I opened a bottle of Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares 2004, but it was not as good as expected, rather tight and not as broad as it was when tasted from barrel back in 2005… However, the Chateau Clos Fourtet St Emilion PGCC 2003 is hedonism in a liquid form, and follows up to my positive feelings when tasted from barrel. Yes, it has lots of richness, but also an underlying structure that transcends the 2003 vintage character. Both we be enjoyed with prime rib tonight. Will report with futher details later… Happy New Year!
2004 Bonnes was my favorite 2004. It was drinking beautiful for about a year after release but then it shot down. It had 0 greeness or herbal that plaque most of the 04’s.
Thanks Leo for the response. The Jadot Bonnes Mares 2004 has an enthralling nose: interwoven aromas of spice, of cherry, raspberry and mineral, but perhaps not fully followed through on the palate last night. The texture is refined, and the finish is good. I am wondering however if the bottle I opened was just slightly muted for whatever reason, or if the wine has entered some sort of closed phase… But it certainly promises much on the nose. Interestingly my sister preferred this wine to the Clos, which she described as ‘earthy’ …
The Clos Fourtet I found very rich – hardly earthy – but there are both mineral and smoky components I find appealing. Here we have a St Emilion coming from the limestone plateau which was able to digest the heat of the vintage rather successfully albeit with some hints of “over-the-topness” but they remain hints. When tasted from barrel, I knew I wanted to buy a six pack because of the structure this wine exuded, and it has not disappointed from bottle.
Will likely get more precise notes later today upon re-tasting because these wines were enjoyed with prime rib over dinner, without a notepad.
Speaking of enjoyment, we happily started things off with Inflorescence Champagne Blanc de Noirs by Cédric Bouchard, the grower in the Côte des Bars part of Champagne who has obtained much praise recently. It is said that all of his Champagnes are single-vineyard and made from single grape varieties. I found it to be a lovely holiday Champagne for the entire family, in part because it can make the transition for people coming of age accustomed to drinking sparkling apple cider easier. I am not trying to be flippant, but this bottle showed very pronounced apple aspects. A somewhat dark, golden tone, the Champagne gives off aromas of citrus, mineral and biscuit, but on the palate, there is an unmistakable apple component in a rich, very fruity style that, perhaps because of all the fruit flavors, borders on the sweeter side of the Brut spectrum. The finish was fine, and although I did not experience some great Champagne revelation, Inflorescence certainly is easy to drink and encourages further enjoyment with each sip. The bottle was enjoyed rather quickly…
Ah ha, tasted again today and guess what? The Bonnes Mares bottle was faulty. Not corked, just something off. So I opened the second of my three bottles when two very dear friends came over, and we discovered how lovely that Bonnes Mares by Louis Jadot was: fine subtle cherry notes combined with cinnamon spice. Just a great bottle of Burgundy in a very difficult vintage. Not a trace of meanie greenie… I still like the Clos Fourtet, but over time, the Bonnes Mares has an edge: it is more refined.