I have been away from Burgundy for a couple of weeks and it is nice to be back.
From one of my favorite vineyards in the Cotes de Beaune.
'07 Lafarge Pommard Pezerolles-
I really like the roses in the high toned, floral and intricate aromatics. This is extremely pure and light bodied but complex with vibrant acidity. The fruit offers some delicate strawberry but this is still quite serious with lovely metal-mineral detail. The soft light bodied nature of the fruit makes this more accessible than one might expect from Lafarge at this age. This is not a wine that I will cellar for 20 years but it should drink quite well in the interim.
Decanted one hour.
'96 Lafarge Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs-
Gorgeous, maturing nose with cherry laced rusty nail earthy complexity. The fruit here is middleweight and still steely. The extra acidity keeps this a bit tight but with air it is quite enjoyable. I love the the way the intense mineral/earth/metal complexity makes this so elegant and weightless. Excellent and especially good with food but needs more time.
Thanks for the notes. I’ve loved the Lafarges I’ve had, but haven’t tried anything recent.
Love Lafarge’s wines, never tried a Pommard though, (the metal might be an issue for me.) Thanks for the notes!
Ed,
The “metal” may well be a part of my metaphoric cognition rather than something more literal. These elements cause many people to describe a wine as “finessed” and are meant to be positive.
Hi Kevin,
Your note on the '07 Pezerolles sounds more in line with my experience with this vintage in general- suave middleweights for mid-term consumption. I am planning a follow-up article on the vintage for a coming issue based on the indifferent showings you had posted on of other 2007s recently, and my notes so far have been much more along the lines of the Pezerolles than some of the hollow bottles that you had in the states. Glad to hear that you caught a good example of the vintage from the Lafarges. Enjoy your time in Burgundy- looks like you are off to a not too shabby start;-)
Best Regards,
John
John,
This '07 (opened in CA) was much more similar to '07s that I tasted in Burgundy last year. I hope other recent showings (thin and dilute '07s) were just due to some sort of travel shock. Time will tell. 2007 does seem to be a very delicate (if attractive) vintage in any case.
Nice to hear about the '96. Chambers Street has a bunch of this at a good price, for anyone interested.
I think checking in on the '96s might be a fun project for me this year.