Belated notes on wines tasted sometime last autumn or winter. This trade tasting, which I attended with Rainer, was the last time we met Hans Müller, our favourite Burgundy wine merchant, who died after a short illness a few weeks ago.
Jayer-Gilles Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits 2004
Ruby-black. Some brett and bitterness to some meat and minerals. Medium length. Rating: 87
Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne 2004
Ruby-black. More emphasis on cherry, bitter tannin, a bit short. Rating: 87+?
Ponsot Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de l'Abeille 2004
Ruby-black. A bit smokier, more glyceric, fruitier, also bitter, medium length. Rating: 87
Fourrier Chambolle-Musigny Vieille Vigne 2004
Metallic but racy enough, simple fruit, medium length. Rating: 85
Léchenaut Morey-Saint-Denis 2004
Oakier than most, a bit simple fruit also, medium bitterness, but some pretty and harmonious blueberry. Rating: 87+?
Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Grives 2004
Volatile and high-acid. Fairly complex rose-hip. Rating: 85
Léchenaut Nuits-Saint-Georges Damodes 2004
Glossy fruit and stony minerality, sweetest so far, nicely warming, integrated bitter note. Longer. Rating: 87+
Fourrier Chambolle-Musigny Les Gruenchers Vieille Vigne 2004
Firm, high-acid, with an emphasis on mineral and animal flavours, not meaty enough. Rating: 87
Fourrier Vougeot Les Petits Vougeots Vieille Vigne 2004
Autumnal, evolved fruit, some nuttiness. Rating: ~85?
Pousse d’Or Volnay Clos des 60 Ouvrées 2004
From a yield of 27 hl/ha. Zinfandel-like fruit, modern-styled, firm but bitter. Rating: 86+
Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne 2004
Old-viney (indeed, from vines planted in 1940) but light and high-acid. Strangely Bordeaux-like. Rating: 85
Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Les Goulots Vieille Vigne 2004
More difficult to judge, tighter, longer, dustier tannin. Rating: 86+/87+?
Heresztyn Morey-Saint-Denis Les Millandes 2004
Mild and evolved, petrolly, a bit jammy, shows good sweetness. Rating: 87+
Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Alouettes 2004
Faintly volatile also (like the Grives)? Châteauneuf-du-Pape-like chocolate, round, good sweetness, satiny, the longest wine of the tasting so far. Rating: 89
Léchenaut Nuits-Saint-Georges Pruliers 2004
Attractive terroir, greatest depth of all the wines so far, combines grip with smoothness, complex morello, very long on the finish, good subtlety on the aftertaste. Rating: 90
Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne 2004
Fair enough concentration, this has grip and tannin. Emphasis on forest floor. Rating: 87+?
Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques Vieille Vigne 2004
More harmony and depth, the greatest terroir (in general love the wines from this site!) of all the wines so far, but not the best wine. Not bitter, but not fruity either. Rating: 87
Forey Echézeaux 2004
Vintage Port-like nose and fruit on the palate, reminiscent of a Smith Woodhouse. Good density, dark chocolate and mint. Medium-plus length. Rating: 87+
Pousse d’Or Corton Clos du Roi 2004
Evolved Cornas-like flintstone and roasted herbs. Find the style here strange so far, but these two wines were the first I ever tasted from Pousse d’Or. Rating: ~88
Cornu Corton 2004
Milk chocolate, petits fruits rouges, forest floor earth, medium-plus length. Rating: ~88?
Damoy Chapelle-Chambertin 2004
Blacker ruby than most. A bit drying, a touch of green here. Covers up its mild bitterness with just sufficient fruit. The terroir just barely expresses itself. A far cry from the 2002. Rating: 88
Heresztyn Clos Saint-Denis 2004
Has body and pink grapefruit acidity to sweet berry fruit, some mulled clared spice. Rather long. Finally a wine that manages to cover up what bitterness there is to the tannin. Rating: ~90
Mommessin Clos de Tart 2004
Smells a bit lean for what it is. Top note of coconut, but not too oaky. Nice though not big fruit. Minor powderiness to the tannin. Fair enough length only. Rating: ~88
Greetings from Switzerland, David.