Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
A Vosne-Romanée Night
Tasted November 3, 2014 by LWI with 1,018 views
Flight 1 (1 note)
White - Sparkling
2009 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Blancs La Haute-Lemblé
89 points
Served blind. Young, some autolysis, fresh, slightly bitter/grapefruity finish, a bit flat middle palate, not the longest.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 2 (4 notes)
Red
1993 Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux Vieilles Vignes
90 points
Decent depth to the fruit, intriguing nose, some forest floor and dark berries; in the moth: more dark berries, some tannin in the finish, tight, but lacks complexity. The tertiary aromas get more pronounced after a while and it becomes weaker in the glass.
Red
2006 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Echezeaux
92 points
Mature strawberries, some spice, somewhat restrained, elegant; fresh and structured, flowery. Unsure about the future here. Could become a very elegant wine or astringent/thin.
Red
2008 Domaine Anne Gros Echezeaux Les Loachausses
94 points
Just after being opened it was a bit shy, and then comes a hefty PN smell, dark berries, and minerals, perfumed in a good way. Powerful. A very up front PN with wonderful depth, beginning complexity. WOTN
Red
2008 Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux
91 points
Dark berries, coffee, animal fur – yet subdued. Structured and tannic wine, but a bit short.
Flight 3 (4 notes)
Red
2002 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
87 points
Mature nose, mature strawberries, some spice; dark palate, only moderate intensity. Short and astringent.
Red
2006 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
88 points
Peculiar aniseed/vegetal nose, not unpleasant. Develops somewhat in the glass, but it is merely a thin and astringent wine.
Red
2008 Maison Roche de Bellene Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
92 points
That is, yet another Potel. Some Spearmint on the nose, mature strawberries, good depth to the fruit; It is a fresh and linear wine, long, some power. Very good.
Red
2010 Lucien Le Moine Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
92 points
Open and sexy nose, Asian spice; It is quite different in the mouth: smooth and easy, open fruit profile, fresh. Nose best.
Flight 4 (4 notes)
Red
1969 Fernand Grivelet Romanée St. Vivant
92 points
At first some over-developed aromas of balsamico and wet rotting logs. After just a few minutes these not-too-optimistic nose reside and it becomes an intriguing and complex wine with very mature strawberries. Some VA though; sweet mouth feel, come caramel, slightly spicy, forest floor, long. So, after 20-30 minutes it begins slowly to die in the glass. Rating when it was at its best.
Red
2006 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Romanée St. Vivant
91 points
Lovely spicy nose, but the taste is not that inspiring; some fruit, but too much tannin and acidity.
Red
2008 Jean-Jacques Confuron Romanée St. Vivant
92 points
Bark berries, some complexity, archetypical PN; medium bodied plus, complexity emerging, fine structure. Promising.
Red
2002 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg
flawed
Moderately expressive nose, quite a lot of oak. In the mouth it is rather open, smooth, nice – but nothing more. Off bottle?
Flight 5 (3 notes)
Red
1997 Bouchard Père et Fils La Romanée
91 points
Some complexity on the nose. Smooth and fresh wine, sweet and sour. Fruit is a bit ‘dead’. Lacks complexity in the mouth.
Red
1998 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche
88 points
Very restrained smell, this one is also sweet-and-sour, similar deadish fruit. A middle of the road wine. Several around the table had this before in 98, and it lived up to their low expectations.
Red
2004 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée
90 points
Served blind. A was not in doubt of the producer when smelling this. Complex dark fruit with a clear natural wine image. Intriguing, but on its way down, I guess. This year, a blend of all the Madam’s wines.
Flight 6 (4 notes)
Red
2006 Bergström Pinot Noir Bergström Vineyard
89 points
Served blind. Open, smooth, uncomplicated, hint of sweetness. Oversea PN.
Red
2010 Weingut Keller Bürgel Spätburgunder
88 points
Served blind. Decent wine, albeit a bit foursquare and clumsy.
Red
2011 Kistler Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
90 points
Served blind. Spearmint and eucalyptus, some sweetness, very good PN. At least god California right.
Red
2008 Benjamin Leroux Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Thorey
90 points
Served blind. Structured and very good, a bit short.
Flight 7 (4 notes)
Red
2008 Domaine Daniel Rion et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
91 points
Typical PN nose, although some animal fur. A bit weak in the middle palate, fresh and structured. Promising.
Red
1996 Bouchard Père et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots
86 points
A bit unclean nose, sweet and sour, caramel, tart, not very pleasant. Not sure whether it was spoiled or simply that it isn’t any better. Worst wine of the night.
Red
2011 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Rouges
91 points
Charming and open nose, a bit weak fruit, rustic, decent length.
Red
2009 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru En Orveaux
92 points
Deep fruit, sexy, irresistible; sappy in the mouth, very pleasant. A wine for the heart, not the intellect – but so what?
Flight 8 (4 notes)
Red
1999 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
93 points
Dark. Violent and tight fruit, roasted nuts, raw meat; structured and wonderful wine, not very generous, high concentration – but not in an overdone way.
Red
2006 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
91 points
Cool and perfumed, spicy, intriguing. And easy going and charming.
Red
2007 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
91 points
A hairy (as in animal fur) wine, smooth, quite uncomplicated.
Red
2007 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts
91 points
Well. Lacks concentration (like me at this point), easy and smooth.
Flight 9 (4 notes)
Red
2008 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts Vieilles Vignes
91 points
Oaky, thin middle palate, but otherwise a very fine wine.
Red
2010 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts
92 points
Open and hedonistic, lacks complexity at this stage of development.
White - Off-dry
1971 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Kronenberg Riesling Auslese
flawed
Bought at the winery. Most guessed spätlese. Very little sweetness left, lack complexity and concentration. Very disappointing.
Closing
Overall I was a bit underwhelmed. Surprising that Echezeaux was the flight of the night. The presumed best wines did not deliver what was expected of them, also considering their price tag. Note to self: Although it is late, stock up with 2010, and it is no shame drinking them right from the shelf.