jamie goode's wine blog: Keith's lovely Burgundy: Chauvenet Damodes

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Keith's lovely Burgundy: Chauvenet Damodes


A few days ago I posted on the World's best Pinot Noir, commenting that New Zealand and Oregon seem to hit the mark far more consistently than Burgundy. Well, Keith P kindly sent me a bottle of Burgundy that he'd purchased in a sale for less than £5, which I couldn't help opening, even after tasting all day at the IWC for the second consecutive day. And it was really good - so much so that I've just finished it off tonight, after the third day's consecutive tasting when it takes something really interesting to make me want to face wine in the evening. This is Burgundy as it should be - elegant and complex.

Jean Chauvenet Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes 1998 Burgundy
1998 is widely regarded to be one of the worst recent vintages in Burgundy. But here’s a beautiful wine. The nose has some savoury, meaty, soy sauce and earth notes, but they’re not out of control, and are joined by some ripe, silky red fruit characters. The palate is where this wine comes to life, though: it’s delicate, like a fine piece of silk – a little fragile, but supremely elegant with a wonderful combination of smooth, sweet cherry and berry fruit with just a hint of earthy tannic structure hiding in the background. It’s a beautiful wine, now at its peak – but I don’t think it will stay there for all that long, so drink up. But right now, it’s all silky elegance and is so easy to drink. Quite lovely: I feel bad about giving this wine such a high rating, but I think it deserves it, as long as you’re prepared to open it soon-ish. 93/100

Labels: ,

4 Comments:

At 9:39 AM, Anonymous Keith Prothero said...

Ha ha Thanks for the note Jamie. I have another 10 bottles so maybe I had better send you a few more round to you----any excuse to say hello to the lovely Fiona again!!
Think it will actually be OK for a couple more years but I shall take your advice do not keep too long.

 
At 2:46 PM, Blogger Wine Splodge said...

Keith,

Don't suppose you'd tell us where you buy your wine? £5 for a 1er cru Nuits. Strewth.

 
At 4:19 PM, Blogger Italian Wine Blog said...

My friends also give me £5 bottles of wine. However, my friends are not Keith Prothero ;D

 
At 9:39 PM, Anonymous Alex Lake said...

Burgundy's a strange beast and one should be cautious about believing what people tell you about "bad vintages". I picked up some 98 1er cru Fourriers a couple of years ago very cheaply (but nothing like as cheap as Keith's bargain!)

 

Post a Comment

Links to this post:

Create a Link

<< Home