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Charmes Chambertin..... Echezeaux.....


19-Jan-99

Tonight we had a very tasty impromptu dinner at home. Our friend Migry, whose boyfriend arrived from London this morning, cooked everything and brought it over to our house.
We had the following delicious parade: rich and rustic beans pasta, delicate mussaka, chicken in fruits, lemon pie and an apple cake.
I decided to try two similar-level Grand Cru (B) side by side along the dinner, Both from the same vintage and both by the same producer. You can't get any better than that to test the concept of terroir. Or at least that's what I thought...

Charmes Chambertin 1990 Moillard

1/99. Bought at the source Dec-94 for $30.
Both this and the Echezeaux are from the Moillard negociant firm and not from their own Thomas-Moillard holdings.
COLOR: Medium-light ruby-red. Noticeable clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Very nice, forward perfumed nose. Some fresh red fruits together with especially elegant medium-key 'Bourgogne Nose'. Nothing spectacular but very pleasant nose indeed.
TASTE: Good follow-up to the nose. Discernible red fruits, measured acidity, soft tannins and respectable winyness. Good grip but round and mellow.
LENGTH: Medium-length but pleasant aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-bodied and relatively complex. Not a 'shouting' wine but very well balanced with smooth texture and reasonable personality.
OVERALL: Excellent-plus wine. A pleasant surprise for a non-domaine wine. This wines is at or around its peak.
MARK: 17.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Echezeaux 1990 Moillard

1/99. Bought at the source Dec-94 for $30.
Both this and the Charmes Chambertin are from the Moillard negociant firm and not from their own Thomas-Moillard holdings.
COLOR: Medium-dark ruby-red. Very slight clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Hardly any nose initially and even after spending an hour or more in the open, it only gave faint (but not unpleasant) secondary aromas.
TASTE: Demonstrably inferior to the Charmes Chambertin. Nothing really wrong here, and certainly not bad on the palate. It simply lacked the flavors and personality of a Grand Cru.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium bodied, smooth and even elegant and balanced in a strange flavorless way...
OVERALL: Very good only and maybe even that is too high a mark judging by this bottle. It could be (though I doubt it) that this Echezeaux is still deep in its dumb period where the Charmes Chambertin fully bloomed.
MARK: 16/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.



Terroir Test?
Well, my "test" failed completely. I was hoping to have two similar wines with some subtle differences that could be attributed to the different terroir between Charmes Chambertin and Echezeaux. Instead we got one wine that was superior in all respects to the other. How come? Both wines are on the same level, a lesser Grand Cru level I'd call it. We have the same producer and the same (superb) vintage. Furthermore, I bought the two bottles at Moillard in Nuits-St. Georges more than four years ago and kept them since then under identical conditions. I really don't know the answer. Perhaps the grapes they bought were of different quality for the two wines. Perhaps there was some difference in the vinification process. Perhaps the Echezeaux was really in a dormant phase. Mysterious are the ways of the wine...
Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.