Recent wines

1978 Grange- Solid red core with a polished appearance and slightly washed rim. Nose of classic Syrah with a bit of the Aussie spearmint poking through. Very brooding and dark but with an extremely polished texture and regal mouthfeel accentuated by surprisingly low acid and even more surprising low alcohol level. A brilliant wine that held strong and
continued to evolve for 2+ hours.

1982 Haut Brion - A bit darker than a recent bottle but obvious bricking. A rather timid bottle at first, unwound with a bit of time in the decanter to reveal a good, not great bottle of this Graves classic. Refined mouthfeel, and pronounced acid made this wine show much better with pre-dinner snacks. Definite classic minerality and chicory, but lacking punch and weight. Definite rich fruit and tobacco leaf on the palate, but finished a bit soft.

1988 Rayas Pignan - Cherry red and very clear with a completely washed out rim. Explosive spice filled nose with bright cherry and earth. Mouthwatering acid, Bright and relatively clean but with a bit of funk to keep it interesting. Finished with tons of garrique and just enough grip to let it hang with the steak. Very light on its feet and a great match with dinner. A completely resolved wine that is drinking perfect at this stage.

1995 Ramonet Bienvenue Batard - Advanced color of gold foil. Explosive nose out the gate with huge palate presence. A bit fat, but worked with the profile. Lemon curd, sage and a solid core of minerality layered in a definite Grand Cru mouthfeel. After 30 minutes the wine became a bit squashy and slowly fell off. Fun while it lasted.

1995 Ramonet Champ Canet - Not being a huge Ramonet Puligny fan I was pleasantly surprised here. This remained clean if a touch simple but none of the pre-mox death sinking in. Luscious acid and pleasent length, but lacking in character and grace.

1995 Louis Latour Corton - DOA. Oxidized.

2005 Fevre Clos - Tight but promising. Classic tropical notes of '05 coupled with round mouthfeel and ample palate presence. A bit of oyster shell and parafin poking out on the nose, but overall rather locked up. Mouthful of stone fruit and minerals with drive and persistence. A delicious wine that will be great for the mid-term.

2005 Henri Boillot Corton Charlemagne - Almost platinum white and very light on its feet with a good whack of sulfur on the nose. Palate is all minerals at this point with touches of stone fruit and big acid with a surprisingly nimble mouthfeel. One of the better 05 CC’s I’ve had and should age gracefully over the next 7-10 years.

1999 Dauvissat Clos - Corked

1999 Dauvissat Clos (2) - Plenty of Clos stink already coming through. Big luscious mouthfeel that’s dominated by fruit at this point and not much else (not a bad thing). Brilliant mouthfeel and endless finish makes this wine scream to be laid down. This wine needs time to unwind but will reward patience with a stunning bottle of wine.

2003 Dujac Clos Saint Denis - Solid red and very polished. This opens up with notable brett, but not off-putting. Gorgeous nose filled with mid-range notes of strawberries, bits of anise and sage, and plenty of spice. The palate belied it’s vintage with plenty of firm structure but the fruit held until the very last moment just before drying slightly on the pleasing finish. This wine had plenty of breed and quality but was slightly marred buy the vintage traits. Went extremely well with food as the structure was all but lost with anything else on the palate.

1999 Dujac Clos de la Roche - WOW. A staggering bottle of wine. This wine reeked of class and refinement. Solid red with

insane dry extract. Big spice, big sappy red fruits, luscious mouthfeel and never ending finish made this wine literally gulpable. The wine was certainly a bit dense, but this is a wine for the ages. Everything in check here including the oak, it just needs lots of time to strut.

2000 Dauvissat Preuses - Classic Chablis from a very neutral vintage. Very waxy and stone fruit driven but with underlying minerality that will continue to show through with time. I can see why people claim this to be Dauvissat’s best vineyard but I still think it lacked the punch of Clos. Delicious.

1982 La chapelle - I admit it, I like this wine, and this bottle was perhaps one of the best yet. Confit dark black fruit, figs, tar and even a bit of tomato with plenty of peppercorn exploding out of the glass. It certainly lacks the weight of the '90 and the raciness of the '83 but at the same time sharing exactly the same profile. The palate weight is light, but
completely seamless. Slightly tart, but a perfect match for almost any food you could throw at it. Complex yet rustic it rides the line perfectly. Nearly resolved but still some structure holding on. A graceful and textbook example of this herald producer.

1985 Ampeau Puligny Combettes 1er - So fresh and vibrant! Guessing around the table ranged from 1999 to 2002. Still very light in color. Started out a bit sleepy but built up steam quickly and by the time it came up to temp in the glass it was in full stride. An amazingly seamless wine, complex, and completely integrated wine. Soooo smooth and polished. Lemon oil, chalk and stinky minerals dominated the nose and palate with a finish that literally wouldn’t quit! The palate weight belied it’s cru stature, and I can’t imagine how good a Grand Cru must be. I loved this wine.

1990 Salon - What’s to say? Poise and verve with stunning acid and freaky minerality. I LOVE the mouthfeel of Salon over every other producer. Creamy mousse with luscious lemon peel, brioche, and hazlenut.

1990 Ramonet Morgeot - Typical aspirin pill acid that plagues the '90 Ramonet 1er’s. A solid wine, but the acid just refusing to be tamed on these. Shame as there is a ton of potential if you can look past the freaky sharpness. Like drinking flat, very young Grand Cru grower fizz.

1983 Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow - Good not great. Simple but still fun. Slightly minty. Pronounced acid as the fruit began to tip with air. drink up.

1997 Araujo Eisele Vineyard - Dark red with slight bricking. Araujo is always a bit lighter profile and a touch more elegant than most but this was still a bit brooding and dark comparatively. Notes of espresso, cassis, and tar with a touch of charcoal. Big and fun, but still in check and well made. Interesting enough to keep you curious, but luscious and enough fruit to keep you drinking away. Typical softer acid and surprisingly tame structure was reminiscent of a '95 Screagle I had a few months back. No blueberries here.

Sorry, no cliffnotes available.

'78 Grange…you suck.

Nice notes.

Very few of us get to taste so many mature wines; 'nice notes.
I never thought 2000 was a neutral vintage in Chablis; I put it rather above average - but that Dauvissat was my favorite; really lovely wine.
The '99 Burgs. seem to be coming into their own - which is encouraging as it seems the '96’s are still rocks.
I know people who rave but I don’t think Bart Araujo has ever made a wine that rivals some of the older Eisele vineyard wines from Phelps, et al. The mineral character that was the soil’s signature seems to be gone and, in its place, the “Napa style” that I have come to think of us as the same old thing. Ah well, times change.
Best, Jim

Jim - I meant neutral with regard to the acid and structure, etc. As well as a somewhat homogenized vintage where everyone made very good wines, but no real standouts as the average level is quite high across the board.

I take that back, 2000 Raveneau Valmur is earth-stopping.

Are you generally not a huge fan of 99’s? I find them to be amazing overall and think they will rival almost every 05 with time. 96’s on the other hand I tend to dislike. '96 DRC’s are downright terrible!

Understood - and agreed.
As to the Valmur, too.
Best, Jim

YAY! One wine from your whole list that I’ve had!!

As always, perfectly concise notes that tell a TON about the wines…

Now, this was Monday’s lineup - what will you drink tonight?

Jim - Are you a Raveneau fan as well?

Todd - I’ll prolly crack a few bottles of Saxum and kick back.

Justin/Jim,

What are your thoughts on 2000 Chablis Grand Cru re: drinking window. I only have a few bottles and wasn’t sure if they are ready to go at present or would benefit from a few more years.

thanks

Jan - From which producers and vineyards?

I picked up a few bottles of 2000 J Drouhin Grand Cru Vaudesir on a whim from my local wine store last month. I don’t know anything about Drouhin’s chablis track record.

Justin,
I love Raveneau and V. Dauvissat but they have pretty much priced themselves out of my league.
I have had very good luck lately with L. Tribut; Vincent Dauvissat’s brother-in-law and he learned at the hand of the master. Much less expensive, somewhat under the radar, no grand crus and the Cote de Lechet is so feminine.
Best, Jim

Love this description, Justin.

Even without bacon and violets?? Wow.

Re-name this thread. It’s not recent wines - it’s recently posted notes!

IIRC the Grange beat out the Haut Brion this evening.

No surprise to me but…

Jan - I haven’t had much experience with Drouhin Chablis, so I would be shooting in the dark, but in general 2000 Grand Crus should age very well for many more years. Pop one now and see how wound up it is. I would imagine another 3-5 years wouldn’t hurt. 00’s from Raveneau for example need lots more time. The Grand Crus should last another 15+ years. But it depends how you like you Chablis…

Jim - I agree pricing has gotten silly. I have an easier time swallowing Raveneau and Dauvissat’s price hikes versus Fevre. Fevre used to be the value play, and is now right up there with R & D. I’ll have to check out the Cote de Lechet!

Mel - Thank you. '82 La Chapelle is right up your alley.

Todd - I know, right?

Shawnda - I suppose not recently bottled, but recently consumed!

Jeff - That it did. Great glass or wine!