2005 Louis Jadot Vosne-Romanée

Picked this up in the PALCB Store located in Garces Trading Co in Philly, and I have to say that as much as a lot of people are upset with the fact that the state store is operating out of a restaurant, I think it is a great thing. Best thing about Garces is that it is BYO as well. The PALCB store however has a nice, climate controlled cellar, and prices are at regular retail, with no markups. That said, I picked this Burgundy off the rack to enjoy with our dinner outside on the street.


Popped and poured at our table, and sure, I knew it was going to be young, but one of the nice things about eating out is that sometimes you can source some decent bottles, and this was one of them. Nice ruby color in the glass, thinning towards the rim. You could really see the translucent ring in the Schott Zwiesel glass, and you could tell this wine needs more bottle time. On the nose, nice cherry fruit is the shining star, with some raspberry, strawberry and earthy spice. Still a bit of alcohol on the nose, but this bottles was popped a good 5 to 10 years too early.

On the palate, there was a much better fruit profile than I was expecting given the youth here. Nice medium body in the mouth, with some cherry and vanilla that I attribute to the oak. Minor spice and some floral hints as well round out the palate. Subtle tannins on the finish, and a bit of sourness round out the finish here. All in all, a decent Burg a step above entry level, but this could definitely use some more time in the bottle. If you have them, I suggest holding onto them for 5-10 years. 90 points. Cheers!

1996 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot

Our good friends Steve and Sue brought this along today to Lorena’s in Maplewood, NJ, and what a treat it was! Gorgeous ruby color in the glass, still thinning towards the rim and showing its youth. This had a really nice earthy nose, with some deep black cherry, earth, soil, and mushroom, with faint hints of spice. There was very little alcohol on the nose, but a bit still showing its youth. On the palate, this wine seemed really young, and just goes to show how well Burgundy, when properly stored can age. Nice raspberry and cherry tones on the palate, with some old world earthiness to it. Nice spice and acidity, with a smooth finish made this wine very pleasurable. I could easily see this wine lasting another 10 years plus, so if you have them in the cellar, do yourself a favor and give it another 5 years on its side, and I think you’ll be in for a great treat. 93 points.

2007 Domaine Fichet Bourgogne "Tradition"

Tasted today at the CoolVines Princeton tasting! Finally, a nice under $20 Burgundy, and leave it to CoolVines to find it and carry it! This producer actually got his start back in 1976, and is now run by his two sons. Tons of ripe cherry on the nose, with a hint of earth. This is not your typical California, fruit forward nose. This is a classic Burgundy nose! On the palate, more ripe cherry shines through, with a bit of acidity, which I expect to settle down with some more time in the bottle. After all, this is still a young 2007. There is still a bit of a tannic backbone, but again, this will settle out in time. We picked up two, and plan on trying one after another year in the bottle. At this point, I will not rate this wine, but I can see this being a 90 point Burgundy in the future, which is nice for this price point. Cheers!

2005 Jean-Michel Guillon Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

This is a very young wine, but we really enjoyed it at a tasting at CoolVines in Princeton this past weekend. This wine was decanted for an hour or two before we got there, and could have sat in the decanter the rest of the day in my opinion before it really starts to show it's stuff. Although I would hold most of the '05's from this region for a long time, I think that this wine might actually start drinking well earlier, but I will still cellar ours for another 5 years or so before revisiting. Gorgeous but dark color in the glass makes me wonder if they picked this fruit a little late, but I could be wrong. The nose is very fragrant with some cherry and subdued berry. Some cherry on the palate, with a hint of clove and spice. This is a big, juicy, and intense wine, and I think it will be incredible in another 5 years. Is this the cream of the crop for '05 Burg's? No, but it is a pleasure to drink! 92 points for a great Burg after a long decant, heading to 94-95 with some years in the bottle. Enjoy 2014+! Kudos to CoolVines for having such a great wine on their weekly tasting! Cheers!

2005 Jean Michel Guillon Bourgogne Rouge

Had this wine first today at a tasting at CoolVines Princeton, and it just didn't stand a chance in comparison to the other Burgundy they were tasting. This was wine number one, and it seemed very closed down on the nose. Some classic hints of Burgundy, but now WOW FACTOR, but this could also be a very young wine, and might still need time to settle down. Regardless, if you are going to pop one now, I would suggest a 3-4 hour decant, at cellar temp is possible, then allow it to warm up in the glass. I don't remember much about the nose other than some strawberry and cigar box, but I do remember some strawberry on the palate. The finish was smooth, but nothing to write home about, and had nicely integrated tannin. In my opinion, this wine might be in a weird closed phase, and could benefit from a few years in the bottle. Drink 2012 plus, or decant for a few hours. 85 points. Cheers!