TN: Richebourg vs RSV

RICHEBOURG + RSV FOR MIKE AND PETE’S BIRTHDAY - Holland Park, Singapore (20/9/2019)

WHITES

  • 2008 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
    Still too young, but pretty good. The nose had a bit of plump white fruit fringed with a bit of tropical ripeness, and then drifts of cream and minerality. Very Sauzet in how rich that nose was. The palate was quite fat but also rather tight, with plenty of ripe melons and tropical fruit, but somehow still coming across a bit monolithic and simple. Balance was good, and there was nice depth and a solid sense of power, especially on the midpalate and into a Long finish, but this really needs time to come around. (92 pts.)
  • 2015 Domaine de la Grange des Pères Vin de Pays de l’Hérault Blanc - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault
    My first time with this winemaker. 80% Rousanne, 10% Marsanne, 10% Chardonnay, this was a really nice white - a real surprise. The nose had a blast of exotic spice - suggestions of cloves and cardamoms almost - and then a touch of beeswax, some tropical fruit, and a base of poached pear, watermelon candy, and a squeeze of sugarcane juice. A really complex, entrancing nose. The palate was lovely too - it had a real crunch of sweet green pears infused with a warm spiciness, and more of that South of France beeswax character that just coated the midpalate and into a long, insistent, rather chalky, minerally finish. Really lovely stuff - this impressed me tremendously. (93 pts.)

1990s (WITH A RINGER)

  • 1994 Domaine Thomas-Moillard Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
    A very classic, maturing Burg - this was pretty nice. The nose had a nice funky melange of savoury sous bois, bloody meat and earth framing brighter, more fragrant, almost feminine aromas of red cherries and swirling wood spices. A lovely nose. The palate felt just a bit on the skinny side against the other Grand Crus on the side, with a 1994 leanness edging what were otherwise still clearly Grand Cru-scale notes of dark cherries and berries, seasoned with a good bit of spice. The palate had a really nice sense of transparent purity to it, with juicy acidity and fine tannins leading the wine into a lovely, persistent finish. Not a blockbuster, but full of charm and drinking so well now. So enjoyable. This was a very strong 1994, probably drinking as well now as it ever will. (93 pts.)
  • 1988 Domaine des Chezeaux Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru
    This was so very enjoyable. The one off-theme non-RSV or Richebourg, this turned out to be one of the best wines of the night. The nose was sweet and attractive in a very matured Burgundy way, with wafts of sweet strawberry and red cherries streaming out of the glass along with little hints of spice and a little base of earth and meat. A beautiful old school Chambertin nose. The palate had a lovely sweet fleshiness that I have rarely encountered on a 1988, with sweet dried strawberries and maraschino cherry flavours seasoned with a little touch of warm spice and some ferrous mineral. At the finish, a little hint of vanilla and cocoa came out amidst the fruit. Thick and rich, yet still very fresh, and showing barely a hint of 1988’s tight tannins, this was lipsmackingly delicious. Lovely stuff. While not the most polished or sleek expression of the terroir, it was oh so yummy, and really quite a complete, harmonious showing. (94 pts.)
  • 1995 Joseph Drouhin Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
    Very similar impressions to a bottle a few months ago - good but not great, especially for an RSV. The tightest of its flight, this was very 1995 in its character. The nose had a powdered spice lilt to it, along with a chalky earthiness, some dark fruited plums and black cherries, a hint of sweeter violets and some Vosne spice. Pleasant enough, but a little unyielding. The palate again was marked with that tight, reserved character, with shades of sweet black cherries and berries peeking out amidst a structure of firm, fine-boned tannins and juicy acidity. Good strong finish though, with a nice touch of spice and a twist of minerality chasing behind. All in all, a quality wine, but lacking in a sheer enjoyment factor. I wonder whether time will cure this - maybe one to try again in another 5-6 years. Like many 1995s though, one wonders whether the fruit or the structure will outlast the other. (92 pts.)
  • 1993 Domaine A.-F. Gros Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
    Very nice indeed, and really youthful for a 1993 - I actually thought it was a 2001 when blind. The nose had a little shade green funk, with those boiled herb and ginkgo nut aromas that made me think 2001 or 2004, and then much more attractive drifts of sweet red fruit and Vosne spice and some violet flowers. Very nice. The palate was where the wine really shone though. It had a fabulous glow of sweet red cherries and berries laced with gentle spice, all playing against a wonderful backdrop of sinewy earth and mineral - very Richebourg, all the way into a long, effortlessly powerful finish. This was an absolutely lovely drop drinking wonderfully on the night. Super stuff. (95 pts.)

2002s

  • 2002 Domaine A.-F. Gros Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
    Solid, but a clear step or two down from a superb bottle of 1993 AF Gros Richebourg on the previous flight tonight. Really tight when first popped, this only slowly opened up through the evening to show real quality. The nose was classic Richebourg, with a nice streak of mineral and earth, and a meatiness underpinning subtle notes of black cherry and berry, and a lovely blush of spice. The palate was still rather clenched and unyielding, with strong, powerful layers of black cherries, berries and olive tapenade lined with a streak of mineral and earth. It was wonderfully integrated and very well balanced, and with a seriously powerful and long finish to boot, but still really tightly wound though, with a bit of a stubborn gap on the midpalate, in spite of some mature, savoury notes starting to show - this will need a few more years to come around yet. (93 pts.)
  • 2002 Nicolas Potel Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
    Third time round with this wine - and I must say it has been quite inconsistent. This bottle was back to the: Good, but not as good as an RSV should be, territory. Especially from a sterling vintage like 2022. the wine did have very nice nose of cigarette smoke, dark fruited plums and blueberries, earthy soil, and a lift of violets and vanilla at the edges. Somehow rather more advanced than the last couple of bottles I thought, but very attractive. The palate was fresh and lively too, with nice flavours of dark cherries, berries and plums, mineral and smoke drifting along into a decent finish. My issue with this is that it felt a bit thin, a little on the skinny side for a Grand Cru, let alone one from such hallowed terroir. A bit of a lightweight then, but it was very elegant, showing a lovely shape and transparency to it. Drinking very nicely too, if just lacking a sense of depth and oomph. (92 pts.)
  • 2002 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
    Glorious stuff, just beginning to unfurl - this bottle was clearly the pick of the bunch on the 2002 flight. It was very exotic on the bouquet, with wafts of cardamom and cumin and cloves, and then a very dark fruited core of black cherries, plums and blackberries, all flecked with little bits of vanilla - a wonderful kaleidoscope of a nose. The palate was deep, dark and powerful, yet somehow also elegant and transparent, with very juicy, limpid flavours of black cherries and dark berries, spice and mineral, all playing against a backdrop of savoury earth and mineral. There was so much purity and transparency about the fruit in spite of the great depth of the wine. This then stretched away into a long, long finish of bittersweet orange peel and sour plums. Superb power and length here, with the finish just and clinging on the backpalate and refusing to let go. A noble wine then - impeccably balanced and so very solid, with tons and tons going on in its depth, but this does need time in the bottle yet before it really hits its stride. I am glad I still have a couple of bottles left in the cellar. the next one only gets opened 5-6 years down the road. (95 pts.)

1999s

  • 1999 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
    This was a superb bottle that way outperformed a solid but unspectacular one I had a couple of years back. It had a wonderful nose of exotic wood spice - cardamom, cloves and cumin, alongside other telltale whole cluster aromas of boiled herb and bramble, all draped around a sweet core of red cherries and berries - a whole panoply of lovely smells. When served blind, I was quite sure it was DRC on that nose alone. It later made sense when unveiled as a Girardin - rumour has it that DRC sold certain less-impressive barrels of RSV from their stock to Girardin and Potel in the late 1990s and early 2000s as they tried to improve their quality to match Leroy’s stunning expressions. The palate was maybe a half-step to two behind the nose, but was still really lovely. Bright and juicy, with red cherries infused with fragrant spice and bramble, and then a touch of mineral coming up on the midpalate and into the finish, this was a damn good drink. Beautifully transparency and balanced too - a rare 1999 that seems to be drinking at its very peak. Yum. (94 pts.)
  • 1999 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
    Good but not quite ready. Unlike the 1999 Giradin RSV that was fully opened for business, this came across more like many of the 1999 Grand Crus I have had recently - that it still needed time to loosen-up and unwind. There certainly was some quality on it though. It had a deep, rich nose, with aromas of warm spice wafting over stewed cherries and berries, and a nice bass note of warm earthiness. A very full, inviting bouquet. The palate started off really tight, only slowly opening up over the night to show a mouthful of dark cherries and berries, mineral and spice, all wrapped in soft tannins and acidity. There was a decently long finish too, with some notes of orange peel showing up. I somehow just felt that this was less silky and elegant than usual for Hudelot-Noellat, less transparent maybe than some of the houses more recent vintages. It certainly had good Grand Cru girth and depth, but it just felt rather thick and full, lacking some of the effortlessly lacy feel that I have come to enjoy from HN’s RSVs. Nevertheless though, this is a quality wine with plenty of charm - and I do think it will open up fairly nicely over the next few years. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Thanks you again Paul. Interesting commentary on the Girardin RSV. I bought a few Grand Crus from them from that era and in each one I could not get past the heavy handed oak treatment.

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I also have had oak issues with Girardin from that era. But then I had a '99 Girardin Bonnes Mares that was stupid good (and relatively cheap). And now this note. So it seems like a minefield but just maybe a rewarding one?

I have some 02 Ech which is toasty oaky to beat the band, however I have some 99 Santenay 1er cru (Domaine wine I think) which is killer ( and very cheap)

I think the Girardin RSVs are sui generis, along with Potel’s RSVs from that era - roughly 1999 to 2002/2003?

Someone will probably correct me if I am wrong, but that was just after the point in the mid to late 1990s when DRC’s RSV started slipping behind Leroy’s in both price and reputation. A big no-no given the rough falling out the domaine had with Mdm. They then started to pay real attention to the vineyard, selling barrels that they thought were not the best quality. Probably those from younger wines, or less favourable parts of the vineyard. Anyway, the market talk was that Potel and Girardin both got their hands on some of those barrels, hence what one is really getting here is a pseudo-DRC.

My experience with other Girardin bottlings in the late 1990s and early 2000s apart from the RSV have been mixed to say the least. The Bonnes Mares were consistently very good, but a lot of the rest tended to be over-oaked and fairly uninspiring wines.

DRC on the other hand did really well too - with their RSVs shooting up in both quality and price from around that point. The 2001 in particular was an absolutely peach of a wine. I think the domaine themselves knew the investment in the vineyard and cellar paid off when the pricing for RSV crept up and eventually gained some sort of parity with the Richebourg in the mid-2000s. I am still not sure that it is consistently as good, or better than Leroy’s version (both being too expensive for me to drink on a regular basis), but these are probably one of my 3 or 4 favourite RSV bottlings now (along wit Leroy, Arnoux and Cathiard).

Amazing the number of top Burgundy events you have been to! … Great write ups!