Title de Vogüé, with Anthony Hanson MW
Author: Linden Wilkie
Venue: Institute of Directors building, London
Date article was added: 25/05/04
Date of event May 25, 2004
Rare Wines
I have discovered that claret tastings are a lot easier to organise than Burgundy ones. Though it still takes time and patience to find good examples of pre-1970 red Bordeaux, finding good pre-1996 examples of de Vogüé grands crus is a needle-in-a-hay-stack affair. It took several months to acquire the ten wines for this tasting, making it all the clearer to me why there was such a demand for tickets to this event.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Scott Treloar and Neal Martin for their help in finding some of the rarer wines we tasted.
All bar the 1982 and 1976 double decanted and ready to go
Anthony Hanson MW leads the tasting
All of us who attended owe a debt of gratitude to Anthony Hanson MW for kindly agreeing to lead this tasting – introducing the estate, presenting the wines and moderating the lively discussion. Having Anthony Hanson MW come to discuss Burgundy is a little like having Robert Parker come to discuss the Rhône, - here is the man who “wrote the book”, and at the end of the evening he happily signed copies of his 665-page book Burgundy.
Anthony’s efforts began well before the tasting, as he also kindly spoke to the current proprietor at de Vogüé and provided helpful suggestions on decanting times and tasting order.
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As we got underway, Anthony recounted the historic siginifance of de Vogüé – an estate boasting 19 generations of ownership since its inception in 1450 A.D. The longest reign in Burgundy we learnt. “To have some of the best vineyard land in the Côte d’Or”, he noted, “it pays to get in early”. |
Indeed de Vogüé dominate both grands crus they make, with a majority stake in Musigny, and one fifth of Bonnes Mares (and at the “finer” Chambolle end of Bonnes Mares too).
Two eras on show
So what did we learn from the wines tasted from these two great terroir? Firstly, there appear to have been two distinct phases, and possibly a third in the style at de Vogüé. (Alas we had none of the “great” wines of the 1940s and 1950s to compare a previous great era at de Vogüé – my attempt at auction to procure some 1959s ended in farce as they were hammered down at a significant multiple of the high estimate).
The first era was represented by the 1982 and 1976 Bonnes Mares, and by the 1985 Musigny – the tail end of management from Alain Roumier, and a period in which vineyard management – cropping and spraying in particular – were perhaps less than judicious. The 1982 and 1976 – both good but problematic years, showed signs of chapatalization and over-cropping. The 1985 did too, but just a little, the wine’s sublime qualities perhaps redeemed by the sheer excellence of the vintage itself.
François Millet’s arrival in 1985 seems to have improved things at de Vogüé, as the wines show a step up in concentration across the remaining wines we tried
Corks!
The two wines affected by cork – one impaired, and one corked – are a source of great frustration. All ten wines were carefully sourced, the levels were all high-fill with the exception of the 1982 (1cm), and the 1976 (2cms) – which were, for their age especially, in mint condition. Here we had wines at the very crest of quality in all of Burgundy, spoiled by a little stopper. Yet for these tastings, what are we to do? To buy two of each in case of corked wines would have two effects. Firstly it would greatly increase the cost (and therefore the ticket price), and secondly it would mean for such rarities as these, certain vintages would have to be left out altogether where only single bottles can be sourced.
Musigny v Bonnes Mares?
Fortunately, both the 1990 Bonnes Mares and the 1990 Musigny were in perfect condition (Anthony Hanson noting that ours was the best example of de Vogüé Musigny 1990 he’d had so far) – for these were both a highlight, and the one chance we had to compare the two grands crus side by side. I must confess that either vintage transcends the stylistic differences of these two favoured sites more than do the differences in terroir, or my palate is not yet sufficiently fine-tuned to these great wines enough to see the stylistic pattern that distinguishes them. I suspect the latter, and all I can note here is that in the 1990, the Musigny simply showed more depth and power than the Bonnes Mares, while both shared great richness combined with firm structures, demanding more time in the cellar.
"Third Phase"?
The “third phase” alluded to above came in the form of the 1999 Musigny – widely agreed amongst the tasters present to be a great wine, though with two unusual attributes. Firstly, in the blind tasting, its aromatic profile would not point it straight to Burgundy: “a wine where terroir transcends grape” commented one, while another – perhaps tongue-in-cheek – thought it shiraz-like in our tasting. Secondly, the wine seemed quite open and expressive on the nose and the palate, in contrast to the stern, firm style of the other Millet-year wines. Is this simply a wine awaiting it “difficult adolescence”, as Anthony Hanson MW describes it, or does this mark the beginning of a more fruit-driven style of de Vogüé Musigny? A mini-vertical of Musigny post-1998 might reveal the answer.
Favourites
Our straw-poll “favourite wine of the night” revealed supporters for the 1999 Musigny, it taking 6 votes and tying it with the 1985 Musigny in second equal billing. First place went to the 1990 Musigny (a pity its price is now in the stratosphere, but perhaps understandably so). “Which wine would you take to dinner tonight?”, brought 18 votes the 1985’s way. Clearly a wine à point. (The other two votes were cast by the infanticists for the 1999 Musigny).
Perhaps more intellectual than hedonistic, these de Vogüé grands crus were a pleasure to taste, and left me with the impression that the estate is in good hands.
For two more reviews of this tasting, click here for notes from Alex Hunt, and here for notes from Neal Martin.
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