TN: '01 Chevillon - Nuits St George - Les Roncieres

Decanted about 90 minutes ahead and consumed over three hours with pork shoulder braised with root vegetables – a great match.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve seen a lot of posts about '01 Burgundies being shut down. This bottle offers a lot, even though it’s nowhere near it’s apogee.

On the nose, there’s an earthy, parched dirt smell – complex and intriguing. It reminded me of top-flight aged sangiovese. Some dried strawberry notes, along with a trace of VA (two people at the table were extremely sensitive to VA and fastened on that immediately, though for me it’s an incidental element). Four hours after decanting, some alcohol shows on the nose and on the palate.

There’s a great backbone of acidity here, but with a lot of fruit. Dried cherries, someone said aptly. If I’d tasted this blindly, I think I might have guessed a top Chianti of a similar age, or a very elegant Brunello (e.g., the best Mastrojannis). The grapes plainly did not want for sun – there’s a caressing warmth that is surprising in a Burgundy.

Dried sour cherries on the finish, with a strong acid streak (“beams of acid,” Galloni would say) – like someone softly drawing their nails down your back.

Scoring it. I started out at 90-ish, but after hours in the glass, it was at 94.7 points when last measured, and rising. With air it both opens up and, paradoxically, shows more of its stern Nuits masculinity.

Chevillon has a knack for melding the virility of Nuit with elegance. This wine really showcases that, as filtered through the fruit of a warm year. It was no crime to open it tonight, but I won’t be digging out my remaining bottles anytime soon, for this promises a lot more with time.

Thanks for the note. I like the 94.7 point thingy, gave me a chuckle.

Didn’t buy Ronciere for this vintage but have some Vaucrains and LSG hiding somewhere.

I had a bottle last year, and resolved to let the remaining bottles sit for a while. It was a pleasant drink, but your bottle sounds a bit more open than mine was.

Dan Kravitz is in the inspiration. Plus, people seem to get very aggravated if you assign 93 points to a wine, so I figured I better steer clear of that score.

That’s funny. And thanks for the note. Chevillon regularly performs well for my taste.

2001 Roumier Bonne Mares and Dujac Clos St. Denis were shut pretty tight last week.

Village and most 1ers figure to have much better luck.

I think 99 is one of the slowest damn vintages to come around. I’ve had ready 01, 02, and enjoyable 05 Chevillon, but as with a number of other producers, the 99’s are sort of in and out. Most come around with plenty of air, but patience is not a bad approach.

oops. Must be too late on a very busy, overloaded day/night. I read this as 99. 2001’s for me for a number of years have been in and out as well on a number of producers, seeming to never quite get there in terms of maturity. plenty of air seems to help a lot, but not surprised of the showing.

Thanks, John. Good info.
I was 94.25 on this one, so I guess we mostly agree
I’ve yet to be wowed by the couple '01s I’ve recently had, including Chevillons. Similar to what John said above.
Maybe I’ll check back on some soon.

I think this thread orgiginally said it was about 1999 and John corrected it. Is that right?

2001 Chevillon Cailles was singing for a few folks here last summer, a notch above the 1996 that same night.

It’s like the 13th floor. Just avoid.

The FBI is on the 13th floor of my high-rise. True.

Or are they? Maybe they just tell you its the 13th floor.

Somehow, a 2001 Chevillon Vaucrains ended up with me after a multiple-producer in a case purchase that was split among 3 people. It’s a single bottle and I thought I’d drink it anytime soon, and so I never sent it to my offsite storage, but it had occupied a precious slot in my small home wine unit over the last 10 years+.

I suspect it’s still not the best time to drink it yet?

Correct. So you were not hallucinating, John.

I can’t. I live on the 13th floor and drank this Chevillon on the 13th floor.

I had some very good experiences with 2001 in the last year. Much better than 1999.

I’ve always really liked that vintage of Cailles. So much so that I think I only have 1 bottle left.

Thanks John.

I will leave my 2001 Vaucrains right where they are for a while longer.

The 2001 Chevillon LSG is also drinking superbly right now!

It surpassed a Rousseau CSJ from the same year side by side in November.