Opinionated About Dining: Red Burgundy

1966 DRC Grands-Echezeaux - Fantastic stuff. Fabulous structure and a bit of the moss flavor you get in La Tache. Powerful on the palate and spicy red fruit. Best red Burg of the year. A+

1978 Robert Arnoux Vosne-Romanee Suchots - An ethereal experience. Laser beam acidity and still gobs of fruit. Where can I buy more red Burgundy like this? A+

1993 DRC La Tache - Just phenomenal. You name it, this wine has it. It does everything from completely filling your mouth to having a finish that goes on into eternity. I do not think there is a bandwidth of palate that is not addressed by this wine, and it is done so in what can only be called perfect balance. Give it 20 years and it will up there with the greatest La Tache. A+

1929 Maurice Crozet Moulin à Vent - Simply amazing. Fresh like it was bottled in 1985. Gamay so deep that it tasted like Pinot Noir. A

1990 Drouhin Bonnes Mares - Real class. Great extraction and beautiful balance. Drouhin makes an excellent Bonnes Mares year after year. This will last 25 more years. A

1993 Meo-Camuzet Corton Rognets - Glorious. The clarity and depth of the fruit was amazing. Round in your mouth. Still showing some primary fruit. Perfect in 5-7 more years. A

1993 Meo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanee Cros Parentoux - My, what a gorgeous nose. Spicy black raspberries. It reminded me of the way La Tache smells when it is mature. Needs a lot more time. A

1991 Rousseau Chambertin - Great wine. Maybe a little bitter on finish. Beautiful balance. and excellent extraction. Textbook ripeness level. This is drinking perfectly. A

1966 DRC La Tache - Not a perfect bottle, but still sweet and creamy with that spicy La Tache earthiness and moss. I can’t remember seeing such a broad palate on a wine. It was short on acid but the flavor was so good it was overwhelming. A-

1971 Drouhin Savigny "Les Dominodes" - Not the greatest quality, but high in acid, loads of fruit, a bit of complexity, perfectly balanced, and it went down like soda pop. Charming in a way I find hard to describe. If wines were women, this is the one I would ask to the dance. A-

1985 Roumier Bonnes-Mares - Very delicious. Darker flavors for one, not that unbelievable deep cherry flavor I've experienced from other bottles from the same case. A-

1985 Meo-Camuzet Richbourg - Bacon fat in the wine. Good bottle but it paled next to a '66 La Tache. A-

1991 Comtes de Vogue Musigny - Amazingly supple, great extraction, terrific ripeness level. it could easily last another 20 years. A-

1978 Drouhin Bonnes Mares - Still going strong. Very deep blackberry and caramel flavor. B+

1990 Meo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot - Yummy. Very black cherry, and a bit of vanilla too. Slightly alcoholic, but not bothersome. A style of red Burg that I love. B+

1978 Michel Gaunoux Pommard "Grands Epenots" - Deep, dark, and chewy. A little overwhelming, and it broods in the glass. Overpowers food. B+

1985 Dujac Clos St. Denis - Deep cherry flavor with some cassis and some vanilla. Even a little Dujac leafy thing going on. B+

1988 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanee Cros Parentoux - Really packed and had that eau de framboise thing going on. Long, long finish. It actually seemed like it could use more time to resolve itself, as the acid is high. B+

1991 Meo-Camuzet Richbourg - Classy and elegant. Not a powerhouse for a Richbourg. Good potential. B

1991 Roumier Ruchottes (Bonnefond label) - Violets, cocoa powder, plums and black cherries, and striking minerality. B

2000 Nicholas Potel Vosne-Romanee Gaudichots - Great stuff. Powerful wine. Not for the long term but drink in 7 years. B

1993 Rousseau Chambertin - Not quite there yet. Still rough around the edges. Needs a lot of time. B-

1980 Comtes de Vogue Musigny V.V. - It started as something really good with lots of silky intensity. But with more air, I found that it developed a slight vegetal quality that I disliked. B-

1991 DRC Romanee-Saint-Vivant - Vegetal and stemmy. Bigger wine than the '91 Confuron RSV. Not much better. B-

1990 Pommard Peyzerolle Domaine de Pommerol - Good stuffing. Really ripe and fresh fruit and was just starting to develop secondary flavors. B-

1991 Ponsot Clos de la Roche - Disappointing compared to other bottles. I prefer the gigantic 1990 over this. B-

2002 La Pouse d'Or Volnay Clos de 60 Ouvres - Still drinking well and with considerable power for its breeding. B-

1995 Roumier Chambolle-Musigny Amoureuses - Certainly nothing like the ethereal '99. Roumier makes the best Amoureuses out of all of the producers. But this didn’t have the concentration that I expected. C+

1988 Roumier Bonnes Mares - Nowhere near ready to drink. Shows vintage characteristics of high acidity. C+

2002 Frederic Magnien Chambolle - Musigny Vielle Vignes Les Charmes - Befitting it's name, not a big wine but a charming one that is easy to drink. C+

1999 Drouhin Chambolle-Amoureuses - Not as much stuffing as other '99s I have had. This was a little thin on the palate. Could develop but not definite. C+

1990 Jacque-Frederic Mugnier Musigny - Alcoholic and ripe. Seems disjointed. C

1990 Leroy Clos Vougeot - Funky on nose. Not sure about this one. Not as good as the Beaumonts. C

1991 J.J. Confuron Romanee-Saint-Vivant - Slightly vegetal. Pretty harsh and rustic wine that needs years to develop. Or maybe won’t. C

1990 Jadot Chambertin Clos de Beze - Stemmy. Not my style of Burg. C

1995 Marquis D'Angerville Champans - Super high in acid. Not sure this will ever integrate properly. C

1985 Ponsot Clos de la Roche - Getting tired. Better off selling at the high market price than having a less than stellar drink. C

2001 Fourrier Gevry-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques - Citrus component that was offputting. Not enough extraction. C

1998 Henri Gouges Nuit-St.Georges Pruliers - Pretty much closed down at this point. Hard to tell the future. I didn’t get much pleasure drinking it. C

1964 Camile Giroud Corton Bressandes - A bit flabby. It never really came together. C-

1978 Drouhin Volnay "Santenots" - Rather light. Not very distinguished. C-

2001 Philippe Charlopin Charmes-Chambertin - Modern in style. Like California Pinot Noir. Spicy. Can’t imagine it will age well. C-

1997 Roumier Bonnes Mares - Dark and sort of muddy. I would bet that it never achieves the type of clarity that other vintages achieve. C-

1990 Dujac Charmes-Chambertin - Over the hill and starting to crack up. C-

1989 Marquis D'Angerville Clos des Ducs - Still tannic, almost highly so. And the fruit doesn't seem to be in balance with the acids. I can easily say it was one of the least enjoyable bottles of red Burgundy that I've had in a while. D