Wine Advisor
Comte Georges de Vogue, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 1996
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Ottoman restaurant in Canberra. Alas there is a faint touch of TCA on the nose although that does not obscure the rich, blueberry and cassis nose with a heightened degree of new oak. The palate is opulent with saturated tannins, very glossy with oak smudging the finish. It is an attractive Bonnes Mares, but you can tell that it is trying too hard. Tasted November 2011.
Reviewed by: Pierre Rovani
I loved this medium-to-dark ruby-colored wine. Earthy aromas of stones, minerals, blood, and blueberries can be found in this medium-to-full-bodied, tightly wound, sensual, and seductive wine. Seemingly unending layers of black raspberries, cherries, wild blueberries, tangy red currants, and fresh herbs can be found in this complex, rich, silky-textured, and profound wine. Its sublime finish, which provides the taster with yet another opportunity to witness this offering's gorgeous purity of fruit, has a firm yet supple backbone. An extraordinary Bonnes Mares! Projected maturity: 2003-2010+. Importer: Dreyfus Ashby, New York, NY; tel (212) 818-0770.
About the Producer
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue is one of the most important estates in the Chambello-Musigny appellation, thanks to its stake in important vineyards. The Comte de Vogue is, as the English writer Charles Dickens once said, "as historic and admirable as a great mountain". The vineyard of the Comte de Vugo covers approximately 12.5 hectares, of which about 7 hectares are located in the Mussini vineyard (70% of the entire top vineyard) and about 2.5 hectares in the nearby Bernemar region. The grapes are all hand-harvested and the vast majority are destemmed (although in 1990 100% of the stems were retained). The wines are first fermented in vats, then aged for 18 months in small oak barrels (40% to 45% renewed), clarified with egg whites and lightly filtered before bottling. The wines are extremely intense and full-bodied, which is not surprising given the extremely low yields and the limestone soils of the Mussini vineyards. The wines of the Comtes de Vugo are not meant to be tasted young, and in outstanding vintages these very long-lived wines usually require 10 to 15 years of ageing. However, it is worth noting that the 2002 vintage of Musigny Old Vine is of particularly high quality. It has intense aromas of red cherry, spice and candied raspberry aromas, with a hint of oak. This noble, full-bodied, refined wine has fragrant floral flavours with fruity notes of red and black fruits. A more feminine wine than the bold, chewy, highly robust 1990 vintage, this is a work of art with delicate tannins.
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