centenaire
Alsace Grand Cru AOC
From magnum. Amber yellow characteristic of maturing white wine; relatively thick, almost oily texture. Perfectly dry with imposing density and weight for a Riesling-based wine, even at this level. Flavors are still wrapped up in the shell of material for at least 40 minutes after decanting, then a glimmer of intense acidity sneaks out. More tomorrow, but, in any event, profound wine, almost monumental. In this format, if in doubt, hold without fear for many years yet
1999 Burgaud Cote Rotie
Tight on opening; with a couple of hours' decant, voluminous cherry-fruit aromatics, like a very good Burgundy, but fresher. Intense red fruit - cranberry? - and brilliant, fresh acidity. Ample tannins somehow intensify the wine's flavors, seeming to deliver them in particulate form. There was a slight old or tired element that made the whole less exciting than it should have been; not going down hill, a tiny bit out of balance, but I don't have a ton of experience drinking aged Syrah-based wines, and perhaps this is normal. Lots of sediment, so stand the bottle up a day before decanting. I've always liked the label on this bottle.
2010 Pavelot Savigny les Beaune 1er Dominode
From 375, like the Guettes and Gravains last week, young and aromatically reticent. Nice density and even texture, ample structure and sense of material organized around a clear, intense line of acidity. Less substantial than the Guettes, less elegant than the Gravains, but most complete of the three; 'spherical,' in the sense of harmonious presentation with no rough edges or disproportionate elements.
2010 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Bourgogne
For a regional, this wine had perfectly decent fruit, soft but not squishy, with acids and structure in equal proportion. Not especially impressive, but perfectly good bourgogne, and apt to develop with time in the cellar, in view of its balanced constituent elements.
2010 Clavelier Bourgogne Vieilles Vignes
Drank this over two days. A thin layer of fruit covers a very tough exoskeleton of chewy, charmless structure. A touch of 2009 ripeness would be welcome in this bottle. It may turn out very fine six or eight years on; young bourgogne can be hard to read, and the 2009 Grivot Bourgogne is just as tough. But it fails to woo at the moment.
NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle
From magnum, supposedly mostly 96-based blend. Healthy, fresh, fine bead, good acidity. Very refined. Not a ton of flavor, to my palate, which is not especially well-gauged to Champagne. Very nice to drink over the three days leading up to New Year's.
2001 Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste
Last bottle of this case, sadly. Classic Pauillac in middle age. Fine, grainy tannins, iodine; some tart, plummy fruit discernible after an hour or so after decanting. Still rather tightly wound and will not suffer from additional time in the bottle, or an hour or two in the decanter.
1997 Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Ste. Catherine Centenaire
Alsace Grand Cru AOC
From magnum. Amber yellow characteristic of maturing white wine; relatively thick, almost oily texture. Perfectly dry with imposing density and weight for a Riesling-based wine, even at this level. Flavors are still wrapped up in the shell of material for at least 40 minutes after decanting, then a glimmer of intense acidity sneaks out. More tomorrow, but, in any event, profound wine, almost monumental. In this format, if in doubt, hold without fear for many years yet
