BURGUNDY 2011 DAY 5: VISIT TO RENE CACHEUX ET FILS - Vosne-Romanee, Burgundy (20/5/2011)
This was a rather strange visit. Tiny domaine at the edge of Vosne, just a few steps from where the village meets the Route Nationale, I had never heard of this before. Quite surprisingly, they have some really nice vineyards. Tiny holdings, but nice stuff with good village plots, well-placed vines in Suchots and, most impressively, a nice block of 60 year-old vines in Beaux Monts. The winemaker, whose name escapes me, was friendly, but rather quiet, a bit shy and came across as a pretty rustic man of the soil. Not sure whether that was just my imagination working, but that’s how the wines came across to me as well. They all had pretty friendly fruit, some modicum of quality, which you really should get with such terroir, but were a bit rustic, a bit hard, a bit unexpressive. I suspect most of the wines should improve with time, but all-in-all, a bit unexciting.
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2009 René Cacheux et Fils Aligoté - France, Burgundy
Not bad. Some perfume on the nose, with flowers and white fruit notes paired with some lentils and a bit of chalk. The palate showed some of the richness of the vintage in fleshy apple flavours along with some musk and spice. In spite of that, there was plenty of freshness and a nice clean feel, with a decently-lengthed finish to round it off. Not the most complex of wines, but this was not bad at all. (88 pts.) -
2009 René Cacheux et Fils Vosne-Romanée - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Another decent wine. It had a pretty nose, with gentle spice scents and aromas of blackberries and plums with a bit of confit sweetness. The first thing that hit me on the palate Was lots more spice and really bright acidity, so that it seemed a bit aggressive on attack, but this faded into nice dark cherries and berries on the midpalate. There was a good sense of structure, and a bit of alcohol aside, it finished freshly, with faint notes of meat and leather along with more spicy nuances. A decent village, even if it lacked a bit of depth and finesse. Shoudl get better with time as it integrates and opens up. (88 pts.) -
2006 René Cacheux et Fils Chambolle-Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
While the 2009 Vosne seemed a bit young and grumpy, this was actually a nice little village. Really nice nose here, very aromatic, with melted cherries, stony mineral and violet petals. The palate was very nice aswell. Well balanced with lots of freshness, it hadf bright red cherry fruit and more floral notes, very pretty, but also supported with a rather tight structure and a little streak of stone in the finish. A nice village, very drinkable now, but it would really benefit from a few more years in bottle. (90 pts.) -
2009 René Cacheux et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Pretty nice, but I would really expect a bit more from the terroir. I must say it had a very nice nose. Lots of perfumy notes here, with violets, dark fruited scents of plums and mulberries, sweet, smoky spice, and just a touch of woody oak. The palate was clean, clear, with noticeably fresh acidity and good purity in its juicy dark fruit flavours and a nice length at the finish. The only issue was that the back-palate was slightly over-firm, with just a bit too much woody tannins. Should improve with time, but I suspect it always remain a nice wine, but never quite a great Beaux Monts. (91 pts.) -
2006 René Cacheux et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Disappointing for a Suchots. Not a bad wine, but not very good either. It was decent on the nose, even if it was a bit tight, with pinpricks of spice, dark fruit and a woody, brambly hint. The palate unfortunately was primarily marked by lots of woody tannins. There was lots of fresh acid, some juicy dark fruit, but the wine was not quite together and the woody structure was a bit overwhelming, especially at the attack and the brambly finish. May come around with lots and lots of time, but I am certainly not going to wait around for this wine. (88 pts.) -
2004 René Cacheux et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Not bad, not great, definitely not good enough for a Suchots. The palate showed some 2004 green meanies on the nose with aromas of ginseng, angelica root and other woody, herby smells. It sort of buried the fruit, but there were nice scents of dark plums and cherries lurking behind. The palate was quite Suchots - powerful, meaty, with rich dark fruit laced with lots of acidity and a sense of structure before it finished with another touch of woody herbality. Not bad really, but it somehow came across a bit rustic and rather simple. Might have been better if not for the green streak, but I am not all that thrilled by this wine. (89 pts.)
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