Wine Vault: 1995 White Burgundies Part 2
The Wine List:
1995 Chablis "Valmur"- Verget
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet- Michel Niellon
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Morgeots"- Ramonet
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Morgeots" Vieilles Vignes- Verget
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Champgains" - Michel Niellon
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Vergers"- Marc Morey
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Vergers"- Colin-Deleger
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Vergers"- Ramonet
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Vergers"- Niellon
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Chenevottes"- Colin-Deleger
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Caillerets"- Amiot Bonfils
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Caillerets"- Ramonet
1995 Puligny-Montrachet- Paul Pernot
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Folatieres"- Paul Pernot
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Clos des Caillerets"- Chartron & Trebuchet
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Perrieres"- Louis Carillon
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Truffieres"- Colin-Deleger
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Demioselles" Clos St. Abdon- Colin-Deleger
1995 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet- Paul Pernot
1995 Batard-Montrachet- Paul Pernot
1995 Batard-Montrachet- Marc Colin
1995 Chablis "Valmur"- Verget
Okay, what am I missing here? This is certainly the biggest Chablis of 1995 that I have tasted, but it is also one of the most ungainly and heavy-handed by which I have been slapped around. The nose is very deeply-pitched, with intense notes of stewed pineapple, overripe peaches, and boatloads of buttery new oak. Where on earth are Chablis' soil flavors? This reminds me a bit of Jean Collet's 1989 Chablis Valmur, only even heavier on the palate (minus 1989's high octane threat of combustion on the finish)! On the palate the wine is extremely fat, oaky, oily and anonymous. It could be chardonnay on steroids from anywhere in the world, though, served blind, I would guess it was Australian! Again, I was not sure that the bottle was truly representative, but tasters at the other end of the table were jumping up and down in admiration of this behemoth of a wine. Not for me. 1997-2002? ????
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet- Michel Niellon
This is one of the best village wines I have tasted from the vintage! Where Niellon's non-Grand Crus can sometimes ere on the side of excess, this wine is a stunning example of breed, finesse, and intensity without undo weight. The nose is wonderful, with scents of ripe peaches, lemon, golden delicious apples, lovely leesy notes, a fine layer of minerals, floral topnotes, and a deft touch of vanillin oak. Fullish, very intensely-flavored, but dynamically light on its feet, with great focus and cut, perfect balance, and shocking length. This is a great bottle of wine, that totally buries Niellon's Champgains out of the blocks. 1997-2005. 92+.
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Morgeots"- Ramonet
Noel Ramonet will be quite honest about his willingness to do whatever is necessary to produce wines of the highest quality each year. If that requires a bit of added tartaric acid during the fermentation (widely practiced in California, but not allowed in Burgundy) to give wines with better "cut" and potential for longevity in the cellar, so be it. In vintages such as 1990, this seemed to go a bit overboard (the wines were quite screechy out of the blocks), but given the high natural acids of 1995, I get a sense from tasting this vintage that Noel has left out any "boosters". The results are a truly compelling set of young Ramonets. I have never been a huge fan of the Morgeots vineyard, which often tends towards rather chunky, "four square" wines. Ramonet's is one of the best, but it is always a wine I look for after a number of his other Premier Crus have vanished from the marketplace. However, in 1995, Ramonet has turned out by far the most compelling example of Morgeots I have ever tasted. The nose soars from the glass with scents of lime, peppermint, undertones of bacon fat, plenty of minerals, and a deft touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is medium-full and very thick with pure fruit on the attack, closed from the mid-palate back, with excellent length and zesty acids on the finish. Extremely stylish and elegant for this vineyard, and beautifully built for cellaring. 2000-2015. 91+.
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Morgeots" Vieilles Vignes- Verget
Clearly unfiltered, Verget's Chassagne Morgeots VV is already throwing a ton of sediment. Be sure to stand it up a few days before opening, and decant. This wine also has a very stylish nose for Morgeots, but it is clearly outclassed by the Ramonet Morgeots paired with it. The bouquet offers up scents of orange, lime, herbal notes, minerals, spring flowers and vanillin oak. Verget's version is fuller-bodied and richer on the palate than Ramonet's, but without the brightness, delineation, and intensity of that wine. Verget's wine is quite tasty and stylish and with solid acids on the finish, but the overall impression is of a fairly forward, slightly heavy-handed rendition of the 1995 vintage. As has happened with other Verget 1995s paired with similar crus from other producers, the '95 Morgeots Vieilles Vignes seems to display rather little terroir. Will the soil flavors return with bottle age? 1998-2005. 88.
1995 Chassagne-Montrachet "Champgains" - Michel Niellon
Not as harmonious as Niellon's village wine (and perhaps just not as good). The nose is a bit chunky out of the blocks, with scents of ripe apples, lemon oil, hints of pineapple, honey, leesy tones, butter, minerals, herbal notes and a touch of new oak. Big and packed with fruit on the palate, but without apparent delineation, unfocused and displaying some heat on the finish. It is possible that this is just going through an awkward stage, but it strikes me as more 1989 in style than the cleaner-cut 1995s that I have fallen in love with. Time will tell. 1999-2005? 87-90?
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Vergers"- Marc Morey
This domaine's Vergers and Caillerets holdings are comprised of younger vines, and it is only now that the vineyards are just beginning to develop some character. Of course, the low yields in 1995 have certainly benefited Morey's Vergers as well. The nose is extremely stylish, with pretty floral notes atop scents of pear, lime, minerals and vanillin oak. Long, bright and focused on the palate, with a medium-full format, only moderate reserves of fruit in the core, but fine length, snappy acids, and a long, bouncy finish. Morey's Vergers (again, this is the European cuvee) is the epitome of depth and intensity without undue weight. Enjoy it over its first decade of life. 1997-2005. 90.
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Vergers"- Colin-Deleger
Michel Colin's Vergers is one of the most perplexing wines that I have tasted from the '95 vintage. Handicappers whom I respect immensely (Steve Tanzer and Clive Coates amongst them) liked this wine immensely. For whatever reason, on the two occasions that I have tasted it, the wine has shown very disjointedly, with odd grassy flavors and little signs of delineation. To make matters worse, each bottle was from a different importer, so that mishandling is certainly not the reason for the relatively poor showings fo this wine. The bouquet offers up scents of lemon, pear, resinous tones, minerals, flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is good on the attack, with nice juicy '95 fruit, but by the mid-palate displays odd herbal notes and an annoying touch of bitterness on the finish. The accustomed elegance and flavor delineation of a Colin-Deleger wine is missing in action, at least for the present time. I must say that this second bottle (shipped by Chateau and Estate) showed better than the first bottle (a Robert Chaddernon Selection), which was tasted in mid-Spring. It may well just be a matter of time before this wine bounces back from shipping and displays all its attributes. 2000-2015. (88-91?)
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Vergers"- Ramonet
This is another of Ramonet's Premier Crus that the 1995 vintage has taken to unaccustomed heights. The nose explodes from the glass with scents of ripe apples and pears, peppermint, lemon, spring flowers, loads of minerals and a deft touch of squeaky clean vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is very bright and open, with layers of fruit, great structure and acidity, and a long, complex, minerally-infused finish. While this wine is gorgeous to drink right now, I cannot believe that another couple of years in the bottle will not pay handsome rewards. 1999-2012. 93.
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Vergers"- Niellon
Niellon is one of my favorite Grand Cru producers in Chassagne-Montrachet, but I have to confess that I have never been quite as fond of his Premier Crus as other wine enthusiasts. They certainly are extremely well-made, though done in a slightly more over the top and oaky style than I am usually attracted to. However, they have an uncanny ability to age despite a seemingly forward style when tasted in their youth. The 1995 Vergers is a stunning success, with a drop dead gorgeous nose of apple, passion fruit, minerals, honey, orange blossoms, minerals, and a very classy frame of toasty oak. Deep, long and juicy on the palate, with lovely vinosity, reasonable acids, and a long, complex, serious finish. A huge step up from his Chassagne "Champgains", this will be one of the classiest 1995 Premier Crus for drinking over the next ten years. For those brighter than me who put this in their cellars, enjoy! 1997-2007. 93+.
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Chenevottes"- Colin-Deleger
While I am hesitant to embrace Colin's Vergers without reservation, I have no problem at all with his Chenevottes. Extremely elegant and stylish, with a beautiful bouquet of lemon, white peaches, spring flowers, loads of minerals, hints of butter, and a judicious touch of vanillin oak. Full-bodied and racy on the palate, with fine attack, a tight, solid core of youthful fruit, brisk acids, and a long, complex, beautifully-focused finish. With bottle age, the nuance and shape of this wine will become even more finely honed. As in 1992, this is my favorite '95 Chassagne Premier Cru from Michel Colin. Classic white Burg intensity of flavor without weight. 2000-2015. 92.
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Caillerets"- Amiot Bonfils
I know that Amiot gets very high marks in many circles, but my handful of experiences with his 1992s and 1995s has left me decidedly underwhelmed. In '92 I tasted his Chassagne "Caillerets", Puligny "Les Demoiselles" and Montrachet and found them all to be made in a very heavy-handed, honeyed, tropical style that lacked brightness and finesse. If the 1995 Caillerets was a representative bottle, the excesses of 1992 have been amplified in 1995. The nose is very deep-pitched and oily, with scents of honey, butterscotch, star fruit, fresh baked bread, cardboard and buttery oak. Fat, flat and dullish on the palate, without any of the cut and snap of this vintage's succulent fruit/acid synthesis. It is entirely possible that this was not a representative bottle, but many other tasters around the table emphatically felt that the wine was not in poor condition and professed to like it very much! To my palate, this wine is so far over the top that it is headed for the bottom, sinking fast! 1997-1999. 80 (88 for fans of too much of everything.)
1995 Chassagne- Montrachet "Caillerets"- Ramonet
If I had to choose one wine as the quintessential example of the 1995 vintage, this would be it! To me, this is as perfect a bottle of young Premier Cru white Burgundy as I hope to taste. The profound bouquet of sweet, fresh apples, pears, lemon, wildflowers, loads of minerals, hints of fresh peppermint, and a perfect base of vanillin oak explodes from the glass. Still very young and unevolved, the nose should grow exponentially as it has a chance to rest in the cellar over the next five or six years. On the palate the wine is phenomenal, with great depth and intensity, stunning vibrancy, a rock solid core of fruit, perfect balance, and a long, complex, snappy finish. I know that the description sounds quite similar to the other Ramonet 95 Premier Cru000.s, but the clarity, depth, and intensity of the nuances of the Caillerets is a significant step up from those fine wines. Stunning potential. 2002-2020. 95.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet- Paul Pernot
Pernot has made the greatest wines of his career in 1995. Even the village wine is stunning: scents of ripe apple, peach, minerals, and vanillin oak jump from the glass. Medium-full, complex, and beautifully-delineated on the palate, with a lovely core of fruit, zesty acidity, and a fine finish. This is one village wine that gives true Puligny style and character. Not to be ignored in 1995! 1997-2005. 89+.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Folatieres"- Paul Pernot
When it comes to bang for the buck in white Burgundy, Pernot's Folatieres is about as well as one can do in a great vintage. This wine has been superb in vintages such as 1986, 1989, and 1990, but none of those fine wines even approaches the quality of the surreal 1995. Will the Leflaive Combettes and Pucelles be better? I am not so sure! The nose is stunning, with incredibly pure scents of ripe pears, lemon, spring flowers, almond paste, minerals, and a fine touch of vanillin oak. This wine is deep, full, and thick with fruit on the attack, with plenty of stuffing in reserve. On the finish the great acidity of this wine comes roaring in, giving this wine unbelievable grip on the backend. A truly compelling Premier Cru... Grand Cru quality without a doubt! 2002-2020. 93+.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Clos des Caillerets"- Chartron & Trebuchet
I had expected great things from this wine, as it had gotten a good review by Pierre Rovani in The Wine Advocate, and had been enjoyed by one of my good friends who is a Burgundy fanatic. However, my bottle was not particularly impressive: the nose was quite ripe, but threatened overripeness, with scents of pears, hints of pineapple, minerals, honey, spring flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate, the wine was unfocused and unknit, with a reasonable attack, but a hollow middle, and a finish that trailed off into excessive alcohol. The wine displayed a coarseness that reminded me quite a bit of 1989s that I do not care for. Just maybe this bottle was not representative, but I doubt it. 1997-2002. 87?.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Perrieres"- Louis Carillon
It has been a number of years since I had tasted a wine from Louis Carillon, and the reports of this domaine's move towards the top of the hierarchy in Puligny certainly seem to be confirmed by this extremely stylish wine. The nose offers up succulent fruit tones of ripe peach, honeycomb, floral topnotes, minerals, and a stylish touch of vanillin oak. Medium-full, bright, and juicy on the palate, with fine focus, zesty acidity, and superb length on the finish. While this wine is deliciously forward and appealing to drink right now, it clearly possesses the requisite backbone for positive evolution in the cellar. A superb example of the vintage. 1999-2010. 91.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Truffieres"- Colin-Deleger
One of my favorite Sauzet wines for years was that domaine's Puligny-Montrachet "Truffieres". Both the 1985 and 1986 were absolutely brilliant wines, which I am sure are still drinking magnificently. With the split of the Sauzet domaine between the three grandchildren of Etienne Sauzet in 1990, the Truffieres plot was handed over to Jean-Marc Boillot. Fortunately, Colin-Deleger has a Truffieres as well. This wine showed marvelously: a wonderful nose of sweet pink grapefruit, coffee, minerals, ripe apple, grilled nuts, floral tones and vanillin oak jumps from the glass. Full-bodied and very light on its feet on the palate, with a juicy core of fruit, excellent depth and focus, and a very long, complex, snappy finish. Super stuff for drinking over the next dozen years. 1997-2010. 92.
1995 Puligny-Montrachet "Les Demioselles" Clos St. Abdon- Colin-Deleger
This is the younger vine cuvee of this tiny, legendary Premier Cru outcropping of Chevalier-Montrachet. Colin also makes a Puligny-Montrachet "les Demoiselles" Cuvee Madame Francoise Colin, which is allegedly made up of the older vines from this plot. Either wine is well worth the search required to squirrel away a few bottles. The '95 is typically closed, but obviously stunning, with a very deep bouquet of pear, vanilla bean, peach, floral notes, minerals, almond and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is again very deep and tight, but packed with fruit, framed by a fine girdle of snappy acids, and extremely long and well-delineated on the finish. One of the most backward Premier Crus of the vintage (though the 1992 at a similar stage seemed even more tightly-knit and austere), and also, one of the finest. 2004-2020. 94+.
1995 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet- Paul Pernot
While the Bienvenues is a wonderful wine, the difference between this and the Folatieres is not that dramatic at the present time. Ultimately, the Bienvenues' breed and balance should give it the upper hand over the Folatieres, but it will take a few years for it to widen the gap between the two wines. The bouquet here is quite reticent, with scents of apple, lemon, pear, coriander, floral tones, minerals, and sweet vanillin oak emerging with swirling and coaxing. Deep, full, and quite closed on the palate, with very tight acids giving the wine purity and cut, but not a whole lot of ability to express itself right now. The finish is long, intensely minerally, and palate-staining, with the promise of sheer profundity with seven or eight years of cellar rest. A lovely, finesseful Grand Cru that will evolve into a very elegant wine of power and intensity. Superb. 2004-2025. 94.
1995 Batard-Montrachet- Paul Pernot
Pernot's Batard, not surprisingly, is his biggest, most backward and powerful wine in 1995. The nose displays obvious depth, but is quite closed in on itself at the present time. With coaxing, scents of ripe pears, lemon, loads of minerals, hints of honey, nuts and buttery new oak emerge from the glass. On the palate the wine is huge and racy, with a giant core of fruit, zesty acids, fine delineation, and a big, albeit, for the present time, monolithic long finish. With cellaring, the Batard should no doubt be Pernot's top 1995, but I would not venture towards a bottle for a good six or seven years. I would place it a few steps a head of the superb 1990 Pernot Batard. 2005-2025. 94+.
1995 Batard-Montrachet- Pierre Colin
This wine is made by one of Chassagne-Montrachet's star producers, Marc Colin. Here is a big, opulent, forward and stunningly ripe Grand Cru that is perfectly balanced, snappy and amazingly delicate for such a powerful wine. Now this is what great white Burgundy is all about! The magical nose offers up an explosive melange of golden delicious apples, peaches, lemon, vanilla bean, fresh nutmeg, tons of minerals, spring flowers, and lovely vanillin oak. On the palate this fabulously balanced wine is very full-bodied, with almost a tactile sense of extract, brilliant delineation and focus, beautifully-integrated acids, and a long, profound finish. This seems more similar to Leflaive's Chevalier-Montrachet than to anyone's Batard. Profound juice! 2005-2025. 97+.
