nice notes Alan - great to see you and the rest of the team.
loved the Verset, the Allemand SS was gorgeous (i think that was my favorite of the evening…), Burgundies were a fun diversion, and I was glad how the Juge showed.
looking forward to being back out west in a couple of weeks.
If we follow The Rule of Fifteen, which is a bonafide rule passed down through everlasting winedom, this gives Norther Rhone reds a very shallow drinking window. As The Rule states: “Only once a Northern Rhone red attains age 15 is it to be declared drinkable and thou shall open. Opening before the age of 15 is certain to cause all sundrie[sic] calamities and confusions and shall Not be ordained.”
As we can clearly see, if we follow this rule religiously and you say the Rhones only last until age 20, this gives us only 5 years to drink our wines.
Fair, were they at apex or on the decline? My Gentaz are all long gone and, for obvious reasons, won’t be refilled. It’s probably been years since I’ve had a bottle and it wouldn’t surprise me if the 1991 in particular were to hold on, but is it better than it was 5 or even 10 years ago? I don’t have the data, but I doubt it, at least to my palate. Keep in mind that you’re British and old wine is more ingrained as an archetype.
You’re probably that implying that it is no more than intellectual exercise is too strong but I don’t think that fading would be.
All those vintages still have an abundant, even rich, expression of fruit and long, coherent finishes without any sign of drying or cracking up, so I don’t think they could be described as fading The 1980 and 1983 might be described as at apex, but to me the others remain youthful wines.
Not Nathan, but they continue to be superb. That said, I think they’re a bit more closed than they were a few years ago. If you’ve waited this long, I’d wait a bit more.
What William said. I had a bottle of 2005 Clos about a year ago and it was superb but still young. 2004 is more open and resolved at this point. The Clos has been good for years. Incidentally, I had a 2003 Bourg the other night that showed silkiness on the palate, but the nose was a bit clenched.
I was lucky enough to have both of those 1991s many times in the late 90s to 2000s and the Jamet was always good and seemed fairly resolved for me. Maybe it’s better now, but I doubt I’ll ever have another bottle. Not paying the current tariff. Both were truly great wines, maybe the best Côte-Rôties I’ve ever had (well, and the 1988 Gentaz). I envy the young ballers getting their hands on well stored bottles.
As a totally tangential aside, does anyone know when the brothers stopped writing that the Bourg was matured in new oak barrels on the label? Had a 1996 in December which said that!
That’s a good question. No one I know is, but when bottles show up at auction (which is rare) they generally sell for over high. From HDH in February, Bourg not Poyeux:
Hammer $1600, so $472 a bottle after premium.
DESCRIPTION
(3) 2009 Saumur-Champigny, Le Bourg, Clos Rougeard
Rated: 94+ RP, 93 AG
(1) 2010 Saumur-Champigny, Le Bourg, Clos Rougeard
Rated: 96 RP, 92+? AG
I think we’re seeing a new plateau because the Foucault brothers are gone and I’m sure the wine will be something $100, $200, $400 on release going forward.
All it takes with thinly traded wines is for a few people with deep pockets to get into it. I’m sitting tight for now, but it could get out of my comfort zone.