Harmand Geoffroy tasting

Tasted through a flight of wines from this Domaine. I find the style a bit hard to pin down. I thought modern at first - sweet, almost sickly fruit in some cases, toasty oak and lots of extract. Yet William thought it was very traditional, and I can see why too - firm, almost clumsy in structure, firm tannins, rooty and briary herbs. All in all, I found the wines to lack polish and, in some cases, very backward and rustic. Open question as to how well they will develop. I would like to try a much older bottle one day. At the moment, jury is still out, but I must say that I really did not enjoy the wines on the night, and they did not get much better on the second taste either.

• 2006 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Gevrey-Chambertin 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Did not enjoy this. Nose was a strange mixture of funky rubber and briar and sweet cherry-flavoured medicine notes. High acid on the palate, so much so that it came across a little tart sour rather than fresh. Again, more briar and cherries, and plenty of darkly fruited character from the obvious extract. Finished woody and spicy with some bittersweet mineral. Not my cup of tea, nor my idea of a good Burg.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Some obvious oak on the nose, with toasty winter melon tones, wed to dark fruits and a wild briary oak. A lot less sticky and disjointed than the 2006 village I had before this, which was a relief. A bit hard and unyielding on the palate though. Lots of extract, heavyily textured, with firm tannins and lots of root and bramble tones weaving in and out of sappy red cherries. Plenty of stuffing, but it seemed rather hard and un-polished. Finish was longish, with spice, pepper and more teeth-coating tannins. Not very enjoyable at this point.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Gevrey-Chambertin en Jouise 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  As hard an unyiedling as the 2005 Clos Prieur. Nose opened with the same oaky, toasty winter melon notes, with a sweet red fruit seam that came across almost cherry-cola or cream-soda-ish, and then perfumey floral whiffs along with woody tones. Again, extracted on the palate, with just the slightest hint of alcohol, Pretty well balanced though. This seems to have shut down for the long-haul, just showing some red-fruited cherries and brairy notes, especially moving into the rooty, spicy finish. A middling wine and not to my taste.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Another so-so wine, although I felt that this was the best of the 4 Gevrey village expression on show. Nose opened with a mixture of oak and funk, and a mixture of earthy savoury notes with sweetish red fruits and perfumed flowers. Very one-note and monolithic on the palate, with primary red fruits in the form of clean cherry flavours running through the mouth, along with rooty briar notes and bittersweet bramble, almost shading bitter herb notes at the finish. As with the other villages, a little rustic and heavy-handed on the extraction.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru La Bossiere 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Shares a clear family resemblance with the village wines, with the nose opening with the same mixture between funk, oak and sweet raspberries. Palate was the first that showed a distinct Gevrey meatiness to it, along with juicy acidity. Once again though, there was a sense of rather heavy-handed extraction and some of that bitter herbs moving through what was otherwise some good fruit with quite a bit of power in it. Finish was longish, again with bitter herbs and firm tannins expressing themselves. Clearly the most open of the 2005s, but not very enjoyable at this stage.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Strange wine this - stood out like a sore-thumb from the rest of the field. Different approach to winemaking? Where the others had a touch of rusticity running through them, this was all sweet and smiley. Malt sugar, caramel and toffee notes ran through spicy red fruit notes on the nose. Palate attacked with sweet cherry syrup, almost mdeicinal, and raspberry cream tones. Pretty aromatic, but very unusual. Quite a bit of teeth-coating tannins still, along with herbs notes moving into a short spicy finish. Did not like this one very much either.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2002 Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy Mazis-Chambertin 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Best of the lot, but it should be given that it is a Mazis. Still, not mind-blowing, nor as good as what I would expect from a good Grand Cru plot. Totally agree with the previous taster of the slightly deviant aromas - like whiffs of sewer funk laced into an otherwise decent nose of sweet red fruit, earth, mushroom and the same toasted winter melong oak flavours that ran across all the bottlings. The palate was clearly one step up from the village and 1er Cru wines, with vine quality coming through in its sweet red fruit, with deep flavours of cranberries, crushed cherries. There was some meaty structure behind all that and a touch of mineral. I was not exactly thrilled by the wine. It seemed a little simple, acid seemed a little lowish for a 2002 and it all came across as rather unpolished, almost rustic. Finish, in keeping woth the rest of the wine, was sweet amd thick, with am almost liquerish tones to its cherry flavours, before closing rather shortly with some herbal medicine notes. Not sure how much this will improve in the bottle. Right now, a strange wine with obvious quality in its fruit, but not that much to enjoy.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue