A few over the holidays

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
Pinon 2014 Touraine Rose - minerally, crisp, beautiful wine to ring in the new year

CUNE 1996 Rioja "Imperial" - did I get the right bottling, Jay?; oakier than it should have been, perhaps even a very low level of cork taint; it was better after a couple days open but meh

Allemand 2014 Cornas "Chaillot" - it's young and healthy, and it's got charms, it would really be a sin not to have you in my arms...; well, except for the price, but Jay snagged a great deal

Brun NV "FRV100" - the most recent vintage of this non-vintage wine is way less sweet, nor nearly as dark, as last year's model

Ch. Montus 1995 Madiran "Cuvee Prestige" - this bottle was too old, it was generic red wine with not much personality

Ch. Musar 2002 Rouge - from 375 ml; too bretty for my dinner guests to drink, and, honestly, a little much by itself but it still worked with food; my last bottle from this lot and I think none were much charming but so it goes
 
Delightful choice of bubbles for NYE.

Toasted at midnight with a reddish-pinkish sparkler from Liguria myself. (Although I did have a proper Champagne at 10:30 but no one needs to know).
 
95 is too old for a Madiran? Last time I had this 3 or 4 years ago it was full of life and youthful.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
95 is too old for a Madiran? Last time I had this 3 or 4 years ago it was full of life and youthful.
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This was a two-bottle lot. The other was good. Note I criticized the bottle, not the wine.
 
re: musar.

i had the 2005 (750ml) on new year's eve, and it had been long time since i had had musar. the wine was riveting. a savoury peacock's tail.

as i recall, the first posting of "what wine is this?" in 'art of eating' was jamie goode on chateau musar. and yes, even as jamie said, every flaw in the book was there. and yes, the wine was captivating, delicious, savoury, and moreish.

chapeau, gaston hochar!
 
Here's some highlights from my holidays ...

Jean-Claude Bessin Chablis Fourchaume 2014 This was a bit tight, but given time it turned into a very nice bottle of Chablis.

Reyane & Pascal Bouley Volnay Champans 2015 Lots of fruit (within the category of red Burgundy), with hints of mineral and earth if you look for them. I would guess this will get quite interesting given time; my wife thinks that's silly because it is yummy right now.

Chandon de Briailles Ile des Vergelesses 2002 On day one all I was getting was a very austere mix of tannin, acid, and earthiness. Better on day two, with some dried flowers on the nose and more fruit (currants?) in the mouth. I enjoyed this more at eight years on, compared to fifteen, but perhaps I just caught this bottle in a grumpy moment.

Martin Müllen Hühnerberg Kabinett Feinherb 2015 Grapefruit, maybe with some apples and peaches and that wild berry flavor I seem to often pick up from the Hühnerberg. The bottle disappeared quickly.

Müller-Catoir Mussbacher Eselshaut Riesling Eiswein 1998 (AP 22-99) Golden raisins and some tropical fruits. A balancing act of density and acidity.

Zilliken Saarburger Rausch GKA 2001 (AP 01-02, Auction) I always get a mix of apples in Zilliken's wines from the Rausch, but this was primarily a rhubarb custard. With apples, raisins, and tropical fruits. This has evolved into a subtle and contemplative wine and I would guess it will stay in this delightful place for some time. I have no idea why I thought I could afford the bottle whenever it was I bought it, but I am delighted that I did.
 
originally posted by John M:

Chandon de Briailles Ile des Vergelesses 2002 On day one all I was getting was a very austere mix of tannin, acid, and earthiness. Better on day two, with some dried flowers on the nose and more fruit (currants?) in the mouth. I enjoyed this more at eight years on, compared to fifteen, but perhaps I just caught this bottle in a grumpy moment.
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Thanks for this - I found 2002 Lavieres somewhat grumpy two years ago (more so than early on), and have been thinking about checking in once more but perhaps patience is advised.
 
Same experience with the Ile recently. Boring enough to put aside and open something else. Really hope it comes out the other side of this because these guys are so promising young.
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Same experience with the Ile recently. Boring enough to put aside and open something else. Really hope it comes out the other side of this because these guys are so promising young.
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Now you tell me!
 
originally posted by John M:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
Same experience with the Ile recently. Boring enough to put aside and open something else. Really hope it comes out the other side of this because these guys are so promising young.
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Now you tell me!
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Nobody ever reads my cellartracker notes

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www.cellartracker.com
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Yeah. Does anyone hear have illustrative experience with Briailles Ile over the long, long haul?
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I'm not sure that's possible. I don't know exactly how long the current winemaking regime at Briailles has been in place but it definitely hasn't been long enough to see any of these through to maturity. What we can say for sure is that Ile des Vergelesses is a good terroir that probably benefited from the recent era of warmer vintages.
 
The interview with François de Nicolay in Between the Vines shows that the winemaking there has changed gradually, but quite a bit, since about twelve years ago, and especially in the last five, so any inferences drawn from the earlier vintages will most likely be useless for the more recent ones.
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Yeah. Does anyone hear have illustrative experience with Briailles Ile over the long, long haul?
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What's the "long haul"?

The comments above are relevant as the wines are becoming more accessible early on since the 2011 vintage. However the changes seem more dramatic on paper than they do in the cellar, where undeniable continuity is evident. Still, it's hard to calculate 15-20 years out.

However, if you have not encountered great (semi-)mature examples, you've had rotten luck. Random bottles they've pulled from the cellar (1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, mostly bressandes and clos du roi, occasional lavieres) were top class, and any bottling from the 98-00 trio is worth your attention (except for cortons in 99 that need time).
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:


Nobody ever reads my cellartracker notes

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www.cellartracker.com
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Well we all know the reasons for avoiding cellartracker notes in general.

Witness the conflicting CT notes on the 99 Ile, as I am finally getting ready to open one of my bottles.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
Witness the conflicting CT notes on the 99 Ile, as I am finally getting ready to open one of my bottles.
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I don't know how bottles of 99 ile would show, but out of double magnum in december of 2015 it was nuts. (Evolution curve for the first 20-25 years in large formats is a bit confusing).
 
I know. You and I had a little email back-and-forth about it last year when I was debating starting the process. I figure it's at least time to take a taste!
 
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
[...] it definitely hasn't been long enough to see any of these through to maturity [...]
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What do you estimate maturity to be?

originally posted by Pavel Tchichikov:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
Yeah. Does anyone hear have illustrative experience with Briailles Ile over the long, long haul?
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What's the "long haul"?

[...]
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Not sure; I'm fishing a bit for others' opinions. In this context, longer than 15 years, at least.

Thanks for your notes. I wouldn't expect Ile and Lavieres to age like the Cotton crus, would you?

In any event, I'm cured of any temptation to open my 2005 magnums this year.
 
The youngest burgundy vintage you can get a mature-tasting wine from at the moment is probably 1998. Among the more lauded vintages, some 1996s will do it but you really have to go back to 1990. So, I figure maturity for burgundy starts in the ballpark of 20-30 years from the vintage date.

So nobody has to feel too bad if you're not backing up the truck on 2015s.
 
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