We took on risk in the last few months with some white burgundy purchases at auction, and recently decided to test a few with fingers crossed. We pulled out a 2000 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers and a 2002 Roulot Meursault Les Vireuils. Both were from original cases and very good collections. We were reasonably confident that the Roulot would be sound, but less so on the Ramonet, though 2000 is not one of the very worst years there for premox. To our great delight, both were not only sound, but absolutely beautiful.
The Ramonet wafted out of the glass with classic minty-flinty characteristics and just kept unfolding with air, displaying excellent balance and persistence. A real “little 1er cru engine that could” with good complexity, extending from a solid core of fruit and minerals. With time, more lime zest and spiciness came out on the nose and the palate broadened, but never showed any signs of decline over the two hours or so we spent with it. There were no holes in this wine at all - attack, mid-palate, finish…all nicely fleshed out. Not a blockbuster, or a knock-your-socks-off wine, but certainly one you could drink many times without fatigue or complaint. We brought a lot of wine to the restaurant that night, and ended up leaving some of all the bottles for our friends on staff to drink after closing, and they reported back that this was still totally intact when they drank it much later in the evening. Bodes well for the rest of our case.
The Roulot was more restrained at first, with a touch of oak in evidence, more than adequately balanced by fruit and acidity, and none of the matchstick thing I often get from Roulot (and Coche and Leflaive). I don’t have an issue with the oak treatment at Roulot – I think the wines are balanced, and the oak integrates nicely with time. There was great mouth-feel here, lively and creamy at the same time, though the creaminess edged into a little plump for me when it warmed up too much. A few seconds more of chilling brought it back down to a great balancing point of both open and taught. Limes, green tea, even a little buttered toast on the palate. No one will confuse it for one of their top bottlings, but it was a delightful bottle which worked nicely with several of our dishes.
There is still sound white burgundy out there, despite too many terrible tragedies.