Holy

Another wine note.  1996 Vigne de L’enfant Jésus Beaune Grèves.  My wife and I first tried this wine, the 1989 I believe, while in St. Martin.  When it appeared here at a reasonable, if still expensive, price she would pick up the occasional bottle.  Now the prices are just silly so we don’t bother.

This Cote de Beaune wine has all the power of the big boys in the Cote de Nuits.  There is meat, even game, on the nose that might make me mistake it for Gevrey-Chambertin.  And with the bloodiness there is a contrasting gust of floral perfume, roses galore.  The acidity comes like a choke cherry or  partridgeberry, it’s definitely got an appealing fruit sourness.  At 13 years there is very little sign of age other than a brick hue at the rim, few mushroom notes and none of the beef tea that mature red burgundy can develop.  More power than elegance,  though with surprising grace for 13.5% alcohol,  and possessed of a very silky mouthfeel.

Three hours after decanting some oxidization is occurring, bringing forward latent age.  Some volatile elements. The choke cherry makes that mysterious transformation to creaminess and the first notes of oak appear (would that everyone could be so judicious).   Violets now with roses. Just top juice, gone all too quickly.  Shame it has become so prohibitively expensive.