Lelong Lunch

Pine Close
Tasted Monday, October 6, 2014 by Paul S with 150 views

Introduction

W+G and M+M were expecting the arrival of little bundles of joy, and we opened our house for a BYO wine and tapas lunch were they could pick up Nat's hand-me-downs for their little ones. We had a couple of nice 1er Crus.

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 1997 Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds 92 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

    Montille did well in 1997 – this bottle was one of several good Volnay 1er Crus that we have had from the vintage over the past few years. Its nose showed rich aromas of plums and blackberries, with dusty earth and a savoury meatiness, then wafts of dark floral notes and brush herbs curling around the back of the bouquet. Very pleasant. The palate had a pleasing richnes for 1997 1er Cru, with ripe plum and blackberry fruit notes playing against a meaty backdrop. Well balanced and nicely structured, it was drinking nicely on the night. At the finish, the backpalate was dusted with a bit of earth and herb and something vaguely floral that reminded me of violets. A solid, if unspectacular bottle. This was enjoyable.

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  • 1999 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

    Pretty good, this was quite the classic NSG – masculine, minerally, but still needing a lot more time in the bottle. The nose showed pleasant notes of dried red fruit with a blush of dried flowers alongside a herby, brambly whole-cluster character that was very Faiveley. The palate had a good sense of depth and a nice balance to it, but still came across very tight, with tart cherry fruit and orange citrus shades wrapped around a core of serious minerality. There was some power here, but the lovely balance actually gave the wine a sense of elegance. The finish then ended with a slight drying bite of powdery tannins along with a drift of woody herbs. Good, but way too young. This is clearly built for the long term and needs easily 8-10 years more.

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