Odds and ends around Christmas and New Year

I tasted quite a few interesting wines at social gatherings while celebrating Christmas and New Year.

Lafon galore .. the good, the ugly

Starting out with the whites I tasted three wines from Comte Lafon two 2004s – Les Perrieres and Les Charmes, and one sadly premoxed example of the 2001 Meursault Perrieres.

The 2004 Meursault Charmes was showing beautifully … fresh and vibrant yet still matured notes … at it’s peak perhaps … but think I would keep it 5 years longer – very fine. The Meursault Les Perrieres 2004 even fresher with less developed notes … more focused and offering a more detailed complexity … a gorgeous Meursault – very fine+.

The 2001 Meursault Les Perrieres was sadly quite premoxed … drinkable perhaps … but offering little pleasure with it’s oxidized and rather dead fruit … lacking energy and freshness.

A 2005 white … Leflaive

The 2005 vintage from Domaine Leflaive has always been debatable. They started out with loads of fruit .. even opulence … then showed poorly on many occations … but now they seem to shape up beautifully. The Puligny-Montrachet village 2005 is now showing fine focus .. still youthful … offering the classic Leflaive style. Need at least 5 years more to unfold … a fine village.

Allez le rouges – a mixed lot

The reds were also a mixed bunch offering Emmanuel Rouget 2003 Les Beaux Monts. Let me just say this is not the finest vintage for Rouget, as it’s somewhat unfocused and the ripeness is in my view a bit over the top. Not a bad wine though .. very good.

Better still the 1996 Echezeaux from Jayer-Gilles. The oak well integrated now – offering both tremendous weight and length. It’s still quite early in it’s develoment and perhaps not the most refined Echezeaux in the history … nevertheless a mighty Echezeaux in the making – Very Fine+.

Moving on Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanee Aux Reignots 2009. Quite backward showing only litte of it’s potential … the 09s from this estate is best kept in the celler for the moment. It offers a quite weighty midpalate fruit focused and well supported by the energetic minerality of the Reignots terroir – most of the Vosne spices and complexity remains hidden for now – outstanding.

The Domaine Roumier Aux Cras 2002 was showing beautifully offering fine airy and somewhat matured fruit – surprisingly open and enjoyable. A gorgeous glass now .. but 10 years away from maturity – fine+ or even very fine.

Lastly Serafin Charmes Chambertin 1993 … matured but not fully mature offering fine complexity. This was a very good period for Serafin and this is a very fine effort indeed – not quite matching the faboulous 1995.

Bonnes Mares battle 2004

At New Year we had a nice battle including two Bonnes Mares 2004s. The Dujac Bonnes Mares 2004 showed most of the less charming side of the 04 vintage … i.e. the green and slightly vegetal notes. Need time .. and who knows .. perhaps it will shed most of the green notes – as other 2004s have done so far. A bit disappointing at the moment … merely fine’ish.

The Domaine Arlaud 2004 Bonnes Mares was showing very well indeed – offering fresh, vibrant organic red fruit. Loved the energy and vibrancy .. a very fine 2004 .. a very enjoyable wine. Will keep but why wait .. impressed and delighted.