Mature BURGUNDIES: That´s what it is all about !!!

Ok, not to please Eric Texier (who doesn´t like wine-„tastings“ but prefers drinking with dinner) [wink.gif] – but simply because my wife and I have been invited to a nice evening in Vienna by a dear friend and Burgundy lover … ok, we went with pleasure … and brought some bottles* with us, too. With another couple and the hosts wife we were six people all together.

5.15 p.m.
- 2005 Lilbert-Fils Champagne, Cramant: nice, but not special, and a bit young


- 2009 Meursault Genevrieres 1er Cru, Michel Bouzerau: bright, very typical Meursault, excellent (89+p)

- 2009 Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet, Carillon (edited): deeper, more intense, longer, but very youthful, great potential (for 94+p)

- 1985 Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru, Cuvée Albert-Grivault, Hospice de Beaune:* this IS really mature white Burgundy, golden-yellow, multi-dimensional, buttery, minerally, flowery, spicy, perfect balance, vital, mouthfilling and long, (95p) – talking about premox seems ridiculous when tasting such a wine!

Quiche Loraine and Quiche with herbs, vegetables and vineyard snails: very fine!

Red:
- 1988 Gevrey-Chambertin „Cazetiers“ 1er Cru, Philippe Leclerc* (opened for slow-oxy 10 (!) h in advance): right after opening in the morning not much fruit, but tannins and oak. In the evening the fruit has unfolded magnificently, red and dark berries, full ruby colour, hints of leather and herbs, but still very structured with a tannic bite and astringency, will still improve, potential for 91-92p, but only in another 5 to 12 years.

NOW we are talking: flirtysmile
- 1979 La Grande Rue (still Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru), Lamarche: full orange ruby, this is fine, velvet and fresh, sweet mature fruit, only with a slight hint of dryness in the finish, medium long, but very satisfying, drink now, 91p

- 1964 Mazis-Chambertin, Jean de Villedieu:* very bricky colour, but deep and saturated, very sweet and intense palate impression, meaty with lots of dried fruits, underwood, leather … and a nice tannic bite, 95p

Game ragout with napkin dumplings and cranberries, really excellent.

- 1976 Clos de Tart, Mommessin: very saturated ruby colour with transparent rim, lots of kirsch and other dark red fruits, minerally, almost Syrah-like, but balanced if really masculine and chewy, the site and vintage are adding up, impressive, long, slightly lacking in elegance, 92p

- 1945 Bonnes-Mares, Grivelet: full mature brown-red colour, forthcoming nose of warm and sweet fruit, herbs, tobacco and rotten wood, a treat, mouthfilling sweet and lush palate, no hard edges, layers of very complex fruit with long finish, 97p

- 1964 Musigny, Amsler-Lecouvreur: quite full and medium-dark colour, fragrant and complex, soft and silky on the palate, sweet, very classy and long, 93p

- 1972 La Tâche, DRC: slightly brighter, more masculine, full, intense, perceptible acidity, deep and complex, chewy, great ´72, 94p

Fine selection of cheese

- 1983 Traminer Auslese, Klöch (Styria), Weinbau Rudolf Schuster: golden, medium sweet, nice, but not on the level of the reds

Pana Cotta with raspberries

Finish: midnight

Conclusion: despite the fact that only one red wine was younger than 32 years (and in fact still too young), not one wine was over the hill, or even over apogee, a proof for the the longivity of red Burgundies. Sure it was mostly Grand Cru level – and all botttles were in fine condition.
Impossible for me to gain so much pleasure from young fruity primary wines … a real treat [worship.gif]

Thanks for the write-up, Gerhard. Sounds amazing.

Great stuff there, Gerhard. I guess I would have preferred them one at a time but one can’t spread pleasure so widely that way.I’ve just acquired a Meursault-Charmes 88 from Bouzereau-Gruere which is just as you describe. Three whole cases of it!
I have come to the conclusion that as far as enjoyment goes maturity is much more important than absolute quality, though interestingly classificatiion is massively reinforced and illustrated by age, not that village wines don’t age as well as others.

Thanks for the notes… a bottle of '72 Lafarge Volnay Clos des Chenes last year reinforced this with me… the wine still had plenty of fruit left and seemed to only be approaching its plateau of maturity.

Well stored, well made (in a traditional style??) burgundies take a lot longer than I ever thought possible to reach maturity.

I am only 32, but it is making me reassess my buying strategy. 20-30 years is a long time to wait for a bottle of wine to peak…

Chris,

I agree with you about how well Burgundies age, but I would not treat your experience as being typical. 1972 is a vintage where wines have aged quite well. Lafarge is a great producer whose wines age well. Clos des Chenes is his best vineyard.

Gerhard, Great line up and notes. I never see anything like these so a pleasure to read. Cheers Mike

I figured as much… what an amazing wine though… so seamless and integrated.

Cuilleron Bienvenue? Never heard of any Cuilleron other than the one a bit further south (Condrieu, etc.). Is this a Burgundy producer I haven’t heard of?

Oh, and nice notes!!

Amazing stuff. Thanks for the notes.

Tom, do you mean all 10 wines (white and red) should have been on the table at the same time? That would have been quite impractical - it was a dinner.

Agreed!
Village wines can also age very well (I had a ´59 NSG recently), but reach maturity earlier - and don´t have the eventual complexity …

Ooops, what a shame pileon - a complete thoughts-drift when typing: CARILLON ! Louis Carillon of course.
Thanks for your careful reading … I´m going to edit it right now!

Very nice! I think the slow-O routine with older Burgs is very effective and important.

Louis Latour’s Nuits St Georges 1976 is quite delicious with steak tonight, though the tannin is by no means gone. The sort of wine that makes you realise that almost everything we learn about Burgundy is nonsense, a village wine from a supposedly mediocre negociant in an unfancied vintage(though I’ve not had a disappointing 76 in the last 5 years) that is completely fresh,vibrant and compelling and that though resolved clearly has many years to go.