I was a huge fan of the '04 vintage when it came out and probably the last on the block to notice the “green” problem that turned a number of them ugly over the last year or two. (“Green” is probably a misnomer - sometimes the result is stemmy or vegetal but more often it seems like a very sharp chemical bitterness, not something actually green.) As ugly as some of them have gotten, I don’t want to give up on the vintage altogether, so I’ve been sampling some '04s over the last few weeks to justify my decision to keep 'em around. Thankfully, at least two of these I’m still thrilled to own more of.
Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 2004, Robert Arnoux
The spicy cinnamon/clove aroma is overwhelmed almost immediately with a stalky scent, like the stem of a flower you’d just snapped in two, and the first few sips are so discordant and astringent I worry it’s going to be undrinkable. But it has the fruit concentration to pull itself together. It never quashes the stemmy scent, but the fruit fleshes out the palate significantly, enough that you can almost call it smooth. This definitely has the bug, but it might actually turn out OK.
Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 2004, Méo-Camuzet
No problems here, a bona fide Grand Cru-quality Chaumes. I don’t think I’ve ever had one so finessed. It’s a little oaky and tight for the first glass or so but doesn’t take too long to blossom, at which point the fruit is deep and the texture silkier than I would ever have thought possible from this cru – not just in the fine grain of the tannins, but the physical presence of the wine seems as thin and pliant as silk despite the admirable concentration and depth of the fruit. It’s not intensely aromatic, but the scents it has are characteristic Vosne cinnamon and clove. No real sign of the greenies. The acidity might have started out a little spiky but it integrates quickly, and by the time I notice the mildest stalky note on the finish the bottle is almost gone.
Vosne-Romanée Les Petits Monts 2004, Joseph Drouhin
On the first sip seems to have escaped the vintage plague, with the fruit really intense, much more concentrated and sweet than anything I’ve tasted from the vintage for a long while, and further sweetened by the oak. Overall more primary than expected and doesn’t taste at all like it’s been over two years past release. But with time that shrill bitterness starts to emerge and is so unintegrated with the rest of the material that it creates the illusion of tasting faintly carbonic. So prickly and searing it’s hard to enjoy. The good news is that the leftovers three days later are smoother and milder and much more drinkable. What will become of it? Here, I can’t tell.
Nuits-St.-Georges Les Roncières 2004, Robert Chevillon
Starts out pretty, then turns a little bitter, and then turns vegetal. An annoying transformation that had it going from impressive to undrinkable in less than an hour.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Borniques 2004, Frédéric Magnien
Stunning surprise. Not only did this escape the vintage plague, it also escaped the producer plague. Magnien can be heavy-handed and overextracted, but not this one. It’s a total beauty and exhibits the “right next door to Musigny” characteristics of the cru much better even than the 2005 vintage of the wine did. Suave and lacey. The ripeness level is in the Goldilocks zone, juuuust right. Just a small bit of wood seasoning the first few minutes after opening quickly dissipates.