fwiw I did a tasting with the winemaker 2 years ago. Did a 10-12 bottle vertical of Combe aux Moines back to late 90âs. I brought back a mixed case from that vineyard (good pricing) -some recent bottles others going back to 2001. Respectfully, I have not been very impressed by the few I have opened, not sure if they are shut down or just uninteresting. Hoping more age will help.
The 1988 barely mature ⊠the 1993 and 1996 definitely not.
Bought also 2002 and 2005, might have been a mistake ⊠wonâ t be alive anymore âŠ
Rustic concentrated style,lacking elegance and with a tendency to dryness ⊠if you love Rousseau and Fourrier ⊠stay away ⊠more old Gouges with more oak âŠ
I first visited Philippe Leclercâs tasting room in fall 1985 and many times thereafter. In 2007 we spent some hours with him touring the building (worth visiting on its own) and tasting his wonderful 2005s. I am as I write drinking a 2005 Bourgogne âBons Batonsâ lovely aromatics, deep concentration. Long finish. And quite young.
A lovely Bons Batons (one of the very best Bourgone AOC vineyards; Patrice Rion makes a great one, too).
I looked at my cellar notes before writing this post. Almost all the notes include superlatives and intense concentration of fruit. Some note some balancing aggressive tannins. Almost all were enjoyed at over 20 years old. Some notes on the 1985 âCombes aux Moinesâ
11/11/98: the Rumsey duck dinner at the Gen. Lafayette Inn. This wine stole the show. Big, lead-pencil nose. Full-bodied, black-fruity, with excellent balance, oak integrated and long finish.
Darned good. and will keep until 2005, probably.
5/15: \grilled chicken; cheese grits. cleaning of heavy sediment and 4 hours aeration, then some âslow oxâ. Lovely aromatics of \deep black fruitsâŠdeepâŠsurprisingly clean , sl astringent tannins, but so much concentration and harmony. Palate staining finish; tactile. The epitome of a great Gevrey 1er cru made in an âold styleâ. Would have lasted 10 more years.
My notes on the '93s and '96s are equally enthusiastic, as well as the '90âs âŠI have to say I was surprised at how good the experiences were.
I do think they require a minimum of 15-20 years and an appreciation of the style: incredible fruit; some astringent tannins from skins and 22 months in oak (I understand he now includes whole bunches in the fermentation tanks to provide more accessible fruits; started about 2007-9. It is a style that has its place in Burgundy and a clean, tactile style that requires aging, as âoldâ Burgundies probably did.
They do have to be prepared ârightâ, whatever that means to you. They need aeration and perhaps decanting off the sediment, but with the right food and 20+ years they have been almost all âwowâ wines for me.
If ârusticâ it is in the best sense: rudimentary, âold styleâ winemaking that put Burgundy on the 20th century map after the Depression.
Havenât had a P. Leclerc wine in many a year, but even ripe vintages like 1990 were darker than the darkest depths of Mordor. I retreated to Dugat and Dugat-Py for my long-term experiment in what this style of Burgundy can become. I am still relatively unimpressed with my once or twice a year samplings from those domaines (vintages 2001, 2002, 2003).
Well, Last week I made a tasting visit at Domaine Philippe Leclerc (part of my search for interesting but not so known domaines in Cote de Nuits). Beautiful cellar, please see some pics below. I like the style and I like most of his wines! My favorite was his Gevrey Cazetiers 1er. I tried 2015,2016 and 2017. I preferred 2015 vintage which was ready and more elegant, with rich aroma, complex mid-full body, nice structure and lovely silky tannins, not too young for my taste. I guess the last vintages are more accessible than it use to be before.
Another interesting aspect is the out-of-the-box business model, that probably makes it difficult for the winery with the professional reviewers, but give us, wine lovers, very good Burgundy wine for less.
We worked with him a sort of/almost the U.S. importer for a while, unaware that
his style of business was to charge the walk-in private customer visitors the same price
We paid for pallet loads.
He had already purchased most of the entire unground area of Gevrey Chambertin,
and developed it into what would be described as Disneyesque Nightmare bacchanal - I cannot find the wordsâŠ
He was then tired and bored of wine making, and had lost his passion.
Not my words, those were his sentiments.
The village wine was a great value for the price,
If you can get down stairs to his caves that run under the entire town of G.C. it will be one of the most memorable experiences.
From the photos it appears he has taken a small portion of it and made it accessible to any tourist for $10.oo
his son has to be in his 20âs now, I wonder if he has an interest and passion?
What a terrible wasteâŠ
If you go, let me know if he still uses the medieval pulley system to bring the wines up from the cellar for affect.
I think (if memory serves) there is a area he allows the public to visit, and then his âprivateâ area, in one of Parkers
older books he wrote about the open casket- there is some one in the casket⊠of course no longer living
Iâm too Romantic about wine making and what can be, and seeing someone just going through the motionsâŠ
that just does not feel right to me - not that it is my place to judgeâŠ
I guess you didnât notice that I review Burgundy for The Wine Advocate! I can tell you that a domaineâs commercial strategy doesnât impact whether I choose to review the wines. My colleagues and I between us review many wineries that sell much of their production direct. So, I know, does Vinous.