2005 DRC event
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La Tache 1996
We decanted this wine an hour before service and
I tasted my glass over the two hours that
followed.
In the decanter, the nose and robe are deep and
dark. This promises to be a rich, ripe wine full of
red and black fruit. After an hour, the fruit goes
into hiding. Instead of a rich mouth feel that
might be expected, it is clearly separated into three
components. Minerality dominates the fruit and
the acidity is bright. The fruit that was so
promising at first shows none of the breadth and
depth that I expected. This wine is precise,
straight as an arrow. There is tannin on the
finish and the acidity is clean and persistent.
After two hours in the glass, the initial, broad
fruit begins to re-emerge. Sad. My glass is empty.
The future integration of this wine's three parts
promises to be a beautiful thing.
We decanted this wine an hour before service and
I tasted my glass over the two hours that
followed.
In the decanter, the nose and robe are deep and
dark. This promises to be a rich, ripe wine full of
red and black fruit. After an hour, the fruit goes
into hiding. Instead of a rich mouth feel that
might be expected, it is clearly separated into three
components. Minerality dominates the fruit and
the acidity is bright. The fruit that was so
promising at first shows none of the breadth and
depth that I expected. This wine is precise,
straight as an arrow. There is tannin on the
finish and the acidity is clean and persistent.
After two hours in the glass, the initial, broad
fruit begins to re-emerge. Sad. My glass is empty.
The future integration of this wine's three parts
promises to be a beautiful thing.
| Comments from Aubert de Villaine: Aubert de Villaine: The 1996 wine was made by the wind from the north. The wind comes down from the Alps and brings the sun, pushing clouds towards the sea. The northerly wind is cool and dry. It lowers the temperature at night and concentrates acidity, keeps sugars in balance. Prevailing winds from the south can be warm and full of humidity from the Mediterranean. They produce grapes that are higher in sugar and can lack equilibrium. September was “classique”. Dry and cool conditions led to beautifully mature grapes. |
Interested in hosting a Candid Event
for your customers? Please contact
Damien.
for your customers? Please contact
Damien.
| Comments from Aubert de Villaine: A.dV: The season was cold and fairly dry. The wines had a lot of tannin young and have needed time to soften. I suspect they have begun to open and will be curious to hear how they are progressing. It will not hurt these wines to be decanted a half an hour ahead of time. In fact I think all the wines you will pour except for the 1983’s will not be hurt by a decanter. Do not double decant them though, you know, pour the wine from the decanter back into the bottle. This might be okay for some Bordeaux or some American wines but it is terrible for Burgundy. It is too much air. |
La Tache 1989
Decanted one half hour before service and tasted
during the following hour. Served next to
Grands Echézeaux 1989.
The nose and robe are both considerably more
evolved than the 1996. Again, the fruit smells
broad and rich. The edges are showing some
brick and it has secondary, leathery aromas. In
the mouth, the acidity, tannin and minerality are
similar to the 1996, though a bit softer and
rounder. There seems to be a competition
between the different components of La Tache and
the fruit only comes out with time. The tannins
are a bit dry and require patience. They seem to
be a bit much for the fruit which is running in
second place. I suspect this will never be as
precise and pure as the 1996.
Decanted one half hour before service and tasted
during the following hour. Served next to
Grands Echézeaux 1989.
The nose and robe are both considerably more
evolved than the 1996. Again, the fruit smells
broad and rich. The edges are showing some
brick and it has secondary, leathery aromas. In
the mouth, the acidity, tannin and minerality are
similar to the 1996, though a bit softer and
rounder. There seems to be a competition
between the different components of La Tache and
the fruit only comes out with time. The tannins
are a bit dry and require patience. They seem to
be a bit much for the fruit which is running in
second place. I suspect this will never be as
precise and pure as the 1996.
La Tache 1983
Opened and served immediately. Tasted with
Richebourg 1983.
This is the first La Tache in which the fruit and
the structure have had enough time to come into
balance. Unlike the ’96 and ’89 the rich, broad
fruit is equally present on the nose and in the
mouth. The fruit is evolved but fresh. It tastes
like a “whole” wine with the entire chorus
signing together. It demands your time and it
rewards patience. Fifteen minutes to a half an
hour after being poured it sheds its secondary
aromas and seems to rejuvenate itself. The cooked
fruit brightens and smells like fresh cherries. At
that point it does not smell like a twenty two year
old wine. I have never tasted a wine that evolved
in the glass like this. This is complex, pretty.
Opened and served immediately. Tasted with
Richebourg 1983.
This is the first La Tache in which the fruit and
the structure have had enough time to come into
balance. Unlike the ’96 and ’89 the rich, broad
fruit is equally present on the nose and in the
mouth. The fruit is evolved but fresh. It tastes
like a “whole” wine with the entire chorus
signing together. It demands your time and it
rewards patience. Fifteen minutes to a half an
hour after being poured it sheds its secondary
aromas and seems to rejuvenate itself. The cooked
fruit brightens and smells like fresh cherries. At
that point it does not smell like a twenty two year
old wine. I have never tasted a wine that evolved
in the glass like this. This is complex, pretty.
| Comments from Aubert de Villaine: A. dV: I personally have always been very fond of this vintage. It was a year marked by hail storms in August that damaged vines across the Domaine. 1983 is often dismissed by critics but I have always enjoyed the wines. We spent everyday between the storms and harvest removing damaged grapes from clusters with typographer’s tweezers in the vineyards of Romanée-Conti, La Tache and Richebourg. We did not have time to pass through the others. (DC: This avoids rot and saves the rest of the cluster). DC: Have you noticed a difference over time between the vineyards you cleaned and those you missed? A. dV: We have never found a discernable difference. You know, there are so many factors that go into making great wine; one cannot conclude that a single action in the vineyard is directly responsible for a particular characteristic of the wine. DC: Would you do the same today? A. dV: Yes. Each decision must be guided by a philosophy that puts quality above all else. Because you cannot know which action is the key to quality that year, you must always do everything in your power to do that which experience teaches is best. We would go through the vineyards again as we did in 1983. |
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