This was a fantastic tasting organised for serious Finnish wine lovers by Jukka Viitanen and Restaurant Carelia. It was extraordinary to taste blind the different producers’ and parcels’ wines. No surprise, Domaine de la Romanée Conti was the clear winner. But but there were great surprices, too. Here are my notes:
Domaine de la Romanée Conti Montrachet 2005, Burgundy, France 95p/2010
Powerful and complex, oaky, woody and sherry like yeasty nose with lemon nuances. Weighty and monumental on the palate, firm and long palate, stylish, plenty of oak, firm and extremely persistent. Still tight on the palate, the nose expresses more but one can surely get an idea about the future potential.
Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet 2006, Burgundy, France 95p/2010
Alongside the DRC Montrachet this was the wine of the evening for me. Quite contrastingly to DRC this wine was very fine-tuned, reserved and elegant. Smooth vanilla-like spicy nose with delicious liquorice and coffee notes. Weighty and focused on the palate with plenty of future potential.
Jacques Prieur Montrachet 2006, Burgundy, France 93p/2010
Round and rich, overt nose. Sweet ripe apple and vanilla fruit with woody and toasty oak notes. Strong and holding back still, requiring more time. Fine intensity and acidity promise a great future though.
Deux Montille Chevalier-Montrachet 2005, Burgundy, France 93p/2010
Fresh and fruit-forward and clean nose with pineapple and minerality. Lean, fine and long on the fresh, focused palate. All pieces together. Young, but starting to come around.
Domaine Ramonet Montrachet 2006, Burgundy, France 92p/2010
Bright, fresh and spicy nose with oak nuances, soft vanilla tones as well as vegetal aromas and butter. Oily, silky mouthfeel with warming alcohol and not very high acidity. Modern and fruity with charred oak nuances. Fine, worth cellaring.
Domaine Ramonet Montrachet 2005, Burgundy, France 91p/2010
Lean and fragrant, elegant nose with white flowers, licorice, spice, wax and honey. Nice touch of oak on the powerful yet stylishly perfected palate. Fruity but with some old fashioned charm.
Domaine Ramonet Montrachet 2007, Burgundy, France 91p/2010
Lean and a bit dusty nose with lemon, popcorn, oak and distinct minerality. Seems unbalanced and tight at the time, probably requiring a year or two to come together.
Château de Puligny Montrachet Chevalier-Montrachet 2005, Burgundy, France 89p/2010
Fresh, fragrant nose going as aromatic as toward Sauvignon Blanc aromas. Sweet and tropical with vegetal tones and moderate oak impact. Wide, vinous and spicy with a distinct personality. Easy to appreciate in its overt and perfumy style.
Château de Puligny Montrachet Bâtard-Montrachet 2005, Burgundy, France 89p/2010
Fragrant and soapy, floral and somewhat overripe and dusty nose. Powerful but seemingly old-fashioned on the closed palate lacking charm.
Jean-Noël Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet 2005, Burgundy, France 88p/2010
Pungent, floral and fino sherry nose with perfumery soapy notes, raspberry candy and herbs. Powerful on the round, weighty palate. Quite peculiar and not one of my favourites in the tasting.
Marques de Laguiche Montrachet 2005, Burgundy, France na/2010
This bottle was suffering from a very slight cork problem, evidenced by the somewhat musty and cellar-like aromas. Other than that it was nutty, youthful and oaky. Long, powerful but appeared old fashioned due to the problem with the cork.