Chinese New Year Wines with a special focus on 2002 and 1997 vintages

Over Chinese New Year, we did a bit of damage to the cellar and it turned out to be a very rewarding experience to revisit the 1997 and 2002 vintages of some top Bourgogne reds!

Before then, let's take a look at some 2002 champagne:

2002 Gimonnet Special Club
Nose of apple compote, brioche, toasted hazelnut, butter shortbread, with blond cocoa notes. Creamy mousse, enriched with layers of flavours and caressing texture on the palate. Deftly balanced with crisp acidity, altogether culminating in a wine of supreme elegance. Finish is clean, crisp and lingers with the purity of Chardonnay. A very refined champagne, drinking at its peak now, but in no way showing signs of decline. Expect to hold for another 6 to 8 years. 18/20
(This sadly was our last bottle, which Richard salvaged for me to try! So pleased I got to try it.  It was truly remarkable!)

2002 Salon
Sublime nose of pure Chardonnay, with green apple, buttered toast, minerality notes.  Creamy mousse but somehow the bubbles did not quite dance persistently on the palate.  It felt a little flat.  Saline and slightly austere finish, and long.  Need to try another bottle to see if it was a one-off. 17/20

Then onto the 2002 vintage of Bourgogne reds:

2002 Robert Chevillon, Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saints Georges
The intense bouquet reveals notes of ripe blackberries, sweet spices, underlaid with notes of minerality and earthy character. Voluptuous with a velvety textured body, yet the ripe tannin structure belies a muscular and firm structure, lifted by vibrant acidity. Bold and virile, a wine best paired with a Cote de Boeuf or a roast lamb dish. (It went beautifully with our faux filet de Limousin.) Finishes very long, lingering with a ripe fruity quality that has a beguiling sweet note. Ready to enjoy now, but one could wait 3 - 4 years for more complex tertiary character to develop in the wine. 17.5/20

2002 de Montille, Pommard Les Rugiens
The nose redolent of truffle, strawberry, Asian spice, balsamic, wild herbs, dried violet, overlaid with a sauvage character. Silky texture, bright acidity. A very fine drop, slightly dry finish but long. 17/20


And the best surprise of all, some excellent 1997 Bourgogne reds:

1997 Claude Dugat, Griotte-Chambertin
Sous bois, mushroom, cardamom, cloves, with prune and leather notes complete the beguiling bouquet. A wine still exuding energy and depth of character. Lively acidity (lifted with some VA), wrapped in silky texture, belies this wine's maturity. A very fine example of this vintage. Drinking perfectly now, at peak. While there are no signs of deterioration from this bottle, it would be a shame not to enjoy this at its peak. 17.5/20

1997 Dujac, Clos St Denis
The tertiary character now dominated by vegetal and sappy notes. The silky texture and elegant structure still lifted by lively acidity.  It was a brilliant display of sophistication and finesse so well defined by a wine of 20 years.  17/20

1997 Denis Mortet, Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St Jacques

Intense bouquet of prune, leather and mushroom. The texture was velvety, wrapping with it such balanced and lively acidity, underscoring the subtle power and firm structure of this wine.  A wine showing so well that we all felt that it was a fine example of wine punching above its weight. Finished very long, with just a sense of dryness on the finish.  18/20

And finally, a white Bourgogne from the 2004 vintage:

2004 Raveneau, Chablis Montée de Tonnerre
Minerality, green fruit, spicy, smoky notes define the nose. Lively but measured acidity threads through the medium-bodied palate, underscoring the freshness and vibrancy of this super Premier Cru climat, with the characteristic flinty, saline and lingering finish. A wine at its prime. We tested it in two different glasses. The liveliness seemed better preserved when served in the smaller tasting glass, than in the bigger Zalto universal glass. Perfect now. 16.5/20

I cannot wait to try more 1997 Bourgogne reds!  They seem to be at such a great place now......so far from the bottles we tried!