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2002 Burgundy, round 2
Noize
Tasted November 8, 2022 by NickA with 96 views
Introduction
More demand for the May dinner than space available, so let's do it again
Flight 1 - Creamy cheese gougeres, pig's head bites (1 note)
White - Sparkling
2002 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut
92 points
A good bottle. I was immediately struck by how lactic the nose was, then by the delicate perlage. Very charming, plenty of vanilla, soft and broad and long yet buttressed by a nice level of acidity. Really easy to enjoy!
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Flight 2 - Steamed smoked haddock mousse, Vichyssoise (3 notes)
White
2002 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir
93 points
In great condition. A complex nose, with a subtle reductive smokiness, preserved lemon, touches of game and sassafrass and, with air, fresh mint leaf. Polite on the palate, with lemon/lime and a delicate creaminess; tasty, and almost Chablis-esque. Overall, an elegant, precise, understated wine - and sexy with it.
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White
2002 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte
95 points
Big - especially compared to the Tessons - and exciting. Notes of sea shell and, oddly, fresh bread, and popcorn on the finish, but this wine was more about texture and a seamless whole than aroma or flavour. Ample and deep, super balance, and really, really long, though with time in the glass the wine actually seemed to fall off a little, hence not getting an even higher score. Still my clear WOTN though, and I suspect the table's too.
White
2002 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Domaine
94 points
A rich, punchy wine, with pineapple and cream; the nose was heady and sensual. Remarkably candied on the palate, almost red-fruited, and this reminded me of the Glenmorangie Milsean (i.e. a whisky finished in red wine casks, with a curiously, deliciously sweet finish). Softly textured too, but for me in balance and a delight to drink, although I think some at the table found it a little 'too much'.
Flight 3 - Cornish chicken breast, parsnip, hen of the woods, mushroom sauce (3 notes)
Red
2002 Domaine du Château de Chorey (Germain) Beaune 1er Cru Les Cras Vieilles Vignes
92 points
A remarkably rich and deep wine that was dark and smoky, and musky and truffley, yet with some mintiness and an airy quality too. Chewy and dark on the palate too, with a decent finish. This wasn't particularly finessed, and may well improve in that regard, but it did taste good.
Red
2002 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
92 points
Solid, yet bright - and very young! An odd chlorine note upon being poured, which thankfully blew off. With air, blackcurrant, mint, coffee and brambly fruit. Surprisingly less ready than the 2002 Arnoux RSV and Clos Vougeot we tried a few months ago.
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Red
2002 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers
91 points
Much more delicate than its flight-mates (not all Grivot is built like a truck!), with more acidity and a fair bit of perfume. Clean and refreshing, slightly salty, with some red fruit showing itself eventually. Shortish, somewhat drying finish. No need to rush over my remaining two bottles, although unclear whether the wine will fill out a little (which I'd like it to).
Flight 4 - Pot au Feu, bone marrow toast, turnip salad (4 notes)
Red
2002 Nicolas Potel Bonnes Mares
92 points
A slight chemically funk on opening, that blew off fairly quickly. An unusual wine with a lot going on (in the order I noted them down): soft cassis, burned caramel, campfire, cranberry, fresh red fruit, bitter orange and mezcal...! Enjoyable, but not a stand-out, and felt pretty young.
Red
2002 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley
92 points
An odd one, this. On the one hand it was soft, red fruited, perfumed and truffley, dark and bright and juicy with cranberry; but on the other hand it was grippy, acidic and tight. A fairly long, saline finish. I enjoyed it, but I wanted more.
I see Stephen Tanzer felt similarly in 2019: "There's a juiciness here but it's cut off on the back by tight tannins. This wine, too, struck me as a bit Cabernet-like, and unlikely to soften or expand with further bottle aging. Erwan Faiveley described 2002 as "a great vintage that we totally missed," owing to high yields and to the long macerations that were done that year "because the color was not coming.""
I see Stephen Tanzer felt similarly in 2019: "There's a juiciness here but it's cut off on the back by tight tannins. This wine, too, struck me as a bit Cabernet-like, and unlikely to soften or expand with further bottle aging. Erwan Faiveley described 2002 as "a great vintage that we totally missed," owing to high yields and to the long macerations that were done that year "because the color was not coming.""
Red
2002 Jean-Marc Millot Clos Vougeot
93 points
Yes! Attractive from the off, very juicy and red-fruited, with notes of strawberry and rose and a touch of burned lime. Nicely midweight and drinking well, although it became less expressive with air. My favourite of the reds.
Red
2002 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays
92 points
Slightly tight, but certainly pleasurable. Herbal and restrained, juicy and soft but darker fruited than the Millot Vougeot. Some nice notes of spice and undergrowth, more of which would have been welcome.
Flight 5 - Pineapple carpaccio, passion fruit sorbet, coconut (1 note)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1990 Château Climens
93 points
Bright tawny, so slightly darker than I'd have liked, but the wine was fresh, almost young in feel. All the notes you'd expect - deep marmalade, barley sugar, caramel, honey and a touch of cream - but no complaints there. Light on its feet given the depth of flavour, and easy to enjoy with the dessert. I think this showed better than the bottle I tried a year ago.
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Closing
Similar thoughts to the first dinner: delightful (out)performance by the whites, and solid reds (in both senses of the word).
The consensus seemed to be that the reds would likely show better in around five years' time, although they were all enjoyable now.