Absolutely. This was controversial a few months ago at a tasting, really awkward and playing peek a boo. I thought it was clearly a racy terrific wine that needs ten years just to be normal.
Is the M Gros Aux Reas or his Monopole Clos Reas? To me the latter is always deceptively tight for a wine that’s not huge.
Sometimes it´s also the “art” of opening a bottle at the right time …
(I´m not convinced that ´01 GCs are always on their apogee … nor any ´02s perfect …)
I opened a 1999 Ponsot CDLR 2 months ago at a dinner. It too was quite muted. Being a Burgundy fan is very closely related to clinical masochism. Why the hell should you have to wait 25 years just to drink a wine? We are all insane…
Another question is how the wines were prepared for drinking? Poped and poured?
Not the best way imho …
I can think of no other region where people are so forgiving of poor quality and inconsistency at stratospheric prices.
Imagine a high-end winery from anywhere else in the world. Haut Brion? MacDonald? d’Yquem?
Would you tolerate the same from these wineries? Why or why not?
I am not forgiving of poor quality and inconsistency in Burgundy. I have attempted to mitigate it by learning the styles of some producers and buying based on what producers I like rather than on points. I highly recommend that anyone who buys Burgundy purely on reputation of vineyards and producers and points stop buying Burgundy as you are wasting your money.
FYI, I bought a bottle of the Remy CDLR to try based on an email from Envoyer. I thought it was nice but not great and have not bought any further wines from Remy. Of these four producers, I like and have a good bit of wine from Jadot and like Ponsot a good deal but find his wines too expensive and do not purchase them.
Remy was in 01 certainly not a high end winery. Burgundy takes much more work than other regions; I am rarely disappointed with what I open, but I have studied it for decades. It is only recently that prices became stratospheric. Quality has never been better.
2000 has been a great early drinking vintage for quite a while…2007 seems to be in the same vein. I’ve been burned by opening Jadots too early, esp CSJ (the 99 CSJ for example)…but looks like the 2000 is drinking well now (notes from folks whose palate I know, I haven’t had this unfortunately).
I’d open the bottle two hours ahead (an hour is probably all that’s needed here, but most times I do two and there’s no harm in doing two here) and take a small taste to see how it’s doing, and if it needs air to show well. I’d double decant it off its sediment…and if your taste indicated it needs some air time, double decant enough time ahead for this. If sediment isn’t an issue, then I’d pour a glass and pour it back in the bottle enough ahead of time (instead of the double decant…a pyrex measuring cup works really well here). Or decanting into a water carafe (or something similar) works well too…tho I think a smaller bit of air of the double decant (or pour & return) approach is better for the wine. The pouring a glass and back is Meo Camuzet’s approach: Home - When to taste - Méo Camuzet
Have a great time…hope it shows well!
Is the weather warm/hot and humid where you reside, and has it been that way during this period of time you have consumed these red burgundies?
If it is Michel Gros “Clos des Rèas” it´s 1er Cru … and I would not say that it is usually “tight” - however the 02 is still a bit on the young side, but with proper airing (NO double-decanting) it should be enjoyable.
Or is it A.F.Gros “Aux Rèas”? That´s Village AC from Michel´s sister.
I would never double-decant it. I´d open it 5-6 hours in advance, take a tiny sip to taste, refill that and wait.
10-15 min before serving I´d decant it as softly as possible just to seperate it from the sediment.
Respectfully, I disagree. I think the risk with any Jadot CSJ, or better, that’s less than 20-25 years old, is that it’s not ready. And opening/tasting it 2 hours ahead and optionally double decant, or pour a glass and repour back into the bottle, is prudent to insure the wine shows well. And I say this only because I’ve appreciated your wine notes & comments.
IMHO it´s an error to think that double decanting makes a (too young) wine better accessable than slow-oxidation over several hours.
With DC a wine can get more brittle (than necessary) with pronounced acidity and less open and sweet fruit.
Yesterday I attended a tasting led by a friend who has experienced how well slow-oxing works - he does it exactly as I do.
We tasted 23 red Village Burgundies from 2016 to 1945 (mostly Gevrey, Chambolle, Vosne, Nuits …), and not a single one was completely shut, inaccessable or too harsh or structured. Several (2016-2002) were clearly too young and primary, but nevertheless enjoyable … many were really singing … e.g. a 2007 Liger-Belair, a 2003 Mugnier, a 1999 Fourrier, a 1976 Dessus-de-Malconsorts/Noblet and a 1959 VR Arnoux.
So far my 2c
We’re on the same page wrt slow oxing the wine…I included the double decanting because he mentioned wanting to get it off the sediment (& I agree with him about sediment, if there’s more than a bit of it), and otherwise suggested pour and pour back a smaller amt of wine.
Very good point, Alan.
This is precisely why I asked up thread how the OP is choosing the wines he tries from Burgundy. If you are buying on reputation or recommendation or points, rather than what you have experienced yourself, you may very well end up with wines you don’t like. And then blame Burgundy for being treacherous. I’m only occasionally disappointed with burgundy from my cellar, no more often than any other region, but I also buy what I know I like.
That said, it’s tough to argue there’s not greater pressure from anticipation in Burgundy, partly due to price and partly to reputation. At the other end of the spectrum, I’m in Budapest right now, with few expectations for Hungarian wine (not that I thought badly of it, just very little experience) and have been pleased with every bottle so far. So what one brings to the table mentally is a big part of the experience.
You can’t blame Burgundy for being Burgundy. At the end of the day, a cat is always going to be a cat.
Burgundy = Salome
Veils, contemplation, anticipation, subtleties, etc.
Oh yeah, disappointments are native and sadly can require many dollars and years before reveal/truth, a form of vinous masochism.
As with golf, a glorious shot will keep you coming back again and again, a great burg is captivating, haunting and treacherous…
Fore!
Have been on a brief trip since the OP. Thanks folks for all the (occasionally divergent) POVs and also the advice and empathy.
Why have I purchased/opened the ones I have? I would say a mosaic comprised of my modest past experience with producer/terroir/vintage, recommendations and, in a pinch, a judicious use of Cellartracker.
At the end of the day I think I would attribute the recent dull streak to the region’s general variability, coupled with perhaps a run of bad luck. There might be something to the “too soon” phenomenon as well, though I like to think I know the difference between tightly wound and just plain bad. I am far from hanging it up on the region, but I admit it has given me pause.
More than anything, I suppose I simply need to reconcile myself to quite a different risk/reward relationship from the region.
Thanks again for indulging me.