Domaine Henri Naudin-Ferrand Côte de Nuits-Villages Vieilles Vignes 2004 - 13% abv; c. 30€; 50-70yo vines; label
A silly grin appeared on my face on the first sniff. It has all that sexy, beet-root fruit I want in Burgundy with a lovely touch of funk. A third of this wine sees new oak, which is less than in the lovely Orchis Mascula but I still felt that that showed less new oak aromas than this CdNV! But even though I notice the oak, I find the pure Pinosity so exhilarating that I can overlook it (so I guess very few others will be bothered by it).
It also has 13% abv alcohol instead of the 12% I have seen in the other Naudin-Ferrand wines, which must be part of the reason why it seems weightier. But, again, it has the purity and sexiness of Pinosity that I want to find in Burgundy and with fantastic grip. Substantial yet very refreshing.
Strangely, I read from my old notes that in May '09 I felt that the oak in this had begun to integrate, whereas the oak in the '06 Orchis Mascula hadn't. But in this bottle it is yet again noticeable - I guess Tom Blach was right that the oak in young Burgundies can go through some weird stages.
But even with my oak allergy, this was a lovely wine that brought much happiness to me tonight.
