Good wine. Even very good wine.
But not what I was hoping for and expecting.
I’ll confess we didn’t have patience with it, and it hit the glass a bit on the cold side. But warmth and what air we gave it didn’t fix those problems.
Maybe it’s a good thing that, way back in the day, I bought 6 of the Chambolle and 2 of the Bussiere.
Time for some grappa, I think.
If you’ve got any, I’d hold and hope for the best.
Hi Lee,
I had a bottle of this last year and I think that it is still woefully too young for primetime drinking, but that it will be exceptional if given enough bottle age. It is quite closed right now, and really lacks generosity no matter how long you play with it in decanter. But the core of the wine is packed with sweet fruit and their is plenty of soil signature- all it needs is a bit of patience in my opinion. Christophe made much more extracted wines back in 1993 than he does today, and as a result, none of his '93s are yet really ready in my experience (including the Chambolle AC, which promises a lot more to come if given more bottle age as well). But if you still have that last bottle, tuck it away for another 5 or even better, 10 years. You will not be disappointed. BTW, the 1985 a few months ago was absolutely singing- glorious, pure red fruit, citrus zest, smoke, game, sous bois and a spicebox in the upper register- so pure and elegant we all thought we were in Vosne-Romanee on the wine (which was served double blind). And the '93 at its apogee will clearly eclipse the '85.
Best,
John
WOW, it’s 8:57 A.M. EST, and I’m already drooling over wine? I think I need help.
Hi John,
Thanks for commenting. I’m pretty sure I do still have that other bottle. I’ve had pretty good luck with my '93 Chambolle ACs so far, they’ve showed very well. Maybe you are right and they have more to show, but they drink pretty nicely now. And it’s not a storage difference, as they came from the same source on release and have all seen the same storage ever since.
Hi Lee,
No, I did not think it was a storage issue- the Bussiere is just really grumpy right now and the Chambolle is always a bit more charming, even when it is young and still a few years away from its peak. Christophe Roumier used to alway like to say of the Clos de la Bussiere, it really is “a bit of a block until its starts to come around”, meaning (I always assumed) that it hunkers down and does not really show the delineation of what is to come until the structure starts to back away. The Chambolle on the other hand, even when young shows you clearly where it is headed in the future. I have often been unable to keep my hands off of the Chambolle sufficiently to really let them get where they should go before I start working through them, but the more recalcitrant personality of the Clos de la Bussiere has actually helped me in terms of keeping my curiosity at bay because of its rather sullen adolescent phase. I should note that we are talking about the Clos de la Bussiere pre-2004, as from that vintage onwards (once Christopeh stopped using extraction enzymes) the Clos de la Bussiere has taken on a much more civilzed profile in its youth and seems (shockingly) open to inspection and even a willingness to deliver a bit of plesaure if it gets opened on the young side in recent vintages.
All the Best,
John
Hi, John,
For me the change in the Bussière goes back a few years earlier when Christophe began making changes in the vineyard (including replanting) and harvesting later than he previously had.
Best,
Claude
So, are you saying a bottle of the 2006 Roumier Clos de la Bussiere should at least be an enjoyable wine, albeit a young one, at the present time?
Hi Diane,
The '06 Bussiere should indeed be an enjoyable drink in its young stage if it has not started to shut down yet- which many 2006s have done with a venegeance in the last six months or so. I have my 2006s in deep storage and have not been sampling them in the last year, so not sure if this has started to close yet- but if still open, it should be tasty.
Hi Claude,
I went back and looked through my notes and you are exactly right about the Clos de la Bussiere becoming a bit more polite in its youth a few years earlier, as my note on the 2002 makes mention of this shift. The note on the '01 seems to indicate that this was the last of the really old school, stormy adolescence vintages of Christophe’s Morey.
Best,
John
Has anyone had the 2002 Bussiere lately? Would it be drinking well?
Hi Michel,
When I last had the wine in February while working on a vertical report on the Clos de la Bussiere, it was already drinking pretty well in terms of accessability, but I would like to still give it a few years to develop a bit more secondary layers of complexity. If you have a dozen, then it is not a crime to pop one now, but if only a few bottles are in the cellar, I think you would be well-served to wait until 2012 or so to start investigating.
Best,
John
Here’s a note I posted in August on the 2006 Roumier Bussiere
No decanting here. Popped open and the cherries, strawberries and minerals engulfed my mouth in a very seductive Chambolle like intensity… As the wine opened throughout the evening the medium complexity began to show and the fruit became more seductive… This is a great Burgundy that will get better with time but oh so tasty now… 92 points