Wine Vault: 1995 White Burgundy
Make no mistake about it, 1995 is the most exciting vintage for white Burgundy in decades. I began tasting new vintages of white Burgundy with the 1985s, and there is not one vintage from 1985 through 1994 that even remotely approaches the quality of the 1995s. Its closest parallel is with the 1990 red Burgundy vintage. And yet, given the amazing quality of these wines, I have never seen such a profound vintage arrive here in the US with so little fanfare. This may well be "vintage of the century" material, and the wines are being unloaded with about the same fanfare as the CIA's (the Virginia version, not the more exemplary one in Hyde Park!) Moscow Chief of Station would have received on his arrival in the USSR fifteen years ago.
What is the style of the wines? My finest analogy for 1995 would be to take the purity of fruit tones of the 1985s, couple that to the power and depth of the very best 1989s, and add bracing acidity that is a third again as high as the 1990s! What makes 1995 so extraordinary in the Cote de Beaune is the extremely low yields. In notable contrast to such powerful vintages as 1989 or 1983, the depth, power, and thickness of fruit of the 1995s owes its existence to low yields, rather than super-ripeness. Hence the quality of the perfectly ripe fruit is manifested in tones of sweet apple, pear, peach, lemon and grapefruit, rather than the tropical tones of pineapple, mango, papaya, as well as the overripe notes of butterscotch and honey. In 1995, the fruit is pure, pristine, and thick enough to stand up a spoon! The vast, vast majority of the wines I have tasted have shown absolutely no signs of excessive heat in the finish (another of the Achilles heals of the years such as 1983 and 1989). Coupled to this perfect fruit is the raciest, snappiest acidity that I have ever seen in young white Burgundy. The acid structures are rock solid, but well-buttressed by the larger than life fruit of the vintage. The results are wines that will easily last decades, drink well over the vast majority of their lives, and become the reference point of modern day white Burgundy.
The vintage is strongest in the Cote de Beaune. Here, the yields were tiny, and the wines clearly show this in their depth, concentration, and thickness of juicy fruit. This is where the legends walk. I have not found the same level of excitement with most of the Maconnais wines that I have tasted. Many of these wines remind me much more of the 1989s: tropical, top heavy, and a bit blurry on the palate. The Verget Maconnais wines were solid, if uninspired, and the first cuvee of Madame Ferret's Pouilly Fuisse to arrive here struck me as over the top and very, very soft for a 1995. The Saint Verans of Domaine des Deux Roches have been far and away my favorite Maconnais wines to date, not counting the extraordinary Hospices de Beaune Pouilly Fuisse. In Chablis, the yields were no where near as tiny as they were in Meursault or Puligny, and yet this is the most exciting crop of young Chablis that I have ever tasted! While they do not possess quite the concentration that Draconian yields produced in the Cote de Beaune, the thickness and purity of fruit, as well as great acidity that are the hallmarks of the vintage are clearly on display in Chablis as well. Chablis' unfashionable name today offers up the possibility for shrewd white Burgundy lovers to load up on a profound vintage at prices that are anywhere from one-third to one quarter of what a comparably situated Premier or Grand Cru vineyard in the Cote de Beaune will sell for! I have seen great, great wines such as Louis Michel's "Montee de Tonnerre", Dauvissat's "La Forest", and Boudin's "Fourchaume" and "Le Homme Mort" selling for well under $30.00 a bottle! Kiss the Kistler good-bye and buy some real wine! On top of this, whispers out of Chablis are that the 1996 vintage is even better (this will not be true in the Cote de Beaune). Robert Drouhin is on record (or is it off the record...sorry Deep Throat!) as stating that he has never seen such a profound vintage in Chablis as the 1996s! I look forward to tasting these wines, but for now, I am personally scrambling to stuff my cellar with as many 1995 Chablis as I can lay my hands on and still keep clothes on the kids' backs!
The Wine List:
1995 Pouilly Fuisse Cuvee Francoise Poisard- Hospices de Beaune
1995 Chablis AC- Adhemar Boudin
1995 Chablis AC- Louis Michel
1995 Chablis "Fourchaume" - Adhemar Boudin
1995 Chablis "Les Sechets"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
1995 Chablis "Vaillons"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
1995 Chablis "La Forest"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
1995 Chablis "Les Preuses"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
1995 Chablis "Les Clos"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
1995 Chablis "Les Clos"- Louis Michel
1995 Chablis "Montee de Tonnerre"- Verget
1995 Chablis "Montee de Tonnerre"- Louis Michel
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Morgeots Vignes Blanches"- Chateau de Maltroye
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche- Drouhin
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Grandes Ruchottes"- Chateau de Maltroye
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Les Caillerets"- Marc Colin
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Les Champs Gains"- Marc Colin
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Virendots"- Marc Morey
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Pucelles"- Marc Morey
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Referts"- Boillot
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Pucelles"- Boillot
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Champs Canet"- Sauzet
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "La Garenne"- Sauzet
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Truffieres"- Bernard Morey
1994 Meursault AC- Coche-Dury
1995 Meursault "Genevrieres" Cuvee Baudot- Hospices de Beaune (Picard)
1995 Beaune "Clos des Mouches" Blanc- Drouhin
1995 Batard-Montrachet- Boillot
1995 Chevalier-Montrachet- Sauzet
1995 Corton-Vergennes Cuvee Alain Chanson- Hospices de Beaune (Verget)
1995 Corton-Charlemagne- Michel Juillot
1995 Pouilly Fuisse Cuvee Francoise Poisard- Hospices de Beaune
This is a fascinating wine: purchased by Beaune-based importer and negociant Jeanne-Marie Deschamps, and raised and bottled in the cellars of Louis Jadot. It is the first vintage of Pouilly Fuisse made by the Hospices, and it is a wine clearly highlighting Andre Porcheret's fine touch. The nose is magnificent, with scents of lemon, ripe peaches, spring flowers, minerals, and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, pure, and packed with fruit, with the fine acidity of the vintage really kicking in on the long finish. Stylistically, this wine reminds me very much of Domaine Leflaive's 1985 Puligny "Pucelles" in its youth. Clearly the finest Pouilly Fuisse I have ever tasted. It will be best in a couple of years, and should drink well for a decade. With the return of Andre Porcheret to the Hospices (after his sabbatical at Domaine Leroy), this is again one of the most important addresses in Burgundy. 1999-2010. 92+.
1995 Chablis AC- Adhemar Boudin
This is a beautiful example of how extraordinary the 1995 vintage can be in the hands of a serious winemaker. I cannot recall ever tasting such serious village wines as in 1995. Boudin has made a beautiful wine: apple, grapefruit, tangerine, a hint of hay, plenty of oyster shell and a lovely floral topnote. Medium-bodied, complex and intensely-flavored on the palate, with juicy acids, fine focus, and a shockingly long, racy finish. While this wine is delicious now, it will be even better with another two or three years of cellaring. It should last a solid decade. At its under-$20.00 pricetag, this is a steal! Lovely stuff. 1997-2007. 89.
1995 Chablis AC- Louis Michel
Another really superb bottle of Chablis. The thickness and purity of fruit has really given these two village Chablis a depth and power that I have never seen before from wines at this level. The nose is classic Michel: racy and flinty, with scents of lime, Granny Smith apples, cut hay, herb tones, and plenty of chalky limestone notes. On the palate the wine is medium-full, crisp and quite concentrated, with bright acids, fine focus, and a surprisingly long finish. A gorgeous wine that should provide outstanding drinking for a decade. 1997-2007. 89+.
1995 Chablis "Fourchaume" - Adhemar Boudin
Really a lovely, classy wine: the nose initially offers up scents of sweet grapefruit, which with air evolves into lemon, green apple, minerals, fennel seed, and just a whisper of vanillin oak. Totally pristine and extremely fresh and vibrant. On the palate the wine is medium-full, crisp, and just packed with fruit, with a fine attack and tremendous grip and length on the finish. This is a fabulously well-balanced, intensely flavored Premier Cru from one of the great, unknown producers in the Yonne valley. The thick, fresh fruit of the vintage has been perfectly utilized by Boudin in this wine. Great stuff, and one of the great sleepers of the vintage. 1996-2010. 92.
1995 Chablis "Les Sechets"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
Dauvissat has turned out a stellar array of profound Chablis in 1995. The "Sechets" is one of the lesser stars in the Dauvissat constellation, and yet it is a wonderful bottle of ageworthy Chablis that would be one of the stars in a vintage such as 1992! The nose is classic Chablis, with scents of lemon, green apple, oyster shell, cut hay, a topnote of peppermint, and a deft touch of vanillin oak. Medium-full on the palate, with a fine core of fruit, lovely delineation, bright, but not aggressive acids, and a long, stylish finish. This is a classic glass of fine Premier Cru Chablis that should drink well for a decade. 2000-2015. 90.
1995 Chablis "Vaillons"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
If the "Sechets" is classically-etched and already approachable, the "Vaillons" is certainly cut from a different cloth. This wine is bigger, more penetrating, but also more awkward on the palate right now, with a much more solid core of fruit, bracing acids, and a long, whiplash of a finish. The nose offers up scents of paraffin, oyster shell, lemon and cut grass. Ultimately, this wine should be a step up from the "Sechets", but it will take a while to reach cruising altitude. 2004-2020. 91.
1995 Chablis "La Forest"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
This is by far the class of the Dauvissat Premier Crus in 1995. This wine combines the purity of the "Sechets" with the depth and power of the "Vaillons", and then increases both by an order of magnitude. The nose explodes from the glass with scents of ripe apple, lemon, fennel, chalky soil tones, and a fine framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, vibrant, and packed with succulent fruit, The acids are bright and penetrating, and the wine has a chewy texture of thick, perfectly ripe fruit. This is as fine a bottle of Premier Cru Chablis as I have tasted that did not bear a Raveneau label! Very high class stuff. 2004-2020. 93.
1995 Chablis "Les Preuses"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
Dauvissat's two Grand Crus in 1995 are the finest two young Chablis that I have ever tasted. The Les Preuses is a toweringly profound bottle, with an intense, spectacular nose of lemon, apple, pear, mint, oyster shell, cut hay, minerals, and a fine frame of vanillin oak. The depth and purity on the nose are a total joy to witness- this is perfectionist winemaking coupled with perfect raw materials. Huge, long and palate-staining in the mouth, with perfect balance and focus, layers of fruit, a rock solid core, and great cut from bracing, buffered acidity. The finish is huge and simply perfect. Profound. 2005-2035. 95.
1995 Chablis "Les Clos"- Rene & Vincent Dauvissat
Hard as it is to believe, Dauvissat's Les Clos is another step up from the surreal Les Preuses! This wine is riper and more powerful, while still retaining every last drop of freshness and youthful cut of great Chablis. The bouquet explodes from the glass with scents of grapefruit, lemon, casaba melon, cut hay, and a boatload of oyster shells. The underpinning of new vanillin oak is there somewhere, but it will be a few years before the onslaught of fruit and terroir backs off enough to let it show. On the palate this wine is even more tightly wound than the Les Preuses, with a massive attack of perfectly ripe fruit, a huge core in reserve, a palate-staining sense of extract, and the great cut of perfect acidity. This big boy is so perfectly balanced that the wine remains light on its feet throughout the onslaught of fruit, soil and acid. This wine roars in on the attack and explodes out on the hauntingly long finish. An awesome bottle of young Chablis. 2010-2040. 97+.
1995 Chablis "Les Clos"- Louis Michel
For whatever reason, I prefer Michel's Montee de Tonnerre to his Les Clos. While the Les Clos is big and powerful, it seems to lack the buttressing acids and great cut of the Premier Cru. The nose is certainly fine enough, with scents fo green apple, lemon, gun flint, cut hay, honey, minerals, floral notes and herbal nuances. Full, deep, and quite packed with fruit on the palate, but with only modest cut and lift on the long finish. It is entirely possible that this wine just has too much puppy fat at the present time to really see its shape, and that it will emerge from five or six years in the cellar as a big, lean, racy Chablis. But for now, that is only wishful thinking. 2000-2015. 90.
1995 Chablis "Montee de Tonnerre"- Verget
If Dauvissat's "La Forest" is quintessential young Chablis, this highly-touted wine is a bit anonymous in comparison. The wine is packed with thick, pure chardonnay fruit, and plenty of vanillin oak, but the great terroir of the Montee de Tonnerre vineyard is nowhere to be found. Perhaps the typicity of this wine is just hidden at the present time, but out of the blocks this wine is lagging behind the Dauvissat Premier Crus. The bouquet is packed with ripe apple and pear fruit, leesy tones and quite a bit of vanillin oak, but no soil nuances. Big, full, and quite long on the palate, with reasonable acidity (though by far the softest of these Premier Crus), and plenty of power on the finish. Jean-Marie Guffens' predilection for racking one wine onto the lees of higher appellation wine may produce a richer, fuller wine, but, at least early on, totally muddles the flavors of terroir. Will these return with bottle age? Only time will tell. Having had a handful of profound Verget wines (the 1994 Meursault Charmes... I can taste it now), this wine is potentially a major disappointment. 2000-2010. 86-89?.
1995 Chablis "Montee de Tonnerre"- Louis Michel
Is this wine even more impressive than Dauvissat's La Forest? The nose explodes from the glass with scents of ripe apples, lime, flint, wet stones, herb tones, and oyster shells. Deep and very powerful on the palate, with such a degree of ripeness that the wine seems almost fat on the attack. However, the zippy acidity again takes over from the mid-palate back, giving the wine great persistence and length. A very, very impressive wine for drinking over the next couple of decades. Outstanding Premier Cru. 1998-2010. 92.
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Morgeots Vignes Blanches"- Chateau de Maltroye
Chateau de Maltroye has never been one of my favorite producers. The wines have typically been big, round, four-square Chassagnes that were solid, but decidedly second tier. However, generational change has swept through this domaine, and the 1995s represent a significant step upward in quality. While the Chassagne crown still rests comfortably on the Ramonet brothers' heads, Chateau de Maltroye has made a dramatic move with their 1995s. The Morgeots is lovely, with a big, opulent nose of buttered apples, lemon, almond oil, minerals, and a fine touch of vanillin oak. Big and packed with fruit on the attack (here, the Cote d'Or's tiny yields are clearly in evidence), with fine delineation, great grip, and vibrant acids on the finish. Quite backwards still, but this is serious juice. 2002-2015. 89+.
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche- Drouhin
This wine is a Premier Cru from Morgeots (though it never states it on the label) and is often one of the best values in the Drouhin portfolio. The 1995 is excellent, with scents of buttered apples, pineapple, herbal notes, minerals, spring flowers and plenty of vanillin oak. Big and full on the palate, with plenty of acidity to give the wine shape and focus. The finish is long, racy and packed with fruit. This will be one of the more forward 1995 Premier Crus. 1999-2010. Lovely stuff. 90.
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Grandes Ruchottes"- Chateau de Maltroye
This wine is even more backward than the Morgeots, but offers equally fine potential. The nose is currently quite high-toned and almost Germanic in tone, with scents of lime, grapefruit, slate, spring flowers, and a touch of vanillin oak. Deep, racy, and packed with fruit, but with crisp, zesty acidity currently keeping the fruit under raps. The finish is long, complex, and very minerally. This may ultimately surpass the Morgeots. Again, a fine bottle. 2004-2020. 90+.
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Les Caillerets"- Marc Colin
Marc Colin makes beautiful, stylish Chassagnes, and he has turned out lovely 1995s. I fully expected them to be a sizable step up from the Maltroye wines, but the difference between the two producers' wines was more one of style than quality. Colin's wines were certainly classier and more complex, but they did not possess the mid-palate depth and thickness of fruit of the Maltroye wines. Colin's Caillerets is lovely stuff: apple, pear, wheat toast, flowers, and a fine touch of oak on the nose. Full-bodied and quite forward on the palate, with beautiful delineation and focus, with layers of ripe fruit, bright acids, and a long, complex finish. A very classy bottle of wine, but there is not as much in reserve here as there is with many of the top 1995 Premier Crus. 1999-2010.91.
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Les Champs Gains"- Marc Colin
This wine is more exotic than the Caillerets, with a stunning nose of Christmas trees, pears, vanilla bean, minerals, and buttery new oak. On the palate this wine is surprisingly forward for a '95, with plenty of ripe fruit, fine length and stylish winemaking, but without the core of fruit and girdle of acidity to carry the wine decades in the cellar. This is a delicious wine that would be a star in vintages such as 1992, but is a bit too easy going for the higher standards of 1995. Enjoy this wine over the near term, while waiting for the more serious Premier Crus to hit their peaks. 1997-2008. 89.
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Virendots"- Marc Morey
Bernard Mollard, son-in-law of the now deceased Marc Morey, has been quietly turning out some of the top Premier Crus in Chassagne for years. His wines are now represented by Robert Kacher for much of the US. Kacher's obsession with new oak may well overwhelm these beautiful wines, so taste before committing to a pile of Morey wines that bear the Kacher label. This bottle was hand carried back from Chassagne-Montrachet, and is the regular, non-Kacher cuvee. It is a magnificent bottle! The bouquet explodes from the glass with aromas of super-ripe pears, peppermint, minerals, acacia blossoms, and a deft touch of vanillin oak. On the attack the wine is thick with pure 1995 fruit, with laser-like focus, great depth and concentration, a killer core of fruit, very snappy acids, and a long, complex, profound finish. This is show stopper Premier Cru that should age for decades. Killer juice. 2002-2020. 94+.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Pucelles"- Marc Morey
This is nearly the equal of the Virendots, but with a pricetag that is 50% higher, it is hard to get quite as excited about the wine. The nose is deeper-pitched than the Virendots, with scents of ripe pear, vanilla custard, spring flowers, minerals, and vanillin oak. Long, intense and stunning on the palate, with layers of fruit, bright acids, great intensity, and a long, complex, powerful finish. This too is a stunning Premier Cru. At the same price, I would buy both. Priced as they are, I will load up on the Virnedots! 2002-2020. 93.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Referts"- Boillot
Boillot is an excellent winemaker that happens to make wines in a style that does not thrill me. A lover of late harvesting, he always seems to make wines that are impeccably-made, but long on tropical fruit tones. However, the purity of fruit of the 1995 vintage has obviated much of the Boillot tropical predilection, delivering his most successful wines (to my taste) to date. The Referts is a real sleeper in this vintage, with a bouquet of pineapple, vanilla bean, coconut, minerals, and sweet vanillin oak. Bright, vibrant, and minerally on the palate, with a juicy core of fruit, fine delineation, zesty acidity, and a long, complex finish. I cannot remember enjoying a Boillot Premier Cru as much as this wine. lovely stuff. 2000-2012. 92.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Pucelles"- Boillot
While this wines hails from a more highly-regarded vineyard, I have to give the edge to the wine above. Boillot's Pucelles offers up a lovely nose of pear, apple, passion fruit, minerals, flowers and vanillin oak. Long, classy, and quite stylish on the palate, but without the great core of fruit of the Referts or Morey's Pucelles. The finish is long and bright, with the note of passion fruit carrying through to the end. A tasty, mid-term wine. 2000-2010. 90.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Champs Canet"- Sauzet
This is deeper and more reticent than the Boillot Premier Crus: the nose offers up pure scents of apple, pear, lemon, almond paste, minerals, flowers, and vanillin oak. Great freshness and nascent complexity- this will be stunning. Deep and young on the palate, with a fabulous core fo fruit, racy acidity, perfect focus, and a long, complex, powerful finish. This is a big, powerfully extracted Premier Cru that is so perfectly balanced that the overall impression is of a wine that is light on its feet! Potentially profound juice. 2003-2020. 94.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "La Garenne"- Sauzet
The La Garenne does not posses quite the depth or cut of Sauzet's Champs Canet, but it is nevertheless a superb bottle of wine. The nose is more open, with gorgeous scents of ripe pears, mint, honey, apples, toasted almonds, and vanilla. Long, pure and penetrating on the palate, with a juicy core of fruit, fine length and focus, and a long, complex, very stylish finish. Another stellar bottle of wine. 2000-2012. 92.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Truffieres"- Bernard Morey
Bernard Morey is another grower whose style does not do it for me. However, the purity of the vintage has given this wine more freshness and cut than the typical Morey wine. The nose on this wine was a bit stunted by sulfur, but with coaxing, aromas of apple, wheat toast, spring flowers, minerals, and vanillin oak wafted from the glass. Very clean and pure on the palate, this wine offers up bright acids, fine length, and a surprisingly serious finish. Good juice. 200-2015. 90.
1994 Meursault AC- Coche-Dury
This wine was inserted as a ringer in the 1995 tasting, and none of the seasoned palates at the table picked this out as not being a 1995! The nose was wonderful and profound, with scents of apple, pear, lemon, hazelnuts, toast, paper whites, loads of minerals, and a deft touch of vanillin oak. Deep, full and racy on the palate, with a great core of fruit, Grand Cru-like intensity, zesty acidity, and an incredibly long, complex finish. This is a profound wine that serves notice of what will issue forth from the cellars of Coche in 1995! 2002-2020. 94.
1995 Meursault "Genevrieres" Cuvee Baudot- Hospices de Beaune (Picard)
Andre Porcheret's return to the Hospices de Beaune has once again made this a very important address on the itinerary of any serious Burgundy hound. The Cuvee Baudot is a stunning expression of that elusive Genevrieres terroir (can't get Lafon's, and no one else is doing justice to the vineyard!), with a stunning bouquet of hazelnut, apple, lemon, almost saline notes of terroir, buttered pears, flowers, and plenty of vanillin oak. Deep, full, and very, very snappy on the palate, with 1995's pure fruit packed tot he core, great balance and complexity, and a long, powerful, youthful finish. This wine deserves another three to five years to really unbutton itself, and should prove to be a very, very memorable bottle. 2000-2020. 93.
1995 Beaune "Clos des Mouches" Blanc- Drouhin
I have been shockingly pleased with this wine in vintages such as 1990 and 1992, but the 1995 is not quite as impressive in the context of its vintage as those previous vintages were in the context of theirs. The signature Clos des Mouches nose of pear, lemon, beeswax, herbal notes, and buttery oak is lovely. Fat and opulent on the palate, with fine cut from strong acids, a solid core of fruit, and an intriguing herbal note on the long finish. This is certainly a very, very fine wine, but I was hoping for just a bit more. 2000-2015. 92.
1995 Batard-Montrachet- Boillot
While Boillot's Premier Crus more handed a little restraint from the exigencies of the vintage, the Batard is more typically Boillot, which means it is less appealing to my palate. While the wine is big, crisp, and quite vibrant on the palate, the flavors are over the top. The nose offers up intense tropical scents of green pineapple, apple, honey, minerals, and vanillin oak. Really quite '89-like, including a dollop of excessive heat on the finish. Some will love this wine, but its not for me. 2000-2008. 90.
1995 Chevalier-Montrachet- Sauzet
This is the most impressive young Chevalier I have ever tasted! The cool nose offers up a kaleidoscopic melange of apple, pear, lemon, white peach, tons of minerals, vanilla bean, spring flowers, and a clean coating of vanillin oak. Deep, packed with endless fruit, and very zesty with '95 acidity. The focus, concentration, and magical depth of this wine is amazing. The finish is long, aristocratic, and totally profound. A great, great majestic wine that is still very, very young. Flawless bliss. 2010-2040. 99.
1995 Corton-Vergennes Cuvee Alain Chanson- Hospices de Beaune (Verget)
Vergennes is a Grand Cru vineyard located in the primarily red wine vines of the east-facing vineyards on the hill of Corton. This is one of the Hospices top white wines, and the felicitous combination of Andre Porcheret's winemaking and Jean-Marie Guffens' elevage has produced a fabulous bottle of wine. The nose is very exotic, with a totally different expression of terroir than the more minerally-infused vineyards that comprise Corton-Charlemagne. The bouquet offers up aromas of passion fruit, apple, pear, honey, acacia blossoms, spicy soil tones, and vanillin oak. On the palte the wine is huge, impeccably-balanced and palate-staining, with great acids, fine density and length, and a superb, complex finish. Stunning juice. 2006-2020. 94.
1995 Corton-Charlemagne- Michel Juillot
I have had this wine on two, quite disparate occasions in the last two weeks. On the first occasion, the wine had been opened four days, and it showed superbly! There was not a hint of oxidation, and the wine was wide open and multi-dimensional. This bottle spent forty minutes in a decanter before we had at it, and it was tight, tight, tight. The reticent nose offered up scents of lemon, lime, loads of chalky soil tones. Perhaps there was a hint of honey (or was it just my memory of how the wine showed previously?). On the palate the wine is full-bodied, stuffed with fruit, and totally buttoned up with zesty acidity. It will ultimately be a big boy, but it will require six to seven years of patience. Superb potential. 2002-2020. 93+
