In China, there is a World pre-covid and there is one post-Covid. They do not resemble each other at all. Du to dysfunctional policies of the current Government China has never recovered from the pandemic and most expatriates have left the country, many wealth Chinese have moved to Singapore or North America. Pre-covid, Shanghai was the capital of high end Burgundy drinking. In no other place there was such flamboyance. Tempi passati which I remember with nostalgia, but I am grateful I was able to experience it.
One of the highlights of that era were the Bughound wine Symposiums in Shanghai, organized by Hong Kong fine wine merchant The Fine Wine Experience, with Allen Meadows, aka Burghound, and his wife present. I mention his wife here, not because does the tasting notes, but she is the manager of the Burghound website with all subscription/administrative matters going through her calm hands. During the Burgundy 1993 Masterclass, Allen was walking us through the wines with lots of detailed charts. This was really a great event. Allen, knows his stuff, so much detail on terroir, wine making, etc., impressive! The 1993 vintage, he said was complicated, varied but those who succeeded had small, concentrated grapes of good quality.
Tasting Notes
Flight 1
1993 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses, 88 Points
Medium garnet, young color for its age. Nose is closed, some cherry. Rustic and sour palate, cant see any refinement and pleasure here. Do these guys know how to extract tannins? The Vogue wines were the only ones that did not show well at this 1993 retrospective dinner.
1993 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, 89 Points
Medium garnet. Muted nose as well here as well just as the Amoureuses. Rustic and tannic palate here as well, less sour but still the quality of the tannins is not impressive. The Vogue wines were the only ones that did not show well at this 1993 retrospective dinner.
1993 Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize-Leroy) Bonnes Mares, 96 Points
Voila, the first wine that impressed. Light garnet. Delicate nose of game, spice, red fruit, complex. Delicate, fine palate. A ballerina of a BM even more so surprising when you consider that this comes from a terr rouge plot. Lalou is a master. Burghound told us over dinner that this wine is ultra rare because lots of the crop was lost during biodynamic farming in the capricious 1993 vintage. Impressive all the way. 96+
1993 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares, 97 Points
Medium garnet, denser than the Auveney. Discrete nose of red and blue fruit, lots of pine and mint tones. The palate is fantastic, structured yet elegant. Long finish. Grand Burg!
Flight 2
1993 Domaine Ponsot Clos St. Denis Vieilles Vignes, 97 Points
Medium garnet, cloudy. Expressive nose of sour cherry, sweet spices, game, refined and complex. Excellent volume on the palate, lots of energy and lift as well, stays elegant and balanced. A Wow wine. Also people like me, who are no Ponsot fans had to admit.
1993 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes, 96 Points
Another strong showing from Ponsot albeit not quite at the level of the more elegant Clos St.Denis but impressive never the less. Medium garnet, cloudy color also here. Red fruit, black forest cake, spices and black fruit. Denser palate than the CSD but also here lots of energy and freshness. Great showing.
1993 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche, 98 Points
Boy, did this wine show well amid stiff competition. Lighter color, nose of whole clusters, horse saddle, game, red fruit, so French and so complex. Elegant palate, good structure and long, smoky finish. Wow!
1993 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, 100 Points
La Tache did it again, WOTN in this strong peer group comparison. Light color here as well and just like with the Dujac wine you can smell the whole cluster fermentation in the aromas. Lots of spices here and just that small touch of increases complexity and sophistication makes this wine so appealing. The palate is to die for too, elegant, yet present start to finish. Long lingering finish. Burgundy at its best.
Flight 3
1993 Domaine Anne et François Gros Richebourg, 97 Points
After the La Tache and Cros Parentoux I was a bit apprehensive to taste this. No need to worry. A fantastic wine also here albeit of different style. No whole clusters here but deep dark fruit, pine and foresty tones. Excellent, dense palate, great structure yet stays elegant. A wonderful Richebourg
1993 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux, 96 Points
Very light color, among the lightest tonight. Nose of whole clusters here, similar to the Dujac CDR and La Tache, wonderfully complex. On the palate this does not quite have the stamina of the former two. Still, awesome wine.
1993 Claude Dugat Charmes-Chambertin, 97 Points
Wow, another winner at this spectacular dinner. I did not think that the Charmes terroir can produce such a dense, aromatic wines. Dark garnet. Expressive nose of dark ripe fruit, earth, mint, lovely aromas, works on the palate too. Long finish. A masculine Burg, make sure you chose the food accordingly.
1993 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin, 95 Points
Lighter color, whole cluster, intense earthy aromatics, red fruit, spices, wonderful. The palate is on the lighter side, just like the Cros Parentoux, a touch too light even? Very good wine for sure but many people thought that the Rousseau Chambertin was outshined tonight but its smaller brother, the Mazis. I think so too. 95+
Flight 4
1993 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Mazy-Chambertin, 97 Points
Light garnet, nose of stalks, red fruit, earthy, wonderful and complex. The palate is to die for too. Fresh, present, good structure, long. This beautiful Mazis outshone its bigger brother the 1993 Chambertin at tonight’s dinner. Awesome wine, lucky those who bought it probably below 100 US back in the days…
1993 Domaine Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin, 93 Points
This wine wasn’t bad but compared to the two other Ponsots CSD/CDR and also the very strong peer group it fell off. Cloudy, dark garnet. Rich and ripe palate, sour cherry, good acidity but the tannins produce a drying finish. Probably picked too late, extracted too much.
Author: Christian Raubach, WSET III, FWS, WSG Champagne Master
April 2018 / November 2024 (post covid addendum to the intro paragraph)