Same producer as for the Bourgogne Rouge tasted earlier this week, but a decided step up in grape source. This wine is from the 1er Cru Les Caillerets vineyard in Volnay.
A more youthful, purple colour than the lower wine, good clarity. The nose is really interesting. There's definite complexity here, mixing plums, a sort of floral yet spicy candied fruit character with a hint of sous-bois and perhaps a tiny bit of brett too. It's seamless and smooth, if a little understated. The palate's entry shows really fine, firm acidity that underlines the wine's flavour profile and creates good movement through to the mid-palate. The flavours here are a replay of the nose, and there's a tightness (without any sense of brutishness) to the wine that suggests it may take some time to find its proper expression. Sweet and sour cherries, some foliage, minerality -- good intensity -- again seamless and elegant, a wine with self-confidence. The after palate displays a hint of oak as tannins start to dry the tongue and prepare for a finish of good length.
It's too early to fully enjoy this wine, but what's here is promising. I will revisit it in a few years' time. I'm about to sit down to dinner and will be interested to see how it responds to food.
Christophe Vaudoisey
Price: $A58
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: February 2008
A more youthful, purple colour than the lower wine, good clarity. The nose is really interesting. There's definite complexity here, mixing plums, a sort of floral yet spicy candied fruit character with a hint of sous-bois and perhaps a tiny bit of brett too. It's seamless and smooth, if a little understated. The palate's entry shows really fine, firm acidity that underlines the wine's flavour profile and creates good movement through to the mid-palate. The flavours here are a replay of the nose, and there's a tightness (without any sense of brutishness) to the wine that suggests it may take some time to find its proper expression. Sweet and sour cherries, some foliage, minerality -- good intensity -- again seamless and elegant, a wine with self-confidence. The after palate displays a hint of oak as tannins start to dry the tongue and prepare for a finish of good length.
It's too early to fully enjoy this wine, but what's here is promising. I will revisit it in a few years' time. I'm about to sit down to dinner and will be interested to see how it responds to food.
Christophe Vaudoisey
Price: $A58
Closure: Cork
Date tasted: February 2008
Your review doesn't explicitly mention the vintage but I see a tag of "2005". Is this accurate? Any comment on the 2003 vintage? Just had a bottle and was quite impressed.
Hi Mike,
My apologies, it was indeed the 2005 vintage. I'm not fortunate enough to have tasted the 2003, and so am curious to know your impressions. Certainly, the 2005 promised a lot at the time of my tasting, but wasn't ready to yield its pleasures.
Julian.