TNs: Two birthday wines - 92 Carillon Referts and 13 Cacheux La Croix Rameau

First time having a birth year wine for my birthday celebration this weekend, which is difficult to come by given that by all accounts it was a terrible year pretty much everywhere.

  • 1992 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (5/10/2020)
    First time having a proper old school white Burgundy and it was an educational experience. Drank much younger than it was, it had a bright creamy purity and the wine still had plenty of ripe fruits and energy. Became a little sherry-like when it got too warm in the glass with honey, nutty and pear notes so it was better to leave it in an ice bucket. Incredible amount of layers and complexity but unfortunately didn’t quite come together at any point during the night. Referts is supposedly old Carillon’s best wine after the BBM - haven’t had any of the montys before but I can definitely imagine what they taste like after this.
  • 2013 Jacques Cacheux & Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru La Croix Rameau - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (5/10/2020)
    100% destemmed, the oak is definitely what you first notice with this wine. Vosne producers probably have the highest propensity to do this, probably to imitate Jayer. Some spice and white pepper on the nose, clearly a Vosne. The plot is beside RSV but lighter in stature, marred by a slightly bitter and astringent finish. Very elegant and enjoyable otherwise, with generous red fruits of strawberries. If you don’t try to compare this to a RSV, it’s an excellent wine in its own right.



Absolutely pristine bottle, the photo doesn’t do the colour of the wine justice here. Was worried about it being dead, but once it was poured the colour put a big smile on my face.

My older daughter was born in 1992 so I have quite a bit of experience with the wines. There are a number of good options. Port is very good, as are reds from CA - most of the usual suspects are worth trying. There are some great deals like Beringer Bancroft Ranch Merlot. Red Burgundy can be surprisingly good. Chave Hermitage is excellent, in a lighter style.

I’ve only had a few red Bordeaux but the Magdelaine was a really nice surprise.

Cheers Craig, will seek out the regions that you mentioned. Guess you can’t go wrong with good producers even in a bad year - had a really good off vintage Magdelaine last year so that could be a good bet for Bordeaux. Many thanks again!