TN: 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots

WINE TALK
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  • 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (4/25/2015)
    Beautiful autumnal nose opening into some blackberry, stems, and spice. On taste excellent balance with blackberry and sour cherry notes. Slight tannins bite you at the front of the tongue, but smooth out to a nice chalky finish. A few more years for the tannins to smooth but at a very nice point in its evolution. Very elegant and balanced.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Nice bottle when it isn’t corked. I think the bottles I had were about 50/50 OK vs TCA.

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Agreed, although 93 better than 96 :slight_smile:
But when it is on , it is on!

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You are so right, I hate to think about the number of 96’s that went down the drain. Such a shame because the solid bottles of both vintages are wonderful. Glad you had a good one.

5

About 50% of mine were corked. Good when it wasn’t.

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Anyone try saran wrap trick with these? I only learned about that this year. I would have liked to save some of these but did not know. Not sure it works. (apparently saran wrap chemicals react with the the TCA or so is the claim)

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I came across a few moderately priced bottles of 1990 Bouchard Volnay Caillerets Carnot. Bit, and have gone through a couple. They are lovely rich wines - nicely developed floral/leathery noses, and remarkably youthful in terms of sweet fruit taste. Not stunningly complex but fun to drink.

What is it about Volnay that leads to such slow developing wines? Seems like a characteristic of that sub-region that really stands out.

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I also like the subtle evolution of the wine. It tends to be graceful and elegant - old terms - versus powerful like Pommard. Some Pommard like Fremmiers tends toward being subtle like Volnay. I also like the brighter fruit of Beaune versus the Cote de Nuits. Not sure.
I like the exploration of nice Volnay/Meursaults.

9

I’ve had one '96 and two '99s. Loved all of them.
The '96 (drunk in '09):
Clear, smooth, beautifully oaky, at least 50 second aftertaste, not a hint of tannins, alive on the tongue, profound and subtle at the same time. Grew even more compelling as the meal progressed. A very integrated taste, nothing stood out but nothing got in the way. What a wonderful wine. Typical brownish red Pinot Noir color. Worth every penny.

The '99, drunk in '14:
Just beautiful–elegance, interest, length, balance, depth and lightness all at once. No tannins, heat or acidity. Impeccably made. 2nd bottle just as good.

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I have had success with Saran on low level corkers. It is worth trying.