nanson.ch bourgogne rouge & village wines

Regional Wines from Burgundy

I decided it was probably a bad thing to duplicate all the tasting note - i.e. have the same ones in two places, so all recent notes can be found at the BURGUNDY REPORT

* . . . . . REGIONAL WINES

* . . . . . VILLAGE WINES

* . . . . . PREMIER CRU WINES

* . . . . . GRAND CRU WINES

2000 Joseph Faiveley, Bourgogne Rouge April 2003
Medium cherry red. The nose is of earthy cooked red cherries against a faintly smokey background. Quite fat with soft tannins and good extension on the finish. A good Bourgogne and worth leaving for 1-2 years.
1993 Mugneret-Gibourg, Bourgogne Rouge March 2003
Medium-plus ruby colour, starting to look mature, but no signs of amber or brown colour just yet. The nose is very understated, hints of sweet earth perhaps, though not much else. The palate has good density, good acidity and still some tannin. The fruit profile is cherry with a little blueberry. Lovely length to this wine from a subtle vanilla note. This wine made an excellent match with a simple plate of bread and cheese - Thom de Savoie and Reblochon. Very nice, and nearly ready !
1996 Leroy, Bourgogne Rouge March 2003
Still a deep and young looking ruby colour. The nose is a simply gorgeous blend of predominantly raspberry fruit plus other red berries and cherries. On release I remember this wine to be quite unforgiving and a bit acidic, 4 years has worked a little magic and the palate is now quite fat with lovely cherry fruit. Perhaps there's still a slightly harsh edge to the acidity - which is not unlike many 1996's today - but this certainly improved with aeration. Still a young and very classy wine, reminds me of a very good premier cru Savigny.
1998 A et P de Villaine, Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise La Digoine February 2003
Light ruby with definite hints of maturity - looks quite 'fragile' in the glass. The nose is relatively muted with strawberries and raspberries pushing through the undergrowth. The palate is a lovely thick and sweet thing with red berry fruits dominating. Perfect acidity and almost resolved tannin. This wine is only spoiled by a slight bitterness to the palate. Starting to drink nicely now, hopefully the bitterness will diminish, though to be fair it's much less obvious with food.
1999 Dominique Laurent, Bourgogne Rouge Number 1 February 2003
Deep ruby with a cherry edge - this wine has the depth of colour you would expect from a much higher appelation. The nose starts with toasted oak and an almost 'corky' note. Given 20 minutes aeration, fortunately the corky note disappears along with much of the oak. What remains is a burnt wood note, a little spice, perhaps cinnamon and resin. Eventually there is also a cooked red fruit note. The palate is certainly quite concentrated with reasonable acidity and very good, fine tannins. At the moment it's certainly quite hard to get at the fruit due to the wood induced structure. A wine that has been made in a very serious and expensive way, possibly a match for many village wines. I'd say this needs at least 4-5 years to reduce the impact of the wood - should be very interesting to see what the result is.
1999 Ghislaine Barthod, Bourgogne Rouge February 2003
Lovely medium density cherry red colour. The nose is deep showing red and black cherry notes, even a little raspberry and earth too. The palate shows good concentration and, perhaps, a more red fruity palate. Good acidity and sophisticated tannins. Shows good length too. Excellent Bourgogne Rouge
2000 N Potel, Bourgogne Rouge, ‘Maison Dieu’ Vieilles Vignes February 2003
Medium-full cherry colour. The nose is of cooking cherries with a subtle undertow of oak and earth. Fresh acidity, concentrated cherry fruit and medium tannins. This is very serious for a Bourgogne - particularly in 2000. Very good wine and worth leaving for 2 years.
2000 Dominique Gallois, Bourgogne Rouge February 2003
Similar depth of colour to the Drouhin wine, though shaded to ruby. The nose is cherry and raspberry with just a hint of turned earth. The palate shows black and red berried fruits. Dood acidity and smooth tannins. Nice length to the finish. Similar softness to the Drouhin, though with a touch more concentration. A good wine.
2000 Joseph Drouhin, Laforet Bourgogne Rouge February 2003
Medium-pale cherry colour. Sugared red fruits on the sweet nose. The acidity is fine and is coupled with light, smooth tannin. Relatively light bodied and very forward, this is a soft wine which would make a lovely aperitif.
1990 Leroy, Bourgogne Rouge February 2003
Medium ruby colour, fading to amber. The nose is a deep cherry pie affair and initially a little 'farmyard' but this fades after 2-3 minutes. The surprisingly fat palate shows good acidity, almost faded tannins and plenty of raspberry fruit. Probably reaching its peak right now - fabulous Bourgogne.
1995 Leroy, Bourgogne Rouge February 2003
Deep ruby core, fading to amber. Nose of baked plums, tea and soil with rose petals at the top-end - very impressive. Good acidity and still reasonable tannin. The palate is medium concentration, and shows almost 'orangey' fruit. The finish is reasonably long but ends on a bitter note. Actually pretty good.
1993 Leroy, Bourgogne Rouge February 2003
Some signs of seepage on the top of the cork. Colour is a mature ruby tending to brick. Nose, initially subdued, but sweet with very faint redcurrant, orange & tea, became more intense with time. Palate surprisingly thick and full for the appellation with stewed plum fruits and medium but persistent acidity. The tannin is still there – just, with a long but slightly astringent finish – the astringency disappeared with food. I’ve had 1er Cru’s which were inferior in every way. Found this at half price for €8.5 a bottle. I’m going back for the other 4. Drat, there was only 3 !!
1999 N Potel, Bourgogne Rouge, ‘Maison Dieu’ Vieilles Vignes February 2002
Medium ruby colour to the rim. Nose has wood spice and cherry pie fruit. The palate has good acidity and some prominent tannin, both of which are reasonably well covered with layers of beautifully delineated fruit, raspberry, redcurrant and strawberry. Length is good, the only slight disappointment being that it’s a bit ‘thin’ in the mouth. Hopefully the other 11 will put on some weight over the next few years. Given the appellation though, fantastic.
2000 Robert Arnoux, Bourgogne Fin December 2001
Dark cherry colour. Nose is bright red cherry fruit with just a hint of strawberry. Nice acidity, mild tannin and bright primary fruits. Medium to light bodied, in fact reminiscent of a nice Fleurie but ‘sharper’. At just under £6 from the domaine good value. It’s a lovely drink now.
1993 Philippe Leclerc, Bourgogne Rouge November 2001
From half. Medium/dark ruby colour. Hint of wood and spicy fruit on the nose. Nice acidity and the tannins are still not quite resolved. A chunky wine that doesn’t quite deserve the rustic tag. Nice and despite its appellation, not yet ready. Good wine, excellent bourgogne rouge.
1997 Hubert de Montille – Bourgogne Rouge December 2002
Mid brick colour. Nose starts with the merest whiff of toasty oak, but disappears after only 5 minutes (good !), leaving a beautiful Volnay nose – wow and from a bourgogne rouge too! Good acidity, not yet softened tannins and a lovely follow-through. Really excellent and almost ready. Whilst expensive for what it is (£11) I’ve had many Volnays less good than this one.
1998 Faiveley – Bourgogne Rouge August 2001
From magnum (€24). Deep red with no lightening at the rim. Nose is actually quite oaky but simple pinot fruit comes through too. So far this wine hasn’t quite gelled, it has noticeable tannins, quite high acidity and a good whack of fruit too, but they are not working together just now. Still acceptable for the bbq, but I’m sure a much better bet for next summer.
1999 Joseph Faiveley, Bourgogne Rouge April 2001
Medium purple/cherry colour. Jump out of the glass blueberry scent, with some higher flowery notes (I’m not very good on flowers!). Medium bodied. Red cherry fruit with highish acidity and moderate tannin. Not bad at all but give it a couple of years to change to red from purple first!