I had an idea to get into some 1999 vintage wines before the end of the year – so they are still “25 year olds”. I get the feeling that 2025 will feature a lot more 2000 vintage wines being opened. 2000 was generally a great year, and since they will then be at that magical 25-year mark, the 1999’s will be left behind. Rustling up a table full of eager tasters wasn’t too hard. A great spread of food was essential – pot roast beef with spanish flavours and lots of roasted vegetables and salads did the job. Wines around the table with food and friends. Not too bad a way to end the year.
Starting with Louis Jadot – three wines from the 1999 vintage. This negociant has quite the range – if you go online to their website – the scrolling through the wines never ends! These three are at the entry-level end of things. Probably around NZ$150-200 for the three of them. Then there’s another great Pinot and a fine french Syrah. Finishing with a couple of monsters from Australia. It is apparent that really good Aussie reds only get going around the twenty year mark, and some are good for twice that age. Everything was under cork.
Louis Jadot Givry, Cote Chalonnaise 1999
Givry is a small village located in the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise region of Burgundy. The village is known for producing some of the finest Pinot Noir wines in the region. The brown calcareous or calcic soils resulting from the weathering of Jurassic limestones give rise to an appellation often compared to Volnay. A little rustic, with a peaty, savoury edge. Definitely past its prime, but initially is worth a sip for the umami, mulberry and hedgerow elements. Sadly, it quickly fades and hardens, offering dry tannin and not much else. Better to come I hope.
Louis Jadot Santenay Clos de Malte, Cote de Beaune 1999
Louis Jadot are well represented in this corner of Santenay. The Clos de Malte is situated on 7 hectares at the head of a small valley, generally well exposed and protected from the wind, at the foot of a track that runs upwards to the Montagne des Trois Croix. This is a little ripper, with juicy raspberry, cherry and cassis primary fruit. Bright and clean, with a frame of toasty oak. Firm tannin and a whisper of secondary development here – leather and tobacco.
Louis Jadot Saumonts, Mercurey Premier Cru 1999
A Premier Cru vineyard in the western half of the Mercurey appellation in the Cote Chalonnaise sub-region of Burgundy. Mercurey is the largest and most recognised appellation of the Côte Chalonnaise region it has the largest production by far – over half of all wine from the region. Medium-weighted, with a delicate nose but some more power in the palate. Well balanced tannin and acidity, with a seam of minerality that offsets the ripe red fruit. A dry and spicy finish of excellent length.
Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir 1999
One of the pioneers of the region, and the country, for Pinot Noir. I know that Larry McKenna was there in 1999, moving on that year, so I’m not sure if would be him or Clare Mulholland who made this wine in the glass. A deep purple colour, with a big perfume, filled with cranberry, raspberry, oolong tea, loam and toasty oak on the nose. The palate is quite dense, with considerable tannin extraction. The New Zealand style was big and bold back then, and this is a classic example. It is also showing a hint of that green note that was common then. Still, savoury, deep and generous.
Domaine Michel Ogier Cote Rotie 1999
Domaine Michel et Stéphane Ogier is a 31-acre domaine in Cote Rotie. Until the 1980s the family were growers who sold their crop each year to Chapoutier and Guigal. But with his son Stéphane Michel started to produce wine under their own label. They now make several Cote-Roties, and some excellent Condrieu. As expected, this is Syrah at the opposite end of ‘blockbuster’, with a pretty, chiselled and delicate character. The scent is complex and silky, with some cherry, redcurrant and raspberry, underpinned with a minerality and savoury, black olive note. Such fine balance and finesse.
Noon Winery Reserve Shiraz 1999
A wine from Langhorne Creek and a superb vintage for South Australia. This has epic written all over it. Robert Parker loved this wine. Unashamedly full-bodied, with 15.2 alcohol, and packed with dark, brooding, bloody flavour. Dark chocolate, toasty oak, green herbs, boysenberry jam, morello cherry, plum, wood smoke and gum leaf. It’s almost dessert in a glass. Despite the soft and plush fruit, there is also a firm spine of oak and tannin here – hence the youthful appearance and room to allow another ten years in the cellar.
Grant Burge Meshach 1999
Bearing the name of your pioneer grandfather, you’d better hope that the wine is a goody. From the Filsell Vineyard and a great year… this is another belter. This Shiraz is at the top of the tree for this iconic producer, and seems almost eternal… so youthful and energetic. It is big, and has more oak than most, but the tannin is easy-going. A very fine example of New World (and Barossa, specifically) winemaking. Rich fruitcake, liquorice, mocha, plum, bramble and mint through the palate, and a broad, lasting finish.
After the Givry, the wines were universally good. That first Jadot wasn’t bad, but it needed to have been drunk by fifteen years, not twenty five. Most of the wines had a dribble left in the bottles, but weren’t particularly great the day after – certainly not better than on opening. We all agreed that the bottles needed opening and drinking immediately – not opening and decanting for a while. For something like an older Pinot it can be a disaster, as the floral and fruit blows off after an hour or two and you’re left with a dry, lifeless wine that could have been amazing.
