All the wines were served with berad & cheese, except the Thevenet, which accompanied a dessert of yogurt ice cream with vin cotto sauce.
1999 Jean Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchère
Opened with fear because of the dreaded oxidized white burgundy syndrome (OWBS). When I removed the foil, I see a black cork. Oh, oh… On extraction, I see that just the tip of the cork is black, and the rest looks fine. When I smell, something is fishy, and the growing optimism begins to fade. When I taste, the oxidation is there. When I pour in the decanter, hoping against hope that some magical dissipation trick might happen after 30 minutes, I see a strange, sickly shade of gold (don’t know how else to describe it). Despite the recent thread, my kingdom for a screw cap…
Severely irritated, I reach for the bottle of 2006 Alex Gambal Blanc de Noirs which I brought back from my recent trip to Burgundy. An “experimental” dry white wine made by Gambal from pinot noir. The pale straw yellow is similar sauvignon blanc. The taste is more mineral than fruity, slightly unctuous in an animal fat, almost butter-like way (but different from, say, a Meursault; there are no signs of oak, so not from vanillin). Interesting and different, but nothing memorable. Score: 86
2000 Jean-Jacques Confuron Chambolle-Musigny
I first tasted Confuron Chambolle at Dale’s, and have liked them ever since. This had cherry and violets on the nose, with a touch of barnyard. Tasted Chambolle soft and sweet, but with perfect acid/fruit balance, with cherry flavor and tobacco undertones. A mature wine, drinking very well right now; hard to imagine it could improve much more. At the end of the night I retested the three reds, and liked this best. Score: 89
2001 Jean-Jacques Confuron Chambolle-Musigny
Stronger at the starting gate than the 2000, with interesting aromas of tar, sweat and barnyard on top of the usual cherry. Slightly disappointing in the mouth, despite the strong personality. The alcohol is still very present, masking some of the subtler flavors. This seems to have several years in it still, and should become more satisfying if the components harmonize. Score: 88
2002 Jean-Jacques Confuron Chambolle-Musigny
The cork came out too easily. Muted aroma, with some tobacco. The usual brick color, but slightly cloudy. Definitely too much oxygen got into this bottle, because there is way more acid than fruit. Drinkable, but marred. No score. O screw cap, screw cap, wherefore art thou, screw cap?
1995 Jean Thevenet Mâcon-Villages Cuvée Botrytis 375ml
The only Burgundy dessert wine that I’ve run across, made 100% from chardonnay. IMHO, one of the great dessert wines of the world, sorely underappreciated. Delicious aromas of peaches, white flowers, and botrytis mould. Unctuous citrus, butter, peach flavors, with perfect acid/sweetness balance. Slight frizziness, like I sometimes find in young Riesling (and have seen explanations for, but don’t remember what they were), possibly a very mild defect, but not one that detracts. A great way to finish. Score: 93.