Burgundies - 2004, 2007 and other "Off" vintages
Giant Garoupa Restaurant
Tasted Friday, November 16, 2012 by Paul S with 797 views
Introduction
The gang gathered at our usual hangout over an unusual them this time - blind Burgundies from off-years - 2007, 2004 and the like. While "off" may be subjective, especially when 2004 and 2007 produced some really nice white, this was a good chance to see how wines from less than heralded vintages have developed, especially with the "green meanies" of 2004.
We all knew that 2004 is a vintage that offers lot of pleasures - ripe, sappy fruit, soft tannins, good balancing acidity - if not for that pesky greenness. And, to my great surprise, both of the 2004 wines on the night, both of which were far greener upon release, showed no more than a touch of the meanies. On the evidence of these and other recent bottles, it may well be that the vintage is finally be shedding its ugly duckling image. I am going to be sitting on my remaining bottles for a couple of years after this, in good hope that the green will slowly recede.
2008 Kumeu River Chardonnay Village 88 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu
A decent entry level Chardonnay from Kumeu, but really quite a step down from their single vineyard wines. If one were to keep to the Burgundian monikers of the wines, calling this a "regional" would probably be more accurate. The nose was rather telltale new world, with notes of sweet apples, pineapples and a touch of tropical fruit backed up with a touch of nectar and honey, some chalk and a rather distracting smoky scents. Pretty pleasant though. It was the palate that confused some on the table. While there was more of the ripe, fleshy fruit suggested on the nose in its flavours of sweet apples, pineapple and even peach, there was also a good amount of juicy acidity that was more reminiscent of Burgundy than New Zealand. The finish brought it back to its modern origins thhough - here the ripe fruit was kissed by honeyed notes and sweet, oaky vanilla accents of the the type that so very antipodean. All in all, a pretty decent wine that could actually have done with a year or two more in the bottle. Nothing to shout about though.
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2007 Domaine Emilian Gillet (Thévenet) Viré-Clessé Quintaine 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Viré-Clessé
A nice little Macon - this was the group's favourite amongst the whites. On the nose, this showed all the ripe fruitiness you would expect from the Mâconnais, with pineapples and pear aromas, some honeyed tones and a little whiff of smokiness at the edges. If anything, the palate was even more bright and tropical than the nose, with really pure pineapple flavours on the attack leading into a midpalate where some honeyed tones and a nice, buttery fleshiness layered the mouth. Quite weighty, but also kept nicely balanced by fresh acidity, it was on a touch of heat at the very finish that marred the overall experience. Otherwise, this was a yummy, well-crafted wine, ripe for drinking even at this young age.
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2007 Mischief and Mayhem Saint-Romain Blanc 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Romain
Last bottle. Still a good wine but, sadly, probably the weakest of the three I had. Still though, this represents good value and is a wine that transcended its lowly terroir. Once again, I really liked the nose here, with lots of smoke, gunflint and salty mineral aromas surrounding a core of white fruit, apples and honeyed tones. This bottle, if anything, was even tighter and younger tasting that the other two - with really bright acidity streaking across the palate, lending the wine a really nice sense of focus and definition to otherwise fleshy notes of white fruit and green apple with a little buttery underlayer. I really liked the sense of grip and extract on this as well, especially as it moved off into a fresh finish were more of the slaty minerality picked up on the nose emerged alongside a hint of vanilla oak notes. Impressive for what it is, great with the seafood, but perhaps a bit too young to consume. Wish I had more - would probably have kept it back a couple of years if I did.
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2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
My personal favourite from amongst the white, but this may have been going through an awkward stage, because it severely underperformed for what it is. While certainly good, even very good, it did not come across as a Grand Cru from one of Chablis' better producers, let alone one that has been highly rated by almost every professional writer. The nose for one was very tight, with subtle notes of white fruit and cream swathed in a light cloak of smokey flint and a bit of a rubbery accent. Not quite the flinty, seashelly nose that a Les Clos of equivalent age should start to show. I thought the palate was somewhat better. It was still super youthful, but there was a lovely freshness here, with lively, tingly acidity running through full white-fruited flavours topped with a dollop of of cream. This married a nice sense of depth with absolute precision. However, it was also simple and underdeveloped, coming across with little or no complexity, at least until some rather more Chablisienne notes of flinty mineral and seashell started peeking out on the long finish after some 15 minutes in the glass. I have no doubt this has the bones to make a very good wine, but it just lacks the interest and compexity to be one at the moment. At the moment, it was a nice wine that paired beautifully with our seafood, but I really would have either decanted this for some time or, preferably, let it aged for another 3-4 years.
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