2005 Faiveley Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne (2/14/2014)
Nice nose of black cherries, a little rustic and went well with some stewed lamb and vegetables. Dusty tannins, nice acidity, a bit ripe and "grapey" for me. Nothing really wrong with this but I prefer more elegance in my Burgundies. (88 pts.)
2005 Nicolas Potel Volnay Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay (2/15/2014)
Nice nose, good structure, still a bit tannic but a pleasure to drink right now. The structure is great as is every Burgundy from 2005 I've drank. I find that Potel's Volnays are extremely friendly and seductive. (91 pts.)
1999 Nicolas Potel Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru (2/16/2014)
Gorgeous perfumed nose of violets and cherries, on the palate, this is elegant and seamless with a lovely texture and nice acidity. One of the rare 99 Burgs that already delivers pleasure. Food pairing was not the greatest as we ordered Lebanese food on a snowy night but the wine was great before and after the food. (93 pts.)
I have a modest stash of Faiveley 2005 Premier Crus that were wonderful in 2010 but now seem tight as a Gordian knot. Also some '99s from various producers, especially Anne Gros, that I thought would be in full bloom by now - but no such luck.
How long do I have to wait? I thought Burgundy didn't require decades like some Bordeaux. Am I wrong?
Some of the '99 1er Crus are lovely now, Stuart. As for Anne Gros--well, move to a warmer environment if you want to enjoy them before adjourning to That Great Tasting Room in the Sky. Faiveley had changed its style by '05, IIRC, so it is hard to know when the '05s will re-emerge.
I hear you Frustrated in Florida, 1999 was touted as a great vintage when it first came out but most of the wines from that vintage that I drank are still very tight. In another post I compared it to the 1986 vintage in Bordeaux, but that is unfair to the Bordeaux.
It seems the underrated vintages always offer more pleasure in Burgundy; 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, if you have any of those, I would drink them first.
All of my best Burgundy experiences have been with wines that were at least 20 years old. I enjoy them at all ages, but the good ones always reward the cellar time.
Jacques, I think the comparison to '86 Bordeaux is a good one. I sat in on a pretty respectable 1986 Bordeaux tasting around 2000 up in NYC (so more or less 15 years old) and almost everyone walked away muttering about dumping these mean, nasty wines. Another 10 years really has made a huge difference, and I think '99 Burgs are tracing the same arc.
Welcome back, sdr! I hope things are on the upswing for you and Lady K.
I had a strange experience with another 1999 Burgundy last night--Sylvie Esmonin's Gevrey-Chambertin VV. It was tasty grape juice with no bouquet at all. It certainly did not taste too young; in fact, from the taste I would say that the wine was in its prime time. It is just a village wine, but Sylvie Esmonin is a good wine maker and, according to Clive Coates, her wines are usually approachable younger than, say, her cousin's.
I have been drinking a lot of Burgs too, but mostly trying the 2011s. The whites seem pure and refined and very good drinking now although the
Pulignys, etc will improve. Reds good to me for early drinking at the Bourg rouge level up to say, Savigny les Beaune. Don't have enough older
clarets to drink regularly-my loss. JM
