TN: 2012 Bouchard Corton Charlie, 1987 Rapet Corton, 1996 Bruno Clair Beze. 1997 Rivetti Riserva

LONG LUNCH - Bishan (31/1/2019)

A beautifully done meal, including Iberico pressa and some nice slabs of beef, with some really nice wines to go along

  • 2012 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    This was just lovely. Young of course, but very good indeed. The nose still has the edge of new oak to it, but there were lovely aromas of cream, white chocolate, sweet white fruit and honey, all redolent of the Corton-Charlie terroir. It was on the palate where the quality came through though. Rich, thick and unctuous, but nicely undercut by a little stream of balancing acidity, it unfolded in the mouth with lovely layers of white fruit, white chocolate and macadamia nuts, all this pulling away into a long finish lifted by a kiss of citrus fruit and a tiny hint of spice. With time, a spine of salty, saline minerality came out quite nicely too. Powerful, yet lithe on its feet, with a friendly sense of ripe fruit from a warm, advanced vintage. This is not one for the ages, but it is a solid wine that should give a lot of pleasure in the short to medium term. (94 pts.)
  • 1987 Rapet Père et Fils Corton - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    A lovely old Corton - this was drinking agelessly well. There was a bit of tertiary, sous bois funk to it, and then drifts of sweet red cherries, dried berries, a watt of loamy earth, a tiny kiss of spice, and then lots of stony mineral. Lovely stuff. The palate had a lovely maturity to it, with really fine tannins and nice acids lending a velvety structure to glowing flavours of sweet strawberries and sour cherries. A real delight - this was delicious, especially for a 1987. The depth of mature, round fruit was delightful, even if it spoke of more extracted winemaking. The finish had a nice slide of tertiary notes as well. Earth, meat, spice, sous bois, all threaded through with a beautiful caress of red fruit. Delicious, and drinking nicely now. I will not be surprised it this continues to last for next decade or so though. (93 pts.)
  • 1996 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
    Quality, but tinged with a bit of that classic Bruno Clair austerity. The nose showed a blush of Clos de Beze’s red fruit and florals, but this was tightly wound up with tight little aromas earth, spice, green bramble, and plenty of steely minerality. Nice though. The palate was extremely tight and wound-up, with a twist of green haunting otherwise pure flavours of dark cherries, iron filings and steely mineral. There was a tensile strength in there, with fine tannins and bright, citrusy acidity running alongside the fruit, but it was all so tight and unyielding, like a clenched fist just allowing bit of that juicy fruit to squeeze through as the wine slid into a long, graceful finish. A solid showing, but lacking a bit of charm - one to try again in 5-6 years. (92 pts.)
  • 1997 Dante Rivetti Barbaresco Bricco de Neueis Riserva - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
    Still young and tight, but there is quite bit to like in this wine. The nose was classic Piedmont, with red cherry fruit laced with notes of earth and tar, herbs and dried roses. The palate was still coated with a layer of challengingly chewy tannins and a good bit of bright acidity, but there werr also gobs of warm 1997 fruit underlying that - lots of ripe cherries and dark berries, cassis almost, and then sprigs of herb and spice pulled into a long finish on a bed of more firm tannins. A bit too tough for my liking right now, but the raw materials are good. I would leave this aside and come back to it in 10 years or so. (91 pts.)

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