A dinner with Nicolas Potel (2004 tasting plus several others)

Chapitre d'Orchide. The now annual event with the Confrerie held to showcase Nicolas Potel's wines. I missed, what, two? three? of past events, and so this time I decided I have to make it. Besides, this gives me my first broader-scale exposure to 2004 red burgundies.

Dinner was excellent as always at Summer Pavillion @ Ritz Carlton. And so I wouldn't want to say too much about it. And the wines were served in two sections -- the tasting section, and the dinner selection. The tasting section featured some 2004 1er and grand cru reds and then with its similar counterparts circa 2002 vintage. And finished off with two 2004 whites. Very interesting format.

The dinner was more straightforward, just pairs of wines with each dish featuring a smattering of reputable appellations from vintages of 2000-2003. Some, as you would see later on, were standout. But many too were, in my opinion, flawed.

All in all, in retrospect (and in the interest of full disclosure I did have more 2004 reds later on, although from different domaines), Potel's 2004 (both red and white) were done a tad more blowsy that I would have preferred. Given the lesser raw materials in 2004 compared to the 2002 vintage, the levels of extract were quite trying in some cases. The Bonnes-Mares, in spite of its grand-cru status, particularly did not take too well to the oak and extraction regime. None of the Bonnes-Mares impressed me tonight - all came across as too heavy, clumsy, outsized. The fruits of the 2004 reminded of 2000 with slightly less ripeness. I don't know if within the next 6 months or so (in my experience red burgundies will fully stabilize within 12 months after bottling after which it would decide whether to shutdown or just cruise along) the truer characters of these reds would emerge, but for now this was as much as I could observe.

So now here comes my tasting notes... (not necessarily in chronological order)

Meursault les Vireuls 2004 was served as aperitif. This had very ripe fruits. Pristine but rather viscous and somewhat lacked that incisive cut 2004 whites are supposed to represent. Atypical for the vintage although generous. Lots of pear fruits. In fact, IMHO not very Meursault like.

Chambolle-Musigny les Fuees 2004 - Black-fruited with mainly dark raspberries fruits. Very ripe and textured. Stemmy nose, square mouthfeel and dusty finish. Lacked shapeliness in the mouth that Chambolles are famous for. Notwithstanding this was a Fuees (which is a mini-Bonnes-Mares as many people believe), this seemed over-extracted (though not over-powerful) and the finish was less clean than I would have preferred. The 2002 sported a scarily dark hue. The nose was still reticent. The profile was somewhat similar to the 2004 sibling but this was immediately sweeter in the midpalate. Finished off with a bold tannic edge.

Vosne-Romanee les Gaudichots 2004 - Typical Vosne-nose. Spicy and stemmy but had more substantial materials to support it. Has a certain sense of grandeur in the mouth, plush, velvety and brighter in its fruits too. I quite like this; very tasty. The 2002 also carried off stemmy nose but had even more presence in the midpalate. This was a brooding wine. Finished off with, again, a tannic bite. At this point the 2004 was more delicious.

Chambertin-Clos de Beze 2004 - Brooding nose with dark liqueur essence. In the mouth there was that tell-tale Gevrey minerals. Quite extracted and tough still. Had the materials to support the 'hardness' however; very ripe but possessed a sense of reserve. Spices, raspberry and cherry fruits. Quite typical of the vineyard. The 2002 was a lot sweeter and possessed more verve in the mouth. The Gevrey earth came through effortlessly and quite elegantly.

Le Chambertin 2004 - More reticent nose than the Clos de Beze, but in the mouth it's unquestionably bigger and more voluminous. Also, true to form, very square and large in the palate with undeniable deep-seated Gevrey minerality. Has a sense of presence and command that the Clos de Beze lacked. Things got even better with the 2002 with that special oily earthy quintessentially Gevrey minerality. Again, square and dense, commanding and tense. Finished with a grip not found in any of the wines before or after.

Bonnes-Mares 2004 - There certainly was a good reason to place Bonnes-Mares last in the lineup. Unquestionably the biggest wine tonight, this had deep, dense black and blue fruits. Very powerful, forceful, textured and quite alcoholic. Very sweet and ripe. The fruits turned curranty and blueberry-inclined. The 2002 was equally gigantic. In fact, to me this was perhaps more clumsy than the 2004 and I couldn't help but feel that there was too little materials and too much extract here. Turned rather herbaceous and somewhat blander later on, but without letting up that alcoholic warmth.

A repeat of the above performance (sans the whites) with the vintage 2002 version...

Chambolle-Musigny les Fuees 2002 - Very dark colour. Reticent nose even at this point. The wine did come across as fairly square too. This was however evidently sweeter in the midpalate than the 2004, but also showed tannic bite in the finish.

Vosne-Romanee les Gaudichots 2002 - Again telltale Vosne-nose. Also stemmy but had better density than its younger sibling. Pretty much like the 2004 counterpart in every sense but this possessed more concentration and darker fruits. Serious and quite tannic at the back.

Chambertin-Clos de Beze 2002 - A clear mark up in terms of sweetness. In fact, very sweet attack with noticeable Gevrey minerality, in an elegant frame. This was a very charming Gevrey in a befitting grand cru presence.

Le Chambertin 2002 - Finally a wine that hit all the right notes. A roasted, oily, bacon-fatty, earthy nose that is quintessentially Gevrey. Square and commanding in the mouth with an implosive substantial body and unmistakable nobility. Tense and gripping. Special.

Bonnes-Mares 2002 - Unlike the previous 2002s, this didn't better the 2004 version. That is to say this too was rather extracted, huge and awkwardly outsized. The strength of extraction pulled off too much stemmy note so much so it overwhelmed the fruits. Lost whatever was left of the tastiness with further aeration. Disappointing.

The dinner followed with several more bottles.

Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot 2004 - Pears and popcorn oil on the nose. Quite Chassagne actually. This was simple albeit generous in the mouth. None too special.

Corton-Charlemagne 2004 - Always one of my favourite white burgundies, this immediately came across as leaner and meaner, even on the nose. Quite penetrating although ripe, with chalkiness I always associate with this piece of land. The malic acid peeked through in the true fashion of this (to me at least) lovely white burgundy vintage.

Distracted by the conversations and the food, I did not pay a close look to the second bottle other than noting that it had the "Corton-Charlemagne" label on it. I thought this was the same wine, and the host had extra! Not that I minded... This example possessed better mineral definition, culminating into an intriguing salinity in the mouth, mixed with citrusy freshness. It was sappy, and showed some buttery popcornish aromas, and texturally more voluminous and exotically oily. I could almost swear this was a different (and better) wine. Actually, it was. This was the Corton-Charlemagne 2002.

Flights of reds followed. Nuits-St.-Georges les Boudots 2000 displayed an earthy stink with a sauvage tendency. Blackberries and some brett was detected. In the mouth, the fruit was consistently blackberry. Quite crunchy and briary. Interesting although technically flawed by the unclean (brett) hints.

Vosne-Romanee les Malconsorts 2000 - Again, earthy and meaty stink. 'Stink' because of the brett I once again detected on the nose. This was very ripe. The fruits were almost red-plummy, and the ripeness was tipping over surmaturite: pretty direct and spine-less in the mouth. Not quite balanced.

Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux St. Jacques 2002 - Lower-pitched steely Gevrey nose. Sweet, quite minerally, savoury with delicious soya flavours but ended in a slightly warmish feel. Delicious and useful at the dinner table.

Vosne-Romanee les Suchots 2002 - Opulent Vosne nose combined the usual spices with mocha and dark chocolate. Sweet inviting flavours of dark cherries and currants. Again, the pitch was unimpressive and this wine was marked by some mustiness.

Echezeaux 2001 - Black cherries predominated with meats and earthy hints. On the palate some earthy (not rustic) sweetness and pronounced stemminess, which fortunately didn't fall over to become unclean.

Le Chambertin 2001 - corked. Duh...

Grands Echezeaux 2001 - Now, what a difference this next-door vineyard to the Ech made. Sweet plums nose yet higher pitched altogether. The fruits were clean this time. With a midpalate viscosity exemplified by the better made concentrated burgundies. This was very Vosne-like with clean and trim downright sweet fruits. Lovely.

Bonnes-Mares 2003 - Warmish and quite obviously oaky. This came across very grainy and overripe and sacrificed the pitch altogether. The fruit profile was decidedly 2003 with black and blue fruits and finished with dusty (heat-spiked) tannins. Turned curranty but failed to deliver smoothness. Didn't come across as refined as one would expect from a burgundy.

Chambertin Clos de Beze 2003 - This too didn't turn out much better than the preceding Bonnes-Mares 2003. However this possessed better clarity and integration. Still the vintage characteristics were untamed in this wine and the clumsiness was not overcome.