TN: Gevrey Chambertin (7), Fevre and Yquem

Last night my tasting group met, the theme was Gevrey Chambertin. The wines were served blind over the course of 2½ hours. Breads and cheeses were also available. This was one of the better tastings as all the wines showed well. They were all open and worth drinking at this point. Certainly a highlight of this group is the social discussion. I particularly admired one member opening up about his fears that certain political policies could endanger our economy. He related that he came to this epiphany while noticing the high price of gas while filling up his Porsche.

Our host Jeff K. started us off with two whites. He wanted to see how well this producers wines were ageing. The results were interesting but I am not sure what it means.

2002 Fevre Chablis Vaudesir Grand Cru
Deep gold in color. The nose has minerals, smoke, slightly oxidized and some apples. Full bodied. On the palate, I get mostly lemons and smoke. This improved with air. It has a long finish. I would have guessed a very complex wine from 96 or earlier. Shocked to find out it was an 02 but I still liked it. This was imported thru regular channels. 50+3+12+18+8=91

2002 Fevre Chablis Bougros Grand Cru
Pale light gold in color. The nose shows some smoke and lemons. Slightly sweet. A bitter lemon peel note which is nice. This wine is quite primary. I thought it to be an 05 or younger. It was a grey market wine. The group seemed to have a slight preference here. By the end of the night it had evolved some but I still found the Vaudesir to be more complex. 50+4+12+17+7=90

The Reds:
2003 Dennis Mortet Gevrey Chambertin Les Champaux
Ruby/purple in color. The nose has cherries, menthol, dark cherries and oak. Very rip. Full bodied with some tannins. Cherries on the palate. Lots of depth ehre but still young. Nice. The crowds #2. 50+4+13+18+7=92

1997 Faively Latrices Chambertin
Purple/ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is floral with cherries. Slightly earthy and certainly into maturity. On the palate, cherries and sour cherries. Slight heat on the finish. 50+4+12+18+7=91

2006 Jadot Gevrey Chambertin Estournelles Saint Jacques
This was my red WOTN but the crowds least favorite wine. I was not surprised. Light ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is delightful. Perfumed with complex cherries and cherry blossoms. Slightly earthy. The palate has a purity of cherries that is feminine and delicate. A long finish. This would be a great wine with dinner. 50+4+13+18+8=93

2006 Fourrier Gevrey Chambertin Combe Aux Moines
Ruby/Garnet in color, clear and bright. The nose has sweet cherries, anise, depth with a slight perfumed note. On the palate, cherries, floral notes. Complex. Nice finish. This seems like it will age well. It was the crowds WOTN. 50+5+13+18+7=93

2002 Raphet Gevrey Chambertin Laveaux St. Jacques
Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose is powdered cherry drink and cherries. On the palate, this is juicy and smooth and a bit jammy. Cherries, but finishes short. Perhaps the most shut down of the night, but still a very enjoyable wine. The group liked it better than I. 50+4+12+17+7=90

1996 Geantet Pansiot Charmes Chambertin
Ruby in color, darker at the rim, mostly clear and bright. The nose has black licorice, oranges and cherries. Nice texture. On the palate, this has a lot of acidity. Cherries and cherry juice. Some citrus notes. Turns cough syrup on the end. Long finish. Still drinks young. 50+4+12+18+7=91

2002 Roty Gevrey Chambertin Cuvee Champs Cheny
Garnet in color with a slight dark brown hue. Thin. On the palate, this is minty with cherries. Very soft on the palate. Cherries and cherry sweet tart. A bit out of whack with too much acidity and alcohol. This is, however, a very nice wine in the scheme of things. 50+3+12+17+7=89

Our host Jeff then dipped into his cellar and hoped for the best. He need not have worried.

1970 Chateau d’Yquem Sauternes
Deep amber in color, clear and bright. The nose is peach cobbler and tea leaves. Very clean and nice. On the palate, this has just a hint of sweetness. Great acidity. Oranges with some coffee notes. Smooth. Long finish. This was a real pleasure to drink. 50+4+13+19+10=96

Some general conclusions. The 2006’s are very good and as the price drops on them, they are worth buying. The 2002’s are probably not in a great spot (but certainly better than 2005) right now. Gevrey is a lovely place to buy wine and provides good value. Y’quem is amazing. And finally, I feel pretty certain had Marie Antoinette owned a Porsche, she would be groaning about the high cost of gasoline to fill it.

Loren, thanks for posting this. Great notes as always and very informative.

Loren,

Nice to see the 96 Geantet Pansiot showing well. This wine showed nicely young and it just seems to keep going.

Interesting mixing younger and older wines. Good to see the 2006 wines performed.

Al Fenster