I thought it would be fun to talk about recent experiences to gauge how wines are drinking currently. I’m keeping this to red burgundy but would be interested in experiences with whites as well.
Here are some of my data points:
1996:
A bit of a mixed bag. I generally think 96s need more time to really blossom. Rousseau CSJ was reasonably open aromatically, as it was in 2022, but a bit tight in the palate with less expansive finish. DRC RSV was a bit tighter and not too generous at this time. DRC Richebourg was also very tight. I often wonder, as with 2005s, when these wines will be ready, if ever.
1998:
I’ve really loved all the wines I’ve had from this vintage lately. 98 Roumier Bonnes Mares was singing, 98 Rousseau Ruchottes and CSJ were both wonderful, 98 DRC Richebourg and La Tache were great. I haven’t heard much here about 1998, but I do think it’s drinking very well. I did like Lignier CDLR the multiple times I’ve had it recently.
1999:
Another mixed bag here. Some absolutely fabulous wines in the last couple years like 1999 La Tache, but a lot of wines have actually seemed really tight recently (although maybe they’ve come around) like DRC Richebourg. Roumier Bonnes Mares was as tight as a drum earlier this year, but all of the Rousseau wines I’ve had have been great. I still think this is a fantastic vintage but again probably more time is needed.
2000:
I’ve generally really liked all the wines I’ve opened from this vintage lately. La Tache was fantastic, Trapet Chambertin was great, Rousseau CSJ was superb. I’ve found 2000 and 2001 to be pretty similar, with perhaps just a bit more fruit in 2000.
2001:
I’ve had a lot of 2001s recently and they’ve generally been fantastic. Rousseau Chambertin, CSJ and Beze were outstanding, La Tache (multiple bottles) was wonderful, DRC Richebourg, RC, and RSV were all great, and Trapet Chambertin was fantastic. The only bottle that wasn’t benchmark for me was the 01 Anne Gros Richebourg which was still very good.
2002:
Another vintage which is to me, drinking in the zone, perhaps even a bit better than 2001, at least to my palate. La Tache and Rousseau Chambertin were both fantastic and the only wine I found tight was unsurprisingly, Roumier Bonnes Mares.
2003:
Interested to hear people’s experiences here, I haven’t opened anything from this vintage recently but don’t have much.
2004:
I’ve only had La Tache which was good, but otherwise have avoided this vintage like the plague.
2005:
No one has opened anything from this vintage lately, likely for good reason, any recent experiences? The only bottle I had was a bottle of Liger Belair Clos de Chateau last year which was very nice.
2006:
I’ve only had a few 06 recently, Mugneret Gibourg Clos Vougeot and Angerville Ducs, and both were sort of blocky and uninspiring. Any recent experiences?
2007:
I’ve generally found this vintage to be very open and drinking well. I have a few nice bottles queued up for next month so am very interested to see what other people have been seeing with this vintage.
2008:
I love this vintage, and have had a few great bottles lately. La Tache was fire, Lignier CDLR was great, Rousseau Ruchottes was wonderful, and I’ve really found the aromatics to be enticing.
2009:
I haven’t had much from this vintage recently; I think it’s likely going to be great, sort of similarly to 2002, if perhaps not better, but likely the wines aren’t ready. I read some tasting notes from 2009 lately that make me think it needs quite a bit more time.
2010:
I’ve had a few 2010 of late which have been just superb. DRC RC and LT were both amazing, Rousseau Chambertin was great, and even Roumier Bonnes Mares was drinking well. Some people have said they think the wines won’t go the distance and I’m not sure I really agree, but am interested to hear what others think.
2011:
No recent experiences
2012:
I think this is a vintage that will end up being superb, but right now is in a bit of an awkward place. I have only had a few bottles lately such as Fourrier CSJ and Griotte; the CSJ was pretty open, while the Griotte probably needed more time. I’m going to try to open a few more bottles next year and I guess we’ll see.
2013:
I’ve REALLY liked this vintage recently, especially from Rousseau but my recent experience has been a little less positive. In the past, Rousseau CDLR was superb, the Chambertin and Beze were tight but showed potential, and CSJ was drinking pretty well. We opened the Ruchottes from Rousseau and MG last month and I thought the Rousseau was tight while the MG was pretty, as you’d expect.
2014:
I haven’t opened anything from 2014 in a few years; the DRCs I had a few years ago were very tight. Any recent experiences with these? @Alex_Valdes did open the 14 Roumier Cras a couple years ago and that did open up in time.
2015:
I haven’t opened many 2015s of my own lately, and only had a few from others, but have actually been really impressed with the wines that were opened. The La Tache was fantastic and even Roumier Bonnes Mares was drinking well. When it was released it was a hyped vintage, and became less so with many people saying they thought 16 was better, but we’ll see how it plays out in the end.
2016:
I’ve had a few 16s of late which I’ve really liked. Rousseau CSJ, Chambertin and Beze were all fantastic, and the Bruno Clair CSJ and Beze were also great. I do think the wines are very structured and less open than the 17s though.
2017:
One of my favorite vintages and along with 19 this makes up the largest holdings by vintage in my cellar. I’ve opened multiple bottltes of all the Rousseau wines lately, and they’ve been drinking well in a primary sort of way, especially the Ruchottes. MG Clos Vougeot was a bit tight, although the Ruchottes was wide open.
2018:
I think these wines will turn out better than people think. I’ve opened a few lately that were shockingly good, and while it’s hard to say how they’ll do in the long run, I do really like the ones I’ve had, such as La Tache, TLB Richeborg, Lignier CDLR, and others.
2019:
Perhaps for my palate, this may be the best vintage in the last 20 years or so. It’s still drinking pretty well although I’m not sure how much longer the window will be open. 19 Rousseau CSJ and Chambertin were superb, Roumier Bonnes Mares was lovely in a primary sort of way, and DRC Corton was singing. I will probably keep opening 19s because I have a lot, but I expect they may shut down at some point soon.
2020:
This is a weird vintage and the wines I’ve had (mostly village and 1er) have been strange. Most have been muted and very dark fruited. I’m not sure how the wines will turn out, but certainly wouldn’t drink any right now.
2021:
I haven’t opened anything higher than village level here, but have just adored the wines I’ve opened. They’ve been floral, pretty, and very drinkable. Interested to hear about 1er and grand cru experiences.
. I’ll probably keep adding posts throughout the day.