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Tom based on your note and the fact that I have a fair amount of 2004 Grivot Echézeaux thanks to a local sale, I pulled a bottle this morning while I was at my wine locker. Opened about a half an hour ago, it does show quite a bit of red, perhaps even a touch of orange. This is shocking in terms of recent vintages, but not at all in comparison to other low extraction vintages, e.g., 1987, 1992, 1994 at a similar stage, and the good wines from those vintages lasted well and gave plenty of pleasure. I’m not sensitive to the green meanies in the sense that they don’t turn me off, but I think I now can identify what others are objecting to, and I do not find it here. There seems to be a lovely perfume that wants to emerge. In the mouth, the wine is light, elegant, and pure, but very open. I think there is very good material here for 8-10 years down the line. I’ll check back at dinner. Normally, I wouldn’t think of opening a Grivot this young, but you piqued my interest.
Retasting before dinner because we have guests coming to whom this will not be served. The wine is relatively shut down, but the elements are there: sensuality on the palate, earthy red fruit. In 8-10 years, this should be a very good wine, although not at the level of 2005, 2002, 2001. No premature advancement evident.
Instinct tells me that there’s going to be a lot of pleasure from 04, not the vintage of this decade most laden with gifts but the relatively many minor ones I’ve opened recently have pleased with their strong sense of terroir, purity and focused acidity. I think on the whole the ‘green’ thing is both a red herring and not unique to the vintage. I shall enjoy hoovering them up as they are disposed of.
Tasting an 04 Roty Gevrey villages against Chateau Margaux 99 the other night reminded me of why I love burgundy so. The Margaux was astonishingly vulgar and simple minded, the Roty just so-and not even slightly overdone.