Two Great 1997 Red Burgundies
5th June 2015
Two 1997 Cote de Nuit 1er Crus opened in the last week demand a review: Roumier's Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses and the Nuits, Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges, the monopole of Henri Gouges. The first (with simple roast chicken) was still youthful: concentrated, savoury and altogether admirable; yet the second (with last year's frozen partrdge) acually gave more pleasure, gamey, wild and excitng, with fresh acidity punctuating the fruit. These wines cost about the same in the late 1990s - but such are the vagaries of taste and reputation that Roumier's wines now enjoy a thriving secondary market, and this top Chambolle 1er Cru is now theoretically worth fifteen times as much as the Gouges. (Had I known what the Roumier was worth I may not have opened it!)
