Wine Vault: 1992 White Burgundy- Five Years Out

The Wine List:

1992 Bourgogne Aligote- Coche-Dury

1992 Bourgogne Blanc- Coche-Dury

1992 Meursault- Coche-Dury

1992 Meursault "Genevrieres"- Verget

1992 Meursault "Charmes"- Comtes Lafon

1992 Meursault "Perrieres"- Pierre Morey

1992 Meursault "Perrieres"- Comtes Lafon

1992 Meursault "Perrieres"- Guy Roulot

1992 Chassagne-Montrachet "Chenevottes"- Colin-Deleger

1992 Chassagne-Montrachet "Virendots"- Marc Morey

1992 Chassagne-Montrachet "Vergers"- Ramonet

1992 Corton-Charlemagne- Faiveley

1992 Chevalier-Montrachet- Georges Deleger

1992 Batard-Montrachet- Leflaive

1992 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet- Leflaive

1992 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet- Ramonet

1992 Musigny Blanc- Comte de Vogue

1992 Bourgogne Aligote- Coche-Dury

Like all the 1992 Coche wines, the '92 Aligote is still a year or two away. The nose is as fine as I have ever smelled from this grape: ripe apples, lemon, spring flowers, minerals, and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine has surprising depth and concentration for Aligote, with a fine core, bright acids, and a long, complex finish. 1998-2004. 88.

1992 Bourgogne Blanc- Coche-Dury

Laurent's '94 Vaucrains is also a fairly tannic, backward wine, but here, as opposed to the Faiveley Les St. Georges, there is plenty of fruit to cover up the tannin. The nose is deep, closed, and excellent, with scents of briary cassis and plum fruit, meaty tones, bitter chocolate, herbs, vinesmoke, and toasty new oak. Deep, backward and packed with fruit on the palate, with the firm, ripe tannins buried in thick fruit. The texture here is very atypical for 1994, with a depth to the fruit that reminds me more of 1993. Excellent wine in need of three or four years in the cellar. 2001-2012. 90.

1992 Meursault- Coche-Dury

Where can I find more of this wine? I cannot decide between the rock solid 1990 Meursault village wine, and this slightly more elegant, less racy 1992. I would easily take a couple of cases of either one! The shame is that I had access to a case and a half of the 1990 Meursault, and only bought a couple of bottles. At the time, I was convinced that it was better to share the wealth. Now I am not so sure. The nose on the '92 Meursault is classic Coche: buttered apples, lemon, wheat toast, hazelnuts, minerals, spring flowers, and sweet vanillin oak. Crisp, racy and closed on the palate, with Grand Cru concentration, lovely Coche viscosity, and a long, complex, beautifully focused finish. Great, great stuff. 2000-2010. 93.

1992 Meursault "Genevrieres"- Verget

I remember liking this wine quite well when it was first released. Having not seen it in a couple of years, I was rather surprised at how the wine had developed. Very advanced and deep-pitched for a 1992 white Burgundy, the nose offers up scents of honeyed pineapple, apricots, hazelnuts, hints of caramel, minerals, herbal notes and buttery wood. Quite heavy and honeyed on the palate, with an oily texture, plenty of depth, and a long, tropically herbal finish. Like so many Verget wines, this is hardly textbook Meursault, but it is certainly a well-made chardonnay. I would opt for drinking it up over the next year, as the framing acidity is not particularly bracing. An idiosyncratic wine that will certainly not be to everyone's taste (mine included). 1997-1999. 87.

1992 Meursault "Charmes"- Comtes Lafon

Lafon's 1992s are some of the superstars of the vintage. Much richer and more forward than their excellent 1990s, the wines across the board seem to have taken many of the positive attributes of the domaine's very successful 1989s and placed these in a more naturally-sized container. The '92 Charmes explodes from the glass, with scents of buttered ripe apples, lemon, spring flowers, plenty of minerals, leesy notes of wheat toast, hazelnuts and a deft touch of vanillin oak. Deep, pure and very rich onthe palate, with bright acids lending the wine shape and snap on the finish. This is a stunning bottle of premier cru Meursault that is drinking splendidly, though another eighteen months of bottle age should produce more layers and nuances to both the bouquet and the palate. My handful of bottles are buried deep in a stack of cases, to deter my curiosity. For those with a more generous cache, this is a pretty spectacular bottle to visit right now. At this point, the distance between the Charmes and the Perrieres is not as pronounced as usual. However, time may well change that. 1999-2010. 94.

1992 Meursault "Perrieres"- Pierre Morey

I have had a number of bottles of this wine and always found it to be a quite good example of the vintage and the terroir. For whatever reason, these particular bottles did not show well. Both bottles were certainly not corked or stored poorly, and yet each time the wine showed very "off" aromatics and flavor components that reminded me most of a box of geraniums! Along with the less than complementary floral notes, the wine offered up scents of honeyed apples, hazelnuts, minerals, pain grille, and buttery oak. Full-bodied and still quite crisp in the mouth, with a juicy core of fruit, good balance, but annoying notes of geranium on the palate as well. Hopefully this wine is not sprouting a garden, and the underlying attractive components of the wine are to be found unaccompanied by the geraniums in other bottles! I will retaste this wine soon. ?

1992 Meursault "Perrieres"- Comtes Lafon

The Meursault "Perrieres" of both Comtes Lafon and Coche-Dury are my yardsticks for premier cru white Burgundy. In fact, I would rather have either of these two wines than dozens and dozens of grand crus. I know that Domaine Leroy certainly has its share of admirers for their Perrieres, but I have never experienced the same level of precision and lightness of step, coupled to tremendous intensity of flavor that Lafon and Coche can deliver from this spectacular piece of ground. The '92 Perrieres from Lafon is surprisingly deep in color, with a stunning, deep-pitched bouquet of buttery apples, pear, hazelnuts, complex leesy tones, minerals and a deft touch of vanillin oak. Initially, there was an apricot-like tone of botrytis, but this was subsumed into the other components as the wine unfolded in the glass. Full, fat, and with great cut on the palate, with layers of ripe fruit, crisp acids, and a long, complex, multi-layered finish. This wine will take on more nuance and focus with bottle age, but, by the standards of Lafon's Perrieres, it is not going forbiddingly backward at this young age. As the wine sat in the glass and decanter, it closed down pretty dramatically. Forget it in the cellar for another four or five years. Tremendous potential 2002-2012. 94+.

1992 Meursault "Perrieres"- Guy Roulot

This wine was extremely tight and snappy when first released, with a solid core of fruit buried in surprisingly high acidity for the vintage. At age five, it is now beginning to open up nicely and show more than a glimmer of its promise. The nose is classic Meursault, with scents of ripe apples, hazelnuts, lemon, toffee, minerals, hints of honey and a fine coating of vanillin oak. After the slightly tight nose, the full, open, and very intensely-flavored palate impression on the attack is a bit surprising. The wine is rich, deep, and beautifully-balanced, with juicy acids, layers of flavor, and a long, complex finish. Only a slight note of bitterness on the finish argues for keeping this wine another year or two in the cellar. A very classy wine that has evolved a touch quicker than I would have initially anticipated. 1998-2004. 92.

1992 Chassagne-Montrachet "Chenevottes"- Colin-Deleger

I had the pleasure to taste most of the Colin-Deleger 1992 premier crus out of the blocks, and the Chenevottes was one of my favorites. It possesses a beautiful combination of elegance and power, which can make a few of the other vineyards come off as a bit heavy-handed in comparison. I had not tasted a bottle of this for a couple of years, and it is maturing quite well. The nose initially was a bit sulfury, but with a couple of minutes in the decanter cleaned up nicely to reveal scents of apple, lemon, spring flowers, minerals and vanillin oak. As the wine evolved, the floral aspect of the bouquet became very pronounced and enchanting. On the palate the wine is full-bodied but very light on its feet, with a fine core of fruit, excellent focus, great length and a complex, stylish finish. The acidity is crisp and very well-integrated. This is very, very classy winemaking; clearly 1992 is one of the high water marks in Michel Colin's career. 1998-2005. 90.

1992 Chassagne-Montrachet "Virendots"- Marc Morey

The premier cru of Virendots is located in the same swath of vineyards that include Ruchottes, Caillerets, and La Romanee- in short, the gold coast of Chassagne's premier crus. Domaine Marc Morey owns the lion's share of this vineyard, and the wine produced here bears more than a passing resemblance to the wines of Ramonet. Caught at its apogee, this wine delivers a fabulous, mineral-infused nose of ripe pears, buttered apples, a hint of mint, loads of minerals, spring flowers , and vanillin oak. Full-bodied and racy on the palate, with a juicy core of fruit, great delineation, very snappy acidity for the vintage, and a long, zesty, complex finish. If this were a Ramonet wine, I would rank it just behind the Ruchottes and Caillerets, but ahead of the Vergers, Boudriottes or Morgeots. A wonderful bottle of premier cru. 1997-2003. 92.

1992 Chassagne-Montrachet "Vergers"- RamonetJadot

For whatever reason, Ramonet's premier cru "Vergers" seems to be the most forward wine in his lineup. Across the board, the '92s from Ramonet were much more approachable than the 1990s, but I was surprised at how well this wine was drinking when I tackled it. There is a sense of balance and grace tied to succulent fruit in the 1992s that makes them extremely difficult to resist right now, but I suspect that the vast majority will be better with another year or two in the cellar. The '92 "Vergers" is drinking magically well right now, with an explosive bouquet of fresh peppermint, lime, pear, apple, minerals, and sweet vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is medium-full, round and very elegant, with brilliant flavor delineation, a juicy core of fruit, zesty acidity, and a long, complex finish. Certainly this wine will develop even more complexity over the next few years, but it is so tasty right now that I have a hard time saying that it will get better! 1997-2005. 91+.

1992 Corton-Charlemagne- Faiveley

For whatever reason, I have found the few vintages of Faiveley's Corton Charlie perplexing wines to taste. Having had the 1989, 1990, and 1992, I continue to be impressed by the wines' inherent power and snap of acidity. However, all the wines seem to share a certain lack of freshness to their fruit components, as if the lees were stirred up so often and so vigorously that much of the fruit has been lost in the manipulation. The 1992 offers up scents of faint buttered apples, lemon, loads of leesy wheat toast aromas, hints of honey, butterscotch, tons of Corton Charlie minerals and a fine touch of vanillin oak. Fine constituent components, but this wine lacks freshness and brightness. On the palate again the flavors of the lees occupy the slot where the fruit should be, with the solid mineral underpinning marred by the lack of fruit. The wine is crisp, clean, and very long on the palate, with tremendous depth from the mid-palate back, and quite high acidity for 1992. Overall this is a big, powerful wine, with a tactile sense of extract, but coming after the ravishing Ramonet Beinvenues, this wine's lack of freshness is a glaring deficiency. 2000-2015. 90 (94 if one prefers leesy tones over fruit).

1992 Chevalier-Montrachet- Georges Deleger

Could a great Grand Cru actually be outclassed by Coche-Dury's 1992 Bourgogne Blanc? On this night, yes. Ultimately, I have to feel this wine will eclipse the Coche Bourgogne, but they were awfully close in quality on this evening. The nose is a bit grassy initially, but offers up scents of pear, lemon, Chevalier minerals, floral tones, hints of toast, and clean, vanillin oak. Full-bodied, and just a shade disappointing on the attack, but extremely promising on the backend. If the finish were not so powerful and racy, I would worry about this wine, but it only needs more time. 2002-2020. 91+.

1992 Batard-Montrachet- Leflaive

I have scant experience with Leflaive's 1992s, as the trade required "support" of the overpriced 1991s in order to receive the heralded 1992s. Having now tasted the '92 Bienvenues- Batard and the Batard in the last few weeks, I am very pleased that I chose to sit on the sidelines in this vintage. While both these wines are quite large scaled by Leflaive standards, they are also wines that, to my palate, "swing and miss". The '92 Batard started out very odd and musty, with some signs of botrytis, as well as off aromas that reminded me of geraniums. With air it did develop some shape and nuance, as well as notes of ripe peaches, apple, butter, minerals, and vanillin oak. Full-bodied but quite disappointed on the palate, with reasonable acids, and good length on the finish. What is missing here is the extraordinary elegance and delineation of both the 1992 vintage in general, and of Leflaive's house style in particular. This wine is chunky, a touch hot, and shows no signs of being "closed" per se, but just out of balance. Perhaps bottle age will turn this ugly duckling into a swan, but I would not bet the farm on it. Our bottle was clearly representative, since the owner had purchased it on release, and cellared it under ideal conditions. I will not speculate as to shipping conditions, but by Leflaive standards, this is a colossal disappointment. 2000-2008. 87-90?

1992 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet- Leflaive

In both the Bienvenues and Batard from Leflaive in 1992, I find quite a bit of botrytis. The Batard has just a touch, but the Bienvenues is really quite noticeably botrytized. While this produces a very rich, opulent, exotic example of this wine, it also takes away from the elegance and finesse that are usually Leflaive hallmarks. The '92 Bienvenues is crammed full of super-ripe fruit, with loads of glycerin, and a serious wallop of alcohol. The nose is very, very sweet and botrytized, with scents of ripe pears, casaba, apple, pineapple, honey, floral tones, minerals, and vanillin oak. Almost over the top on the palate, with layers of super sweet fruit barely reigned in by acidity, and a fair amount of heat in the finish. It is hard to imagine this wine retaining its shape over time, but it is certainly a well-endowed example. Living on the edge, it lacks the usual finesse and pedigree of Leflaive. The over-sized shape of this wine will attract some fans, but those looking for Leflaive's traditional style and excellence will be disappointed. 88. 1997- 2004?

1992 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet- Ramonet

In contrast to Domaine Leflaive, Ramonet has made magnificent 1992s. The Bienvenues is still quite closed and backward, but at the same time, beautifully delineated and very, very promising. The nose is tight but lovely, with scents of apples, pear, lemon, spring flowers, fresh peppermint, plenty of minerals, and sweet vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is sleek and intensely flavored, with great depth of fruit, bright, snappy acids, plenty of soil inflection, and a long, complex, zesty finish. This wines is nowhere near its apogee, but when it attains cruising altitude, it will be a gorgeous bottle to behold. 2002-2020. 94-95.

1992 Musigny Blanc- Comte de Vogue

I previously reported that the De Vogue domaine was grubbing up the chardonnay planted in the Musigny vineyard to plant pinot noir. Sorry, that was incorrect. Following the 1993 vintage, these chardonnay vines were indeed dug up. However, they were replanted with chardonnay, which the domaine is currently selling as Bourgogne Blanc. Both 1994 and 1995 will be sold as Bourgogne Blanc, though the decision has not yet been made concerning the 1996. The '92 Musigny Blanc is a spectacular bottle, with a bouquet of beeswax, apples, pear, honey, toasted almonds, and vanillin oak. Deep, full, and quite clenched still on the palate, with zesty acidity, great structure and length, and almost a hint of tannin on the finish. This wine is very, very young, but also very, very good. One of the snappiest 1992s, this wine will improve with another year or two of cellaring. Great stuff. You never know what you've got 'til its gone... 1999-2010. 94.