A wide range of aged white burgundy grand crus. Not as tightly curated line-up as usual but it wasn’t too hard to create some interesting flights out of the great bottles contributed by my friends.
Flight 1:
This high-acid vintage was for many producers the first year the premox ghoul started to rear its ugly head. Yet it seems that the 1996s I am opening nowadays have a much better hitrate than a few years back. Sometimes I have nightmares thinking that premox is actually a phase (like Rhone whites) from which they recover. But when the 96s are showing well I consider it an ultimate vintage provided the producer achieved the phenolic ripeness to balance the high acidity. A very similar trait that differentiates the great from the good Champagnes in 1996 (keep reading).
There was a blind flight of three 1996 Chevaliers. No less than 8 out of 9 votes for best wine went rightfully to the Bouchard. An overperforming bottle with a pristine Puligny character of lime and white flowers with a textbook Chevalier acidity that carries through from the attack until the long finish. Ageless, livelier and better structured than Bouchard's Montrachet from this year.
Second place went to Jadot's Chevalier Demoiselles, a bottle that despite a small TCA problem showed its class and profound structure. Caught at its peak where primary, secondary and tertiary characters are playing together like Bill Evans' trio. Serious juice.
Third was Chartron's Clos des Chevaliers that comparitively showed a bit more age with hazelnuts and salted almonds complementing the yellow and orange fruit profile. A mature but pretty expression with a nice roundness offset by crisp acids.
All three great bottles yet don't reach the unreal levels of definition that the greatest 96 Chevies can achieve. For me that would be a close call between Niellon and Domaine Leflaive.
Later that night a bottle of Matrot Meursault Perrières '96 appeared that surprisingly showed more phenolic ripeness. It might not have had the weight of the grand crus yet was a fascinating balancing act between sweet lime and preserved lemons.
Despite my Puligny bias I have to admit that Salon 1996 took the crown and showcased an otherwordly balance between ripeness and gorgeous acids. It always blows my mind how profound this wine is.
Flight 2: 1996 Chevaliers…
This flight was a diverse range of early 90s grand crus showcasing the great taste, knowledge and inclusiveness of @naradmuni1966. There was clearly something in it for everyone which was confirmed by the voting where all three wines (except the unfortunately corked Carillon BBM 91) got three votes for favourite. It was the rare 0.2 ha Olivier Leflaive 1995 Chevy that had the smallest edge based on second place votes although for me it was a clear frontrunner.
Transparent expression with fresh and dried stone fruits, ginger, subtle minerals and a hallmark Chevalier acid spine. A very good showing for this producer that often unrightfully gets dismissed as Domaine Leflaive's lesser version.
The Dauvissat Preuses 1995 showed quite mature with smoky, nutty and yoghurt-like aromas, true to its origins. The rare single barrel Chassagne-side Lamy-Pillot Montrachet 1994 had some noticeable producer influence with light botrytis, cocunutty and vanillin oak and an uncanny weight for this generally light vintage, possibly explained by the heavy batonnage that was practiced in those days. An unashamed opulent Montrachet expression. I'll reserve my commentary on the Carillon BBM 1991 until I open a sound bottle. A great flight reminding us of the diverse expressions and ageworthiness of chardonnay, even in less heralded vintages.
Flight 3: Three decades of Drouhin’s Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche
Three decades of Drouhin's Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche spanning from 1969 to 1999. Whereas a lot of people nowadays looks for reductive, flinty and sharp acidity I couldn't help myself from losing myself in the beauty of these oldschool and generous expressions. Classic, heartwarming wines with a soul and story to tell. Like watching an old Truffaut or Ozu movie when time was not yet moving at today's pace.
1969 Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche
A rare sight of a 1969 Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche. The person who generously brought this as an extra already warned me about the condition as the color was very dark, the fill quite low and the cork was sunken by a centimeter. Typically color for me is the main pointer towards oxidation, both for old and prematurely oxidized wines. With age a white wine's color inevitably darkens yet it should be more towards orange than brown. Served blind this wine's aromatics would have clearly passed for an aged sherry, like an oloroso. Very complex with salted nuts, acetaldehyde and dried chrysanthemum. Although clearly past it prime the palate still showed signs of the strong vintage with dried tropical fruits, burnt sugar and a fine lifegiving acid spine. When on song, I consider it to be one of the strongest white burg vintages in history. Having once tasted a Leroy Meursault Perrières 1969 it really blew me away and belied its age by 2-3 decades. But even humbler villages and 1er cru level wines from Ampeau have demonstrated the ageworthiness and inherent balance of this spectacular vintage.
1978 Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche (WOTN)
The undisputed white wine of the night was this magical bottle of Drouhin’s Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet 1978 (US label). Although the ‘85 next to it was frontrunning for a while, it was this ‘78 that emerged to an unbelievable level of depth and sophistication. Fresh and dried oranges, tangerine peel, candied ginger, dried sunflower, saffran and polished wood. A dazzling array of aromas and spices wrapped in a pitch perfect palate without any edges. Authoritive yet accessible, a wine that had something to say.
1985 Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche
The was a much bold expression with ripe peaches, grilled pineapple, honey and custard. A classical opulent Montrachet in all its glory which ended up being voted second in the flight of five vintages.
1988 Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche
My fourth bottle of the 1988 in the last six months showed consistently with the others (despite coming from four different sources). A somewhat muted nose of sweet lemon led into a medium bodied palate of lemon, white peach and just a drizzle of honey. Fine angular acidity pointing at its Puligny origins. Slightly overshadowed in this flight by the riper years yet it is a classic example of a cooler vintage. Served blind I'd likely be guessing Bienvenues Batard given its leaner footprint and acidity profile.
1999 Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche
One month earlier I tried a botte of the 1999 of which I suspected it wasn’t representative as it showed an unexpected tiredness and degree of oxidation. And luckily I was right: this was one of the most energetic and well defined 1999s I have come across. Domaine Leflaive, d’Auvenay, Coche Dury also belong the small group that nailed this high yielding vintage in which many picked too late and acidity and balance got compromised.
Distinctly more angular than the flights from the 60s to 80s but there was an irresistable Chevalier-like acid spine married with the oily and seamless Montrachet texture that had a suggestion of tannins. The fruit profile was very bright with white and yellow peaches, Asian pear and a limey acidity. Truly lightning in the glass with a constant evolution which shows it has a long life ahead of it. When on song arguably the best Laguiche from the 90s, a notch ahead of the 92 and 96 which are typically the stronger vintages.
Conclusion
This tasting triggered me again to think long and hard why I consider Montrachet the best plot as for a long while I preferred Chevalier due to its intoxicating beam of acid-driven energy. I think it boils down to two things: textural seamlessness and effortlessness. In red burgundy Musigny and La Tâche evoke similar sentiments where the best examples don’t even try hard. Nothing stands out but there is a textural beauty that makes you stop thinking and talking about the components of the wines like tannins, acidity, berries and cherries.
Truth being told, Chevalier wins hands down in terms of consistency versus Montrachet across producers and vintages. I think one issue of the Montrachet appellation is the number of sub 0.1ha plot owners (1 barrel per year) which inevitably results in inconsistent quality. That and the notion of some producers thinking Montrachet needs to be a big showy wine that ‘can handle a lot of new oak’. Finally, given global warming it does seem to get quite warm in the middle of the slope in some years resulting in large scaled wines. For that reason I tend to prefer Montrachet expressions from the modern era from slightly cooler vintages likes 01, 04 and 07 instead of 03, 05 and 06.
Thanks @naradmuni for hosting this Puligny First outing at your place.