Wow. My first Gaunoux. A real throwback in the best sense of the word. 2 hrs air. When first poured in the glass, a lot of weird brett -like scents (manure, sweaty shoes, grease ) overshadowed the fruit. Also a lot of really disjointed burnt hay and green stalks. Weird to the point of wondering if this was flawed, or just a peculiar rustic vinification. 15 minutes more in the glass and it all sorted out. A beautiful convergence of cherry, stewed prunes, burnt peat, grilled meat, roasted cashews, allspice, you name it. Next glass poured; same phenomenon: weirdly earthy and just plain messed up at first, then with 10-15 minutes later in the glass it was just singing. I actually have a note at the end that says “smells like marshmallow roasted at a campfire.” Taste is a compelling mix of dark berry and raw black truffle. Just awesome. Not for all palates; this is total old school. Despite its age and the relative indistinctness of the vintage, this wine is indestructible. You could serve this 2 decades from now with no fear. Score: 94-95. Relative to expectations: +++
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Much development in past 5 years, and happy for it. Then, undrinkably dense and tannic; now showing a brighter edge on the classic Pommard dark fruits. Needs a long decant; better, hold another 5+ years. Potentially (92), I'd guess.
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Served this with veal tenderloin with mushroom madeira sauce (good pairing) and after with St Andre triple cream (great pairing).
This wine was all about the earth and mineral flavors. Some bitter cherry flavors and a hint of menthol and while it smelled a little smoky you didn't get any of that on the palate. Tart. Fairly smooth but still some tannic elements. Lengthy finish. Very nice. This has a lot of life ahead, so wait on future bottles.
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Light crimson in color, this has a classically Pommard nose. The forward aromatic profile is ripe and fruity, with scents of ripe tomatoes, hot chocolate, and freshly sanded pine. By comparison the palate is somewhat dumb, without much in the way of discrete flavors. There is a moderate amount of acidity here, but I don't get the sense that additional aging will reveal much more from this wine. More than a bit disappointing.
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Maybe 1997 is an early-maturing vintage in general, but this one is completely closed down. Audouzed, double-decanted, poured with VinOAir, yet still dumb. Vague hints of cherry and blackberry, and even those you have to work for. Body is disturbingly light and thin, though with time it could gain weight as many top Burgundies do.
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6/6/2020 - JJYoyo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow. My first Gaunoux. A real throwback in the best sense of the word. 2 hrs air. When first poured in the glass, a lot of weird brett -like scents (manure, sweaty shoes, grease ) overshadowed the fruit. Also a lot of really disjointed burnt hay and green stalks. Weird to the point of wondering if this was flawed, or just a peculiar rustic vinification. 15 minutes more in the glass and it all sorted out. A beautiful convergence of cherry, stewed prunes, burnt peat, grilled meat, roasted cashews, allspice, you name it. Next glass poured; same phenomenon: weirdly earthy and just plain messed up at first, then with 10-15 minutes later in the glass it was just singing. I actually have a note at the end that says “smells like marshmallow roasted at a campfire.”
Taste is a compelling mix of dark berry and raw black truffle. Just awesome. Not for all palates; this is total old school. Despite its age and the relative indistinctness of the vintage, this wine is indestructible. You could serve this 2 decades from now with no fear.
Score: 94-95. Relative to expectations: +++
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9/3/2019 - Raizes wrote: 88 Points
开瓶有非常强烈的矿物咸味和酱油味，大约半小时后香气逐渐在浓郁中变得复杂，出现了樱桃、李子的红色水果香气，夹杂少量的生青气息。入口的单宁也变得更有力度，和一直较高的酸度逐渐势均力敌，但还是有些许的氧化气息，展现出了疲态。
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9/18/2017 - Vinomane wrote:
Much development in past 5 years, and happy for it. Then, undrinkably dense and tannic; now showing a brighter edge on the classic Pommard dark fruits. Needs a long decant; better, hold another 5+ years. Potentially (92), I'd guess.
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6/7/2014 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Served this with veal tenderloin with mushroom madeira sauce (good pairing) and after with St Andre triple cream (great pairing).
This wine was all about the earth and mineral flavors. Some bitter cherry flavors and a hint of menthol and while it smelled a little smoky you didn't get any of that on the palate. Tart. Fairly smooth but still some tannic elements. Lengthy finish. Very nice. This has a lot of life ahead, so wait on future bottles.
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1/6/2014 - NineteenEightyTwo wrote: 87 Points
Light crimson in color, this has a classically Pommard nose. The forward aromatic profile is ripe and fruity, with scents of ripe tomatoes, hot chocolate, and freshly sanded pine. By comparison the palate is somewhat dumb, without much in the way of discrete flavors. There is a moderate amount of acidity here, but I don't get the sense that additional aging will reveal much more from this wine. More than a bit disappointing.
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12/1/2012 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
A private dinner (Restaurant Frantzén/Lindeberg **, Stockholm, Sweden): Just released. Estery, black fruits, forest floor, roasted almond; on the palate very lively and well-structured, medium-weight, masculine, athletic rather than elegant, energetic, quite tannic; good length.
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4/18/2010 - Vinomane wrote:
Maybe 1997 is an early-maturing vintage in general, but this one is completely closed down. Audouzed, double-decanted, poured with VinOAir, yet still dumb. Vague hints of cherry and blackberry, and even those you have to work for. Body is disturbingly light and thin, though with time it could gain weight as many top Burgundies do.
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