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1995 vs 1996 Burgs
NYC
Tasted December 5, 1998 by mdefreitas with 1,044 views
Introduction
The Burgundy Wine Company, in NYC, held an all day tasting of Burgundies, comparing the 1995 and the 1996 vintages. Whites were tasted in the morning, reds in the afternoon. Non-blind pairs of the same wine ('95 and '96) were presented. Then the pairs were presented without knowing which vintage was which. Finally, single wines were poured, and we were asked to guess the vintage.
Flight 1 - NON-BLIND PAIRED WHITES (10 notes)
White
1995 Comte Armand Auxey-Duresses Blanc
88 points
Medium yellow color. Rich nose of honey, apple, and butter. Medium bodied, with a nice finish. Nicely balanced. My first wine from this appelation, but I like it.
White
1996 Comte Armand Auxey-Duresses Blanc
86 points
Light yellow color. Citrus, soils, minerals, and a slight hint of slate. More mineral than fruit. A bit shorter finish than the 1995 version. Very nice acidic backbone. This is one for the cellar.
White
1995 Franck Grux Meursault Les Meix Chavaux
84 points
Medium yellow in color. Shy nose. A bit of musky vanilla and oak. Soft and a bit flabby. Practically no structure. Too much oak... almost cognac-like in flavor.
White
1996 Franck Grux Meursault Les Meix Chavaux
86 points
Light yellow in color. A bit grassy and minerally on the nose. Nice acidity, but a short finish. Better balance than the 1995 version.
White
1995 Domaine Bernard Morey et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes
86 points
Shy nose. Vanilla and butter. Lavishly oaked. Lengthy finish. Big and ripe. A bit lumbering at first, but it seemed to come into balance with some airing.
White
1996 Domaine Bernard Morey et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes
87 points
Lemons, citrus, and herbs wrapped in a nice, medium bodied wine. A lot less oak than the 1995 version. Nicely balanced, if a bit simple.
White
1995 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes
93 points
Big floral and mineral nose. Huge, extracted, leesy, yet finely balanced. Wonderful finish. THIS is White Burgundy!
White
1996 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes
88 points
Thick leesy wine. Butterscotch, minerals, and vanilla. Very good acidity. Nice wine.
White
1995 J. Moreau & Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
86 points
Shy nose. Honey, minerals, but a bit soft. Nice finish, but nothing spectacular.
White
1996 J. Moreau & Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
90 points
Very nice nose. Much more concentrated than the 1995 version. Grassy, minerally, herby, and slatey. Nice minerally finish. Great lip-smacking acidity. Very nice, and an excellent example of Chablis.
Flight 2 - BLIND PAIRED WHITES (10 notes)
White
1995 Verget Meursault Les Casse-Têtes
88 points
Barnyardy funky nose. Great "Burgundian" nose. A bit flabby on the palate, however. Heavy sediment already forming. Obviously unfiltered. Could use more structure. Lacks good acicity... must be '95.
White
1996 Verget Meursault Les Casse-Têtes
91 points
Buttery, honey nose. Very nice acidity for a Meursault. Good structure, and nice persistence on the finish. Nicely structured... must be '96.
White
1995 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée
90 points
Medium yellow color. Slight petrol nose. Soft acidity. Thick, but soft and accessable. A very nice wine. 1995?
White
1996 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée
96 points
WOW! Light yellow in color. Barnyard, leesy nose. Lemony, citrus, buttery, even a bit nutty. Complex. GREAT white Burgundy! Nice acidity and balance. I couldn't help going back for more of this wonderful wine. Very powerful. Hard not to swallow this one. Balanced structure. 1996?
White
1995 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ-Canet
89 points
Medium yellow in color. BIG, big nose of vanilla, honey, and butter. Unfortunately, the nose is better than the palate. Medium extraction, and a shortish finish. Nice, but not great acidity. Very good wine. 1995?
White
1996 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ-Canet
93 points
Light yellow color. Citrus and stones on the nose. Beautifully balanced wine. A killer finish on this terroir driven wine, with wonderful, lip-smacking acidity. I would buy this wine. 1996?
White
1995 Olivier Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
92 points
Dark yellow color. Vanilla nose. Nice extraction. Rich, leesy, and minerally. Combines nervy acidity with rich, ripe fruit. Very impressive. 1995?
White
1996 Olivier Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
90 points
Light yellow in color. Citrus nose. Some leesy elements. A bit more austere than the 1995, but it has great lip-smacking acidity. Nice. 1996?
White
1995 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
98 points
Beautiful nose of apple stroudel and some exotic liquor. Rich caramel and butterscotch on the palate. Very rich, ripe, and spicy, but it also has a solid structural backbone. Classic! 1995?
White
1996 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
94 points
Nice nose of lees and butterscotch. Rich and ripe like the 1995 version, but with much more nervy acidity which begs this wine to be cellared. Beautiful Grand Cru wine! 1996?
Flight 3 - BLIND SINGLE WHITES (5 notes)
White
1995 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons
89 points
Tight, austere nose. Some chaulky and stoney character. Medium lemony finish. Nice wine, but not a blockbuster. 1995?
White
1996 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir
87 points
Uncharactreristic grapefruit nose, for a Meursault. Very nervy and acidic. A bit light for such a rich appelation. 1996?
White
1996 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne
88 points
Petroland lemon flavors. Good wine, but not as powerful as I would have expected from this appelation. Or maybe my palate was too fatigued, as this was tatsed near the end of all all day tasting. Will guess 1995. WRONG!
White
1995 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet
94 points
Wonderful nose! Barnyard and musky notes. Creamy and acidic at the same time. This is a great wine. Mind-boggling mouth feel. Almost floats in your mouth, but it has obvious power. Tough to tell the vintages at this high level. 1996? WRONG!
White
1995 Bouchard Père et Fils Montrachet
90 points
Dark yellow. Heavy and leesy. Low in acid, and not all that complex. I never had a Montrachet, but this is rather a "let down". Perhaps it needs time? Not a great wine, IMHO. 1995?
Flight 4 - NON-BLIND PAIRED REDS (8 notes)
Red
1995 Comte Armand Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Rouge
85 points
Light red in color. Soft and ready to drink. Nicely balanced, but simple. Good raspberry flavors for such a light colored wine.
Red
1996 Comte Armand Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Rouge
87 points
Medium red. Some raspberry flavors, mixed in with a bit of spice. A bit more acid than the softer 1995 version, but still soft in general. More riper fruit than the 1995 as well.
Red
1995 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Marconnets
86 points
Medium Burgundy in color with a surprisingly evolved rim. Light candied cherries with a bit ofn herbs on the finish. Very open.
Red
1996 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Marconnets
87 points
Dark Burgundy color. Tight and ungiving at this point. Good concentration, but totally closed. Cannot access much, but very good structure.
Red
1995 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de l'Arlot
89 points
Tasted from Magnum. Medium red in color. Intense sweet red cherries. Beautiful finish.
Red
1996 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de l'Arlot
89 points
Tasted from Magnum. Medium red in color. Ripe red cherries, braced by good solid acidity. Very nice finish. A bit more structure than the 1995 version.
Red
1995 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
88 points
Light red in color. Tight nose. Good sweet fruit, however.
Red
1996 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
88 points
Medium red in color. Shy cherry and spice nose. Dusty tannic finish suggest good structure for aging.
Flight 5 - BLIND PAIRED REDS (10 notes)
Red
1995 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux
90 points
Dark red color. Lots of red fruits mixed with a good, firm acidic structure. Ripe red cherries. Long finish. Very nice. 1995?
Red
1996 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux
91 points
Dark red color. Ripe red fruits, verging onto the black fruit spectrum. Nicely balanced, medium structure. Will guess 1996 only because of the darker color. Both 1995 & 1996 were wonderful.
Red
1995 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton-Maréchaudes
89 points
Plump red and black fruit flavors, mixed in with some nice earth. Ever so slightly rustic. A bit of lightening on the rim (which was not evident in the next wine) makes me guess 1995.
Red
1996 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton-Maréchaudes
89 points
Crisp red fruits, mixed with some spice and earth. Ever so slightly rustic. Darker color. 1996?
Red
1995 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Forêts St. Georges
88 points
Tasted from magnum. Open, but a solid beam of tannins provide support for aging. Plump red and black fruits. 1995?
Red
1996 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Forêts St. Georges
88 points
Tasted from magnum. Laser like purity of fruit. Good acidic structure. One for the cellar. Darker in color. 1996?
Red
1995 Domaine Francois Lamarche Grands-Echezeaux
90 points
Medium red. Terroir driven wine. Sweet red fruits, but lots of stones and earth. Tannic, but not the least bit harsh. Fine wine. Wow. 1995?
Red
1996 Domaine Francois Lamarche Grands-Echezeaux
90 points
Medium to dark red in color. Very good concentration, but very tightly wounld due to the acids. Needs time. 1996?
Red
1995 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny
90 points
Medium red in color. Lots of cherries and minerals. Perhaps too much acidity, or is it perhaps to young? 1996? WRONG!
Red
1996 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny
92 points
Medium red in color. Cherries and minerals. Fruit and terroir. A bit of a nice twiggy character as well. Beautiful! 1995? WRONG!
Flight 6 - BLIND SINGLE REDS (6 notes)
Red
1995 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Champans
89 points
Nice floral and terroir nose. Perhaps a whiff of clay? Nice firm acidity. Needs time to soften. 1996? WRONG!
Red
1995 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus
88 points
Bright, laser-like red fruits. Tons of acid and a touch of earth. Needs time. 1996? WRONG!
Red
1996 Comte Senard Corton-Bressandes
88 points
Very drinkable wine, for being so young. Easy going delicious cherry profile. Nice. 1995? WRONG!
Red
1996 Domaine des Perdrix Echezeaux
90 points
Plumby color. Crystallized, candied red and black fruits. 1995? WRONG!
Red
1995 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
90 points
(From Magnum) Floral nose, with soft red fruits. Almost like drinking roses? Medium concentration. 1995?
Red
1996 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche
90 points
(From Magnum) Medium red in color. Sweet red fruits. Good persistent finish to go with the candied red fruits. A bit light on the structure for a Clos de la Roche. 1995? WRONG!
Closing
CONCLUSIONS ON WHITES:
I was amazed at how these two vintages really did have a "character" to them. The '95s tended to be darker in color and have more "honey" and oak flavors, but in some cases, the acidity was too soft. The '96s tended to be more citrus-like and minerally with wonderfull acidity... also, they were more closed but will definitly improve with cellar time. If you love crisp acicity in your white Burgundies (as I do), you really have to go to the '96s... Especially in Chablis (where the yields were lower than in '95 -- the reverse of typical Cote d' Or yields).
In general, it was pretty easy to detect the vintages when presented with a "side by side" comparison. Without a comparison wine, it was a bit more difficult (duh!). At the higher appelations, the wines could be so great as to make simple generalizations invalid.
CONCLUSIONS ON REDS:
The reds seemed to be more even in quality than the whites. It became very difficult to pick the vintage without a comparison wine. The one telling sign between the vintages was that the '96s were typically darker -- but not necessarily more intense in flavor. The '95s were perhaps a bit more riper, and the '96s had perhaps a bit more "pure", "focused" fruit. I know these are not concrete descriptors, but its the best I can do. The '95s also seemed like they would be ready sooner (lower acidity?).