Possibly a discussion about the cork problems Chevillon had with Bousselots and Vaucrains in 1993? Possibly a discussion about when to drink Vaucrains – even if I had the 1998, I probably wouldn’t have opened it yet (I know, this seems to contradicts my first statement in this thread, but it’s actually consistent because I don’t have any, it is not a wine I wouldn’t pass up). I always give Chevillon’s Vaucrains a long time to age.
A bottle of '98 Lambrays I tasted in January may have been a little more advanced, as it seemed to be opening up and in a good drinking window, if perhaps on the early end of that window.
I would also use similar decriptors to describe the '98 H-N Richebourg I had a few years ago. It also possessed great lift and intensity, though I thought it needed a bit more time in the bottle.
Thanks for your note, time to check in on this one again.
Some notes here on a 1998 Grand Cru tasting the Confrerie in Singapore did a few months back to gauge the vinatge. Thought it may be helfpul in the context of this thread: 1998 Burgundy Grand Crus - Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin Singapore, Chapitre de la Printemps - CellarTracker" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I’ve only drunk some 50 or so different red Burg bottlings from 1998, much less than most of you would have drunk for sure, but I must say that I had a pretty mixed impression of the vintage in comparison to the really good reviews we have had so far.
It is a successful vintage no doubt. Some of the wines I had were can stand amongst the best Burgs from other vintages. A bottle of Leroy Chambertin from a separate dinner certainly stands out, along with another bottle of Bouchard La Romanee which tasted far better than it did on this tasting. In general, I would also agree that Gevrey, Morey and Chambolle did really well from the limited number of wines I tried.
However, I am not sure I would place 1998 amongst other really good vintages like 1990, 1993, 1999, 2002. In fact, I much prefer the 2001s, and with time, I think the 1996s will probably outshine their 1998 counterparts. I think the comparisons with 1991 are probably the most apt. This was a “poor” vintage that turned out good in the end, but I never found it excellent, at least for the reds.
Anyone have any thoughts on the whites by the way?
Paul,
Compared to 90, 93, 99, 01, 02, I would agree that '98 is not as appealing but I am not as sure that it will be outshone by '96 in the long run (or really any of the '94-'97 vintages). I am hopeful that my '96s will become balanced with age, but too many are currently shrill and without depth.
Regarding '91, there are some truly mind-boggling examples (a recent Ponsot CdRoche comes to mind). In fact, there are only a handful of '90s that I prefer to their '91 counterparts.
“shrill and without depth” is a perfect description of where a lot of '96s are now, although less uniformly the case than it was a few years ago, and some are starting to show very well. Still, when you open one fitting that description it can really scare you off the vintage, and explains why the prices are so low compared to other highly touted years. I wonder if anyone with lengthy tasting experience can think of any other vintage that showed similarly and eventually blossomed?
I like '98 and wish I had more. One thing I noticed about the vintage was that it turned tertiary very quickly and you started to get savory aromas and flavors within just a few years. That was a pretty nice feature. The downside was that I was sometimes left craving a little more fruit freshness. But they’ve developed well so far, possibly because they had good density even if the fruit lacked vibrancy.
I don’t remember Rovani declining to rate the '98 DRCs (wasn’t that 2000 or 2001? or was it '98 also?) - but I’ve had the RSV and Echezeaux and both struck me as kind of weak by the standards of DRC. Come to think of it, I remember my favorite '98s being more Chambolle-centric while a lot of Vosnes that I normally enjoy were a little empty.
Sounds like 2010 in California (more the latter than the former tho).
I’ve found many '98’s to be a bit flabby, some have also looked quite forward.
Some recent nice exceptions include the aforementioned H/N RSV and a nice H Lignier CDLR. The '98 Vogues look good also.
A recent DRC RSV was pretty disappointing though…
I’m not a fan of the '98 whites. I’ve had some good ones, Ramonet and Leflaive semi-recently, but in general way below the surrounding serious vintages (which of course included some great vintages in '96, '99, and '00). Even the better examples are fairly dull; they have body, but not a lot of precision or complexity, the opposite of what I want in white Burgs. And the poorer examples (none of which I’ve had recently, but did closer to release) could have rot and be unripe. Given the great run of white vintages over the past 25 years, I’d put the '98s in the handful at the bottom.
Cheers,
-Robert
Yeah, some Vosne producers made really great wines in '98 (e.g., Hudelot, Cathiard), whereas others made good wines, but not ones that could compete with their '99s.
Cheers,
-Robert
I like the vintage, even more with some bottle age now. Recently an Echerzeaux from Gerard Mugneret, a Gevrey CSJ from Fourrier, a Latricieres Chambertin from S. Esmonin and a NSG Porrets from Gouges showed very well ( even the Gouges was more open as expected ). Ecards Savigny Serpentieres is drinking well for at least 3 years and was a real great buy that year. At the beginning they were slightly onedimensional, good structured but lacking a bit finesse & fruit, now they have gained a lot of it. I think they will even get better.
I drank all of mine a long time ago as many started to develop relatively quickly. One notable exception was Remoissenet Montrachet, which even now is still not quite ready (and is pretty good)…
Whoa, how’d I miss this thread? I’m a HUGE fan of the 98 reds and have been for several years. I think Claude and John Gilman and Keith nailed it on the head in their separate posts: the wines are ripe yet not hugely so, with firm bright acidity but also rough tannins. They did develop their tertiary aspects earlier in life, but kept some of that fruit, making them really interesting and frankly delicious to me.
However, there are some domaines that did not do so well and thus this is to me really a producer vintage.
Other than a few Volnays, I notice that all of my purchases are from vineyards Vosne and north…so, I think it must have been a vintage that did best in that area…deducing anyway. (I hadn’t realized this before.)
I’ve been a fan of 1998 red Burgundy ever since the big BWC end of year tasting. First year I bought big (alas due to job worries the next year I didn’t buy much 1999).
Count me as a fan of '98 Rouge as well. I was just beginning to purchase Burgundy more seriously about the time this vintage hit market. Sadly, very little remains in my cellar. My favorite qpr purchase from the vintage was Girardin’s Volney Santenot. Before you knock VG, I have to say this wine was really nice. Not overblown/oaked in the least bit as other VG wines can be. I purchased a 6 pk for $19.99/btl and every bottle was at least very good.
Does anyone have opinions on Faiveley in '98? I’m holding a few Clos des Cortons. IIRC Tanzer originally loved the wine and then downgraded it. Wondering where it’s at right now.
I guess you could classify 98 as a purist’s red burgundy vintage along with the likes of 88, 91, 93, 96, 01 and 08. The wines were a little skinny, hard and mean on release with bright acidity, good density but lacking flesh. They have had quite a strange maturation curve in that aromatically they opened up quite early on with nice, complex development traits showing up as their palate’s remained quite firm, surly and burly.
Wines at the entry level have been delicious for 5-6 years now and we have had some lovely Bourgogne from the likes of Meo Camuzet, Arnoux and Groffier and Hubert Lignier’s village wines from 98 have been really good drinking over the past 5-7 years. At the 1er and Grand Cru level the wine’s palate development has finally caught up to the aroma and many wines are now showing impeccable balance. Dujac’s Gruenchers and Combottes are sublime and I very much enjoyed Rousseau’s Charmes-Chambertin and CdlR last year.
I guess in summary one could say that 98 is a little bit of an enigma, proving that red Burgundy does not have to have perfect balance to age well, they need good material and appropriate length of cellaring time and will come into balance when they feel like it.
Had a very good 98 last night (thanks for the inspiration Kevin);
1998 Arnoux Vosne Romanee ‘Les Chaumes’: This wine has blossomed into something very special. The nose is seriously earthy with a wisp of smoke, some grated ginger and sweet cherry aromas. In the mouth it shows great rocky detail, with a heart of liqueur cherry and some crisp, stony flavours towards the finish. It is a wine of great vibrancy and cut.
Cheers
Jeremy
Has anyone opened a Gouges 98 Les St Georges recently? I bought 2, opened one about 3 years ago and it was closed beyond belief.
The '98 Hudelot-Noellat Vosne Beaumonts is a very pretty bottle, and the '98 de Montille Pommard Rugiens is positively brilliant.
It sure is. That is an amazing wine and maybe my favorite '98 to date.