Monday, February 2, 2009

2004 Burgundy reds and that funny taste

Has anybody else noted a weird "green taste" lurking in the background of red Burgundies from the 2004 vintage? I have found this exact same taste almost scattered at random, finding it in some wines from certain producers, but not their other wines; from some appellations, but not others; from some producers and not others. Its randomness leads me to think it is not a ripeness thing or it would be more pervasive. Is it a yeast issue? I don't know, the only answer I have got is a gallic shrug of the shoulders and mumblings about "gout du millesime".....

One wine that doesn't have it is the Chassagne Montrachet Premier Cru "Les Bondues" from Darviot Perrin. Didier Darviot is a meticulous producer, based in Monthelie who is best known for his whites, with excellent holdings in Chassagne Montrachet and Meursault. His wines are always very correct and well made, reflecting their origins perfectly and with some style. His reds are harder to sell, in fact when we are ordering from him, he makes us buy 40% reds, even though we would probably prefer about 20% red - this is the kind of stuff you can only get away with in Burgundy. Anyway, the 2004 Chassagne Premier Cru is medium bodied, with a lovely nose of raspberries and ripe red fruits. Silky texture, lovely purity of fruit and long finish - very classy stuff. The 05 is, of course, even better, but for the long haul.

2 comments:

Will said...

Gabriel,

That 'green' burgundy issue has been well documented on various discussions online. The most persuasive reason that I have read can be seen here: http://www.burgundy-report.com/wp/?page_id=2584. I haven't drunk much 2004 burgundy recently but one bottle (roumier chambolle) was delicious and no hint of green. That chassange sounds good to.

Cheers,
Will

Gabriel Cooney said...

Cheers Will,

thanks for that, I don't scout these forums that much, but I will refer my producers to it next time I'm out there!