TN: 2005 Domaine Robert Chevillon - Bourgogne (France, Burgundy, Bourgogne)

2005 Domaine Robert Chevillon Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (12/31/2014)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 1 hour –

This was acceptable, given its age and pedigree. It’s best years are behind it, as it’s getting fairly dried-out now. Savory, light, red-fruited, and easy-to-drink. Past peak. Drink Now.

Posted from CellarTracker

Ok, now you have me really curious, as this is one of the Bourgognes I was interested in checking out. It will be a few weeks, but I will get to it.

I’d be surprised if that was past peak. Fruit faded, but past peak?

For my preferences, definitely, “Yes.” I have no doubt I would have preferred it at a younger point in its life. I have another bottle kicking around at home (as well as a bottle of the '06, for which I now have very low expectations), so I’ll get a chance to see if bottle variation is at play here. This was also consumed on New Year’s eve, with a few friends, so the wine didn’t get nearly as attention as I would normally give it (hence the very brief TN); hopefully the next bottle brings better things. [cheers.gif]

Fair enough. Try giving the next 05 a few hours of air.

This is actually a really nice wine that has now closed down a little bit. the fruit fading process is just the process of closing down. don’t sell it short. If you have one more bottle, just for the hell of it, don’t open it for another five years, and see if you were right. When you open it then, give it 2-3 hours of air. You probably don’t believe me, but just give it a whirl. (I’m drinking Bourgognes from 95 and 96 that are just now mature. some Burg houses make their bourgognes to drink early, but many vinify them just like their other wines, and they mature along the same path.)

Brian, I didn’t even look at who the OP was when I posted the reply, so now I suppose you probably already know all of this. Nonetheless, I think it has finally closed down. the wine was deliciuos 2-3 years ago.

This is really great advice and it isn’t stated frequently enough. The more I delve into cellared bourgogne, the more I think the aging curve is really no different than higher level wines (save perhaps for some very long-lived grand and 1er crus). The conventional wisdom is that bourgogne is there to drink while your “better” wines mature. Nothing wrong with that approach, but I’m not sure the better wines are truly better at their plateau of maturity as much as they are different. I walked into burgundy wine company last year and Geri, the proprietor, had a single bottle of leroy Bourgogne from each of '78 and '85 that she had in the cellar since release (mid-eighties by her recollection). They looked great and hadn’t seen daylight in decades, but Geri priced them with the expectation that they might be dead. I bought them and they were just fabulous, majestic wines. Surely these are great vintages and a gifted producer, but it was truly an eye-opening experience. I suppose you have to drink something and you can’t age everything, but I think the expectation that Bourgogne should be drunk young likely colors expectations upon opening (“it’s dead”, whereas a similar 1er cru would be thought asleep), and is probably better left behind. John’s advice is nice summary of what has been a great discovery for me.
A

Will do. Thanks for the tip. [cheers.gif]

EDIT: now seeing John’s suggestion (and thank you, John, for that insight – it’s information I did not previously have), I may open the '06 and give it a few hours of air, and wait on the other '05 for 2 or 3 years, as John suggests. The only potential hangup to this plan is that a cursory look through the wine fridge does not reveal the '06 — I hope it’s merely a bit buried somewhere, otherwise it was consumed without the mandatory CT inventory deletion. [oops.gif]

EDIT Again: in reading through my wine TN notebook, it appears I drank the '06 Bourgogne a couple weeks ago. It was very ho-hum, much like this '05. I did note that it was better with food than without. My note for that '06:

  • popped and poured -
  • non-blind over an hour or two -

Nose: savory – reen herbs (dried) and some light, mature red berries; light.
Body: light bodied
Taste: thin; insipid; OTH; not even worth writing about; green; a bit tannic, even; better w/food, but still done; 12.5% alc…

Judging by the '12 Bourgogne I tried recently, I’m not sure Chevillon puts the same amount of effort into these Bourgogne’s as with the village v.v. and cru’s. I won’t seek them out anymore unless I hear different.

I didn’t buy any 2012. the 2005, 2009, and 2010 are really remarkably good. I think they do a nice job with the wine. I believe it comes from vineyard land just outside of NSG, doesn’t it? can’t quite remember. I’m happy to have it, although price is creeping abit high.

I don’t mind the pricing for serious Bourgogne Rouge, but just found it a little less than that, though not bad by any stretch. I remember trying like hell to find the 2010 but couldn’t source any.

Was making Coq au Vin last weekend and brought out the following for comparison:

2005 Bourgogne Roty (cuvee something or other). I tried this three years ago and it was horrible. Light, see-through orangy red, metallic nose, astringent palate. Not corked, just closed down hard. I noticed that the color of the wine was darkening in the bottles and decided to try it again. This bottle a relative revelation. Darkish bright red, nose of dark cherries and hints of dark berries, and a bit of “sweet tarts”, pretty. Palate light to medium bodied, dark cherries on the light side of medium intensity, filled out a bit with time, some acidity. Some weight and good finish. Complete if small time version of their Gevreys.

2005 Bourgogne De Montille. Again, rich red color with light rim. Red fruit and red cherries on the nose, with a hint of earth…definitely bourgogne. Lithe on the palate, with red cherries filling out the light to medium bodied flavors. A bit richer than the Roty but less rustic. Good acidity, good finish. Again, seemed “complete”.

Both were easy going drinks. Food killed them, though. They did not have the concentration to stand up to the chicken or any other dish we served that night. Both continued to improve for an hour or two. Nice values.

I think Chevillon’s Bourgogne PTG is the more interesting wine of the two Bourgognes, even though cheaper. Just as the Lafarge Bourgogne PTGS “L’excepcion” is the best of that shop’s Bourgognes…

2005 Domaine Robert Chevillon Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (4/5/2017)
– decanted 60 minutes before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over a few hours –

NOSE: reserved; red-fruited; hints of new plastic and general sweetness; very light touch of funk; very light vegetal/sewage note after a couple hours open — very light.

BODY: garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth; slight bricking at the edges; medium-light to medium bodied.

TASTE: red-fruited; zesty; strong earthy component — NSG?; simultaneously fruity and rustic; good acidity; in a nice place right now, and much better than my previous bottle; moderate concentration of fruit; alc. not noticeable; not complex; perhaps a touch heavy for a Pinot (or muddled); drink now and over the next 3 – 5 years.

50, 5, 11, 16, 7 = (89 pts.)