Vincent Girardin, Chassagne-Montrachet, blanc, "Abbaye de Morgeot", 2004

This bottle of Girardin's Chassagne-Montrachet, blanc, "Abbaye de Morgeot", 2004 must have been a left over from the annual bake sale held by New Jersey's largest distributor. Every year I fall for a deal that seems too good to be true and end up buying a Burgundy that inevitably gets dumped down the drain. I bought this bottle for the wholesale closeout cost of $15, a great price if I had been able to drink the wine. The flavors had turned towards caramel and honey, two characteristics that I associate with exposure to excessive heat. It is no secret that many large wholesalers routinely abuse fine wine in hot warehouses, but why do importers, in this case Robert Hass, allow this practice to continue? The wines produced by Vincent Girardin seem to get destroyed and closed-out on a yearly basis. Really sad.