I’m considering a small purchase of wines from this producer but don’t have experience with them. What is the general style–heavy on the oak? slow to mature? other comments.
These are recent vintages? At least in early 2000s the wines were pretty oaky, at least the village Chambolle and some PCs.
Unsure if still the case.
Only experience with nineties JJC.
'93 VR Les Beaux Monts, NSG Les Chaboeufs, both with some oak, but more fruit. Elegant classic burgs, at 15y.
'96 Clos de Vougeot, still hard, good acid, at only 10y.
'97 RSV, fine with fresh apple acid, on the light side, some tannins/oak left. Evolves faster than I initially guessed. Not the best RSV around, but still a very nice drink, at 11y. (Not a great fan of '97, that be Burgs and Bordeaux.)
I haven’t had the recent JJC releases, and interested in, if the style has changed in the last twenty years ?
Regards, Soren
JJ Confuron (Alain Meunier): the wines are made in a partially traditional, partially semi-modern style.
The vineyards are treated almost organically, with sorting in the vineyards and again at arrival.They are partially or completely destemmed.
The wines are usually medium dark coloured, with a shorter pre-maceration, fermentation in open vats, cap punched down, aging in oak casks, 15-60% new depending on vintage and Cru.
Usually they show very fine and true out of cask - and also in the 1st 1-2 years after bottling, but then they need time in the bottle, but age excellently (a Nuits Boudots 1992 recently was still very fine) … The oak shows a bit in the youth, but integrates very well …
(in the early 90ies they used a bit much oak explicitely for the US-market, but this has been abandoned …)
The Romanee-St-Vivant, Clos Vougeot, Vosne Beaumonts and the two Nuits are the stars … the Chambolle 1er and Village are also very good …
The 2015s were all great out of cask last week.
Attention: they are using Diam Corks since 2008, something that doesn´t make me very happy … but we´ll see.
Gerhard,
Any experience with the 93 RSV?
Dan
The 2002 Romanee St. Vivant was fabulous a couple of years ago.
Yes, but long ago … must have been around 2002/03 … very promising, but far too young …
It was very concentrated but seemed quite tight and closed … should be in a better spot now …
Hopefully, although perhaps not in double mags!
Oaky when young & very nice after sufficient time in bottle. Their Clos de Vougeot is excellent and the RSV is a beauty.
FWIW - we had unexspected guests tonight - and I opened spontaneously a bottle of
1996 JJ Confuron Chambolle-Musigny (Village):
medium full ruby colour, quite transparent, nose first a bit reserved (no slow-oxing or decanting, just p´n´p), opened up nicely over 1+ hour, red berries and cherries, some spices, noticable acidity but buffered with full mature fruit, really elegant and well balanced (no oak detectable), very enjoyable, medium length, fully mature, better drink up over the next 5 years, only slightly lacking in complexity which kept me from awarding an outstanding rating, conservative 89 points.
New oak percentages range from 30% (village) to 80-100% (Grand Cru). Raised for 15-18 months. I’ve never experienced a wine from them where the oak felt out of place or forced. To me they are powerful yet elegant wines made for ageing.
A bottle of the '09 RSV in April was stunning. Had the '05 on release and thought it showed plenty of oak but there was certainly powerful fruit there.