The Fine Wine Review

By Claude Kolm

2018 Hautes Côtes de Nuits Cuvée Marine : Over the years, as the vines (now 20 years-old) have been maturing, the wines from this vineyard have been becoming increasingly attractive, showing what the Hautes Côtes can do in white. The nose has stony Chardonnay aromas. The mouth is medium-weight with attractive acidity, and quite a bit of minerality and steeliness. (89-91)
 
2018 Bourgogne Chardonnay : This wine is broader and creamier than the Bourgogne-Hautes Côtes de Nuits, and it features lemony fruit. About 1/3 of the vines are 50 years-old, the rest are three years-old.  Clay-limestone soils. (87-89)
 
2018 Bourgogne-Hautes Côtes de Nuits Pinot Noir : This wine is mineral with hot vintage dark fruits in the nose and mouth. It is medium-weight with a creamy texture and adequate acidity. The vines are 20 years-old and in this vineyard, the drought held back the yield. (85-87)
 
2018 Bourgogne Pinot Noir : The Bourgogne has an attractive, perfumed nose featuring violets. The mouth is smooth and round with violets, medium-weight, and good density. (87-89)
 
2018 Chambolle-Musigny Combe d’Orveau : With lavender aromas and a medium-full body that features ripe red and dark fruits, this is an atypical wine for Chambolle for its ripeness and fullness. Nevertheless, it is attractive. The lavender reappears on the finish and there is very good length here. About 13º alcohol. (88-90)
 
2018 Vosne-Romanée Les Barreaux : Les Barreaux is situated just above Richebourg and Cros Parantoux, so it is at altitude, but in a hot year such as 2018, that can be an advantage. The wine shows very attractive spiced red fruit aromas. The mouth is dense, pure, and focused with dark fruits, penetration, freshness, spices, and structure. (90-93)
 
2018 Echezeaux Les Loachausses : The nose shows some spicy fruits, but not the precision of a still better wine. The mouth is impressive with dense, spicy, sensual dark fruits and minerality. The wine has a velvet texture and good complexity and there’s some tannin on the finish. (92-94)
 
2018 Clos-Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui : The nose here features typical spicy black raspberry aromas. The mouth shows deep black raspberry fruit with density but also overall finesse for Clos-Vougeot. Good length here. (93-95)
 
2018 Richebourg : Last, the Richebourg shows great complexity with spice, leather, blackberries, and red and black raspberries. There’s great freshness here and the exoticism of Richebourg. This is a very fine vintage for Richebourg. (94-97)
 

Hautes Côtes de Nuits rouge 2017 : « This attractive wine is fresh and pure with red fruits, lightness, enough structure, and lots of charm — very Pinot, as the Burgundians would say. » note : (87-89)

Bourgogne rouge 2017 : « The Bourgogne is rounder with mineral red fruits, lightness, and purity. This is from vines that average about 50 years-old and are in the communes of Nuits and Vosne. »  note : (87-89)

Chambolle Musigny « La Combe d’Orveau » 2017 : « From a vineyard that was essentially wiped out by the frost in 2016, the Chambolle rebounds with a wine of purity, violets, red fruits, charm, lightness, precision, and finesse. Even though not in the heart of Chambolle vineyards (the vineyard is located south and over the hill from the village of Chambolle), the wine expresses what most people expect of the village’s wines. » note : (90-92)

Vosne-Romanée 2017 : « Les Barreaux is a village lieu-dit that sits immediately above Richebourg, Cros Parantoux, and Brulées, and adjoins Petits Monts at the southern end. In both 2017 and 2018, this vineyard produced 8 barrels (2400 bottle) instead of the usual five. This in part is due to the fact that since 2012, the replacement of low-yielding very old vines has been speeded up. Nevertheless, average vine age here is about 64 years-old. The wine has chipped stone aromas. The mouth is light, pure, mineral, precise, and long. It is a wine of great charm. » note : (91-93)

Echezeaux 2017 : « This shows Echezeaux sensuality in its smooth texture, along with strawberry fruit and more weight than the Barreaux. It will needs some bottle aging to show its best, I think. » note : (92-95)

Clos Vougeot 2017 : « The Clos-Vougeot shows red fruits of the vintage, density, finesse, and some tannin. There’s good length and more concentration than for the Echézeaux. 2016, with the frost, at produced just 7 barrels, in 2017 there are 18. Average vine age is 81 years. » note : (92-95)

Richebourg 2017 : « Last, the Richebourg displays density and finesse with dark and red plums, power, and explosiveness. A outstanding and classic Richebourg. » note: (95-97)

Hautes Côtes de Nuits rouge 2016 : « These were the estate’s only vines that did not freeze in 2016. The nose and mouth show violets and cherries. The wine is medium-weight with excellent purity, precision, and freshness. Soft, smooth, mineral-like flavors. Ready to drink now. Fruit forward with subtle hints of raspberries and other fresh fruit. » note : (86-90)

Hautes Côtes de Nuits blanc 2016 : « With lime on the nose and in the mouth, this wine is light in weight. It shows plenty of finesse and good length, probably better as an aperitif wine than with a substantial dish. Subtle, slightly sharp at first. Great structure. Crisp, austere, very chablis like in taste. Beautiful finish. » note : (86-89)

Bourgogne rouge 2016 : « This is from the estate’s patch of Bourgogne (there is also a négociant wine produced in most vintages). Loss here due to the freeze was 45%. The fruit is pure and dark and there’s more weight here than in the Hautes Côtes de Nuits, but not quite as much freshness. More austere, flinter than previous red wine (Hautes Côtes de Nuits rouge). Needs time to age, ideally 5 to 10 years. Medium to full-bodied fruit that dances on the tip of the tongue. » note : (86-89)

Vosne-Romanée 2016 : « From a lieu-dit just above Cros Parantoux, Richebourg, and Brulées, this wine shows a lovely layering of dark fruit with good violets and some minerality. There’s length and elegance here, too. 50% new oak on this wine, 10% loss due to the frost. Dark, intense, ruby-colored wine that will hit its peak 10 to 20 years from now. Incredibly long aftertaste. Blackberry and roasted blueberry-like flavors.very meaty, tannic wine. Outstanding. » note : (89-93)

Echezeaux 2016 : « The wine has a creamy texture with dark fruits and good density, but it is less developed at this point than the foregoing wines. 40% new oak, half of a normal crop. Stunning wine with flinty, full-bodied, robust, leather-like taste. Other flavors that slowly emerge with each sip include roasted cherries and mineral-like flavors. this hearty, earthy wine would benefit from 10 to 20 years of aging but honestly tastes outstanding now. Highly recommend. » note : (90-94)

Clos Vougeot 2016 : « The wine has intense black raspberry aromas characteristic of Clos-Vougot. The mouth is dense, creamy, fresh, and long with black raspberry fruit; it is an excellent Clos-Vougeot. Appellation limits allow 18 barrels, but in 2016 there were only 7 (2100 bottles) made here. Another stunning, muscular wine that combines flinty, dry flavors with bright, ripe fruit, includind blackcurrants and roasted blackberries. More austere than the Echezeaux, this powerhouse Pinot Noir will likely need 20 years of aging. Truly superb expression of the vineyard’s old vines. Highly recommend. » note : (93-96)

Richebourg 2016 : “The Richebourg is deep with dark plum fruit. It’s a little reserved today, but intense and promising. The best wine of the tasting, this Grand Dame of Domaine Anne Gros truly lives upto the hype. Austere yet finessed, dry yet fruity, flavors abound in this world-class wine – from ripe cherries to earthly, mineral-like notes. Rich and complex, this big, bright wine has a soft, smooth finish. Will develop nicely over the next 15 to 20 years. but this spectacular wine frankly tastes superb now. Highly recommend. Poetry in a glass. » note : (93-97)

The fine wine review Number 109 – Janvier 2006

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc 2004 : The Bourgogne-Hautes Côtes de Nuits blanc has minerality on the nose along quince aromas. In the mouth, the wine is very rich and dense with pear and quince fruit and is relatively low in acid. (84/B-)

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits 2004 rouge : We start with the red Bourgogne-Hautes Côtes de Nuits, from seven year-old vines. The nose is mineral and pure with lavender that continues on the palate. This is a delicious, pure Pinot for drinking young. (85-89)

Bourgogne rouge 2004 : The red Bourgogne , from vines that average 25 years of age, has a lovely smooth, velvet texture and more depth and seriousness to the spiced red fruits in its nose and mouth than in the foregoing wines. (86-89)

Chambolle-Musigny « La Combe d’Orveau » 2004 : Anne’s village Chambolle, Combe d’Orveaux is tight in the nose and light and pure with red and black raspberry fruit in the mouth and lots of finesse. This is less hard that it can be in other years, but still not as generous as the Bourgogne. (85-89)

Vosne-Romanée « Les Barreaux » 2004 : The Vosne, Barreaux has spices, dark fruit, and floral aromas. In the mouth it is very nervy with good richness and spicy dark fruit. The best version of this wine I know from Anne Gros. (87-91)

Clos Vougeot 2004 : The Clos-Vougeot has aromas of spiced black raspberry fruit, and is generous but firm on the palate with open black raspberry fruit and elegance. (91-95)

Richebourg 2004 : Last, the Richebourg has a spiced nose with leather and red hots (cinnamon). In the mouth, the wine is spicy with cinnamon. This is not a big Richebourg nor one that explodes in the mouth, and in fact it is somewhat introverted. Still, it is lovely for the minerality and floral flavours, especially violets, the fine length, and the focus. (93-97)