1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots
Corked
1976 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots
Cloudy, rusty red. Nose of forest floor, leather and dried cherries. Red fruit on the palate, with spices and a nice spine of acid and tannin. Enjoyable aged Burgundy.
These old Ampeau’s have been nice, some of the whites even stunning, but the percentage of corked bottles has been around 50% for me, four out of eight in the last three months. Glad to have enjoyed the good ones, but don’t think I’ll find the risk acceptable going forward.
All consumed within the last year, a 93 Meursault Perrieres was fabulous; a 93 Puligny Combettes was quite dull; and, a 76 Volnay Santenots was good and interesting, though marked by volatile acidity.
opened 2 1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenot tonight: the first one was vinegar, the second nice. out of the 6 bottles I purchased, the last bottle, which I just opened, was the only good one. 1 out of 6 was drinkable. Phil Franks was with me for the first two fails. NEVER EVER AGAIN. The one good bottle wasn’t even faintly spectacular, just simply good. trying to get some satisfaction from the retail supplier.
Opened my last Ampeau last night, 93 Beaune 1er Clos du Roi. Not corked but that is about the only favorable thing to say about it. Brownish red, thin and acidic. A bottle of the same 3 weeks ago was terrific.
Re bad years/bottles: When I had the '96 (in '09) which was wonderful, I remember reading an article about Ampeau emphasizing how clean their operation was. Maybe there had been problems in the past?
IIRC they were also more known for whites than reds.
Ampeau had a batch of bad corks in the 1993 vintage, seemingly limited to the Volnay. (And, that’s the most frequently seen the US: their best red.) That’s the only reason to explain the bad odds (I’ve had 3/10 bad so far; 7 good, though all Ampeau wines, IMO, need significant aeration. The cellars are very cold and the winemaking reductive to allow them to really age out. Popping and pouring isn’t an option.
I’ve had so many good /great Ampeaus over the last 25 years…both colors…and some great visits to the estate…that I know this '93 phenomenon is just a freak of nature…I think the Chevillons also had bad cork problems in 1993? Maybe the same supplier…
It is too bad…but…also a risk of buying 20 year old wines…bad corks/ TCA won’t affect wines drunk young so much, obviously…and bottle variation abounds after all that time, even if the wines are left to rest at the estate until late, which most are…they don’t sell current vintages.
I agree, Howard. The 93 and 96 Meursaults that weren’t corked were great. No premox troubles at all, but 3 of 8 of my bottles were corked. Even bigger percentage of the reds I have opened were corked. Glad you are having better luck.
I also had 76 and 96 Volnay and to be honest I don’t remember if any of those were corked or it was just the 93’s. Two 96 whites were, both Meursault Charmes.
Ampeau release wines much later than most producers. The '93s were a re-release about a year ago.
The 2 Santenots I’ve opened so far have been good not great and fortunately no TCA. The '93 Perrieres was terrific and an absolute steal imho. I have one left of each wine.
Boy, if I were a wine retailer, then anything much older than about six or seven years would be very explicitly advertised thusly:
“SOLD AS IS. You are purchasing an antique. Absolutely no refunds, no returns, no credits, nada zip zero zilch nothing. If it’s vinegar, then TOUGH LUCK.”