WTN: 1999 B. Morey Maranges 1er

Betsy tried a new duck leg recipe last night, "crisp-braised" over aromatic vegetables (leeks, carrots, celery) with brown rice and salad. I served the 1999 Bernard Morey "La Fussiere" Maranges 1er . Very ripe, almost Californian. Ripe black cherry with a bit of a bitter cherry/cough drop note on finish. Light hint of damp earth, some mushroom. This isn't a huge wine, good acidity, but there is a distracting note of hard tannins underneath. A bit of a disappointment, maybe a few more years would have helped. B-

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

Dale,
I can't decide whether I like or dislike the '99 vintage, definitely a big fruit year. Taste a '98 next to a '99 of the same producer and you almost think you are tasting wines from different countries. When I saw the braised duck I would have thought this to be a perfect match for a '99 Burg, sorry it was not a better bottle. I just checked and found I have 22 bottles of '99 and most from more modern producers. Not sure why I bought them but they have thier place.
Walt

I know where I stand on the 99's. I love them. Not so sure about the '93 vintage which for the most part has disappointed me.

[David M. Bueker]

I know where I stand on the 99's. I love them. Not so sure about the '93 vintage which for the most part has disappointed me.

Gosh I love '93. Of course I love '99 as well. It could be that I just love Burgundy.

I'm like David B., I just like Burgundy - I even like a few 94s and 97s. But I love good 93s- Jane, you might have just tasted the wrong ones- it's not one of those "you'd have to be an idiot to make bad wine" years. Or it might just be too acidic for your tastes- I tend to like acidity.

As to '99, I have more '99 than any previous vintage (though I have more '01 and '02s). A vintage I like a lot. I think a lot of the bigger wines from '99 are closed down, but I thought a Maranges would be open. Think this is just a case of a not great wine opened too early (somehow, I think B. Morey is better known for his whites than his reds).