Community Tasting Note

Brolawa wrote:

Thursday, January 27, 2022 - M&PD tasting dinner at Vendemmia. Thanks to the generosity of Captain JVNK, we had four 2004 Ramonets blind. Well, we knew there was a 2004 Monty and a 2004 Benny because we bought them as a group; but JVNK feathered in two of his own bottles and what a wild ride it was . . .

The line-up (in order):

Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes
Montrachet
Bâtard-Montrachet

The notes (and surprises):

Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

Winner on the night. This wine was perfect with the classic Ramonet spearmint and perfect balance and concentration. This wine just lit up the mouth. I don't know how you improve upon this. (100 pts)

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Ruchottes

IMHO, this was the second-best bottle of the night. It surprised me greatly bc I thought this was either the Batard or maybe even the Montrachet. It had the Ramonet spearmint and all the complexity. In retrospect, it tasted like the Benny, but with the volume turned down to, say, 7. Or maybe the last glass of the Benny after having it all to yourself. ;-) (97 pts)

Montrachet

I thought both the Montrachet and the Batard were Chablis (keep in mind we didn't know they were all Ramonets). I guessed Raveneau because it had strong mineral and saline notes while still being full-bodied. No spearmint, no explosion in the mouth. I never would have guessed a Ramonty. Still better than 90% of wines out there. It had a nice long finish, but not necessarily complex. I think it was the weakest wine of the night, which is why blind tasting is so interesting and important. (92 pts)

Bâtard-Montrachet

More complex than the Montrachet throughout vertical. Probably lighter in the mouth than the Montrachet, but a stronger nose and more aggressive citrus, salt and mineral throughout vertical - really lingers in mouth. Thought it was Dauvissat due to citrus and salt. (94 pts)

If you've made it this far, maybe you'll let me ponder a bit: The first two wines were JVNK's and in his cellar since release. The last two were K&L auction bottles that we cellared for roughly three years. Could it be that the auction bottles that get traded around the world end up losing some of their integrity? Probably. It would be really fun to reenact this with Domaine bottles. Jean-Claude, lmk if you're interested. ;-)

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