Great Wine

Great wine is of course a subjective thing.  There is an argument to support pretty much any wine as a 'great' wine, plenty of 2 buck chuck wine could be said to offer excellent value for money and therefore be 'great' wine.  But if we take greatness as reaching the pinnacle of wine appreciation both technical and hedonistic then we surely must be looking at fewer options.

I have had two wines since being in Burgundy that I think are truly great.  Both had the same general characteristics of elegance, power, complexity and depth.  But both had an extra dimenson that set them apart.  Both had length, not just a taste that remained in the mouth, but a new level of taste and intensity that resurfaced at the back of the palate after swallowing/spitting.  I hadn't experienced it before (that I can recall) and it is truly an amazing trick.

The first was the 2005 Chanson Pere et Fils Clos des Mouches (Beaune 1er Cru, Burgundy - 60Euros).  Now this cleaned up at the 2007 London International Wine Challenge winning pretty much everything including best white wine overall so I'm not exactly going out on a limb here, but....  Wonderfully expressive nose of citrus, white peach, white flowers and hazelnut, the palate is intense, tight, fruit laden and razor sharp.  The length is perfect and then once it's gone there's this amazing comeback and your palate is bathed in aromas of citrus nuts. Incredible.

The other was last week, a barrel sample of 2008 Antonin Guyon Charmes Chambertin (Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru AC, Burgundy).  There is only one barrel (300 bottles) of it and it's new oak.  It hadn't gone through malo and was not surprisingly fairly acidic and heavy on the oak at this early stage but holy cow - a finesse that was incredible, a nose of charry French oak, strong yet not overpowering the fine red fruits.  The palate was surprisingly well balanced, inevitably tight but already drinkable and the finish was wonderful, coming back way after you've finished to remind you of the pleasure.

Both were genuinely wines that made me stop and smile in wonder.  Which I think from now on is going to be my definition of greatness in all walks of life, from food to music to views to people.  Each to their own.