July 18, 2023 - A very surprising wine in many ways.
A very clear case of Brettanomyces.
In my case, it still falls into the category of "good Brett", only because of the remaining fruit, spices and other elements that keep the wine relatively balanced.
The other surprise element is just how approachable this wine is compared to the 95 Gouges wines, but that's more of a vintage effect.
The 96s continue to show great class and balance while the 95s will test our patience like the 75 Bordeaux wines.
Drink within next 5 years.
January 26, 2023 - From a small capped bottle. Nose dumb. This is really shut down. Will try after a few days.
Day 4: Still reticent. Some dark fruits like black berrys - and some meat. Earth and spices. Leather. Blind I would 100% think Nebbiolo. Hints of spice. There’s a perfume and complexity hiding in the background that provides depth to the nose. A bit of orange peel and carob. Plaate is tight as well. But more open. Fruit is redder - sour cherry and unripe raspberry. Spices. Earth. Iron. Enters a bit seeet but tarts up. Wild strawberry minerals. Finish is tart but pretty wiht almost some florals. This is growing on me. Still needs like 20 years. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5-5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 16.5-17.5/20.
August 13, 2020 - Zoom tasting. Double blind. Savory tobacco. Cedar w smooth tannins - guessed BDX. Nope. It’s burg. Oh well. At least I'm in good company. Once I knew this was Burg, and with some time opening, I thought of NSG, based on the brambles and roughness and someone else guessed that and Jay confirmed. Jeff starts talking about how tight and strict this is and Jay says that this is clue. Jayson and I yell "Gouges" at the same time. No way I guess 96 though. Nose is a little more burg now. Dark fruit. tight and sour cherry, brambles.
Day 2: Some sharp berry fruit and lots of NSG character. Dark and rough with some sous bois and wild, rough. With time we get bright small berry fruit and some florals a bit of coffee. Nice on palate w good fruit. Florals. Wild some meat. Good acid. No 96. Nice berry and meat and wild on finish. This is quite good now as it has improved w air. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17/20.
October 15, 2019 - It has been over a year since I last enjoyed this wine. I really liked it on the last go and this bottle was very similar except that this one was served to me blind in a decanter. The initial impression was very positive. Deep red. Black fruits and stones on the nose with some smokey game but the over all impression was pretty austere- lots of right angles. With 5 hours of air, however, the wine opened up in a way that I have not experienced with a Gouges wine to date. This blossomed into one of those endlessly fascinating drinks. No matter how little was in my glass, I could not keep my nose out of the glass. Near symphonic notes of orange rind, earth and game. Oh my.
March 10, 2019 - I served this wine blind to a couple of experts who were stumped by the vintage. Incredibly youthful for a wine at age 22, the wine showed very slight brick rim. Possessing an explosive complex perfume of cherries and smoke, this NSG had a never ending finish. Another wine where I wished I had purchased more of. Drinking at it's peak, I would drink any remaining bottles before 2030.
July 14, 2018 - It takes a while for these boys to come around. Deep red with a touch of bricking. Black fruits and stones on the nose with some smokey game. Lots of good detail and Gouges all the way through. Enjoyed it with Ian Halbert who described as a "Shaker barn raising" which some how seemed to make sense. Not soft, round and gentle. Right angles and hard wood but beautifully made. Look forward to more Gouges with some age!
November 19, 2016 - Earthy, musty, old raspberry; a certain balance and intensity, somewhat acidic, good but over the hill
April 4, 2016 - Quite organic, and while distinct from other vintages of this wine the roughness does have some appeal. Decomposing leaves and dry soil are notable. Much better after 45 minutes in the glass than upon opening.
September 18, 2015 - HDH auction tasting at Tru; 9/18/2015-9/19/2015: The Dunn of Nuits (or is Dunn the Gouges of Napa?). This is a dark and solid bottle of Burgundy, with tons of beautiful red fruit on the nose and palate. It's still very taut and not giving too much, and the tannins have just started to resolve. There's a bit of sweetness to this which I found really alluring. This could definitely use more time, but the sheer scale of this bottle is really something to behold.
January 25, 2014 - Starts out a bit funky, stinky. Not a deal breaker. With air (2 hours in decanter), it shows some cool structure, bright acidity, and tart red fruit. Turns smoky, with iron and meat showing up after more air. It sort of seems ready; its not terribly powerful or tannic, but it is lean. Maybe it will soften still, maybe not. Gouges. Maybe in another 10 years?