I’ve wanted to try this wine for years, the Ramonets claim it is the best red wine of the Cote de Beaune. I’ve just never seen it for sale by the bottle anywhere until I went to a sushi restaurant in Helsinki: it had to be purchased.
Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge Premier Cru Clos Saint Jean 2004, Domaine Ramonet
The nose has a great purity of fruit and real elegance, this smells beautiful. There is fresh strawberry fruit there, and a real complex minerality which is similar to the minerality one would expect to find in in white Chassange. For a 2004 this smells reasonably, if not incredibly ripe. The palate is extremely refined and silky. Acidity is definitely an intregral part of this wine, but it is not overwhleming. It is quite light bodied, but there is no shortage of concentration. The tannin levels are surprisingly low, but this is not a problem. It is extremely complex with lovely flavours that really excite and thrill. Very long, too. This is an extremely good bottle of wine that emphasises elegance, purity and refinement. I don’t think it is the best wine of the Cote de Beaune, but it is ranking. Whilst this will age well, it provides one hell of a lot of pleasure now. If I had another bottle I’d drink it now with someone who likes Volnay; it is very Cote de Beaune-y and I think it’d fool them. I loved it, and I would love to try it in a slightly riper vintage. If anyone knows where I can get 2005 by the bottle do spill the beans so I can snap a couple up.
Welcome back!
Apparently you can find your Ramonet at some merchant’s in Cheshire called Gerrard Seel £23.70 for the 2001. Worth a try!
love ed
Hello Edward,
Thanks for the heads-up. Sadly they only sell wine by the case so I cannot get just a bottle or two. The price seems very reasonable. I’ll ring them and see if I can come to an arrangement when I get back from Estonia.
And remember the main importers of Ramonet in the UK are O.W.Loeb and Co. They too sell it by the case, but they might be able to point you in the direction of someone who sells it by the bottle, or I believe they also sell mixed cases and there are plenty of good things in their book, be it German, Burgundian or from the Loire or even the Rhone.
I bet you they even have a few slightly older vintages of Ramonet red Chassagne, which you could mix with some Prum, younger and older, some Lionnet, some Foreau, some Lambrays, some Courcel, etc, etc. They import many of your favorite producers which you frequently end up buying from people who buy from Loeb.
How’s life in Helsinki?