Sips and Samples #5 – New Year 2011

Celebrating the New Year is associated with good friends, nice food and a lot of good wines. This year was no exception, as quite many good bottles was on the table.

We always taste the some of the wines while preparing the food. Some of the wines are tasted at the table …. thus making detailed comments impossible.

First wine of the evening was Belle Epogue 1990. Must say it’s getting better and better, and is now close to it’s peak. Mature notes, but still fresh. Very focused and refined, a very lovely Champagne Very Fine.

White wines

Next up three white wines all tasted before th dinner. First up was Domaine Ramonet Chassagne Montrachet Vergers 2009. While it’s a very good effort for the vintage, it’s still a quite heavy and dense wine, lacking some vibrant freshness. Tropical fruits in the nose, a fine minerality. On the palate quite dense tropical fruits, good minerality but lacking acidity. Conclusion, not even Ramonet can bring freshness to a white 2009. Very Good.

Raveneau Valmur 1991 is a fully mature wine now. Typical Raveneau nose with slightly oxidized apple notes, minerality (chalk). On he palate mature notes, good focus and length. Very good acidity and balance – but not a crowd pleaser. Raveneau is not really my style, while impressive they lack some complexity compared to the best producers in Burgundy. Still this was a Fine wine.

Last white wine was Chevalier Montrachet 1993 from Domaine Lefaive. The Chevalier 1993 still need time to be fully matured. Fine mature notes in the nose, fresh and refined. On the palate still it still need some air and time to unfold. Not quite at the same level as the magnificent 1995, and also lacking the extraordinary focus of the 1996 Leflaive wines. This is however an oustanding wine only surpassed by the very best wines. Very Fine or Outstanding

Bring on the Reds

The first Georges Roumier Clos de la Bussieres 1999 is still quite young. Some mature notes in the nose – truffle and forrest. Red and dark fruits in both bouquet and on he palate, typical 1999 with a lot of power. 10 years from maturity … but drinking well. Fine.

The next wine was Domaine Leroy Vosne Romanee 2004. Organic style, very fruity and decadent. Really drinks well, with a lot of finesse and Vosne minerality and spicyness. Is perhaps lacking the ultimate sparkle in the fruit and is slightly unfocused. Very Fine.

Next wine was Pacalet Charmes Chambertin 2004. The same style as the Leroy wine, more focused but lacking some of the decadent lush fruit of the Leroy wine. More or less at the same level as the Leroy wine, really love the wines from Pacalet – cheers! Very Fine.

Ponsot Clos de la Roche 2002 is still very young, and sadly rather closed. Ponsot needs time, and this in really needs at least 15 to 20 years to show the full potential. At the moment it’s manly showing concentration, dark fruits and a fine promise. Very Fine to Outstanding.

The last red was Jayer Gilles Echezeaux 1996. Another young and big wine. In the nose rubber and gun powder from the roasted oak, but also some mature fruit notes. On the palate a big wine with loads of concentrated fruit on a strong acidity frame. Good balance and length, but needs more time. A big wine Very Fine.

Wines tasted 31/12/2011

• Perrier Jouet, Belle Epogue 1990
• Ramonet, Chassage Montrachet Vergers 2009
• Domaine Leflaive, Chevalier Montrachet 1993
• Raveneau, Valmur 1991
• Georges Roumier, Clos de la Bussieres 1999
• Leroy, Vosne Romanee 2004
• Pacalet, Harmes Chambertin 2004
• Ponsot, Clos de la Roche 2002
• Jayer Gilles, Echezeaux 1996