1999 Alex Gambal G-C Lavaux St Jacques

[stefan]

After many years of waiting for the 1999 Burgundies to achieve their potential, I think some finally have. Tonight with leftover baked chicken, scalloped tomatoes, and parsley potatoes Lucie and I drank

1999 Alex Gambal Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St. Jacques. Asphalt, truffles, and brambles in the nose and mouth, with a bright red plum flavor. The bouquet is exciting and the finish is long. I wish I had bought more of this beauty as it is one of the best 1er Cru Gambal wines we have drunk. stefan 93. Lucie 94.

[jmccready]

I have found his wines show great results when given enough bottle ageing. Good report. JM

[jal]

1999 is to Burgundies what 1986 is to Bordeaux. Greatness lurking behind a tightly shut core.

[Comte Flaneur]

Thanks for the update stefan. It is a vintage that I have found stubbornly backward, but by all accounts has all the requisite attributes.

I also heard that some wily folk are beginning to snap up 1996s. A vintage that started out with great promise only to go into a horribly frustrating phase.

[stefan]

Shhh, Ian!

[Comte Flaneur]

This wine I took out of storage about a year ago:

Domaine Humbert Freres Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenot 1999

An interesting and complicated - and complex - wine. Complicated because it is variable and easy to write off from a somewhat unfashionable producer. But this wine has guile and charm, with a parsimonious 13% ABV. From a notoriously recalcitrant, but good, vintage, it shows sign of browning at the rim. Translucent, it has fresh herby and menthol notes on the nose. On the palate it is deceptive; initially an illusion of dilution and wateriness, it is subtle, nuanced and diaphanous with an array of oriental teas. This wine is entering its tertiary phase and funky, underbrush and mushroomy notes are just beginning to emerge. The magic and uniqueness of burgundy: it is constantly evolving and metamorphosing. On the back it you get some savoury damson fruit and it comes on stronger; it has a fine finish. A bottle open 24+ hours showed no sign of fading, and was just as fresh on day two as on day one. It is quite delicate and complex, and will only become more interesting over time I would guess. I fear I will never find out.

[jmccready]

CF-you were clearly not describing a fine Bordeaux, great notes on the complex mosaic of great Burgundy. JM

[stefan]

We have blind tastings; why not a blind grading of wine descriptions? Ian and Michael Malinoski are the two finalists. Their entries for the competition should go to the BD, who will post them blind for BWEers to admire and vote on.

[DavidG]

That would be a fun exercise. I think I could distinguish between them based on their writing styles. Then again, I might do no better than I do with blind tasting wines.

You could throw in notes from some of the professional critics to make it even more interesting.

[stefan]

Yeah,David, having one of The Sucker's descriptions included would add to the "drama".

[DavidG]

I'm 93 points on that... and I live in Tuscany.

[Comte Flaneur]

When it comes to writing tasting notes I don't hold a candle to Michael. And he doesn't make shit up either...