- Location
- Scotland
Not sure about Beaucastel but I seem to recall seeing Télégramme, from Vieux Télégraphe Le Crau, for the very first time in 2002.
I believe the Consejo Regulador goes by the name of Jaime Cochinillo
2002 wines at 20 years of age…
- Thread starter Andy Leslie
- Start date
- Location
- Southern England
2002 was my daughters birth year - so I seem to have rather a large and quite diverse selection ...... but very heavy in Bdx!
- Location
- London
Many 2002 left banks should be drinking beautifully in 2022 Phil. I look forward to trying several of them over the course of the year. Many of them will be around their peak.
Tonight's Burgundy is quite delicious, and makes me want to try the Chambertin or Beze. When this was bought people wanted the "big three" but this was easily obtainable. I just wish I had obtained more! I’ve always favoured Rousseau Ruchottes over CSJ as the sheer carapace of new oak can get in the way of the CSJ, even when quite mature. And the Clos des Ruchottes is pretty good in its own way. This is a minority viewpoint. And Ruchottes is a little bit weird. And CSJ is ok!
This has matured nicely since I last had it three years ago. It is so correct. In fact not really getting Red Burgundy I had to check what I should find, and indeed I did find it. I’m not sure that it is at its absolute peak now, but it certainly drinking well, so why dither with a few more bottles to come?
In short, I have very little interesting or novel to say. Simply, bravo Rousseau!
This has matured nicely since I last had it three years ago. It is so correct. In fact not really getting Red Burgundy I had to check what I should find, and indeed I did find it. I’m not sure that it is at its absolute peak now, but it certainly drinking well, so why dither with a few more bottles to come?
In short, I have very little interesting or novel to say. Simply, bravo Rousseau!
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- Location
- London
See Church and Gargoyle's classification of schools in Evelyn Waugh's 'Decline and Fall'.
- Location
- London, England
2002 Château Lafon-Rochet
Fully mature, this is clearly a cabinet dominant wine. It is savoury and dark fruited with a touch of animale. With some time in the glass there is something herbaceous coming through, thyme I think. Palate is not the longest. More red fruits here maybe some cherry, also texturally less polished than an '01 I enjoyed a few weeks ago. Suspect will hold on for few years but in gentle decline.
- Location
- Dorset, England
If you only saw the wine, you we’re lucky.
I had the misfortune to buy/drink it.
They should have sold it off on bulk. It was a disgrace.
- Location
- Edmonton, Canada
Off the top of my head I thought I had only a few 2002 wines but to my surprise, after checking my cellar list, I have 23 different wines from 11 countries - no Rioja, Rhone or Bordeaux and, unfortunately, only one red Burgundy.
- Location
- Northampton
Somehow I seem to have a fair bit of Burgundy and Bordeaux although I didn't buy any en primeur at all...
- Location
- London and Connecticut
Interesting - so which 2002s did you squirrel away for two decades?
The Chave Hermitage (rouge) in early 2018 was still holding well and most enjoyable, although not at the level of other vintages. It was one of the last wines J-L made in the style of his father.
- Location
- Bangkok
Interesting use of the word 'grapey' in the text considering the discussions elsewhere about the term 'vinous'!
- Location
- Edmonton, Canada
Good question Richard as I myself did not do so knowingly. So here we go, alphabetically, from:
Argentina - Weinert 'Gran Vino'.
Australia - Rosemount 'Balmoral' Syrah, Metala Original Vines Shiraz, Thorn-Clark 'Quartage', Tyrrell's 'Belford' and 'Lost Block' Semillon, Penfold's Bin 389, and apparently Wynn's Riesling.
Austria - Wimmer-Czerny 'Felserberg' Gruner Veltliner.
Chile - Cousino-Macul 'Finis Terrae' and Close de la Siete by Michel Rolland (gifted by one of the owners from Bob's downtown wine store who said it was a good wine but would no doubt think I was mad not to have already drank it).
France - Henri Gouges Nuit-Saint George (not on my list so I can't recall the vineyard), Chateau Famaey 'Cuvee X' Cahors, and Sparr Pinot Gris Reserve.
Italy - Donnafugata 'Tancredi' Sicily and Collazi IGT.
Lebanon - What else, Heathrow Terminal 5 Musar.
New Zealand - Sacred Hill 'Helmsman'.
Portugal - Sogrape Douro Reserva.
South Africa - Graham Beck 'The Ridge' Syrah, Muratie 'Ansela van de Caab' and Moreson 'Magia', both being Cabernet blends.
Spain - Alion, Ribera del Duero.
So Richard, apart from the whites (except for the Belford Semillon) on which ones should I pull the trigger?
Mahmoud.
- Location
- edmonton alberta
20 year old Clos de la Siete????? LOL!!
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- Location
- Marlborough
Helmsman should be drinking well. They possibly hadn't gone screwcap by then.
- Location
- Edmonton, Canada
I would have agreed Bob, but based on the latest note on Cellar Tracker (January 2021) it seems like a wine that I would not have liked and will never turn the corner:
"Not my wine, didn't even taste it. But a friend who really knows his wine found this orphan in his cellar and his report was so surprising I hated not to pass on his thoughts in case it helps one of the 92 of you who still have some. "It drank more like a 5 yr old. So much so that I even checked the label after decanting thinking I had misread the vintage...pretty impressive wine for a fair price, for those that prefer the style. Gobs of dark fruit, plum, cassis, etc. Some anise and pepper elements on the nose...Mouth drying tannins dominated a long finish. Opened the morning of, decanted before dinner. Drank half...vacuvinned...Virtually unchanged the next day." Btw, it was stored in a cool but passive basement cellar."
Mahmoud.
- Location
- Edmonton, Canada
Kevin, if it's anything like the 'Rifleman' Chardonnay in quality it should be magnificent. The only question is when.
- Location
- Marlborough
Helmsman was always their premium red; cabernet based from memory. I think I had my last bottle of 02 about 4 years ago. It should be drinking perfectly now, can't see it getting much better. I think I had my last bottle alongside a Leoville Barton from the same vintage and a young Frenchman we had for dinner got the countries the wrong way around.
- Location
- London
Solid oak, or merely a veneer?
- Location
- Pianello Val Tidone
I remember trying to raise a consortium to buy a twelve case lot of Tours Vacqueyras at a tenner a bottle at ten years of age, no takers! But the two cases I had provided fine if slightly dilute drinking for a few years, definitely Reynaud
- Location
- Herefordshire
An excerpt of my Champagne vintage report (this is for 2002) that could very well appear on a wine website near you in the future:
Overview
A year of excellent potential, yet one which presented some odd challenges to the winemaker. Passerillage is fairly rare but not unknown phenomenon in Champagne (the grapes literally dry out on the vine, concentrating flavours and other compounds), but in 2002 the effect was extraordinary: the consistency and strength of the northerly wind currents magnified the effect to even greater heights. In short, dazzling wines with a lovely density.
Harvest Report
The vines emerge from their winter slumber early: an untroubled bud break was followed by an even floraison(flowering). The threat of late frosts remained unrealised and fruit set was even.
Summer was warm and dry, with very little rainfall, so the vegetative cycle proceeded unhindered. There were a few minor interruptions coming in August, realising that month’s potential for delivering heavy thunderstorms. The dry weather finally returned in September for the crucial period of veraison, prior to harvest.
Thanks to the strong wind currents, the grapes were imbued with the passerilliage effect (noted above), concentrating sugars and acids. When the harvest finally commenced late in September, the grapes were relatively rot free, with low pH and high natural sugar (in fact one of the highest potential alcohol readings on record).
Pinot Noir was most successful variety (particularly for villages on the Marne) with its dazzling concentration and perfect balance. Chardonnay was a little behind (lacking the balance and structure of the Pinot), although it was no slouch either. A great vintage for almost all of the Champagne AOC, albeit one that required some “finessing” in the cellar (see below).
Best Wines
There is a plethora of top-quality wines available in this vintage, although I do have some reservations. The unusual, concentrated nature of the vintage called for some intelligent winemaking decisions. The efficacy of SO2 as an antioxidant is proportional to pH level, yet those producers who blindly followed the numbers may have missed a beat in preserving and unlocking their future potential.
There are some lovely Champagnes in this vintage: Louis Roederer’s Cristal (a recent bottle was still in its primary, post disgorgement fruit phase), and Cristal Rose’ represent the pinnacle of the Pinot Noir dominated Champagnes, while Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses demonstrates the superiority of that terroir (a terrifically understated Champagne that will take decades to unwind). I’ve enjoyed the Cuvee William Deutz too, including the now defunct rose’ version.
The Dom Perignon Blanc has been hit and miss for me. Stunning when I’ve chanced upon an on-form bottle, yet on other occasions quite loose and sappy (and oddly similar in profile to the 2003). The magnum version seems more consistent as does the Plenitude 2 in all formats.
Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne is challenging Krug’s Clos du Mesnil as Blanc de Blancs of the vintage, although Ruinart’s Dom Ruinart is beginning to reveal some of its early potential and may yet steal the crown.
VINTAGE RATING: 9/10
Overview
A year of excellent potential, yet one which presented some odd challenges to the winemaker. Passerillage is fairly rare but not unknown phenomenon in Champagne (the grapes literally dry out on the vine, concentrating flavours and other compounds), but in 2002 the effect was extraordinary: the consistency and strength of the northerly wind currents magnified the effect to even greater heights. In short, dazzling wines with a lovely density.
Harvest Report
The vines emerge from their winter slumber early: an untroubled bud break was followed by an even floraison(flowering). The threat of late frosts remained unrealised and fruit set was even.
Summer was warm and dry, with very little rainfall, so the vegetative cycle proceeded unhindered. There were a few minor interruptions coming in August, realising that month’s potential for delivering heavy thunderstorms. The dry weather finally returned in September for the crucial period of veraison, prior to harvest.
Thanks to the strong wind currents, the grapes were imbued with the passerilliage effect (noted above), concentrating sugars and acids. When the harvest finally commenced late in September, the grapes were relatively rot free, with low pH and high natural sugar (in fact one of the highest potential alcohol readings on record).
Pinot Noir was most successful variety (particularly for villages on the Marne) with its dazzling concentration and perfect balance. Chardonnay was a little behind (lacking the balance and structure of the Pinot), although it was no slouch either. A great vintage for almost all of the Champagne AOC, albeit one that required some “finessing” in the cellar (see below).
Best Wines
There is a plethora of top-quality wines available in this vintage, although I do have some reservations. The unusual, concentrated nature of the vintage called for some intelligent winemaking decisions. The efficacy of SO2 as an antioxidant is proportional to pH level, yet those producers who blindly followed the numbers may have missed a beat in preserving and unlocking their future potential.
There are some lovely Champagnes in this vintage: Louis Roederer’s Cristal (a recent bottle was still in its primary, post disgorgement fruit phase), and Cristal Rose’ represent the pinnacle of the Pinot Noir dominated Champagnes, while Philipponnat’s Clos des Goisses demonstrates the superiority of that terroir (a terrifically understated Champagne that will take decades to unwind). I’ve enjoyed the Cuvee William Deutz too, including the now defunct rose’ version.
The Dom Perignon Blanc has been hit and miss for me. Stunning when I’ve chanced upon an on-form bottle, yet on other occasions quite loose and sappy (and oddly similar in profile to the 2003). The magnum version seems more consistent as does the Plenitude 2 in all formats.
Taittinger’s Comtes de Champagne is challenging Krug’s Clos du Mesnil as Blanc de Blancs of the vintage, although Ruinart’s Dom Ruinart is beginning to reveal some of its early potential and may yet steal the crown.
VINTAGE RATING: 9/10
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- Location
- London, UK
I had a 2002 Rayas red around 7 years ago. It was exquisite and I thought transcended the vintage.
- Location
- Lancashire, UK
2002 was horrendous in CNDP - I have a memory of Parker's car being washed away when he was there tasting - absolutely torrential rains. The very best producers made light, easy drinking wines and priced them very cheaply, Clos des Papes & Charvin spring to mind as being very drinkable at the time, and very cheap.
- Location
- Deep South of Cambridgeshire
The Beau VV white was excellent at xmas wimps.
- Location
- London and Connecticut
Thank you so much for taking the trouble to publish the list! I honestly have no idea about which are drinking - I'd assume they are all mature. Please do post notes if you get to some of them this year - it will be fascinating.