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Vosne 1er Cru Dinner
Nikki's
Tasted May 9, 2016 by Paul S with 544 views
Introduction
We had a wonderful evening, anchored by Nikki’s superb roast.
The theme was Vosne 1er Crus, but somehow everyone conspired to bring mostly wines from either Malconsorts or its neighbouring vineyard, Gaudichots, with just a couple of outliers. While the Gaudichots sample size was really rather too small to form conclusions about the vineyard, this was a rare chance to taste a whole lot of Malconsorts in one sitting and to try to understand the terroir a bit more.
A lot has been written about the Malconsorts vineyard, its history, its geology and a its choice position just across the border from NSG and separated from La Tache by Gaudichots. What I was most interested in tonight though was the character of the wine in the glass, and how the terroir has shaped it. At its very best (and we had quite a few lovely expressions on the night), I found that the wines were elegant and vibrant, with a spicy, floral character and deep, pure fruit sharing some of the richness and velvety texture of La Tache, along with a sinewy strength in structure that hinted towards its Nuits St Georges neighbours. In many cases, there was Grand Cru-like depth and power to the wines. A great 1er Cru vineyard then, well-deserving to be spoken of, in my humble opinion, in the same breath as Clos St Jacques and Les Amoureuses as amongst the very best in Burgundy.
For those interested, we knew what the line-up of wines was, but on the night the wines were arranged into blind flights by MS.
Flight 1 - BUBBLES TO START (1 note)
White - Sparkling
2000 Dom Pérignon Champagne
93 points
I have had quite a few bottles of this over the years, and this was probably the best. The 2000 has really developed from a solid but unspectacular DP to become a really nice drop in recent years. The nose had a nice character to it, with creamy aromas along with apple, strawberries and a little spice. Very attractive. What really struck me about this bottle was how fresh and youthful it felt on the palate though - there was a still a refined mousse with a tiny bead, and a lovely brightness to its maturing flavours of strawberries, yellow pear and a little touch of honey. Really fresh I thought. The overt power of the vintage in its youth has dropped off, leaving behind a much more refined, integrated and very delicious mouthful of wine. It got a bit clunkier when left in the glass and warmed up - this is a wine that should be drunk about now and at an appropriately chilled temperature.
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Flight 2 - SOFTER VINTAGES (2 notes)
Red
2007 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
94 points
An absolute revelation - this was about as beautiful and preocious a young red 1er Cru as I can remember ever having. Wow. There were just fireworks on the nose - sweet flowers first, then wram, earthy spices; after that, a tiny remnant of vanilla and cream from the new oak; then a touch of earth, twist of dried herb, and wafts of sweet dark cherries. A glorious bouquet. The palate was wonderfully fresh and open, with a surprisingly soft and silky mouthfeel, almost caressing the palate with a glowingly pure robe of cherries and sweet red berries. There was some of the power of the terroir on show here, but it was all wonderfully effortless, with weightless, transparency to it all. Great back-palate too - powering into an effortlessly long finish with a slight bittersweet twist of herbs, cardammon, cloves, all riding on a gentle chew of the finest tannins. Wow. A truly top class Malconsorts, this married power with delicate finesse. It has the bones to age really very nicely, but given how ridiculously well it is drinking, I would happily down all of this right now. On a night filled with wines from more heralded vintages, this bottle stole my heart.
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Red
2004 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
93 points
A really good wine in its own right, but the slightly green and volatile edge this wine rather put it in the shadow of the wonderful 2007 Malconsorts. The nose had the usual Cathiard expressiveness, showing in deep draws of sweet red cherries and floral aromas, but this was fringed with a little hint of volatile acidity along with something vegetal right at the edges of the bouquet. Thankfully, the palate seemed a lot clearer of the 2004 green than the nose - it was really strong and fresh, with pure, juicy flavours of cherries and red berries woven thogether with a deep seam of spice. A very solid 2004 I thought, with velvety tannins and fresh acidity still giving it a really nice shape. Like the 2007, the finish was juicy and delicious, with fruit was being kissed with bittersweet hints of herb and cardammon spice. Very good indeed for its vintage and drinking well now, this also has the bones to continue aging and improving over the next few years.
Flight 3 - A PAIR OF 2006s (2 notes)
Red
2006 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
94 points
Superb. This still has many, many years ahead of it, but it has sure developed nicely since the last bottle I tried some 5 years ago. It had a very Dujac nose, with complex whole-cluster aromas of stems and spices alongside deep aromas dark cherries and berries and a little meatiness running along behind. The palate rich, deep, almost viscous in texture, with plenty of Grand Cru-like weight and intensity, but it was also very fresh and bright for a 2006, bearing an effortless strength and an almost a cool reserve to deep reservoir of cherry and berry flavours. It had a powerful, finish too, with fine boned tannins lending great shape begind notes of herb and spice and a bit of coffee-grounds. Still a juvenile, but this was a serious, noble expression of Malconsorts, with the structure and fruit to age for just about forever. I get a feel that it is just about starting to fall asleep - this is one to perhaps lock up in the cellar and forget about for the next 8-10 years.
Red
2006 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
94 points
Another lovely wine - this started out a bit slow, showing rather less generously than either the 2004 or 2007 Cathiard Malconsort on the earlier flight, and less impressively than the 2006 Dujac on the same flight. With time and space though, this really opened up beautifully and slowly but surely crept up on the other wines. It had a lovely nose, rather deeper, slightly muted when compared to the fireworkds of the2004 and 2007, but there were lovely drifts of spice and earth and meat and dried flowers, with more perfumy notes coming out as the wine sat in the glass - all sweet cherries and berries and florals. Really nice. The palate felt rather too young and slightly grumpy at first, with subtle notes of sweet cherries and flowers, a little spice and a bit of meat, with long limbed, gaceful finish. All very pure and well integrated, marrying the power and grace of the vineyard - but all rather slightly shut down, like a sulky juvenile. With time though, this really started to open up beautifully, with the pure fruit notes showing more and more on the midpalate- pure, powerful, sweet, juicy - a real turnaround it just hald-an-hour. By the end of the night, I thought this was a sensational drink. On current evidence, I would leave this aside for another 10 years, just like the 2006 Dujac. What a delight both wines will be then though - it will be a real treat to drink both of them side-by-side again when their time comes. 93+
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Flight 4 - THE BIG VINTAGES WITH ROAST BEEF (5 notes)
Red
2002 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Gaudichots
93 points
A really solid wine, without ever being quite as compelling as the many lovely examples of Malconsorts that we had on the night. The nose smelt a lot more developed than the other wines on show, with rich dark fruited aromas of plums and black cherries playing against a savoury backdrop of meat, umami soy sauce and sour plums, with even a touch of crushed beetle scents in there somewhere. A bit of an unusual nose, and certainly very advanced for a 2002. I thought the palate was a lot better than the nose would suggest. Bigger, chewier, more powerful than the wines that preceded it, this showed full, mouthfilling flavours of dark cherries and berries, with spice and orange peel coming out with time, all this held together with a nice touch of chewy tannins and integrated acidity. A lovely mouthful actually, a touch simpler than one would expect from the terroir, but very good to drink. This has the structure and freshness to last for quite some time yet, but I am not sure how much room it has to improve from here.
Red
2005 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
94 points
A wonderful wine, delicious on the night, but this was as much about potential as it was about immediate pleasure. It started out with a wonderful nose of herbs and spices, earth and meat, with dark cherries littered with a floral perfume of violet petals. The palate was lovely, juicy, and fresh, with a powerful core of dark cherries wed to a wonderful transperancy of expression, all this undergirded by a sinewy, muscular sense of structure that carried the wine into a breathtakingly long finish full fo fragrant spice. This really showed of all the best qualities of the 2005 vintage, marrying a solid sense of depth and power to juicy aciidty and noble structure, with tons of full, pure, transparent fruit held in reserve. Wow - if ever there was a complete 1er Cru, this would be it. Drinking pleasurably now given all its qualities, but this is really a wine for the decades.
Red
2005 Domaine de Montille Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts
93 points
Another solid 2005 Malconsorts - a couple of steps behind the stunning Cathiard maybe, but a very good wine in its own right. It had a lovely, perfumed nose, with dark fruit and flowers along with nice inflections of spice at the sides. The palate was where the wine really showed its chops though. This was Grand Cru standard - very complete, full and beautifully integrated, with a fine-boned tannin structure and fresh, open acidity framing a real reservoir of dark juicy fruit and dried orange peel, with a long lick of spice on the mouthcoating finish. Just a hint of ripe, powdery tannin grip right at the end reminded one of the tremendous structural properties of the vintage. A gorgeously delicious wine, even though it clearly needs another 5-10 years before truly hitting its stride.
Red
2005 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Gaudichots
93 points
The most impressive of the four bottles of Gaudichots we had on the night - this was a good wine with plenty of time left ahead of it. There was a lovely richness to the nose, with deep scents of blueberry jelly and black cherries tinged with a nice spiciness. The palate had that nice marriage of fresh acidity with mouthfilling power that the top 2005 Burgundies all display, with full flavours of blueberries, sweet dark cherries and a spike of orange tangerine citrus, all sprinkled with a nice Vosne spice and backed by a saoury meatiness. Very nice. The finish was especially impressive, powering through the back-palate in a long pull of svaoury sour plums alongside fine, chewy tannins. Of the few Gaudichots that we had on the night, this was perhaps the closest to La Tache in character, with its richness of expression and aromatic generosity, if perhaps lacking some of the effortless finesse and refinement of the nighbouring vineyard. It was already drinking fairly well after some time in an opened bottle, but given its structure and fruit, I would say another 5-6 years would do it plenty of good.
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Red
2005 Domaine de Montille Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts Christiane
flawed
Very sadly corked - I had never tried this cuvee before, and was very much looking forward to a taste. There was plenty of TCA cardboard on both nose and palate, which was a real pity given how the wine seemed otherwise layered with sweet, rich, powerful tones on the attack, still showing pure cherries laced with coffee spice. Unfortunately, all the voluptuousness was scalped on the midpalate and and beyond, leaving behind that dreaded wet cardboard twang on the finish.
Flight 5 - A TRIO FROM 1999 (3 notes)
Red
1999 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Gaudichots
92 points
Good but imperfect - this felt a touch rustic compared to most of the other wines on show tonight. It had a lovely nose I must say, with a touch of funky cheese and mushroom notes underlying rich, almost liquered scents of dark berries and black cherries. The palate came across as very fresh and lively, with plenty of power in its juicy black cherry and sour plum notes laced with tangy orange peel. At the finish though, the wine clammed up a bit and felt a touch clumsier, with a layer of rather drying tannins taking the fore. This needs quite a bit of time yet, but while it will make a decently good drink a few years down the road, I am not sure it will ever quite match either the 2002 or 2005 Potel Gaudichots that we had alongside on the night.
Red
1999 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts
94 points
A real joy to drink - this was a brilliant Beaux Monts chez Leroy. It had a beautiful nose, classic Leroy, with rich wafts of berries and plums laced with complex full-culster nuances of herbs, stems and spices. The palate was lovely too - rich, pure and powerful, with sweet cherries and blueberries and orange peel flavours filling the mouth along with more herb and spice notes, all this held in the grip of fresh, lively acidity and the fine, sweet tannins. It was really that blend of sweet, voluptuous richness in the fruit with transperant purity that made this wine special. Great finish too - full, fruity and pure, and chocked full of flavour in the back-palate. A beautiful wine that is giving plenty of pleasure now, but still with the chops to age marvellously over the next decade and beyond. Bravo.
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Red
1999 Forey Père et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Gaudichots
90 points
Now this was a bit of a rarity that really piqued my interest. Disappointingly though, it turned out to be by far the poorest wine of the night - a decent enough drink, but nowhere near the class of the other Vosne 1er Crus in the line-up. The nose was unusual - a sweet melange of cherry-flavoured cough medicine aromas with some flowers and a whiff of almonds I thought. The palate felt really tight and hard, maybe even a tad hollow in the way its otherwise pure notes of dark cherries and berries unfolded on the midpalate. Finish was shortish too, with a little spicy linger at the end. A decently balanced and well-structured wine, but not giving much pleasure at the moment. While I think it will improve somewhat over the next few years, I am not sure it will ever get all that much better.
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Flight 6 - WHITE WITH CHEESE (1 note)
White
2011 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de l'Arlot Blanc
90 points
An interesting NSG white from de L'Arlot's monopole. The nose was very minerally, lots of chalk and slate aromas underlying some white fruited scents. I thought it was nicely balanced and proportioned on the palate, still quite primary and one-dimensional, but with pleasant notes of sweet, white fruit laced with fresh lemony notes, and then just that little trace of mineral at the end. Nothing outstanding, but this was a very decent white Burg coming from unusual terroir.