Four great wines: Pierre Yves Colin Morey, Bruno Giacosa, Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc and Duhart Milon

Had a lovely dinner on Monday evening at a friend’s house and four people managed to go quickly through 4 bottles of wines in just a couple of hours. It was not intended as a speed contest but when the wine is that good it just dries quickly from the glass.

2012 Pierre Yves Colin-Morey Santenay 1er Cru “La Comme” was a stunning surprise for all of us. It’s the first time I’m buying and tasting this producer and for sure it won’t be the last time. In fact it just opened my appetite for discovering more of his wines. This Chardonnay from a less famous Burgundy appellation needs to spend some time in the decanter in order to reveal its exotic and exuberant aromatic profile. Rich and decadent, it exudes very intense aromas of ripe tropical fruits, yellow melon and mango, with complex shades of toast and vanilla. Again rich and highly textured in the mouth, it shows a perfect balance between sweet tropical fruit, stone minerality and vibrant acidity. Long finish, fresh with sweet fruit lingering in the aftertaste. I see lots of similarities with a great 1er Cru Puligny Montrachet. (95/100)

Second white was 2013 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc that shows good richness of citrus and tropical fruit, with vanilla and honeysuckle nose. It is more supple, with higher acidity typical for a Sauvignon Blanc, but overall a well balanced, rich and complete wine. (94/100)

2007 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco spent about 1 h 30 min in the decanter before being poured. In the Burgundy Zalto glass this wine opens up very nice and quickly. It shows a rich aromatic profile where tar, fresh raspberries and rose petals take the center stage, and as it breathes more profound aromas of savory truffles jump from the glass. Supple and very smooth for such a young Barbaresco, it is full and supple on the palate, with silky smooth tannins, sweet and pure red cherry and raspberry fruit, spices and savory cured meat. Long finish, very elegant and feminine wine. (94-95/100)

2010 Chateau Duhart Milon spent only 20 minutes in the decanter before being poured in the glass, and it is surprisingly open already. It shows sweet cassis and pencil shavings, with refreshing cedar and brett. Full bodied, strong but polished tannins, good intensity of the fruit on the palate that balances the tannin structure. Long finish. (94/100)

Chateau Giscours 2007 Margaux

2007 was not a generous vintage for red wines in Bordeaux, it was certainly much better for the whites. Usually, the 2007 reds had unripe fruit, with herbaceous aromas, are rather thin on the palate, but the good part is that many are ready to drink already. There are certainly exceptions, but generally speaking that is the mark of the vintage.

Chateau Giscours 2007 Margaux

Dark red garnet color. There is a good intensity of aromas, a very nice and developed nose, with great typicality. There are exuberant aromas of smoky oak, black cherry, graphite, coffee and plenty of green vegetables: green bell peppers, asparagus and cut hay. Medium to full body on the palate, medium acidity, with friendly tannins, rather mellow considering its age, but well structured. Similar flavors on the palate, however the wine shows some lack of substance on the mid palate. Medium finish, a bit bitter, showing a mild presence of tannins in the aftertaste. The wine shows a good openness already and it drinks very well. The greenness is quite pronounced so I would suspect that this is the mark of the 2007 vintage. It is pleasant to drink as it is but I am not sure how much it will improve in time. There is no problem holding it for at least another 5 possible 8 years, but this is after all a vintage for short time enjoyment. (89-90/100)

I guess the problem with 2007 is that the quality is lower than the 2006 but the prices were a bit higher. So in many cases 2001 and 2004 can be better value for money, as the prices were much lower before the 2005 vintage. Consider your options and choose wisely.

2000 Chateau Chauvin Saint Emilion Grand Cru

This is a very intriguing wine. Chateau Chauvin is located very close to Chateau Cheval Blanc and aside from the typical Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines associated to the St-Emilion terroir, it has a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. Even the label resembles somehow the one of Cheval Blanc.

2000 Chateau Chauvin St Emilion

The wine was rather charmless in the first few hours upon opening. The color is dark red-garnet with no signs of evolution. The nose is well developed and initially shows aromas of light red fruit, but vey spicy, smoky, mixing hot stones with graphite and some green bell pepper. However, after 3-4 hours this is a totally changed wine and it becomes very interesting: it gets a deep, rich floral character, losing the fruity aromas: it is the first wine I taste that feels like someone stuffed a bouquet of fresh, blue Hyacinth and smokey charcoal (very intriguing) in the glass. Medium to full bodied on the palate, with assertive tannins and a firm grip, lively, and flavors of graphite, spices and cigars ash. Medium finish, mint tea freshness, slightly bitter aftertaste, with green coffee bean and again cigars ash. I loved the deep floral character of this wine, but if you are looking for a fruit driven wine this should not be your pick. It needs a good dose of breathing in a decanter. 13.5% alc (90-91/100)