I have had the Chambertin 1976 Heritiers Latour well stored since the
mid 70's. It has been ready for about a decade, but still is holding
well. The color is fairly deep scarlet for a Burgundy with a bit of age
showing around the rim. It has fairly intense mixed fruit with cassis
and black cherry coming to mind. There are hints of coffee and somethng
meaty. The balance is very good. It is a bit more concentrated than the
corresponding 1971 which I have tasted many times. It needs drinking,
but likely will hold fairly well a few more years.

This wine often is a bit lighter and less complex than Armand Rousseau's
Chambertin. However you have to examine the wines very carefully in
Burgundy every year. For example, about 9 years ago, Clive Coates MW
rated the 71 Latour Chambertin as 16/20 and the 76 as 17/20. However he
rated the 71 Rousseau as 20/20 and the 78 as 14/20. Most rated the 78
red Burgundy superior to the 76, in general. In more recent years
Rousseau's Chambertin often has been one of the best that can be found
in many export markets. The 1988 and 1990 were both rated 20/20 by
Coates, and many others have liked them also.

Clive Coates has moved to France. It requires much time to travel around
Burgundy every year to keep up with the wines there. In my opinion, he
is the best source for Burgundy information in the English language
through his publication "The Vine" and his book "Cote D'Or". Hopefully
Coates will update this book soon, now that he recently published a new
book on Bordeaux, which I have on order.

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(Cwdjrx _) wrote:

> Clive Coates has moved to France. It requires much time to
> travel around Burgundy every year to keep up with the wines
> there. In my opinion, he is the best source for Burgundy
> information in the English language through his publication "The
> Vine" and his book "Cote D'Or".

Note that "The Vine" is coming to an end with no 240/241 (Jan/Feb
2005):

<http://www.clive-coates.com/vin_noti.htm>

M.

Michael Pronay wrote: "Note that "The Vine" is coming to an end with no
240/241 (Jan/Feb 2005):"

Thanks for the infomation. The last issue of The Vine has not reached me
in the US yet. I am at least glad that Coates may continue to give
reports on tastings of older wines and publish an updated book on
Burgundy. Hopefully someone else can start reporting on young Burgundy
in the depth that Coates did. It appears the only way to do this right
is to establish many contacts with growers, winemakers, and major wine
houses in Burgundy and visit there for several weeks every year. It
appears to be a very difficult job because of the huge number of small
estates in Burgundy, the great variation in quality from year to year,
and the pride of many in Burgundy. Many major reviewers of Burgundy have
been banned from some estates because the owner did not like the wine
reviews received.

My mailbox is always full to avoid spam. To contact me, erase
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>Clive Coates has moved to France. It requires much time to travel around
>Burgundy every year to keep up with the wines there. In my opinion, he
>is the best source for Burgundy information in the English language
>through his publication "The Vine" and his book "Cote D'Or".


He's announced that the Jan/Feb issues are the last issues of the Vine, he's
retiring.


Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

Dale Williams said in part: "He's announced that the Jan/Feb issues are
the last issues of the Vine, he's retiring."

Michael Pronay answered me with this information also in a link he
provided. Sometimes Usenet answers do not appear or are delayed on some
newsreaders, so in case you did not see Michael's reply, in the link
Coates says he is retiring from his travels around Burgundy to evaluate
new wines. He does indicate that he will likely write a new edition of
his book on Burgundy and may hold tastings as he has done in the past. I
guess it all depends in the severity of his mentioned health problems. I
did not always agree with Coates' evaluation of a specific Burgundy.
However he often was the only source for a review of a specific Burgundy
in a specific year, because he reviewed so many. Burgundy is so variable
that you need all of the help you can get before you buy - especially
for one of the top wines to age. Even top growers have years when they
have poor wine while their neighbors have good wine.

My mailbox is always full to avoid spam. To contact me, erase
from my email address. Then add . I do not
check this box every day, so post if you need a quick response.

Dale Williams said in part: "He's announced that the Jan/Feb issues are
the last issues of the Vine, he's retiring."

Michael Pronay answered me with this information also in a link he
provided. Sometimes Usenet answers do not appear or are delayed on some
newsreaders, so in case you did not see Michael's reply, in the link
Coates says he is retiring from his travels around Burgundy to evaluate
new wines. He does indicate that he will likely write a new edition of
his book on Burgundy and may hold tastings as he has done in the past. I
guess it all depends in the severity of his mentioned health problems. I
did not always agree with Coates' evaluation of a specific Burgundy.
However he often was the only source for a review of a specific Burgundy
in a specific year, because he reviewed so many. Burgundy is so variable
that you need all of the help you can get before you buy - especially
for one of the top wines to age. Even top growers have years when they
have poor wine while their neighbors have good wine.

My mailbox is always full to avoid spam. To contact me, erase
from my email address. Then add . I do not
check this box every day, so post if you need a quick response.