Mazis-Chambertin Dinner

Sepia - Chicago IL
Tasted Tuesday, May 15, 2012 by Burgundy Al with 1,158 views

Introduction

Another great dinner with my Chicago Burgundy tasting group, the Lieu-dit Cru. A great cross-section of most of the great Mazis-Chambertin producers with some surprises and great highlights. All flights were served single blind, so everybody knew the exact wines in each flight, just not what was in each glass.

This dinner was part of our Chambertin Grand Cru "cycle," in which we are going clockwise, having started with Chambertin, then moved on to Chambertin-Clos de Beze, followed by Ruchottes Chambertin and now Mazis-Chambertin. Next stop...Chapelle Chambertin.

Flight 1 - Champagne while waiting for everybody to arrive (1 Note)

  • 1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 95 Points

    France, Champagne

    Second time to have this wine in less than a month, this was exactly like the bottle from last month. Great way to start our dinner. Much more fresh than most other 1996 Champagne. Sad to only have 5 bottles in my cellar.

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Flight 2 - Blind Whites (2 Notes)

We always start with two whites brought by one person with a clear relationship between the two, but that relationship needs to be determined as we assess, analyze and try to identify the wines, usually with limited success.

  • 2002 J.M. Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes 92 Points

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

    Tasted double blind, all we knew was that this was white Burgundy. I correctly identified this as Puligny based on its scale and heft. Fresh stone fruit aromas with some exotic spice, but more firm, lean and energetic on the palate with peach and apple flavors. Vibrant and tense long finish. Probably at its peak, but this is holding beautifully. Paired with the very nice Girardin 2005 P-M Combettes, I would expect this older Boillot to easily outlive the wine in the next glass.

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  • 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes 90 Points

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

    Tasted double blind, all we knew was that these were white Burgundy. I correctly identified them as Puligny-Montrachet based on heft and size. This came across as rich, fat and oaky, with the oak not yet perfectly integrated. At first I thought this a young (2006?) entry level Leflaive. Moderate length.

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Flight 3 - Slightly Older Mazis (3 Notes)

  • 1976 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Mazy-Chambertin 90 Points

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

    Fill and color were very good, label was quite decayed and showed lots of mold. Open over 2 hours before served, not decanted. Excellent aromatic start with floral and spice right behind a great mushroom character with hints of black fruit. Much less interesting on the palate with simpler earthy flavors and more modest spice. Others liked this more than I did tonight.

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  • 1978 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin Flawed

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

    Open 2+ hours, of which it spent half in a decanter. A bit stewy, I never would have guessed this was from either Faiveley or 1978. Not terrible, perhaps 85 points. Heat damaged?

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  • 1991 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin 92 Points

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

    Open 2+ hours before serving, in a decanter almost the entire time. Slightly floral with lots of red and black cherry on nose and palate. Just starting to show faint hints of real earthy development, this was powerful and intense but also quite firm and tight. Probably better in another decade if well stored.

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Flight 4 - Mostly 1988s (4 Notes)

  • 1988 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Mazy-Chambertin 92 Points

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

    Open 3 hours before serving, half of which was in a decanter. Black fruit aromas with good spice and some mushroom hints. Very well balanced, in fact so balanced I was surprised this was a 1988. Drinking very well now, I don't see it getting better.

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  • 1988 G. Vachet-Rousseau Mazis-Chambertin Flawed

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

    Stewed, muddy, terrible, undrinkable.

    Sadly from my cellar...and I have one more bottle.

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  • 1988 Louis Jadot Mazis-Chambertin 93 Points

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

    Open 3 hours before pouring, about 1 hour in decanter. Black fruit with a gamy character and meaty spice. Blackberry flavors with firm structure and great spice of traditionally braised meat. Long and powerful, with a long life ahead. Alas this was my last bottle.

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  • 1987 Maison Leroy Mazis-Chambertin 89 Points

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

    Open 2.5 hours before serving, not decanted. Black fruit aromas to start, fairly big and fat, certainly not seeming anything like a 1987. Started shortening after 30 minutes in glass, becoming less interesting. If I was opening another bottle, I'd only give this 30 minutes open before serving.

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Flight 5 - 1998-2001 (4 Notes)

  • 1998 Dominique Laurent Mazis-Chambertin Cuvée B Vieilles Vignes 91 Points

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

    Open 3.5 hours, only 15 minutes in decanter. Intense black fruit with lots of new oak spice aromas. Lush fruit, easy to enjoy, a bit one-dimensional, but perhaps just lost in a great flight of more nuanced wines. While certainly an very good wine, this was showing the least classical Gevrey character in the flight.

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  • 1999 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin 93 Points

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

    Open 3 hours before serving, all in a decanter. Mostly lack fruit aromas with good spice and fresh herbs. Palate showed red and black berry with great power and density. Still firm and tight in the middle, but good fruit and spice emerged on finish. Very impressive now, probably at its peak 2020-2039.

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  • 2000 Bernard Dugat-Py Mazis-Chambertin 96 Points

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

    Open 3 hours before serving, just 30 minutes in decanter. Intense, ripe black fruit with a great animale element. Great black cherry flavors with hints of red cherry and sensational spice. Perfectly balanced tannins, lots of acidity and minerality. Long and persistent with incredible concentration. Much better than when I had this 5 years ago, but tonight it was the consensus Wine of the Night.

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  • 2001 Bernard Dugat-Py Mazis-Chambertin 93 Points

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

    Open 3 hours before serving, about 30 minutes in decanter. Ripe black fruit aromas with spice and herbs and some sauvage character. Similar to its sensational 2000 counterpart in the next glass, but a bit "less" of everything and also less harmonious.

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Flight 6 - Young Hospices de Beaune Cuvée Madeleine Collignon (3 Notes)

I don't often buy wine from Hospices de Beaune or include it in our tastings, but the Hospices is the largest owner of property in Mazis-Chambertin and I've had good experiences with Cuvée Madeleine Collignon.

Closing

My overall impression of Mazis-Chambertin was reinforced tonight - rustic and sauvage, but perhaps more accessible than Ruchottes-Chambertin. As we often find, top producers make exceptional wine.

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