Last night’s general drinking #7

A couple of bottles of Burgundy in a restaurant; one good, one not so good.

Macon-Clesse Cuvée Tradition E. J. Thévenet Domaine de la Bongran 1998, Jean Thévenet

The nose was really quite ripe, but it had definite hints of oxidation. The palate was surprisingly acidic for all its weight and fat. It was reasonably balanced and drinkable at the start, but during course of drinking it became really rather oxidised and ended up tasting more like Fino than Burgundy. Much too old, really, but I would have been interested to try it a few years ago.

Vosne-Romanée 1995, Domaine Rene Engel

The nose had plenty of ripe fruit, quite exotic and perfumed. It showed a pleasing degree of maturity on the nose, quite ready for drinking. The palate was soft and fruity, with good acidity and a present but soft tannic structure. This was a really good village wine, perfect with ris de veau.