November 21, 2021 - From a bottle that seemed free of premox, This wine had a deep yellow/ight gold center and clear rims. The medium intensity nose generated citrus, toasted vanilla, peach, and minerals.
This was a bit more dramatic in the mouth than in the nose. It was full bodied and rich (after 2+ hours of air) with well integrated acidity, and great length. Maybe just a touch more wood than i prefer.
Somewhat Batard like, this big flavor impact wine was a bit less sophisticated than many Grand Crus. However, it was very impressive and probably at its peak. It should last at least another 5 years.
September 26, 2021 - From a flawless bottle purchased on release, I had high hopes for this wine as the color looked solid prior to opening. However, as I poured it in my glass, I noticed the gold center and clear rims. That was clearly more advanced looking than it should have been.
The nose and flavors were pretty solid at first. The medium+ intensity nose put forth lemon, apple, minerals, and toasty oak notes. However, the mouth quickly showed some flat/fat oxidative flavors behind those noted above.
Oddly enough, as this aired for several hours it freshened up and became less oxidative. The acidity was strong and the wine had very good length. This bottle was not substantially premoxed but it was not unaffected either.
This wine wasn't bad enough off to call it "flawed" but it wasn't quite right either. I believe the lesson here is even if your bottle looks good, you should probably be looking for excuses to pull the corks.
June 26, 2021 - A beautiful Chassagne. Still drinking well, but won't improve from here.
May 16, 2020 - Breathe (time unknown) before serving. Good acidity with honey, zest and flower with some depth. Medium finishing. Still fresh and vibrant.
August 30, 2015 - Light yellow in color. Full, forward, attractive and fragrant nose of mature & developed, complex aromas of apples, pears, citrus notes of lemons/limes & grapefruit with floral notes of honeysuckle, roasted hazelnuts, minerals, flinty, stony, buttery & a hint of toasty oak. Medium bodied with a very good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, complex, rich, fruit flavors of tart apples, sweet pears & lemons/limes with minerals, flinty, stony, honey, buttery & a hint of toasty oak. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present and I doubt any further development would occur from additional aging, so drink up! An outstanding Chassagne without any of the typical pre-mox issues.
December 9, 2007 - Oxidization on the nose. Oxidation on the palate. yet another '96 white Burgundy with cork problems.
October 17, 2004 - Medium to mature yellow. Semi-oxidized on the nose with notes of beer, and rubber underneath. In the mouth the wine had ample fatness but little grip. LAcked freshness and vibrancy. As for structure the wine seemed slightly undefined. The general flavour impression was quite nice, and the aftertaste did have some length, however in the grand scope of wine analysis this bottle seemed slightly oxidized. Personally, I could enjoy the wine for what it was, but I guess some people would give this wine a no rating. Certainly adds fuel to the debate on oxidized 1996 White Burgundy wine. Overall, this was a wine I enjoyed quite a bit, but like I said, in a wine analysis sense...
85 points
May 22, 1999 - Pre Auction Wine Tasting w/ Aubert de Villaine (DRC) (NYC): Closed nose. Needs time. An elegant, rather than powerful style of white Burgundy.