This was a "supplemental," not part of a regular tasting-group series, because of the volume of products now coming to market. 11 tasters, mixed trade and Burgundy enthusiasts, one wine writer. (5-40 years blind tasting experience. A group of younger tasters around 30 years old, congregating at a separate table, banteringly dubbed the children's table, and needing indeed to be hushed once or twice, nevertheless again belied such factors through sharp observations and accurate blind identifications.)
Wine names were filled in after the tasting. We took notes blind, then ranked by personal preference (1 = favorite), combined these scores to give points counts (the less popular wines getting more points), sorted these points counts into group rankings., then revealed the wines. I am not a professional wine critic so these are personal rather than professional notes, with language to match. Letter "T" stands for "Taste" in contrast to smell, and its first appearance marks start of tasting in contrast to smelling. Also, my final "rating" for wines for some decades has been (Yes) -- I could see spending some of my wine budget on it -- or (No) -- I could not.
8 wines, 11 tasters, so a wine everyone ranked last (8th place) would have
88 total points.
The 2002 vintage in this region overall was extremely ripe, remarked two professionals who had visited and tasted widely in barrel. Producers reported inconsistent preferences between their 01 and 02. One thing consistent among those two years is high prices. Also, the close reader of these notes will spot a poor correlation between group preference and price.
2002 Richebourg, Domaine Anne Gros. Lot L R 02. $280. (Preferences: Mine 8 Group 8 [last place] Points 74) Lighter in color than most. Moldy hint, possibly not TCA but some defect. Strong cloves, much like the Gros Vougeot. Mint, volatile wood. T again cloves; sage; these components almost cloyingly strong. Young raw imbalance, heavy wood, fruit, acid. Young! [Several people ranked this wine last, almost all noted the moldy nose defect and also that this might not be TCA. The defect was an issue, otherwise it was an impressive, though young and disjointed, wine. There is some history of corked 2001s from Anne Gros by the way, I posted another note on a Web site some months ago] (No.)
2002 Clos Vougeot "Le Grand Maupertui," Domaine Anne Gros. Lot L CV 02. $120. (Preferences: Mine 1 Group 3 Points 42) Sharp, sage-like herb; sharp clove beneath it. Dental topical anesthetic (DTA), that's the only way I can put it -- like Oil of Cloves. Pinot rubber. Burnt. T: sassafras, clove, intense. Hard, concentrated, beautiful structure, generous fruit. I rank it over my #2 because T is so concentrated here. (Yes!)
2002 Bonnes-Mares, Robert Groffier Père & Fils. Lot L7. $150. (Preferences: Mine 3 Group 2 Points 46?) Gentle. Meaty, fruit is hidden beneath. Bit of sulfur, SO2 type. Vanilla, coffee, mint. T the coffee and mint in the smell hinted at what is a very classy assembly in the taste. Very. Fine subtle dark fruits, appealing rather than closed. (Yes.)
2002 Chambolle-Musigny "Les Amoureuses," Robert Groffier Père & Fils. Lot L6. $105. (Preferences: Mine 4 Group 7 Points 58) Vegetal note, maybe transient. Meaty. Bit of Mercaptan. Oak toast. Coffee grounds. T pleasant coffeeishness and dark fruit. Aroma citrus peel. More of a smooth balance than a hard one. (Yes.)
2002 Chambolle-Musigny "Les Sentiers," Robert Groffier Père & Fils. Lot L5. $65. (Preferences: Mine 5 Group 1 Points 36) Young fruit acid, licorice. Oak toast. Pickle juice (or very strong fruit acid?). T strong coffee-chocolate-cappuccino flavors, I like it, more toast than fruit but still melon, licorice. (Yes)
2002 Chambolle-Musigny "Les Hauts-Doix," Robert Groffier Père & Fils. Lot L4. $65. (Preferences: Mine 6 Group 6 Points 54) Fruit-acid, otherwise reserved, closed. Opening later, vanilla, classic pinot, orange. T harder, more tannic than the others, ripe fruit-acid finish, pleasant herbality, floral, nicely made, should age. (No.)
2002 Chambolle-Musigny "Les Beaux Bruns," Domaine Denis Mortet. Lot L12. $92. (Preferences: Mine 2 Group 4 Points 44) Toast, toast. Explosion of encouraging Nuits smells -- reserved truffles. Varnish, Sage. Orange peel. Port-salut. T intensely concentrated, rich fruit core, young sap-like tannin. (Yes.) [Others, one respected taster especially, decried excess of both oak and manipulation and instantly identified it blind as Mortet.]
2002 Gevrey-Chambertin "Les Champeaux," Domaine Denis Mortet. Lot L10. $92. (Preferences: Mine 7 Group 5 Points 48) Darker than most. Spice, cherry fruit, port-salut. Carbonic acid. T alcoholic, almost "wood alcohol," almost madeirized note that may just be oak. Very hard wood. Bright red berry fruit. Nothing wrong, but awkward (No.)
Prices quoted were retail paid. Co-operative tasting groups are a way for people to share the expense as well as the enjoyment of trying such wines.
-- Max Hauser