Yesterday, Stage 7 of this years Tour de France was an exciting Time Trial through a famous section of the Côte-d’Or. The riders started in the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges and finished just up the road in Gevrey-Chambertin. Naturally, I felt compelled to open this beauty from Thibault Liger-Belair. “La Charmotte” is a tiny, 0.40ha (basically a single acre) vineyard right on the border of the 1er crus of Argilats and Bousselots that was planted in 1962.
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of six hours. The 2019 “La Charmotte” pours a deep, slightly hazy ruby, thanks to some fine sediment. But otherwise a transparent core with medium viscosity and no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous, perfectly ripened strawberries and raspberries, cranberries, exotic spices, a radical assortment of red flowers, porchini and soft baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and super satisfying.
A touch of Vosne-Romanée with the skeleton of Nuits-Saint-Georges, this is a serious village wine with impeccable texture. For all the super nerds out there, Thibault uses 40% whole cluster for this wine, aged 18 months in French oak barrels, less than half of which are new. Drink now through 2034 easy.
— 6 months ago
Lovely Burgundy (Cabernet Franc) with mild tannin (Urban Grape) — 6 days ago
Black fruit, pipe tobacco, garrigue and black olive. — 6 months ago
Black fruit, bramble, ganache and sage. — 2 months ago
Our fav red Bordeaux, so far. Smooth. Minimal tannins. Quite light, Pinot density. Mineral notes w just right amount of dark fruit. W loves. From Haskell’s box. — a month ago
[Tasted on November 8, 2022 at Home]
Wine is Cuvée des Deux Soeurs Red Chateauneuf-du-Pape. 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah. Black cherry, strawberry and red plum fruit, with red licorice, iron and black pepper. — 2 years ago
2018 vintage. Second wine of Cru Classé Malescot Saint-Exupéry. Charming nose with ripe black cherries, raspberry jam and some floral hints. This medium-bodied, fruit-driven Margaux is drinking well already with silky tannin and good length. Not very complex, but a very charming wine indeed. Abv. 14%. Good value at less than half the price of the Grand Vin, even if I would rate the less expensive La Tour de Bessan (tasted alongside) higher. — 2 years ago
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego
2020 vintage. Tasted over the course of 1.5 hours. Medium body. Darker fruits (similar to Troplong-Mondot but less structure) evident from the get go. Plenty of upfront and mid-palate grip with things softening a bit in the later going. Picked up two bottles from Costco...seem to remember it retailing somewhere between $26-$33 a bottle. Definitely worth that pricing and beyond but this specimen wasn't hitting the high score/notes suggested by the Neal Martin review or Delectable others on this particular vintage. Maybe my palate was blown out by the previous wine...a 2019 Barolo. Perhaps. Will likely roll back and pick up two more bottles just to have laying around since it was drinking nicely anyway for the price. Was unfamiliar with this producer and a bit more "practice" won't hurt. 11.26.24. — a month ago