1996 Jacques Prieure Chambertin

[stefan]

Last night at Veritas we started with a 2009 Chehalem 3 Vineyard Pinot Gris off the menu, eaten with a perfect lobster bisque and a to die for grilled marlin with small red & green tomatoes and powdered calamata olives. The Pinot Gris was good but a bit sweet for the fish and certainly not in the league of the 2008 Oregon Pinot Gris we have tasted.

We followed with one of the best wines of the year. With it I had a delicious quail daily special while Lucie ate a sea bass with morels. the wine was 1996 Jacques Prieure Chambertin. The bouquet was delicate but so fine and nuanced that I did not taste it for five minutes. In the mouth, the Chambertin was more powerful than you would guess from the nose, yet it matched perfectly well with Lucie's fish course. Some great Burgundies can overwhelm you with motor oil and tree fungus and other interesting smells and flavors. This Chambertin had these characteristics, but they were accents for the pure pinot flavor. 96 points from both Lucie and me.

[aimeedogdogdog]

So the '96 Burgundy is ready, Stefan? I expected at least another 5 years for them to reach maturity. I guess some develop faster than others.

Werner

[stefan]

Werner, as good as it was, I think it will improve for another five years.

[Comte Flaneur]

Nice wine! Sounds like it is not ready yet...your problem will be keeping you mits off them...lot of 95 and 96 red burgs are still a good ways away and are evolving at a funereal pace

[AlexR]

Is this really fair with the sort of life span we've been assigned?

Alex R.