Anne’s Comments
1997 was one of the earliest vintage of the last 60 years. We never obtained so much level of sugar rate on all our parcels. We chose to pick the 18th of September under exceptional practical conditions to get a small-grained harvest with a certain overripe tendency.
It was a small crop with an average of 23 hl/ha. We decided to bottle earlier in order to preserve the wine’s aromatic freshness and great balance between wooded and candied fruits tones.
The wines are opulent, velvety, delicious, extremely silky and elegant. Their surprising sweetness hides their alcohol richness, a classic acidity and some mellow tannins. Wines we can drink young thanks to their immediate roundness.
journalists’ Comments
Bourgogne Blanc 1997 :
The Vine – Clive Coates – Mars 1999 : Fouryears old vines here. Bottled in August. Quite rich. Spicy. Fat. Lacks a little zip. Gently oaky. Quite good. Drink early. From 2000.
Bourgogne Rouge 1997 :
The Vine – Clive Coates – Mars 1999 : Very lovely, round, ripe fruit here, and surprising elegance for a generic. This is luscious. Very well balanced. Very lovely. Very fine for a basic. From 2001
Chambolle-Musigny-La Combe d’Orveau 1997 :
The Vine – Clive Coates – Mars 1999 : All the soft red fruits here. More so than the Bourgogne above. Lots of strawberries. Not any more structure. Very lush. No hard edges. Very soft. Quite forward. Good plus. From 2002.
Vosne-Romanée 1997 :
The Vine – Clive Coates – Mars 1999 : Quite different from the Chambolle-Musigny. More structure. More black fruit. A little more oak and spice. Rich and profound. Medium full. Harmonious. Very long. Very classy. Very fine for a village wine. From 2003.
Clos Vougeot
The Vine – Clive Coates – Mars 1999 : This is rather more backward. On the nose it is a little tight, but the follow-through is very elegant and very concentrated and subtle. Lovely, slightly spicy fruit. Long. Distinguished. Very fine. From 2004/2005.
Richebourg
The vine – Clive Coates – juin 2004 : Medium-full colour. Some maturity. Soft nose. Just a little diffuse after the 1998 and 1996. Medium to medium-full body. Ripe and quite fresh. But a little weak. It lacks bite. Nevertheless very good indeed if not fine within the context of this vintage. Ultimately it lacks depth and dimension, unfortunately. Ready. Now-2007. 17
The Vine – Clive Coates – Mars 1999 : Very fine nose. One of intensity and splendid concentration. A huge essence of fruit here. Full, very long and very classy. This is a great wine. Absolutely magnificent. It goes on and on and on on the palate. From 2006.
The Vine – Clive Coates – N° 198 – Juillet 2001 : Fullish colour. Very lovely intense, quite oaky nose. This is most impressive. Full-bodied for a 1997. Very intense. Very fine grip. Lots of dimension and very, very lovely fruit. Very long indeed. Excellent for the vintage. 2007-2020. 18,5