Blighty cellar raid - Montrose '82 and others

[Comte Flaneur]

Last night back in Blighty and had the unenviable task of drinking through some of the remains of my cellar:

Krug Grand Cuvee - haven't had this for a while but this was on terrific form. Thick, viscous, nutty and briochey; creamy and vibrant. Very dangerous because you can't go back to ordinary champage after this (solution don't drink champagne at all). 94

Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2007 - blind you would swear this was from the Cote De Beaune probably a meursault with a bit of age and toasty honeycomb. Some tropical fruit and an OK finish. I wouldn't pay 20 quid for it (the asking price) but it is probably worth 15. 89

Domaine Leflaive Puligny Clavoillon 2000 - you would think this was the younger wine - more nuanced, fresher and with a longer and classier finish than the saffer. Still a youngster, which should improve. 91+

Rollin Corton Charlemagne 1996 - chalky, expansive mouthful with superb fruit and a fabulous long finish; this is held together with a firm backbone of acidity; marvellous and a point. 95

Ch Montrose 1982 - fabulous leafy, lead pencil attack this wine is right at its apogee; full bodied, forward, expansive and open for a Montrose; it might not shine on a table with other illustrious 82s, but on its own it is a scrumptious mouthful of claret.94

Phelan Segur 2003 - roasted coffee beans permeates this wine; roasted to the point of being flame grilled - this wine did nothing to assuage my paranoia about the 2003 vintage - not much better the next day - 85?

Joseph Phelps Insignia 1994 - stunning raspberry cabernet nose; this turns out to be a bit boring and one dimensional (like so many other Napa cabs); suffered next to the complexity of the Montrose. OK finish but disappointing given the accolades this has received - 89

Lamarche La Grand Rue 2004 - wonderfully complex nose of exotic spices and red fruits; thick full-bodied and seamless on the palate - it was nice to get a glimpse of this before it surely closes down for 15 years.- 95++

Hermitage La Chapelle 1995 - a complex and interesting nose of lead pencil and minerals, not dissimilar to the Montrose; quite rich and full-bodied this is drinking very well and provides a lot of pleasure. It should gain in complexity with age - 92+

Gaja Barbaresco 1994 - powerful, tannic and quite backward, this has hints of black cherries and tobacco - impressive but need to hold off - 92+

Tignanello 1997 - also backward and surprisingly closed down with smoky, minerally spicey nuances; a rich and opulent wine beneath the tannic cloak - will be superb - give it another five years at least - 93+

A good bunch of wines: I didn't have a hangover in the morning either - and that was after a similar evening the night before (Thursday):

Carillon Puligny Montrachet Les Combettes 1997 - quite evolved colour; rich full-bodied, citrus and exotic fruit with an element of Puligny terroir - marvellous and no sign of prem-ox - 93

Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne 1999 - chalky, savoury and very clean and also drinking beautifully now - 92

Daniel Rion Clos Vougeot 1993 - maroon, litle sign of ageing; still quite tight and primary; emerging from a dormant phase, promising - 91+

Joseph Roty Gevrey Chambertin Chmap Chenys 1995 - another young wine with wonderful earthiness, a more sensitive palate suggested this might have been slightly tainted though I didnt really notice - 90+

Ch. Hosanna 1999 - young quite unevolved but with a sexy/kinky attack; lush and silky on the palate; very refined femine and elegant - this was this estate's first wine and is one to watch -91+

Ch. Pichon Baron 1997 - this textbook Pauillac continues to drink very well - as it has done for many years - medium-bodied but not lacking in any department - very satisfying 89

Ch,. Batailley 1989 en magnum - even more old style, old fashioned Pauillac that is not smooth like the Hosanna but is immensely pleasurably. After a distinguished life this may be entering the final furlong but I doubt it will slide downhill fast - 89

The points are merely for comparative purposes and make no claims for accuracy, objectivity, consistency or fairness.

[stefan]

Nice wines, Ian. The biggest surprise is how good the Lamarche La Grand Rue was. The second biggest surprise is that none of the white Burgundies suffered from premox.

stefan

[Nicklasss]

Thanks Comte Flaneur for the really nice report. good selection of wine. I was less enthusiast about the 2003 Lamarche Grande Rue, not so long ago. Here is what I thought : The 2003 La Grande Rue from Domaine Lamarche is concentrated and new style of Bourgogne. Dark color. First nose with spices, cinnamon, oak, and red berries. With time (3-4 hours), changed a lot, to become some cherry and coca cola aromas. In mouth, heavy style, full of nice oak, spices and kirsch. Long tannic final. I liked it but this is not my definition of Bourgogne. But not as roasted as I thougth first, because of the 2003 on the label. TN : 91+.

I agree with you, the Krug is something special. For the Leflaive Clavoillon, I really enjoyed the 1997 a few years ago. Great producer.

One day, I'll try a Gaja.

Nic

[DavidG]

Yeah, nice selection of goodies! Thanks for the report. Is most of your cellar back in England or over here now, Ian?

[Jay Winton]

Thanks Ian...82 Montrose has always been disappointing to me given the vintage, maybe its improved. I bought a case of the 97 Pichon Baron for $300 and have enjoyed every bottle, still a couple left. Krug is Krug and the MV ages so nicely.

[Comte Flaneur]

Stefan/Nic - I have never tried Lamarche Grand Rue, and I was really impressed given its mixed reputation - there was no greeness in this wine and I think the weather was much less stressful in 04 compared to 03...this is ready to go into hibernation but my guess is it will be terrific from around 2025. (The more I drink red burgundy the more I convinced that many of them show well for a couple of years before basically closing down for a long time - a lot of them are drunk in the closed window - say aged ten - and that is why red burgundy is so widely misunderstood and under-appreciated. For example many of the 1996 and 1999 Louis Jadot GCs are quite shut down now, but I am sure they will eventually emerge splendidly. A lot of the 1995s are likewise closed for business, even many of the 1993s). I was pleasantly surprised by the white burgundies - I thought there would be 60-70% chance the Carillon - my last bottle from the case - would be prem-oxed. It was nice to drink four mature white burgundies in two nights singing at the top of their voices without even a hint of prem-ox. David - most of my wine is still here but I am flying back tomorrow with about ten bottles divided between two suit cases. Jay the Montrose on its own was just fabulous. Next to the likes of Cos and Pichon Lalande I am sure it would be found wanting. A lot of wines are written off because they don't perform in comparative tastings. This may be one example.