2002 wines at 20 years of age…

Alex Lake said:
I do still have some Jamet Cote Rotie.
Click to expand...
JLL's note FWIW - what one would expect I think;
2002
star.png
star.png
star.png

earthy side, with floral trimming on bouquet. Tasty, straight fruit, clear cut and pretty, some pepper. Fair length, cool finale. Good, drinkable wine, chaptalised texture. 2006 on. To 2018-20
 
Mahmoud Ali said:
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.
Click to expand...
Lets start a new trend, posting on notes on wines we have not actually tasted!
 
Here‘s a couple of red Burgs.

Lamarche, Vosne Romanee Malconsorts 2002
Translucent garnet red, very pale at the edges. Really appealing nose, open & expressive. Still has lots of fresh red fruit - black mulberries, cranberry, cherry and balanced really nicely with plenty of quite evolved stuff - earthy and woodsy smells. A good seam of ripe black fruit running through the middle. Some perfumed spicy high tones just appearing too. Palate is a joy! Powerful and imposing while also being very finely delicately textured. Tannins all integrated. Great mouthwatering sour red fruit plus the evident beginnings of more mature notes too. This is drinking really well now and while there’s no rush, it strikes me as a wine for the next 5 years or so rather than much longer than that.

Michel Gros, Vosne Romanee Aux Brûlées 2002
Translucent, some signs of early maturity in the faded edges. Nose has rich dark fruit with a smoky edge and some brighter red strawberry fruit too. There’s a touch of twiggy sous-bois. Palate is quite evolved and savoury - heading in the stockpot direction. The red fruit isn’t all gone though, there’s more red fruit than black and good sour acid bite. Tannins all silkily softly integrated. The oak treatment is still still evident, if not obtrusive. I’m going to leave this a few more years to see if it will integrate further.

The Lamarche the much more complete of these two wines though I haven’t given-up on the Gros, where the material is good but just not as harmonious (yet…).
IMG_20220128_201821.jpgIMG_20220108_195522.jpg
I have some more 2002 red Burgundy planned for the year ahead, but on this showing at least I’m seeing wines that are eminently approachable now.
 
Mahmoud Ali said:
Austria - Wimmer-Czerny 'Felserberg' Gruner Veltliner.
Click to expand...
That is quite ambitious. 2002 was not a good year in Austria. I had a 2002 Smaragd a while ago that still quite drinkable but clearly tired and Wagram is following the Wachau weather closely.
Wimmer-Czerny's wines are typically built to last (just had a 2009 Riesling the day before yesterday and it was still vey good but also no reason to wait) but 2002 maybe stretching it a bit. Having said that I am looking forward to hear your impressions!
 
Cos d'Estournel 2002 opened for lunch yesterday
Appearance is quite youthful still with a slightly bloody rim. The fruit on the nose is really quite tight still, with hints of floral characters. Has a lovely spice profile on the palate. Subtle and floral with sweet, elegant, berry fruit. Has both mid-palate length and scent. Characterised by gentle spice and fine, powdery, tannins on the finish. Has lots of time in hand.
93/100
 
Mahmoud Ali said:
Austria - Wimmer-Czerny 'Felserberg' Gruner Veltliner.
Click to expand...

Robert Ruzitschka said:
That is quite ambitious. 2002 was not a good year in Austria. I had a 2002 Smaragd a while ago that still quite drinkable but clearly tired and Wagram is following the Wachau weather closely.
Wimmer-Czerny's wines are typically built to last (just had a 2009 Riesling the day before yesterday and it was still vey good but also no reason to wait) but 2002 maybe stretching it a bit. Having said that I am looking forward to hear your impressions!
Click to expand...
Believe me it was completely unintentional. Last week I came across it in a box of white wines while trying to unearth my boxes of 1980s Bordeaux. It has a sticker on it saying it won an award in a Western Canada wine show. When I bought it I did not know anything about Austrian vintages, only that it was a reserve wine and maybe from a single vineyard. I will bring it out sometime soon and post a note. \

I also came across a pair of 2002 Wynn's Coonawarra Riesling (13%) and felt the urge. Last night we drank it with pan-fried salmon strips in teriyaki sauce. It had a lovely nose, a hint of petrol along with fragrant white flowers and green beans. The palate was equally good but with a hint of spiciness, acidity and a cleansing palate. The fragrance and spiciness had my better half suspecting a Gewurztraminer and then a German Riesling. Imagine her delight to find it an Aussie Riesling, from Coonawarra of all places.

Cheers ................................................... Mahmoud.
 
Glad to hear I bought two in a sale many moons ago - one was very lovely in about 2014

Would have been helpful to say which wine . I meant the Beaucastel 2002 white VV . It was quite reduced , on day 1 I wondered if it was spoiled by one day 2 it unfurled in style.
 
Last edited:
Anthony Taylor said:
Mahmoud, I suspect your Bin 389 will still not be ready. All of the Penfolds wines that year seem to be destined to outlive their containers.
Click to expand...
I'm in full agreement with you Anthony - in fact I'm still waiting on the 1996 Bin 389. Now when you say they will "outlive their containers" are you saying the 2002 is particularly long lived, in that I should drink my 2004 and 2005s before the 2002?
 
Thanks James. I was contemplating taking my case of this out of storage imminently in anticipation of a Nick Amis 2002 burgundy dinner this year. Your note gives me pause. I am having second thoughts.
 
Ian Hampsted said:
Thanks James. I was contemplating taking my case of this out of storage imminently in anticipation of a Nick Amis 2002 burgundy dinner this year. Your note gives me pause. I am having second thoughts.
Click to expand...
Might be worth a go Ian - I wondered if it was just a bit cold but it was delicious if primary and we rsther lapped it up before it could warm up .
 
Mahmoud Ali said:
I'm in full agreement with you Anthony - in fact I'm still waiting on the 1996 Bin 389. Now when you say they will "outlive their containers" are you saying the 2002 is particularly long lived, in that I should drink my 2004 and 2005s before the 2002?
Click to expand...
Mahmoud, I suspect the 05s will certainly be ready before the 02. The 96 389 was superb, alas I finished my last one last year. Jury is out on 04 for me. Even at 389 level I think the 02s are 25-30 year wines.
 
Anthony Taylor said:
Mahmoud, I suspect the 05s will certainly be ready before the 02. The 96 389 was superb, alas I finished my last one last year. Jury is out on 04 for me. Even at 389 level I think the 02s are 25-30 year wines.
Click to expand...
Wow, that is surprising since I had thought that '04 and '05 were better vintages. A number of years ago the Bin 389s were on special and I bought six bottles of the '04 and '05. There was a lone bottle of an '02 and on a whim I added that to my purchase.
 
Comte Armand, Volnay Fremiets 2002
Colour definitely heading in the russet-red/brown direction. Nose still has red fruit, strawberries in particular, surprisingly fresh and bright, quite herbal too with white pepper and dried twiggy evolution. Palate is delicious with tremendous presence - good spiky red fruit, strawberry & cranberry, some blackberry fruit too, plenty of acidity. The texture is great - it still has some tannins and they’re a little coarsely textured still but they’re also some way toward being integrated. This really isn’t very evolved so no rush - I’ll leave 5 more years before the next one.
IMG_20220211_172243.jpg
 
Ch. Batailley '02 - this was just ok, perhaps I was hoping for a little more. Muted nose, swirling reveals a classic profile with plenty of cedar but the intensity just isn't really there. Currants, touch of creamy softness, quite wide and sweet, but not at all deep and just feels a touch dilute. The mid palate brings some gruff tannins and the finish just falls away. It's perfectly decent and enjoyable but I will patronise it with the oft used term luncheon claret.
 
Andy Leslie said:
Comte Armand, Volnay Fremiets 2002
Colour definitely heading in the russet-red/brown direction. Nose still has red fruit, strawberries in particular, surprisingly fresh and bright, quite herbal too with white pepper and dried twiggy evolution. Palate is delicious with tremendous presence - good spiky red fruit, strawberry & cranberry, some blackberry fruit too, plenty of acidity. The texture is great - it still has some tannins and they’re a little coarsely textured still but they’re also some way toward being integrated. This really isn’t very evolved so no rush - I’ll leave 5 more years before the next one.
View attachment 23667
Click to expand...
This is the wine that turned me on to Burgundy back in 2009, a memorable bottle at Mark Hix opening my eyes. Bought a case at Fortnums after that and still have a couple of bottles so thanks for the note.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top