2012 Georges Noellat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (6/20/2015)
First impression was a big whiff of wood. Wine was medium bodied, red fruit and a little minerality. Avg. finish. Next night the wood was still there the wine had evolved some but not for the better. The fruit was not typical of the vintage. Not well balanced. Ok experience. If someone popped a bottle I would drink a glass but not seek this out. Way overpriced and hyped. Not typical of other 2012’s.
I find this surprising. I haven’t had the Beaux Monts from bottle, but I’ve had the 2012 Chaumes, Petit Monts and Boudots this year, and all were exceptional—and very typical of 2012 Vosne. Ditto the Grands Echezeaux last summer. You could open them alongside Vosne village and 1er crus from Cathiard, Mugneret Gibourg, Liger Belair, Hudelot Noellat etc without them standing out as remotely atypical. In style, they might be most similar to Cathiard though it’s early days to say, and they seem a bit more savory, with the oak not so in your face. Perhaps the Beaux Monts is just a bit more shut down than the other cuvées? It was certainly a stunner from barrel, and I confess I think the hype if anything understates how brilliant Maxime’s wines are, especially when you consider his age and the fact that viticultural changes take time to show up in the finished wines.
Prices on these wines have skyrocketed even from overseas sources. I am sure it is great but there are so many great sources that are affordable. (Leroy is the exception. Her wines are not affordable)
By coincidence I had one of the library releases–the 1993 NSG Boudots–2 nights ago. Pretty good, in the B+/A- category, and far better than a previous bottle. NIce rich berry fruit with a bit of integrated oak, slight brown sugar note, autumn leaves, and a bit of Vosne-like spice. I’ve also had the 1993 Beaux Monts within the past year and it showed pretty well. Not top of the line wines by any means, but probably worth it for aged burg as, if I remember, they were reasonably affordable.
The library releases are fine, but what Maxime has been doing is quite special. While I have no interest in adding to the growing hype, as I am pleased to be able to buy a useful allocation, this stuff really is first tier. Pricing just depends on how far down the chain you are sourcing the wines: they are fine at the Domaine, between 50 and 65 EUR for the 1er crus, as I recall.
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