1996 Camille Giroud Beaune 1er Cru Les Reversées

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 90.7 points

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  7/31/2021 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points

  Final bottle from a three bottle lot purchased from the Dutch importer in 2002. Pristine condition, perfect level and cork. The wine making at Camille Giroud was very old fashioned at the time, with lots of stems and very long élévage on used barriques. These tough and powerful but often surly wines were designed to last for decades, but the market for this style of wine was drying up and in 2002 the Maison was sold to a group of American investors. The style of the wines then became much more contemporary under the aegis of the brilliant David Croix (wine maker until 2016, when he was succeeded by Carel Voorhuis from Domaine d'Ardhuy) and this brought the Maison back to prominence. This bottle is from the old days, and it is exactly what you would expect it to be. Not decanted, opened three hours in advance. Mature but lively appearance, light to medium brick red. The nose is fresh, with a touch of menthol, some red currant and cherry fruit, earth and warmth from the wood, gentle nutty evolution and good depth; the palate is vinous but relatively slender, it displays the firm and bright acidity of the vintage, and there are plenty of grippy skin and stem tannins; the finish is tight and dry but not austere, with very good persistence. Quite an amazing wine, perfectly fresh and lively at 25 years of age, and even with a clear sense of youthful energy and potential. This will easily last another twenty years, the structure will continue to soften, but the aromatic concentration will also continue to fade. I quite like it, but not every ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan. Sometimes it just turns into an old duck. But this old canard du vin did very well with the coq au vin tonight.

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  2/13/2018 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points

  Pristine bottle stored in my own cellar since 2002. Bourgogne à l'ancienne, what can I say? Built for the long haul - comfortably on its plateau of maturity at 22 years of age and with no end in sight. In fact, this will probably last another 20 years with ease (but I don't think it will necessarily improve). Minerally and completely fresh, firm and structured, complex in an old-fashioned way, cedary, hint of undergrowth, aromatic green herbs, rosehip and cranberry (but also cassis on the nose) fresh red meat, black tea, tannic but not drying, light but long finish. Very much a wine to drink with food - as traditionally is France's wont.

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  6/28/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points

  First bottle of three, bought back in 2002. The first impression is as expected: earthy, dry and tannic, slender and mineral, tight and firm, with a woody note; it is however remarkably fresh and energetic owing to its (perfectly integrated) typical 1996-acidity, and soon after opening a pleasing hint of charming sweetness to the fruit (cranberry, strawberry) emerges, as well as some nutty complexity and sous-bois flavours; good length. A thoroughly old-fashioned wine, but not without a certain charm and remarkably vibrant at twenty years of age. Has another decade in it easily. Needs food though, Coq au Vin perhaps? Drink now - 2026.

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