In Reply to: Bunk posted by Doghead on September 28, 2000 at 11:42:26:
I agree with you about the Guillemot-Michel, but my objection was dilution, greenness and over-acidity. I found nothing of interest about the Picq wines after the generic Chablis. You are right that they are all in steel, but none of the 'higher' bottlings had the clarity and beauty of the plain old Chablis.I'm surprised that you liked the Valette Vieilles Vignes, which was vegetal and rotten. Perhaps you confused the Guillemot-Michel with the Valette Vieilles Vignes? Or perhaps they changed bottles from Valette-- I tasted the Valette VV at 9:45 am, before the show opened, and suggested they get another bottle.
You have some inside dirt on Derain that I don't know about:
"On a related topic, Derain gets oxidation from time to time ('94 and '98 Remilly, though not '96 or '95) not on account of the nature of the barrels but on account of avoidance of sulfur and and a failure to top up promptly enough...."
Yes, Derain can get oxidation and does not recognize the problem when it happens. But actually, he does use some SO2, in reasonable amounts, and has had oxidative problems with Bourgogne Blanc that was in tank! You've never tasted these wines because they were never imported to America. Honestly, I don't know what the problem is here at times with the Chardonnay, but neither do you. I have checked fill levels on the barrels several times and they have been fine. You are conjecturing about a problem of fill, but please don't suggest you know this for a fact. The reds do not have this problem and do well under Derain's regiment, they would also suffer from fill problems. His new holdings in Pommard (1999s) are stunning.
The 98 Legros have that stain of bitter wood on the finish, that combined with other problems of the vintage, made for a disagreeable experience. Perhaps they will resolve in time. Perhaps not. There was none of this with the 97s.
I found the Rebourseau Clos Vougeot every bit as undrinkable as the rest of his offerings -- searing tannins mixed with searing new wood to make a searingly disagreeable bottle of wine. There have been 'changes' at this estate recently, they say, and they seem to have gone direct from overcropped dilution in bad barrels and tanks to overextraction in heavily charred expensive new wood. Same glum experience, as far as I'm concerned.
You seemed to have a much greater tolerance for the all the suave overoaked stuff from the Côte-de-Beaune there, particularly the whites. Suave and unidentifiable Chardonnay from someone somewhere, framed by some nicely crafted oak foundations. Like the Vincent and François Jouard, the Dupont-Fahns wines (why do that to good Chardonnay?), the dilute/acidic Pavelot Savigny Blanc and the wretched, misguided Mâcons from Cordier. I did find that the Puligny-Enseigneres from Philippe Brenot had wonderful material and it was too bad that he had so much oak. At least with this bottle I had some regrets and some desire to drink on. I would love to see this after several years.
Regarding the vintage: compare the 1996 Parent with the 1998s. The 1996s were perfectly drinkable and decent and the 98s were hard and off-putting. These were the second time I drank the 98s from Parent, having had the whole range this summer in France. This, by the way, is a do-itself-domaine -- the owner is in Paris and had rental agreements with local vignerons. To make more money, she took back her holdings and installed a winemaking consultant, someone to take care of the vineyards, etc. As far as I know the owner is still in Paris.
Lastly, on the question of wood.... You write:"The main problem wasn't so much the wood as the combination of the wood and the rough tannins and slight dilution of the fruit that mark too many red '98s - especially in the Nuits. Too many abrasive tannins, not enough healthy raw material to support it."
You're splitting hairs here. Obviously, my objection to the wood is what it does to the wines not the forest. And even if there were more "healthy raw material to support it," why go to all the bother? How does all that badly made new wood complement those materials in superior vintages?
My point is that vinfication is being done by rote. Perish the thought that one year someone might vinify in steel or foudre? If a Grand Cru is at 13.5 degrees and 100% (now sometimes 200% new wood) then it is damn going to be the same in 1998, vintage characteristics be damned.
My last point: does anyone else here understand what we are arguing about? Wine is so cult-like, that's its beauty. I don't object to the cultishness of the Cult Cabs -- I just think the adherents have picked the wrong cult. There is too much Romorantin and Melon de Bourgogne out there to become fixated on Colgin!
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