Burg: 2012, 13, 14 or 15 ?

WINE TALK
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Not all GCs:

list][]2012 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée (4/3/2019)
Red cherry, oak, spice and some loamy soil notes on the nose. The palate is full, with tart cherry and a lively texture with good acidity and verve on the drying finish. Really nice, need to keep my hands off the remaining stash. Try again in 2025. (91 pts.)
[]2012 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru (3/29/2019)
Purchased off the LAGCC list for $1250, bargain of the century. Pop and pour, consumed over a 3 hour lunch. Bright, full deep red color. Soaring and complex nose of sandalwood, cherry, anise spice and bitter chocolate. The palate is deep and rich, densely packed, sappy and sweet, offering a distinctly three-dimensional texture to its intense dark berry, spice and truffley underbrush flavors. Complex but firmly tannic finish that shows a bit austere today but leaves the palate vibrating with DRC spice and flowers.This wine screams DRC from the nose thru to the incredible complex and beguiling palate. Outstanding and should drink even better in 15-20 years. (96 pts.)
[]2012 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (1/23/2019)
Chez moi. Popped and poured. Scents of earth, spice, creosote and black cherry on the nose. Fairly rustic, ripe round palate, with a saline and earth quality that adds complexity. Ultimately too ripe for me. In 2012, I prefer the NSG VV village wine to his premier crus, as the texture and red fruited nature of the wine work better for mine. (88 pts.)
[]2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Gevrey-Chambertin La Croix des Champs - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin (1/21/2019)
Very pretty nose, some cranberry and a sandalwood/spice element. Ripe fruit and a medium intensity palate showing a lithe silky texture. I like this one a lot. (91 pts.)
[]2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Gevrey-Chambertin La Croix des Champs - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin (11/9/2017)
At a VVW tasting. The stems on the nose really stand out in a good way. Sandal wood infused red fruits and spice, very compelling and dare I say Dujac-like. The palate is lithe and taut for a 12, with a saline element and showing restraint and good balance. I liked this one a lot. (92 pts.)
[]2012 Domaine de Montille Nuits St. Georges Aux Saints-Juliens - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges (12/26/2016)
Spicy stemmy nose, with some oak resin. Lithe palate, a little clenched but otherwise silky with a lovely mouth feel. Tart cranberry flavors, with some iron ore type mineral elements. Not a prototypical 2012, much leaner and silky. (89 pts.)
[]2012 Sylvain Cathiard Chambolle-Musigny Les Clos De L’orme - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny (12/13/2016)
Pretty spicy nose with some stems and wood elements. Lithe palate, silky and elegant with deep red fruited flavors. (89 pts.)
[]2012 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée (1/3/2016)
Subtle red fruit and spice aromas, with a touch of brown sugar. Very refined palate, really silky with fine grained tannins balanced by bracing acidity and a fairly dry and austere finish. This doesn’t have the typical concentration of 2012, the silky palate is outstanding when considering the vintage. (90 pts.)
[*]2012 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges (1/14/2015)
Fairly bright cherry fruit, some spice but really primary. Young tight palate, well fruited but clenched then thin on the finish. Clean and well made should be a good medium term hold. (90 pts.)[/list]
Posted from CellarTracker

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Interesting; surprised the dujac cdlr was remotely open but who knows. The Richebourg sounds shut down but for $1250 you have to pull the trigger. The notes from 2017 on the 14s are about what I’d expect as it should be pretty open 3 years after release. My notes are all in the last 6 months. I do think some 2012s may start to open up a bit but I think it’s likely producer dependent.

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I opened a 14 Clos des Lambrays a week ago for my wife’s bday. Was youthful but fairly expressive. Showed proper Morey umami damp earthiness, cherry pits with florals and a little pepper on top. Some cold-stoniness on the relatively long finish. A bit light in weight right now but still with intensity and exceeded my expectations for a young mid tier GC.

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I drank a bunch of bottles of '12 DRC -mostly LT but also Ech, RSV, RC - when they were first released and they were excellent.

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friends,

All great and a bit too young but contrary to what my good friend Peter Chiu said at this moment I would certainly opt for the 2013s. As Eric CLAUDEL at restaurant LE CHAMBOLLE put it last friday :“They are in a good place now but I do not see them go much further.” ( very free translation from FRENCH).

SINCERELY JOHAN

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  1. Eventually one learns that if one actually wants to drink the stuff without waiting for retirement it’s better to buy ‘bad’ vintages.
1 Like
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I disagree regarding 13; while I do think it’s the most drinkable of those vintages I think it will be great in the long run. I think the acidity will help keep freshness and that there’s enough fruit, if not as much as the vintages around it.

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If you like green, perhaps. 17 would be the obvious choice if we’re expanding the original selection.

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+1!

What’s the producer in question?

There are a lot of variables at play that make it hard to generalize. E.g. 12, 13 and 14 were all hail vintages in Volnay and Pommard.

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Johan…watching Euro2020 most of time.

Sorry for late reply to your compliments. Thanks for agreeing with me to opt for 2013.

Like I posted, I do not any experience with Ech from vintage 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. As a matter of fact, the only g-crus I still buy after vintage 2010 are mostly red Corton and Damoy Chambertin, CdBeze and Chappelle.

I opted for 2013 as a wild, wild guess - by logic and with my experience of the general character of each of the vintage year. 2012 most likely still close as a g-crus; 2015 g-cru need more bottle-age. So I was left with 2013 or 2014…

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Tom…the OP asked for the choice from 2012; 2013; 2014 and 2015.

I agree with you that perhaps…2011 would be a better ( or more logic ) chose than …the 4 listed in the title of this thread.

Also due to my love for burgundy wines, I would never describe the easy ( or less ) vintage years : for example - 2004 and 2011 - as bad vintage. That being said : other are free to call them : whatever they wish. I personally due to my cultural background and for the politeness and respectfulness to all vignerons in CdOr…I would prefer to call them : easy or lesser vintage. [thumbs-up.gif]

When the Heaven wishes to bestow a big test to any vigneron in the Kingdom of Cd’Or, he will give them the growing conditions similar to vintage 2004 and 2011…to see how they will perform and adjust

When that happened - normally once every 10 years - may God ( and some burgundy wine-lovers ) bless and support them…that is my sincere thoughts [swoon.gif]

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For some reason producer was being kept secret, but OP did say the wine was Echezeaux.

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I think OP…will do it with 2012 ( with plenty of air ).[cheers.gif]