Holiday wines (mainly Burg with some fizz)

Tasted Friday, July 29, 2011 - Wednesday, August 17, 2011 by SimonG with 685 views

Flight 1 (3 Notes)

  • NV Camille Savès Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Prestige

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    (8/2/2011)

    Pale straw. Good stream of fine bubbles, very persistent. Nicely bready nose, some mineral depth here and a slightly meaty, vinous depth. smooth and quite rounded on the attack, showing some obvious dosage that makes this seem a little too easy at the moment though there's no doubting that this is a very decent wine. Should settle down in to a nicely rich style. Top ***

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  • NV Gosset Champagne Brut Grande Réserve

    France, Champagne

    (8/15/2011)

    Must have been a very young bottle given the hugely expanding cork and the ghastly new livery for the bottle. Very fresh on the nose initially, opening up to show some bready, yeasty nostes. Mineral and well focused on the palate. Starts to round a little twards the end of the bottle, but ideally come back in four to five years. **(*1/2)

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  • NV Jacquart Champagne La Cuvée Nomineé

    France, Champagne

    (8/8/2011)

    Largely 96 base. Straight cork. Palest straw. Interesting nose, very bready and complex, lots of minerality. Crisp and focused on palate, lovely line and decent length. Lovely creamy mousse. After 24hrs this showed more fresh apple and a bit more prickle. Palate less precise and the dosage starting to show itself as a little disjointed. Based on this a very nice wine but don't leave open for extended airing. ***1/2

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Flight 2 (1 Note)

  • 2009 Château Thieuley Bordeaux Blanc Sec

    France, Bordeaux

    (8/6/2011)

    Pale straw to a slightly greenish white. Nose dominated by the Sauv Blanc in this 50:50 blend with Semillon; not as full-on as some but still quite grassy. Crisp and nicely mineral attack, clean and with some zing. Again, SB dominates though to the finish that shows a slightly more rounded, richer element. decent. **1/2 to *** depending on mood.

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Flight 3 (6 Notes)

  • 2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

    (7/29/2011)

    Pale to mid straw. A touch of struck match on the nose alongside something more spicy and a touch of creme brûlée, though predominantly this is mineral and young, still a little tight. Fresh, almost lean on the attack with a good dose of minerality, opening up to white flowers, more minerals and a touch of butter through the mid palate. Finish seems quite lean and crisp but then opens up again in another wave of flavour, this time peach kernel. Really quite long. Lovely. As ever the last glass was the best. Ideally come back in five years, but if drinking now to brighten up an evening in a provincial Novotel, get it out of the ice bucket and aerated in the glass. ****

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  • 2007 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

    (8/4/2011)

    Palest straw. a touch of toasted hazelnut on the nose whem first opened though this seems to blow off fairly quickly. Really rather mineral, limey and tense with a fine chalky texture. Half a bottle drunk over two hours but then put back in fridge to see how this develops overnight. Currently in need of another five years, this seems quite full and not particularly subtle currently, a little heady too. Currently *** but will revisit tomorrow. A bit of a waste to drink in its current state. After 24hrs open in the fridge,the remaining 1/3 of a bottle is showing far better. rounded, more open, white fruit, more minerality, a touch of struck match (v faint) but still quite taut and with a chalky tannin grip to the finish that reminds one of a young 1er Chablis. obviously more expressive once it's warmed from the fridge. On this showing decant at lunch for dinner or cellar five years. with air ***1/2 possibly **** with time.

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  • 2007 Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

    (8/13/2011)

    Greenish pale straw. Lovely open nose, white fruit and flowers, acacia, cream and tonka bean. Ripe and rounded attack giving way to a more lime and mineral mid-palate that persists through to the fairly long finish. Lovely now but with time in hand. ***1/2

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  • 2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières Domaine

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

    (8/14/2011)

    A youngster, but one with promise. Pale greeny light straw. Very mineral, limey nose with some intensity. Precision and focus on the palate from the crisp attack to the chalky-textured mid-palate to the long finish. Just starting to show some of the weight one might expect but still tight and only just hinting at its future complexity. Really good and a snip at 40 something euros on a Novotel list. ***(*)

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  • 2008 Hubert Lignier Bourgogne-Aligoté

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-Aligoté

    (7/31/2011)

    Palest greeny white. clean and fresh on the nose, similar on attack with a slightly spiced herby and lime character to the mid palate amd a touch of minerality as well as a sense of body on the finish that the mid palate doesn't really show. Surprisingly long if not particularly complex. chilled down this makes a decent aperitif though might be a little heady after a couple of glasses. bottle hold well over two evenings. **1/2

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  • 2009 A. et P. de Villaine Aligoté Bouzeron

    France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Bouzeron

    (8/9/2011)

    Palest greeny white. Interesting nose, showing aprcot kernal and floral notes that are held within a more mineral framework, ever so slightly hinting at a Viognier richness. some weight on the palte but nicely dry and finishes with a fine grained chalky mineral texture. Really quite serious stuff. lovely. ***1/2

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Flight 4 (10 Notes)

  • 2000 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    (8/10/2011)

    A mid garnet in colour, a little paler at rim but a decent colour throughout. Gorgeous nose, smokey, soy, a touch of rare beef and some autumnal notes. Silky smooth attack that carries through the mid palate. Nice definition and richness. Builds in the glass and gets fatter and leggier as the bottle progresses. Beguiling nose and sensuous palate. Yum! Really lovely and so much better than my previous experience with this. ****1/2

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  • 1996 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes Flawed

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

    (8/3/2011)

    Oxidised and prematurely aged. Cork looked in good condition though. Orangey brown at rim to mid garnet. Not as it should be but perfectly drinkable if you pretend it's 30 years older than it actually is, so, as fairly priced in a restaurant new to me I made the point but accepted it for drinking which it did pleasantly through the evening. Nice weight and texture without the firm acidity of better bottles. Soy and savoury notes with a suggestion of mature fruit. No complexity but *** in it's way despite it being in poor condition.

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  • 2007 Bernard Serveau Chambolle-Musigny

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

    (8/1/2011)

    Gorgeous, bright ruby colour though the full glass, thinning to a mid garnet to almost watery clear colour at the rim when tilted. zsurprisingly light in fact. a delicate, fragrant nose of wild strawberry that holds through the course of the bottle, joined by redcurrant and a touch of something more savoury after an hour or so. palate similar to nose, good red fruit, quite light and sweet, filigree acidity and no perceptible tannin. a bit light and inconsequential but there's a prettiness to this and a purity of fruit. reminds me of a Volnay Cairrets Ancien Cuvee Carnots 85 drunk about a dozen years ago. indeed, until the earthy savouriness kicks in I would have guessed tis to be a Volnay from a lighter year. ***

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  • 1997 Domaine Ponsot Morey St. Denis Cuvée des Grives

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis

    (8/6/2011)

    Mid garnet core, bright and translucent to a paler almost completely transparent rim. Nose all autumnal hedgerow, mature and inviting, sous-bois at it's best (or as my wife put it, soiled nappy). Initially quite light, thin almost, on the palate and showing it's maturity but over half an hour this opens up and puts on weight to reveal more autumnal complexity and a lovely core of sweet fruit. Proper burgundy. The fruit has moved from red to what I'd describe as brown, and there's a touch of spice too. Surprisingly long too. Sadly the bottle only lasts an hour before mysteriously running dry. ****

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  • 1997 Bouchard Père et Fils Clos Vougeot Flawed

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

    (8/5/2011)

    A slightly muddy brown stewed plum flesh colour. similar charcteristics on pate, oxidised and cloudy. Just about drinkable, but why bother. Hope this is just a bad bottle.

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  • 1997 Bouchard Père et Fils Clos Vougeot

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

    (8/9/2011)

    A far better bottle. Clear, deep ruby. Fleshy, plummy nose with a touch of spice. Velvety texture, positive attack that carries through to the mid-palate. Nicely ripe. Not earth shattering but very pleasant drinking. ***

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  • 2007 Domaine Odoul-Coquard Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

    (8/8/2011)

    Fairly dark ruby to cherry. Similar on nose, dark red fruited. More body and depth here than an 07 Serveau villages but less purity and typicity. Some chewiness to the tannins and reasonable acidity. There's nothing wrong with this but it doesn't excite me at all and the bottle remains unfinished at the end of the evening. Ok, but. **1/2

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  • 2007 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

    (8/9/2011)

    Hal bottle. Mid to full ruby, a deeper cherry at core. Lovely, slightly lifted nose in the dark red fruit spectrum. Positive attack, nice mineral line behind the pure almost lacy fruit. finishes well and quite long. More serious than the Serveau and a fraction better. Showing well at present. ***1/2

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  • 2007 Bernard Serveau Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers Flawed

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

    (8/9/2011)

    Corked.

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  • 2007 Bouchard Père et Fils Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavières

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

    (8/15/2011)

    Fairly pale and dull ruby. Nose shows slightly earthy, dusty red fruits that follow through to plate. Not much in the way of complexity or interest at all really. Decent enough in a low-expectation restaurant, but I wouldn't buy again. **

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