Levi H's profile

2006 Vincent Girardin - Corton-Renardes (Vieilles Vignes)
The third Corton-Renardes I've had recently - but from the 2006 vintage this time. Has a fairly dark core with an edge that softens to the color of fresh raspberry juice. Nose is a mishmash of dark sweet-n-sour cherries and spiced fruit jelly. Has some blueberry and freshly picked fig notes playing in the background. The spices reveal themselves more fully on the palate - an amalgamation of savory cinnamon, coriander, and clove. Tastes a bit like the topping on coffee cake fresh out of the oven. That said, the mouth feel is very bright, with a well-structured mid-palate and soft tannins peeking out from behind the velvety cherry fruit and spice curtains. This is delicious.

2005 Gilles Robin - Crozes-Hermitage 1920
A darkly opaque cranberry color, the nose strikes me as "exactly like I want it to smell", that is - varietally correct for Syrah grown on granitic soils. Smells of fat, plump blackberries rolled in camphor esters and balanced on a mound of green and black peppercorns mixed with English Breakfast tea. The overall impression is one of mouth-watering freshness. The palate shows spicy black pepper and tannins with intense high-bush cranberry fruit. These fruit flavors lend a good grippy acidity to the mid-palate that leads into a pleasant black tea finish. The neutral oak treatment clearly helps and this is quite likable.

2005 Michel Gay - Corton-Renardes (Vieilles Vignes)
An impressively light "true" pinot color - notable only because it stands out so visibly against the many other more highly extracted wines from this vintage - with a light rose/garnet center, fading to a blue-ish translucent rim. Nose is bruised dark cherries, mixed with white pepper, fresh and zingy herbal tea and a whiff of new leather. Everything about this screams finesse. Palate is exploding bright pomegranate, pleasing tannins that don't so much loudly announce their presence as quietly tap you on the shoulder and let you know they're there, and the finish is a sing-song of cherry/raspberry herb teas with a bit of sweet honey. Fine acidity runs the length and the seamless nature of this wine speaks class and money with every sip. A new Armani suit in a cherry red Ferrari - this is a head-turner.

2005 Michel Morey-Coffinet - Chassagne-Montrachet Les Farendes 1er Cru
A markedly different wine than the 05 Les Caillerets bottling from the same producer, despite the vineyards being adjacent (Farendes being at a lower elevation towards the valley floor). A lovely gold color with a slightly greenish hue, the nose dances around in the glass with sweet citronella, crushed oyster shells, and waxy keffir lime. No sharpness or edginess on this one at all - pure, soft, lemon creaminess. The mouthfeel is round and the wanging minerality on the tongue is followed by tangerine cream, sugared grapefruit pith and a long toasted-hazelnut finish. This is what great white Burgundy should be.

2005 Chevalier Pere et Fils - Ladoix Les Corvees 1er Cru
This is the third 2005 vintage wine from this producer which I've tasted in as many weeks (filling the 1er Cru spot between the Village and Grand Cru offerings of theirs I've had recently and enjoyed immensely). Color is dark rose red. Nose is unexpectedly dark and brooding, but quite pleasing with its briar/bramble/underbrush qualities. Reminds me more of a Rhone varietal based wine than of Pinot. Lots of blue-black aggregate fruits - blackberry, raspberry, boysenberry, loganberry. Interestingly, this also has a bit of a high-end Barolo tar note and trailing hints of more typical Pinot-esq bright sour cherry and allspice. The palate does an amazing 180 on the nose - bright, clean, sprightly, and super fresh. The acidity is mouth watering and it compliments the bright raspberry fruit and allspice/clove finish.