1989-1993 Burgundy Dinner

What a great dinner. Food was top-notch, a last burst of fire from the kitchen before the restaurant closed for a couple of months of renovations, but it was the lovely range of delicious wines that really made the night. The theme was 1989 to 1993 Burgundies, but we somehow ended up with only 1990s and 1993s. Not that I am complaining though, both are lovely vintages for red Burgs. The Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche was the real stand out on the night. We had some nice bottles, but that really towered head and shoulders above anything else we drank. Brilliant stuff.

• 1995 Verget Bâtard-Montrachet 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  Off-theme, but a really nice start to dinner. This had a lovely nose, with notes of honey, red apples and kumquat, white meat, mineral and spice, all glowing with a matured sweetness. The palate was absolutely resolved, with a soft, fleshy roundness to its sweet, ripe notes of apples and kumquats, all infused with a gentle honeyed glow. I thought it was just dancing at the edge of oxidation as little notes of browned fruit showed up past the midpalate, but this was still held up by a lot of nice acidity and freshness running through its flavours, all keeping it very drinkable. The finish was soft, but lingered nicely, with the little kiss of mineral right at the very end. A nice wine, but this needs to be drank soon.

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• 1990 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets 93 Points

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

  Lovely, but amazingly young - this showed far more youthfully than the last bottle I had, coming across as even younger than the 1995 Verget Batard we had alongside when served blind. It had an absolutely beautiful nose, with a core of red apple aromas layered with honey and marzipan, chalk and earth, nuts and brioche, and then a waft of toasty spice drifting around the edges of the bouquet. A really nice, developed nose. It showed far more youthfully in the mouth though. Here was a palate that almost glowed with energy, with a vibrant acidity tingling through ripe, sweet flavours of red apples and lemons and sweeter pineapple notes. It may not have had the greatest depth, but this had great amount of life and verve and a good, complete feel to it. Nice finish too, with a little grippy twist of lemon peel and just a slim line of steely acidity trailing away into the finish. Beautiful, and it still has its best years ahead of it.

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• 1990 Georges Noëllat Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

  A subtle, complex wine, this was very enjoyable - quite the classic NSG. On the nose, it showed characteristic notes of wet stone and metal and sous bois speckled amidst aromas of orange peel and dark berries and cherries, with a little chaser of spicy notes running behind. A lovely bouquet. The palate was really nice too. It had the backbone of an NSG, with fine, firm tannins and nice acidity. But this was wed to clean but ripe notes of dark cherries and plums and hawthorne fruit laced with a lifted spiciness. There was a lovely tensile strength to the wine that carried it all the way into a nice finish with orange peel and spice accents. Not mindblowing, but certainly a nice wine, drinking quite at peak not.

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• 1993 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Aux Beaux Bruns 92 Points

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

  This was very nice. Characteristically Barthod. The nose showed funky shades of barnyardy earth and sous bois, and a bit of menthol and mint, then dark cherries and berries, flowers and spice, all chased by a little chalky note. Nice. This was old school Chambolle, a bit dirty and funky in the midst of its more flowery notes. The palate was very 1993 in its flavour profile. It felt rich and ripe, with black cherries and dark berries layered with a bit of funk and earth. It was also nicely fresh though, with fine tannins and a bite of acidity on the finish. I would imagine that this would have been a bit extracted when young, but save for a little rustic chew at the end, time has smoothened its edges quite nicely and it was a nice drink on the night.

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• 1990 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche 96 Points

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

  Wine of the night by a country mile – this was absolutely beautiful. It had a ridiculously attractive nose, with sweet, almost liquered notes of dark cherries and blueberries wed to sweet spices and melting floral aromas. Glorious. Wonderful palate too, this was power wed to graceful elegance, with a wonderful depth of sweet dark cherries and blueberries infused with sweet, fragrant spices and dried flowers, and then a little earthiness beneath all of that, all ringing with amazing purity. Wonderful stuff. It was absolutely seamless and perfectly integrated as well, which made it all the more delicious. An ageless and elegant expression of Clos de la Roche that was absolutely singing on the night, this just blew my socks off.

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• 1993 Domaine Jacques Prieur Musigny 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru

  This was huge. It had a big, ripe nose. Menthol, peppermint, ripe dark cherries and blackberries, all riding on a layer of really funky, earthy, meaty aromas, and then little smoky, spicy oak notes running along behind. With some air, more and more minerally notes started coming out as well. I thought there might just have been a touch of TCA cardboard in there, but that blew in and out over the time as the wine sat in my glass. The palate did not seem flawed though. Really tough and muscular, it had rather austere notes of mineral and meat and spice coiled around a rich core of dark cherries and berries and chalky notes. I found this decently balanced, if just lacking a touch of acidity, and certainly well-structured, but it was all a bit too tough and big and extracted for me at this point, especially as it tailed away into a tight little finish with a bite of drying, bittersweet tannins. There certainly is quality and Grand Cru strength here, but whether it really has Musigny quality - the jury is still out for me. This wine needs lots and lots of time yet – it could well go on for 20 years or more. Not quite the style I enjoy though.

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• 1993 Domaine Anne et François Gros Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui 93 Points

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

  A very nice Clos de Vougeot, this had a lovely rich nose of ripe blueberries and blackberries, damp earth and wilting flowers, with a little touch of spice on the side. Lush and lovely stuff. The palate had a pleasing freshness for a 1993, with a decent amount of acidity wed to yummy flavours of dark cherries and blackberries. The fresh, open feel on this was a relief after the large, austere hulk of a 1993 Musigny that came before. It was drinking well too, with mellow tannins leading into a long finish lined with stony mineral, herb and spice. Very enjoyable, this is a nicely elegant expression of the Clos de Vougeot terroir.

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