Noellat Returns with a Pair of Aged Grand Cru Burgs at Throwback Prices!

To all Wine Exchangers,

There’s that man again…

Stephane Moreau has been killing it, sourcing some super-impressive older Burgs at prices that are simply unbeatable.

You guys have bought every last bottle of the two Santenays we previously offered and, since our mamas didn’t raise no dummies, we’ve gone back to the well once again to see what Stephane has dug up for his Charles Noellat label…

But this time…we super-sized it.

Of course, there’s Grand Cru sitting in the cellars of the finest properties in Burgundy, just hanging out. For many vignerons its kind of an insurance policy. No crop this year? Sell some older stuff to make up the difference. Sometimes, it’s just hard for these grizzled farmers, who worked so hard to produce their precious Grand Cru, to simply let it go. Kind of like that hoarding show you see on TV, but in this case, they’re hoarding deliciousness.

We had the gang at Noellat send us samples of two Clos Vougeot Grand Cru offerings from the cellars of two very reputable growers, and we were deeply impressed by both of them.

Again, we don’t know who these wines come from, but we do know the juice in the bottle is serious gear.

And, at 15 and 18 years old respectively, these 2004 and 2001 Charles Noellat Cos Vougeot Grand Cru bottlings are just now entering their sweet spots.

The Charles Noellat Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2004 is a wine that simply should not even be available based on the quality but, thanks to the press’ classic pitfall of painting an entire vintage with the same brush (especially in Burgundy) we’ve scored a real winner.

The ‘problem’ with a portion of the wines from the 2004 harvest was related to a unique aroma that pervaded some of the wines from the vintage. Some believe this bump in methoxypyrazines was contributed by an infestation of ladybugs that found their way into the vats.

Yes, I was there tasting the wines in cask in 2006, and yes, I did perceive what many had perceived before. It was a clear-cut character that inhabited the wines. Simply put, it was there, or it wasn’t, no in-between that I could tell.

So, going back to tasting this winner a few months back, we found nary a stitch of it. In fact, what we found was a fruit-forward, near-glossy bottling from one of Burgundy’s most historic sites, perfectly mature but with the requisite structure to sit in the cellar a few more years should you choose.

The wine was revelation! And gave us hope for more 2004’s down the line. I’ve talked to a few folks more ‘in the know’ regarding the vintage than myself (I only tasted 100 or so wines when I was there) and they say this methoxypyrazine issue rears its head in about 40% of the wines, leaving 60% deliciousness out there!

Count this 2004 as one of the delicious ones…

Now, the Charles Noellat Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2001 is a different animal altogether. We expected this wine to be more fruit-forward than the 2004, more resolved, altogether more likable considering the extra bottle age.

Instead, we found a wine that revels in its earthy, truffle- aspects, a true Burgundy-lovers Burgundy, not unlike the 2004 in that respect, but perhaps showing more of that forest floor, complete with deep red cherry fruit in the mid-palate, and wicked length, this bad boy is Grand Cru all the way!

Again, we couldn’t decide between the two, Team Winex was torn, so we bought equal quantities of both of them.

And why not? Have you seen Clos de Vougeot prices of Late? The prices for the wines from this illustrious Grand Cru are skyrocketing, averaging close to $200 per bottle.

Thus, if we have a chance to deliver some perfectly stored older versions from this site at the LOWEST CLOS DE VOUGEOT PRICE IN AMERICA REGARDLESS OF VINTAGE, why the heck not?

Yup, it’s the ‘old days’ at Winex with both of these terrific Grand Crus hitting your cart at $88.98 a bottle.

Under $100 for Clos Vougeot? You bet. Happy Hunting…

Charles Noellat Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2004

The Charles Noellat Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2004 is a wine that simply should not even be available based on the quality but, thanks to the press’ classic pitfall of painting an entire vintage with the same brush (especially in Burgundy) we’ve scored a real winner.

ONLY $88.98

Charles Noellat Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 2001

We expected this wine to be more fruit-forward than the 2004, more resolved, altogether more likable considering the extra bottle age. Instead, we found a wine that revels in its earthy, truffle- aspects, a true Burgundy-lovers Burgundy, not unlike the 2004 in that respect, but perhaps showing more of that forest floor, complete with deep red cherry fruit in the mid-palate, and wicked length, this bad boy is Grand Cru all the way!

ONLY $88.98