02 Leflaives are good, but 01 is far superior! (Also 96)
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99 Leflaive also amazing
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Drinking 2020 Sauzet Beaune 1er Pertuisots. This excels in 2020. A subtle hint of reduction on the nose with some pear and cloves. The palate has a fairly citric profile with plenty of acid to frame the fruit. I’d score this in the low 90s. It’s an excellent wine for it’s class but the finish was a bit too clipped.
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2019 Henri Germain Meursault Limozin down the drain. This on the heels of a pre-moxed '17 and '14.
2020 Benoit Moreau Fairendes on the other hand was smokin’.
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Disappointing to hear. A gent I drink wine with every so often has an ocean of Henri Germain…
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Disappointing for me too. A producer I love and own a fair bit of. Sounds like I should be drinking them up sooner rather than later.
M2022 William Kelley Bourgogne Aligote
Coche like reduction on the nose with struck match, hay, lemon zest, and honeysuckle. Dry extract on the palate with crisp acidity, more lovely fruits, and lovely elegant texture. Super long finish.
2023 William Kelley Bourgogne Aligote (not pictured)
Rounder with some exotic fruits on the palate, papaya and a hint of durian. More fruit on the palate as well, without the linearity or zing of the 2022, and a bit less acidity. Very long finish.
Fun side by side; I think on balance I prefer the 2022 but we will see how they develop with time.
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I have often been surprised by the way that a good Aligoté can reveal entirely different aspects of its character even a few weeks apart. I don’t really enjoy the exotic fruit aspect when it appears but it is never permanent.
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I think this wine is really interesting because most people who have it blind call it grand cru white burgundy. I think a lot of that is because of winemaking, but either way, very interesting.
Aligote is a compelling alternative to Chardonnay that expresses terroir well and maintains better acidity in a warm climate. My guess is we will slowly see the idea of planting Aligote in more prestigious terroirs become more and more accepted.
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Both showed well.
The Dauvissat showed Iodine oyster shell and mineral reduction on the nose, but had a slightly rounder than expected profile based on my last encounter with this wine in 2023. It showed the density and depth associated with this vineyard, but I think this just needs a few more years to nit together. Saved a third of the bottle to try later today.
The Raveneau was spectacular. Just a perfect bottle drinking at its apex. Blind, I managed to call Raveneau MDT, but said 2008 or younger… Flint. chalk, sea breeze and a sexy touch of reduction slowly opening up into lactic Parmesan and iodine notes over a few hours. Electric with impressive cut and structured mineral drive that powers on and on. Grand Cru density - outstanding showing. In a perfect place, but no rush.
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Excellent. Curious if you decanted the Raveneau… I have an '04 MDT lined up for this weekend.
Is “Coche like reduction” actually still a thing? Very small recent vintage Coche sample size for me in the last year (a '20 and a '22) but neither showed “Coche like reduction” :)!!
fine, classic coche like reduction. I’m a much bigger fan of the old wines.
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I would, based on a numer of bottles '01, '02 and '04
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Depends on how many heads are on the bottle and how quickly it’s going to go down. This saw a 1 hour decant which was perfect since I got to spend 3 - 4 hours with the wine. I’m a big fan of decanting Raveneau, and often go up to three hours for younger wines or grand crus (especially 2008’s or 2010’s), but this got going fairly quickly by Raveneau standards and the evolution was awesome to behold.
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Thanks. I’ve had good luck decanting '00 and '02. It’s been awhile since I’ve opened an '04.
I suspect it’s all because of winemaking; a neat demonstration of how white burgundy is pretty much entirely about who makes it. In my experience one never gets even a good white burgundy from a great site from a mediocre producer.
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Update: this has tightened up significantly and come together very nicely on day 2. As much as people tend to praise Dauvissat’s La Forest for it’s complexity, I’ve come to realize that I have a preference for Sechet and Vaillons. Both wines are more overtly mineral - like sucking on a stone - the rock head in me prefers that to the sweeter fruit profile that Dauvissat’s La Forest often shows.
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2005 Francois Raveneau Le Clos
Maxime Raveneau was pouring this beauty at the gala from magnum. There was an incredible nose of light lemon curd, salt air, and fresh cut grass, with coiled acidity and tension on the palate, with some sea shells and more pretty stone fruits. The finish was tremendous and this wine felt like it could go decades more effortlessly although it was stunning today.
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