TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
I first started going to Burgundy to taste wines from barrel in 1981. Since that time I have only missed a few years of tasting each Burgundy vintage from barrel. For all of those trips, Geoffrey Troy, East Coast Editor of the old Underground Wineletter and Contributing Editor to the new Underground Wineletter, has been with me each time. In fact, he went in the few years that I was unable to go. Also, John Brincko, an old friend and Contributing Editor to the new Underground Wineletter, accompanied us on some of the earlier trips and in more recent years has been on each trip. And, in the last 3 years, a new friend, John Bishop, has also accompanied us.
Following are my notes on the 2014 Vintage and a link to the 2014 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Harvest Report, a list of Domaines and Negociants that I visited and whose wines I recommend with links to the article on each. These articles feature an introduction followed by a list of the wines I tasted accompanied by tasting notes. And under the Table of Contents at the beginning of this article are links to the 2014 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Harvest Report, earlier Vintage Reports (2013-2007), and the articles How Burgundy Is Tasted From Barrel and A Simple Explanation of Burgundy. If you are new to Burgundy or just need a refresher, I highly recommend that you read the articles How Burgundy Is Tasted From Barrel and A Simple Explanation of Burgundy. They will enlighten you as to how notes on young Burgundy are made by all journalists and wine writers and give you an easy way to understand Burgundy wines.
2014 BURGUNDY VINTAGE REPORT
The 2014 Burgundy vintage was once again different. In Burgundy different is normal. And weather conditions can vary remarkably from appellation to appellation. In the case of 2014 there was a mild winter followed by a warm spring. In June there were storms that brought hail to a few areas with Beaune, Pommard, and Volnay being the most impacted. After the storms there was a heat wave followed by cool temperatures and rain in July. In August veraison (ripening of the grapes) began and in September the harvest began in dry and sunny weather except for a brief and mild storm with no hail or heavy rain which occurred on the 19th. All in all the weather conditions were very good and were described by one vigneron as “not too hot, not too cold.” Quantities also were generally very good and up from the past 4 vintages.
With reference to the wines it seems that the edge has to go to the whites where there is wonderful fruit, a lot of richness, and good acidities. But, make no mistake; the best of the reds are also lovely. They should be very appealing young. However, the legacy of 2014 is not likely to be the wines from the vintage, but that the vintage preceded 2015. In that respect, I believe that 2014 will be known as an “In Between” vintage. In 2015 there was a lot of buzz very early on owing to the harvest conditions where “perfect” grapes were the norm (to read a very early report on the vintage click here). And during our visits when the discussion turned to the 2015s, some were somewhat cautious yet said it would be excellent. Others were more exuberant and things like “the greatest modern vintage” and “the best vintage since 1929” were heard. Vamos a ver. We will reserve judgment until the wines have developed and are close to being bottled. That is the time of our annual Burgundy visit in November. And, this year it will be the 2015s. At that time we can get a reasonable look at the potential of the 2015 vintage.
So for now, my conclusion is that 2014 is a lovely Burgundy vintage with early appeal yet with the ability to age for many years. However, as an “in between” vintage, initial demand for the wines may be somewhat muted. The red wines seem to be along the lines of the 2000s and 2002s with slight differences. And, well selected, the wines should give a lot of pleasure just like the 2000s and 2002s. Both of these latter vintages I have been drinking from the beginning and continue to do so today. They are lovely. And, if not impacted by Premox, the White Burgundies should be relatively long lived. Following my usual practice, I will again buy the same wines from the same producers in the 2014 vintage as I have for many, many previous vintages. Remember, that is one of the magical things about Burgundy – every vintage is different. Vive la différence!
DOMAINES AND NEGOCIANTS VISITED
(Click on the name to connect directly)
In November 2015, we visited our usual number of Domaines and Negociants. Following are the ones I visited and whose wines I can recommend. Again, I would note that these are mostly producers where, along with my friends, I have visited and tasted for many years. In many cases, this goes back to my first visit to Burgundy in 1981. There are some lovely wines here in 2014 and every Burgundy lover should make an effort to acquire some of these wines.
Domaine Anne Gros
Domaine Armand Rousseau
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Domaine Dujac
Domaine Faiveley
Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg
Domaine Georges Roumier
Domaine Hudelot-Noellat
Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier
Domaine Leflaive
Domaine Liger-Belair
Domaine Marquis d’Angerville
Domaine Ponsot
Domaine Robert Groffier
Alex Gambal
Bouchard Père et Fils
Pierre Yves Colin-Morey
Remoissenet Père et Fils
WINES TASTED AND TASTING NOTES
Domaine Anne Gros
We began tasting here in the 1980s when the domaine was known as Francois Gros. From 1988 it was Domaine Anne et Francois Gros. And since 1995 it has been Domaine Anne Gros. The domaine has old vines in most of their vineyards. The wines produced here consistently show great purity and elegance.
For over 25 years Anne Gros has been in charge of this domaine which she took over from her father, Francois. During this time she has continued to add vineyards and she is the first woman in the Gros family to be in charge of a domaine. The history of the Gros family is one of the more complicated stories in Burgundy since the domaine has been divided numerous times. Below is a graphic representation of the Gros family and its genealogy.
Tasting of 10 2014 Red Wines and 1 2014 White Wine With Julie, The Young Daughter of Anne Gros
The harvest here began on September 15. Production varied widely from vineyard to vineyard from normal yields to 50% less than normal. At the time of our visit the estate wines were mostly in tank awaiting bottling and the negociant wines were still in barrel. The wines show the typical house style of elegance and finesse.
2014
Domaine
Tank
Haut Côte-de-Nuits Bourgogne Rouge
With a nice color this Bourgogne has a lovely floral perfume. It has very nice fruit and is bright and tasty. This Bourgogne should represent very good value.
Bourgogne Rouge
Made from fruit grown on old vines this is really lovely Bourgogne with a lots of early charm. It has a very nice color and berry perfume with a floral nuance. Rounded and very tasty with floral tinged berry fruit this is a wine that should drink beautifully for several years – Very Good Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny
This is a very lovely village wine with lots of fruit and charm. It has a lovely floral perfume with a kiss of spice and shows a lot of floral tinged berry fruit on the palate. Balanced and very tasty this Chambolle-Musigny will provide lots of early appeal and age gracefully for several years – Very Good Plus Potential.
Echezeaux
The first vintage for this wine was 2007. It came to this domaine as an inheritance from Anne’s father, Francois. Formerly it was rented to Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur for 25 years. The vines here are 19 years old. The wine has a deep color and a gorgeous berry perfume with a floral tinge. It has lots of supple fruit and is rounded with very good depth and a nice underlying crispness on the finish – Outstanding Potential.
Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertuis
This wine is made from old vines grown in a section of the vineyard just below Grands Echezeaux. It is always a wine of great fruit and structure that ages beautifully over time. The 2014 crop here was reduced by 50% by hail. The wine has a deep color and a great floral perfume with plum and berry fruit. It has lots of blackberry fruit with floral undertones and is round and supple with a firm underlying structure. It will age beautifully over many years – Outstanding Potential.
Richebourg
The 2014 Richebourg harvest was 10% less than normal. The wine has a deep color and a stunning floral perfume with floral spice notes. It has loads of fruit accented by tinges of spice and is supple, rich and rounded. A nice underlying crispness gives the wine definition and the finish is very long. This is a wine to lay away for many years – Outstanding Plus Potential.
White Wine
Haut Cote-de-Nuits Bourgogne Blanc Cuvée Marine
Very light yellow in color with a lovely pineapple perfume tinged with citrus this wine is bright and crisp with delicate citrus tinged flavors accented by a pineapple nuance. It is always very finesseful with lots of charm and early appeal and this vintage is no exception – Very Good Potential.
Barrel
Vosne-Romanée Les Boussier
With a very nice color this is a lovely wine with very pure fruit and lots of charm. It is beautifully balanced and shows faint spice tinges. It should be very appealing young – Very Good Potential.
Negociant
Barrel
Gevrey-Chambertin
With a nice color this wine has lots of berry and cherry fruit and is very bright, crisp, and tasty. It should round out nicely with some additional age and be very accessible at an early age – Very Good Potential.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Damodes
This is a village wine. It has a nice color and a lovely berry perfume. Bright and crisp with very pure fruit it is very tasty and will provide a lot of early enjoyment – Very Good Potential.
Hospices de Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vignerons 1er Cru Cuvée Bernarde Delesclache
This is a very lovely wine with lots of flavor and good structure and backbone. It has a very nice color and a lovely berry tinged perfume with a touch of spice. With nice balance this lovely Nuits-Saint-Georges will develop beautifully and age gracefully – Very Good Plus Potential.
Domaine Armand Rousseau
This domaine had its origin at the beginning of the 20th century when Armand Rousseau inherited some vineyard land in Gevrey-Chambertin. In 1909 his marriage resulted in the expansion of the vineyard holdings and the acquisition of the present domaine premises. Over the years Armand continued to increase his vineyard holdings and sell the wine to negociants to do the marketing. This was the common practice at that time. In the 1930s he decided to bottle and sell the wine from the domaine. Thus Domaine Armand Rousseau was one of the first in Burgundy to begin the practice of domaine bottling. Charles joined his father in 1945. After his father’s tragic death in 1959, Charles took over and continued the tradition. His son, Eric, joined in 1982 and is now head of the domaine and in charge of the vineyards and winemaking. Frederic Robert is in charge of the commercial aspects of the domaine.
For as long as I have been involved in wine, this has been one of the most consistent producers of outstanding Burgundy. And, for me, Domaine Armand Rousseau produces some of the best wines from Gevrey-Chambertin. The wines of Domaine Rousseau have the elegance and power that is the essence of Burgundy.
Charles Rousseau – Clos Saint-Jacques – Eric Rousseau
Tasting of 10 2014 Red Wines with Frederic Robert
The 2014 crop here was 15% more than 2013 and 2015 was 20% less than 2014. In recent years the amount of new wood has been gradually reduced. Now some of the Grand Crus have as little as 10-20% new wood. The 2014 wines show great fruit and balance and Frederic is very optimistic about the quality of the 2015s.
Sadly, this was the first year since we have been going to Burgundy that Charles was not there to say hello and talk about the wines and vintages. In the old days we used to do all the tastings with him and he was in his office every day. In recent years we have met with him in his office after our tasting. But, we were told that recently he has not been coming in much. He is a wonderful man and we wish him all the best. Charles is truly one of Burgundy’s most revered and esteemed personalities.
2014
Barrel
Gevrey-Chambertin
This is a lovely village wine. It has a very nice color and a berry tinged perfume and is rounded and supple yet with a nice brightness – Very Good Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux-Saint-Jacques 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a nice berry perfume and is rounded and supple with a nice underlying crispness and very good intensity – Very Good Plus Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
This is a terrific Les Cazetiers. It has a deep color and a gorgeous perfume. On the palate it has lots of fruit and is supple rounded with richness and depth. This should be very special as it ages – Outstanding Potential.
Charmes-Chambertin
This Charmes comes from 2 parcels: 60% from Mazoyères-Chambertin and 40% from Charmes. It has a deep color and a lovely cherry and raspberry perfume. With lots of very pure fruit, the wine is supple and rounded with lots of flavor and elegance – Outstanding Potential.
Mazy-Chambertin
With a deep color this wine has a really lovely perfume with hints of black cherry. On the palate the wine is loaded with supple black fruit and is balanced with soft underlying tannins. This should age beautifully – Outstanding Potential.
Clos de la Roche
This wine has a deep color and a lovely perfume with a touch of spice. It has lots of fruit with a nice underlying crispness and is very flavorful with depth and richness – Outstanding Potential.
Ruchottes Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes
This is a gorgeous wine with balance and richness and depth. It has a deep color and a lovely perfume with hints of black berries. Flavorful and rounded with a nice crispness on the finish this wine is very accessible yet will keep for an extended period – Outstanding Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er cru
Last year we tasted wines from different parts of the vineyard. This was an experiment to decide if there should be two different bottlings. The decision was to keep one bottling. This year we again tasted wines from the top and mid slope, but there will be only one bottling. What we tasted was a representative sample. As is always the case with this great Premier Cru, it is a stunning wine. It has a deep color and a great perfume. There is loads of very pure fruit and the wine has lots of depth and richness. Balanced and rounded with good underlying backbone this is a wine that will repay aging for many years – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambertin Clos de Beze
With a deep color this wine has a lovely berry perfume with faint spice tinges. On the palate there is very pure fruit with a nice underlying crispness and the wine is balanced with very good underlying structure. It was a bit closed on the day of our tasting, but no question that with age the wine will blossom – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambertin
The Chambertin this year is very special. It has a deep color and an intense perfume. There is a lot of concentration and the wine shows tremendous fruit with great balance and depth. It will be very interesting to match this wine with the 2013 over the coming years – Extraordinary Potential.
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue
This domaine was established in 1450 by Jean Moisson. In 1766, a descendant of Moisson married a Vogue and it has been in the same family every since. Georges died in 1986 and the current winemaker, Francois Millet, arrived the same year. Jean-Luc Pepin is the estate manager and Eric Bourgogne is in charge of the vineyards. The domaine owns about 80% (16 acres) of the great Musigny vineyard. The Musigny is made exclusively from the old vines and is labeled Vieilles Vignes. The harvest from younger Musigny vines goes into the Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru.
Tasting of 5 2014 Red Wines with Francois Millet
The production in 2014 was 10% greater than 2013. Francois believes the 2013s have very obvious aging potential and will close down young. He also believes that the 2014s are more accessible and should remain so for an extended time.
2014
Barrel
Chambolle-Musigny
With a deep color this wine has a lovely cherry tinged perfume. It is supple with lots of cherry fruit and is very pure with a nice underlying crispness. Early appeal is very much in evidence here – Very Good Plus Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
This wine is made from de-classified Musigny. It is lovely with a deep color and a gorgeous floral perfume with hints of cherries. Well-structured yet supple with floral and cherry notes the wine has a nice mineral tinged crispness on the finish and is beautifully balanced – Outstanding Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru
There are only 100 cases of this wine. It has a deep color and a great cherry tinged perfume with floral nuances. Very elegant, lush, and supple the wine is rounded and beautifully balanced with lots of cherry fruit and tinges of floral spice – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Bonnes-Mares
With a deep color this Bonnes-Mares has a lovely perfume and lots of berry and cherry fruit. It is structured with well integrated underlying tannins and has intensity and depth. This is a wine that should age beautifully – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Musigny “Vieilles Vignes”
With a deep color this wine has a gorgeous perfume of cherry fruit accented by floral undertones. It is structured with loads of fruit layered on a firm mineral tinged backbone. Flavorful and rich there is a nice underlying crispness that is evident on the impressive finish. This is a Musigny that should be very elegant and expressive with time – Extraordinary Potential.
The individual vineyards that comprise the Domaine de la Romanée Conti date back to Roman times. The present domaine has it origins dating to 1869 when Monsieur Duvault-Blochet acquired the vineyard of Romanée-Conti. He subsequently acquired holdings in Echezeaux, Grands Echezeaux, and Richebourg. Edmond, the grandfather of the current domaine co-director, Aubert de Villaine, became the Director in 1911. And in 1933 the domaine acquired the vineyard of La Tache from the Liger-Belair family. The domaine already owned a large portion of the adjacent Les Gaudichots vineyard and in 1936 this was combined with La Tache to create the Grand Cru monopole of La Tache. In 1942, Henri Leroy became a co-owner of the Domaine and in 1950 Aubert’s father, Henri, succeeded Edmond. Aubert grew up at the domaine and became co-director in 1974. In 1966, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti took over management of the holdings of the Marey-Monge family in Romanée St. Vivant and in 1988 purchased the parcel. In 1963, 1965, and 1980 portions of Montrachet were acquired. And late in 2008 some 4½ acres were acquired in Corton consisting of approximately one-half Bressandes and one-half nearly equally divided between Clos du Roi and Renardes. In each vineyard there are sections of 60 year old vines with the balance 15-25 years. The first vintage from Corton was 2009.
Aubert says the differences between individual wines in a single vintage are the differences attributable to terroir and the age of the vines. The wines made at the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti are unquestionably the greatest and most consistent in Burgundy with an unparalleled track record. The wines are very long lived and do not show their full potential until many years after bottling. For over 30 years I have been tasting wines here from barrel and have missed tasting only a few times during that period. Prior to 2013, the two best years from the domaine that I have tasted from barrel were 1990 and 2009. But, it should be noted that 2 of the vintages I missed were 1999 and 2012. The wines can be consumed young, although they really hit their stride after 10 or more years and last for decades.
Tasting of 14 Red Wines (7 2014s and 7 2013s) and 1 White Wine with Aubert de Villaine and his nephew Bertrand de Villaine
This year we tasted the 2013s with Aubert and Bertrand and the 2014s with Bertrand.
Here is what I said about the 2013s tasted from barrel last year: The yields here for the red wines were about the same in 2013 as 2012 or 25% less than a normal crop. As mentioned earlier, it was a very late harvest and Aubert told us that the wines seemed a little harsh at first but slowly developed. This long evolution holds great promise for the future of the 2013 vintage…. This year the 2013 red wines were impressively rich yet some were just a bit closed. They are wines that will age beautifully. But, I believe that they are great wines that will require time to show their full potential. The 2013 Montrachet will also age over a very long period, but currently is very open and expressive.
The crop in 2014 was up sharply from the reduced yields of recent vintages. Here are the approximate yields:
Romanée-Conti 2014: 33hl/ha
La Tâche 2014: 33hl/ha
Richebourg 2014: 31hl/ha
Romanée-St-Vivant 2014: 33hl/ha
Grands-Echezeaux 2014: 34h/ha
Echezeaux 2014: 29hl/ha
Corton 2014: 27hl/ha
Montrachet 2014: 34h/ha
The 2014 wines showed beautifully with a lot of supple fruit and beautiful balance. A good comparison might be 2000 or 2002.
2013
Bottle
Corton Prince Florent de Merode
The first vintage for this wine was 2009. The fruit comes from 3 parcels of Corton that are leased from the Prince Florent de Merode. The wine is at a high level, but I expect over time that there will be continued improvement.
This 2013 Corton Prince Florent de Merode has a great intensity of fruit with a wonderful elegance. It has an intriguing perfume of flowers and herbs with underlying hints of berry fruit. On the palate, it is loaded with fruit and is very harmonious with a firm underlying structure – Outstanding Plus.
Echezeaux
The 2013 yield in Echezeaux was the lowest of any of the vineyards, just below Richebourg. Last year I thought that it was the best Echezeaux I had ever tasted from barrel and now that it is in the bottle it seems to be just a bit more restrained, but I have no doubt that this will prove to be a very great wine and one of the best ever Echezeauxs. It has a deep color and a stunning perfume of berries and cassis with floral nuances and a tinge of exotic spice. There is a great intensity of fruit and the wine is full and rich with a good backbone and a long finish – Outstanding Plus/Extraordinary.
Grands Echezeaux
With a deep color the Grands Echezeaux shows a lovely berry perfume with floral nuances and faint hints of exotic spice. Already silky with great elegance, the wine has lots of depth and is very flavorful with great balance. This is a classic Grands Echezeaux – Extraordinary.
Romanée Saint-Vivant
Deep in color with a stunning perfume showing floral nuances and hints of oriental spice, this is an opulent Romanée Saint-Vivant with lots of very lush fruit intermingled with tinges of oriental spice. It is already very expressive and shows impressive balance and intensity and will age effortlessly for many years. Although difficult to compare, it to me is reminiscent of the 1966 Romanée Saint-Vivant which was delicious from the very early years and remains so today – Extraordinary.
Richebourg
The yields at Richebourg in 2013 were just under Echezeaux. The wine has a deep color and a lovely perfume with hints of berries, plums, and oriental spice. Full and rich there is impressive fruit with a great underlying structure. Just a bit closed at this point, but make no mistake this will be a great Richebourg that will develop with time and exhibit the classic “iron fist in a velvet glove” – Extraordinary.
La Tache
Over time this will be a monumental La Tache, but it will need many years to show its full potential. It has a deep color and a lovely perfume showing faint hints of oriental spice. There are layers of rich fruit on the palate and the wine shows lots of depth and a degree of opulence with a firm underlying structure along with impressive length. This is a classic La Tache in the making – Extraordinary/Extraordinary Plus.
Romanée-Conti
This wine almost defies description. It already shows the silkiness and exotic oriental spice for which it is so famous. The color is deep and the perfume is stunning with hints of violets and oriental spice. Silky and opulent with lots of fruit and oriental spice nuances, the balance is impeccable and the length on the palate really stunning – Extraordinary Plus.
White Wine
Montrachet
The Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet is made from grapes grown on 2 parcels of very old vines. One is 50+ years old and the other is 80+ years old. This 2013 is simply magical and seems destined to be one of the all-time great Montrachets. Light yellow in color the wine has a very intense perfume showing hints of citrus and tropical fruit with faint underlying honeyed notes. It is impressively rich with loads of flavor yet it also maintains a seamless elegance with a very harmonious underlying crispness and an astoundingly long finish – Extraordinary Plus.
2014
Barrel
Corton Prince Florent de Merode
With a very nice color this Corton has a lovely berry perfume. It is soft rounded and supple with lovely fruit and a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding Potential.
Echezeaux
This is a lovely Echezeaux with a wonderful purity and balance. It has a very nice color and a floral berry perfume. Soft, rounded, and flavorful the wine is quite open and should develop beautifully – Outstanding Potential.
Grands Echezeaux
This Grands Echezeaux is already showing a great elegance. It has a very nice color and lovely berry perfume with floral nuances. With lots of lush fruit the wine is beautifully balanced and very harmonious with lots of flavor – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Romanée Saint-Vivant
This is a gorgeous Romanée Saint-Vivant. It has a deep color and an intense floral berry perfume with hints of oriental spice. With lots of fruit and beautifully balanced underlying acidity the wine is opulent with faint hints of oriental spice and should age beautifully – Outstanding Plus/Extraordinary Potential.
Richebourg
This is a classic Richebourg that will become much more expressive over time. With a deep color the wine has a lovely berry perfume with faint oriental spice nuances and is rich with a lot of fruit with a firm underlying structure – Outstanding Plus Potential.
La Tache
La Tache was quite open at the time of our tasting. It has a deep color and a gorgeous berry perfume with floral and oriental spice nuances. Rounded with lots of fruit and flavor there is a suggestion of oriental spice and the wine has impressive depth and richness – Extraordinary Potential.
Romanée-Conti
It is always amazing Romanée-Conti can be so open and expressive from barrel. Once again it is superbly elegant and supple and exudes charm. With a deep oriental spice perfume the wine is seamless with great finesse and intensity and exhibits a very long finish. Words hardly do the wine justice – Extraordinary/Extraordinary Plus Potential.
I first became acquainted with the wines of Domaine Dujac in the early 1970s when I acquired some bottles of a “new” Burgundy by the name of Domaine Dujac. They were from the 1969 vintage, and I was tremendously impressed by the style of the wines which I felt most closely resembled the wines of Domaine Romanée-Conti more than any others that I had tasted at that time. I still have 1969 Bonnes-Mares and, although I have not opened a bottle for many years, the last one was superb and I am sure the wine is great today. Eventually, this experience and subsequent vintages such as 1976 and 1978 led me to taste at the Domaine starting in the early 1980s. Since then there have been many wonderful wines produced here.
Jacques Seysses, a former investment banker, acquired the 10 acre Domaine Graillet in 1967 (a very good year indeed as it was the year Laurie and I were married). The first vintage was 1968 which was one of the worst Burgundy vintages of that era. Thankfully, it was followed by the very good 1969 vintage. In the last few years, the domaine has transitioned to the new generation. Jacques’ son, Jeremy, and his wife, Diana, are in charge vineyard management and winemaking. Jacques is “retired,” but is still very much involved with the domaine and is an invaluable counselor and adviser.
Tasting of 15 2014 Red Wines (3 negociant wines) and 4 White Wines with Jeremy Seysses
Jeremy said the 2014 harvest was reduced as compared with 2013, but the ripeness was comparable. The 2014s here may be like a combination of 2000 and 2002 with a lot of early charm while still retaining the ability to age. They are classic Dujac with lots of purity and beautiful balance. Also, this year, for the first time, we tasted 4 white wines including 2 new Premier Crus from Puligny-Montrachet.
2014
Barrel
Negociant
Morey-Saint-Denis
With a nice color this wine has a lovely floral perfume. It is balanced and tasty.
Gevrey-Chambertin
With a deep color this wine has a nice perfume and good fruit with balanced underlying tannins.
Chambolle-Musigny
This wine was a bit closed. It has a very nice color and a subdued perfume. And it shows supple fruit and a nice underlying crispness.
Domaine
Morey-Saint-Denis
This is a lovely village wine. It has a deep color and a nice perfume. And, the wine is rounded with lots of fruit and a balanced underlying structure – Highly Recommended Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny
This wine is supple with a lot of charm. It has a deep color and lovely perfume with very seductive fruit and very nice depth and balance – Highly Recommended Potential.
Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru
This wine is made from the fruit of four different vineyards. It has a deep color and a gorgeous floral perfume. With lots of fruit the wine is full, rounded, and flavorful with a balanced under lying backbone – Outstanding Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Gruenchers 1er Cru
Les Gruenchers is located just below Bonne-Mares. It is capable of aging for a very long time. Only just over 100 cases of this wine were produced. The wine has a deep color and a lovely floral tinged perfume. With lots of spice tinged supple fruit it is beautifully balanced and has depth and richness – Outstanding Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Combottes 1er Cru
Aux Combottes is located on the border with Morey St. Denis and is situated near the Grand Crus Clos de la Roche, Latricieres Chambertin, and Charmes Chambertin. This vintage produced 425 barrels. The wine has a deep color and a gorgeous berry perfume. It has great fruit and is rounded and very flavorful with intensity and balance – Outstanding Potential.
Vosne-Romanée Les Beaumonts 1er Cru
This vintage produced 300 barrels. The wine has a deep color and a lovely perfume. It shows lots of very pure fruit and is flavorful and beautifully balanced – Outstanding Potential.
Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts 1er Cru
Les Malconsorts is situated next to La Tache. In 2005 Domaine Dujac was the primary buyer of Domaine Thomas Moillard’s parcel of Les Malconsorts. Domaine Thomas Moillard was the largest owner at that time. Today there are 6 owners with Domaine Dujac being the largest. This vintage produced 725 cases. The wine has a deep color and a lovely perfume. It has intensity and depth with great structure and a lot of fruit and should evolve beautifully over time – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Echezeaux
This vintage produced 250 cases. The wine has a deep color and great floral spice tinged perfume. It has lots of fruit and is very flavorful with balance and structure and a long finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Charmes Chambertin
There are 300 cases of Charmes Chambertin. With a deep color the wine has a subtle perfume. It has lots of fruit and is supple and rounded with floral spice nuances – Outstanding Potential.
Clos de la Roche
There are 725 cases of Clos de la Roche. The wine has a deep color and a lovely berry perfume tinged with spice. It is rounded with lots of fruit and has very good structure and depth – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Clos Saint Denis
This vintage produced 475 cases. The wine has a deep color and a gorgeous berry perfume with faint floral nuances. It is packed with very pure fruit and is beautifully balanced with a long finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Bonnes-Mares
There were 225 cases of this wine produced. It has a deep color and a very nice berry perfume. Structured and firm yet with lots of very pure fruit the wine is balanced and will age beautifully – Outstanding Plus Potential.
White Wines
Tank
The white wines were aged 1 year in oak. At the time of our tasting they were in tank waiting for bottling in January.
Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc
Some Chardonnay and Aligoté vines are grown at the top of the Morey-Saint- Denis appellation. With a light yellow color this wine has lovely floral perfume and is flavorful with very nice citrus tinged fruit. It is very pure with a nice underlying crispness and has a lot of early appeal- Highly Recommended Potential.
Morey-Saint-Denis Mont Luisants 1er Cru
This wine has a light yellow color and a lovely floral perfume with just a hint of pineapple. It has very pure citrus tinged fruit and is balanced and flavorful – Highly Recommended Plus Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet Folatieres 1er Cru
With a light yellow color this wine has a spice tinged perfume with floral notes. It has lovely spice tinged fruit and very nice structure with an underlying crispness on the finish – Highly Recommended Plus Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet Combettes 1er Cru
This is a very elegant and flavorful wine. It has a light yellow color and lovely floral perfume. Very pure citrus tinged fruit is accented by floral notes and the wine is beautifully balanced and flavorful with a nice crispness – Outstanding Potential.
Domaine Faiveley
This domaine was founded by Pierre Faiveley in 1825. A negociant business evolved over many years to a firm that now is mostly involved with their own production. In fact, today Domaine Faiveley is one of the largest landowners in Burgundy with vineyard holdings totaling over 300 acres including some 26 acres of Grand Crus and 60 acres of Premier Crus. I first tasted here with my friends in the 1980s. Over the years I have visited several times, but 2014 was my first visit in many years. Historically the Faiveley Burgundies have been very long lived. I can remember tasting great bottles of Faiveley Burgundies from the 1920s at over 50 years of age. In fact, bottles of 1923 Faiveley Richebourg and 1929 Faiveley Musigny are two of the greatest Burgundies I have ever tasted.
Today the firm is led by Erwan Faiveley who has been increasing the firm’s vineyard holdings and also has renovated the equipment and facilities. In recent years the emphasis has been on capturing more fruit in the wines which makes them more approachable at an earlier age.
Tasting with Bernard Hervet and Erwan Faiveley of 15 Red Wines and 6 White Wines
Last year marked the end of Bernard Hervet’s tenure as General Manager of Domaine Flaiveley. Bernard will now being doing some consulting around the world including California. Erwan Faiveley also joined us for part of the tasting. Erwan is seriously committed in making Faiveley the best it can be. Like the wonderful 2013s the 2014s here are very special. Bernard says the 2014s are a bit like 1988 in that the grapes had very thick skins. But, with very different vineyard practices and the use of sorting tables, the wines from the 2 vintages are very different. I remember the 1988s from barrel as being very intense with underlying tannins. They closed up right away and have retained a tight structure to this day. The 2014s are certainly more open and are not likely to have a period of closing up for such an extended period. They should drink well young and age beautifully.
As for the 2015s, Bernard thinks it is the greatest vintage in his experience and is along the lines of the 1949 and 1929 vintages. I drank a number of 1929s many years ago and they were lovely. But 1945 and 1949 are the old Burgundy vintages that really stand out for me. Both are very great vintages and some of the wines are still great today. But, as for how any of these wines might have tasted young, I must confess that I have no idea. For as old as I am, I am not that old!
2014
Barrel
Mercurey Clos Du Roi
With a deep color this wine has a plummy perfume and has lots of fruit. It has well integrated tannins and is nicel structured – Very Good Potential.
Volnay 1er Cru
The crop here was reduced by 60% as a result of hail. The wine has a deep color and a lovely perfume with hints of blackberry fruit. It is lovely fruity and sappy with good backbone – Very Good Potential.
Pommard Rugiens 1er Cru
The crop here was reduced by 50% due to hail and the production was only 150 cases. The wine has a deep color and a gorgeous floral perfume. It has lots of intense fruit and lots of depth and richness with nicely integrated underlying tannins. Considered to be the best of all the Pommard vineyards Rugiens can be very long lived and I would expect that of this wine – Outstanding Potential.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Chaignots 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a lovely blackberry perfume. It is full and rounded with lovely fruit and is very stylistic – Very Good Plus Potential.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint Georges 1er Cru
This is a terrific Les Saint Georges. It has a deep color and an intense perfume. The flavors are deep and rich and the wine has great structure and a long finish – Outstanding Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées 1er Cru
This is a really lovely Chambolle with lots of charm. It has deep color and a gorgeous floral perfume with faint hints of exotic berry fruit. The wine is supple and lush with great fruit accented by a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Des Issarts 1er Cru
The Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Des Issarts 1er Cru is a monopole (single owner) vineyard. It is situated near the Clos des Ruchottes of Rousseau and is just over an acre in size with ½ old vines and ½ younger vines. With a deep color the wine has gorgeous berry perfume and is full, rich, and round with lots of fruit. It is beautifully balanced with well integrated tannins and a nice crispness and should age gracefully for many years – Outstanding Potential.
Echezeaux
This is a really lovely Echezeaux with great elegance and style. It has a deep color and a great perfume and is loaded with fruit showing a faintly exotic tinge. Balanced and very flavorful this wine will age gracefully for many years – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Clos de Vougeot
This Clos Vougeot is very expressive. It has a deep color and a lovely faintly floral perfume. On the palate there is lots of floral tinged supple fruit with a nice underlying crispness and the wine is beautifully balanced with impressive length – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Latricieres Chambertin
The Domaine Flaiveley Latricieres Chambertin is always a wine of great class and distinction. This 2014 is no exception. The wine has a deep color and an intense perfume with loads of supple fruit. Very flavorful and beautifully balanced it has a lot of depth with great elegance – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Mazis Chambertin
This is an very rich Mazis Chambertin. It has a deep color and an intense perfume. On the palate there is an immense amount of supple blackberry fruit that is supple and rounded with a very nice underlying structure. Balanced and flavorful the wine has a very long finish and will age beautifully – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambertin Clos de Beze
With a deep color this wine has an intense perfume and has lots of fruit with a faint tinge of spice. It has lots of fruit and depth and a balanced underlying structure and is very harmonious and flavorful – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambertin Clos de Beze Les Ouvrées Rodin
The grapes for this wine come from a plot of 60 year old vines with special exposure within the Clos de Beze. It has an extra dimension of depth and complexity as compared with the Chambertin Clos de Beze. With a deep color the wine has a great berry perfume with floral spice tinges and has intensity and depth. The balance and the fruit is very pure and expressive with a faint exotic nuance and the finish goes on and on. This is stunning wine that promises a long life ahead – Extraordinary Potential.
Corton Clos Des Cortons Faiveley
The Corton Clos Des Cortons Faiveley is a monopole (single owner) vineyard of some 7 ½ acres in size. It is one of only 2 Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy bearing the name of its original owner (the other is Romanée-Conti). The appellation was approved in 1937 and today the vineyard has vines dating back to that time. This wine is very long lived and is an ideal candidate to lay away for an extended period although it is also very approachable in its youth. With a deep color the wine has a lovely perfume and is rounded and supple with lots of beautifully balanced fruit. Elegant, but with lots of structure underneath it will become even more expressive and complex with additional bottle age – Outstanding Plus/Extraordinary Potential.
White Wines
Meursault
This a nice village wine. It has a light yellow color and a lovely floral citrus perfume. On the palate it is bright and crisp with very pure citrus tinged fruit – Highly Recommended Potential.
Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot 1er Cru
This is a delicious Morgeot. It has a light yellow color and lovely floral citrus tinged perfume. The fruit is very pure with a faint exotic floral tinge and the wine is balanced and flavorful with a very attractive bright crispness – Outstanding Potential.
Meursault Charmes
This is a really delicious Meursault with a lot of style and elegance. It has light yellow color and a stunning floral perfume with a faint hint of pineapple. Very flavorful and beautifully balanced the floral tinged fruit shows hints of pineapple and there is a bright underlying crispness – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Bienvenues Batard Montrachet
With a light yellow color this Bienvenues Batard Montrachet shows great promise for the future. It had a light yellow color and a lovely perfume with floral tinges. With great intensity there is a lot of floral tinged fruit with a bright underlying citrus tinge. The finish is very long and lingering and will a few years bottle age this should prove to be a classic Bienvenues Batard Montrachet which is one of my very favorite White Burgundies – Outstanding Plus/Extraordinary Potential.
Batard Montrachet
Light yellow in color, this Batard Montrachet has a lovely floral tinge perfume. It has very pure fruit with depth and richness with a nice underlying crispness. Just now a bit restrained, but the wine should become more expressive with some bottle age – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Corton Charlemagne
Very open and expressive this is a lovely Corton Charlemagne. It has a light yellow color and a lovely pineapple tinged perfume. Flavorful with very pure fruit showing just a hint of pineapple the wine is beautifully balanced with a long crisp finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg
This Domaine was created in 1933 with the marriage of Jean Gibourg and André Mugneret. Their son, George, became an opthamologist. But, he joined the domaine at a young age and began purchasing vineyards in his own name. Over time this created Domaine Georges Mugneret.
On our early visits to Burgundy we visited Dr. George several times. He was a wonderful man. And, even though we spoke no French and he spoke very little English, we had a famous time. After all, these two languages can be blended into the language of wine. And, I’ll never forget setting in his office with my very good friends and Contributing Editors, Ed Lazarus and Geoffrey Troy, and chatting after our tasting. Dr. George left and after a short time reappeared with a bottle in hand. It was a 1949. Dr. George had brought a 1949 because we were talking about how much we liked that vintage. But, after all these years, I am not entirely sure about the vineyard, although I think it was Clos Vougeot. However, I do remember that it was a great wine.
Sadly, after a long illness, Dr. George passed away just before the harvest in 1988. His only children, Marie-Christine and Marie-Andrée, were not involved with the domaine at that time. Marie-Christine was married and working as a chemist along with her husband. Marie-Andrée, 9 years younger, had just entered school to study enology. The 1988 harvest was a challenging one and the vinification was also difficult. It was quite a year to join the family business, but Marie-Christine did just that and along with her mother, Jacqueline, and a little help from their friends, they pulled it off. In 1992, after she finish her schooling, Marie-Andrée joined her sister as the domaine entered a third phase. And, I think Dr. George would be very proud. The ladies are doing a great job of making superb top quality Burgundies of class and breed. The wines are simply delicious and they age beautifully. If you love Burgundy, and if you don’t already know these wines, what are you waiting for?
Tasting with Marie-Andrée of 7 Red Wines
Marie-Andrée described the 2014 harvest as “very unusual”. There was an early flowering and a hot summer with a cool August. Heat, hail, and insects were all responsible for a reduction in the crop yet the crop was normal. Marie-Andrée said this was a “miracle”. The 2014 yield was up about 30% from 2013 and just a bit less than 2009. Marie-Andrée describes the vintage as “classical” and maybe a bit like 2002. As is always the case here, the wines are very pure, seductive, and balanced and will drink well young and age beautifully.
2014
Barrel
Bourgogne
Always a gorgeous Bourgogne, this 2014 is no exception. It has a deep color and a lovely perfume. With very pure fruit the wine is supple, rounded, and balanced. Very open and expressive this Bourgogne has lots of charm and early appeal and should represent very good value – Highly Recommended Plus Potential.
Vosne-Romanée
This is a delicious village wine. It has a deep color and a lovely floral perfume. On the palate there is lots of floral tinged supple fruit and the wine is balanced with lovely flavors – Outstanding Potential.
Nuits Saint Georges Les Chaignots 1er Cru
This is a really lovely Nuits Saint Georges with flavor and finesse. With a deep color the wine has a gorgeous berry perfume and lots of supple fruit. It is rounded and supple and has nice richness and lovely balance – Outstanding Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes 1er Cru
This Chambolle-Musigny is very stylistic with a lot of charm. It has a deep color with a lovely floral berry perfume showing a kiss of spice. On the palate the wine has lots of supple fruit with a floral nuance and is balanced and very flavorful – Outstanding Potential.
Echezeaux
This Echezeaux has a deep color and a gorgeous berry perfume with a floral tinge. Very pure with great style and layers of supple fruit the wine is balanced and flavorful with a lovely finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Ruchottes-Chambertin
This is a fabulous Ruchottes-Chambertin. It has a deep color and a stunning perfume showing lots of cherry fruit with faint floral notes and a tinge of spice. Very elegant and supple with lots of fruit and flavor the wine has richness with great balance and a long finish. This wine is a classic and destined for a very long life – Extraordinary Potential.
Clos Vougeot
With a deep color this Clos Vougeot has a lovely perfume with floral berry notes. It is succulent with very pure fruit, lots of flavor, and great balance. Precocious and showing irresistible early charm this wine will also age beautifully for a very long time – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Domaine Georges Roumier
Georges Roumier founded this domaine and began producing wine in 1924. The first domaine wine was bottled here in 1945 making it one of the earlier properties to begin estate bottling. Since 1990, Christophe Roumier, George’s grandson, has been in charge of the domaine. Christophe’s reign has established this domaine as one of the best, and most consistent, in all of Burgundy. Christophe prefers old vines and low yields and very traditional vinification methods. We began tasting from barrel here in the early 1980s and in the years since have consistently found this domaine’s wines to be among the best of each respective vintage.
Tasting of 6 2013 Red Wines and 4 2013 Red Wines with Christophe Roumier
Christophe said the production here in 2014 was about 20% more than 2013 and the average of production for the domaine over the last 20 years. He compares the vintage to 2002 with perhaps some similarity to a combination of 2007 and 2008. He advises to drink the 2014s before the 2013s. As for the 2013s, he says they are made for aging. And, he believes that because the grapes had very few seeds, and that the tannins came from the skins, it gives the wines balance and structure. He says the 2013s have closed a little, but does not believe they will close much more. He compares the 2013 vintage to 1995. As for the 2015s he says they are large scaled wines like 2003 and 2005 with a slight reservation regarding the alcohols which can reach 13.5%.
I found the 2014s lovely and very approachable. The 2013s also showed really well. As for the 2015s, stay tuned!
2014
Barrel
Chambolle-Musigny
This Chambolle-Musigny has a lot of charm. The wine has a very nice color and a lovely floral perfume. It is rounded with supple fruit showing a floral nuance and is balanced and very tasty – Highly Recommend Plus/Outstanding Potential.
Morey Saint Denis Clos de la Bussiere 1er Cru
This Morey Saint Denis Clos de la Bussiere is very fruit driven. The wine has a deep color and a gorgeous cherry and plum perfume. On the palate it is rounded and supple with lots of cherry and plum fruit showing a faint floral undertone – Outstanding Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a lovely floral berry perfume. On the palate it has richness and depth with lots of supple floral tinged berry fruit and is very finesseful with a lovely finish – Outstanding Potential.
Ruchottes Chambertin
This wine is made from grapes grown on land that is sharecropped between Christophe Roumier and Michel Bonnefond. A part is labeled under Michel Bonnefond’s name.
With a deep color the wine has a great perfume and lots or rich blackberry fruit. It is lush and supple with the fruit covering the underlying structure and is delicious now with the ability to age for many years as well – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Bonnes Mares
This looks to be a very great Bonnes Mares. It has a deep color and a stunning perfume showing floral tinged berry fruit. The wine is very rich, concentrated, and pure with supple fruit accented by a balanced underlying crispness and is very long on the palate – Extraordinary Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er cru
This is an absolutely stunning Les Amoureuses. It has a deep color and a stunning perfume of cheery fruit accented by floral nuances. Beautifully balanced with lots of charm and layers of supple floral cherry tinged fruit, the wine has intensity and depth and a very long finish – Extraordinary Potential.
2013
Bottle
Chambolle-Musigny
With a deep color this wine has a gorgeous floral berry perfume. It has structure and depth and lovely balance with lots of fruit and is, in a word, delicious – Outstanding.
Morey Saint Denis Clos de la Bussiere 1er Cru
This wine has a deep color and a lovely floral tinged berry perfume. It is has lots of fruit and is rich, flavorful, and well-structured with balanced underlying tannins. A few years of bottle age will be very beneficial – Outstanding.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras 1er Cru
The vines here are over 40 years old. With a deep color the wine has a gorgeous floral tinged berry perfume. It is beautifully balanced with loads of bright fruit and great intensity and depth and should age beautifully – Outstanding Plus.
Bonnes Mares
This is a terrific Bonnes Mares. It has a deep color and a great berry perfume with faint floral spice nuances. On the palate, there are layers of fruit showing great intensity and balance. There is also lot of structure and the wine is harmonious with a very long finish – Extraordinary.
Domaine Hudelot-Noellat
Some 50 years ago Alain Hudelot began acquiring vineyards including part of his father’s holdings in Clos Vougeot. In 1963 he married the grand daughter of Charles Noellat and, after much legal maneuvering, the domaine was expanded. Alain’s grandson, Charles Van Canneyt, returned to take over the domaine in 2008 assisted by Vincent Mugnier. This domaine has holdings in some of the best vineyards and the recent wines are consistently at a high level with great wines made in each of the last 6 vintages. Charles is doing a great job and these are wines to buy!
Tasting with Charles Van Canneyt of 13 2014 Red Wines
Production in 2014 was again small and at about the same level as 2012 and 2013 for the Premier Crus and the Grand Crus and more for the Bourgogne and Village wines. The 2014s have firm tannins and good acidity. Charles compares the vintage to 2002 with more acidity or 2000 with more structure. We tasted several of the wines from tank just before bottling and the remainder were tasted from barrel
2014
Tank
Bourgogne
Bourgogne is a good choice for inexpensive Burgundy which is best consumed early for the fruit. This Bourgogne is lovely. It has a very nice color and a very pleasant berry perfume with faint floral notes. Berry fruit dominates the taste and there are very subtle floral notes with a nice underlying crispness.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Bas de Combes
This is a lovely Nuits-Saint-Georges. With a very nice color the wine has nice faintly floral and plummy perfume. Rounded with very nice plum tinged fruit showing a kiss of spice and very approachable it promises a lot of early appeal – Very Good Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
This is a lovely Charmes with a lot of fruit and finesse. It has a very nice color and a lovely floral perfume with faint hints of cherry. Rounded and supple with very pure fruit this will give great pleasure early on and continue to evolve over time – Very Good Plus Potential.
Barrel
Chambolle-Musigny
This wine is made from grapes grown on 11 different parcels scattered across all parts of Chambolle-Musigny. It is a lovely village wine and has a very nice color and a very nice floral berry tinged perfume.
With lots of balanced fruit the wine is supple, rounded, and flavorful – Very Good Potential.
Vosne-Romanée
This is another village wine with a lovely floral perfume and lots of berry fruit. It is supple and rounded with flavor and richness and a nice underlying structure – Very Good Potential.
Vougeot Les Petits Vougeot 1er Cru
Year in and year out this a delicious wine with great fruit and charm. From a relatively obscure appellation, it really tastes like a very fine Chambolle-Musigny. This 2014 is no exception. The production this year was about 275 cases. With a very nice color the wine has a gorgeous perfume redolent with floral tinged cherry fruit. With very pure fruit it is flavorful and beautifully balanced. This is a Burgundy that will be a pleasure to drink early on and for years to come – Outstanding Potential.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Murgers 1er Cru
The production of this wine was just over 350 cases. It has a very nice color and a lovely perfume with a bright crispness and well defined fruit. It should develop over several years – Very Good Potential.
Vosne-Romanée Les Beaumonts 1er Cru
Production of this wine was just over 150 cases. It has a very nice color and a gorgeous perfume with floral undertones. With lots of berry fruit the wine has richness and depth with a supple texture and a nice underlying crispness. This will drink beautifully with several years bottle age and keep well beyond – Very Good Plus Potential.
Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru
Les Suchots has long been one of my favorite Premier Crus. It is the largest Premier Cru in Vosne-Romanée and is situated between Richebourg, Romanée Saint-Vivant, and Echezeaux. This is a very good neighborhood and Les Suchots is capable of producing wines of Grand Cru quality. The production of this wine was 250 cases. The wine has a very nice color and a lovely berry tinged perfume. With lots of supple fruit it is flavorful and well structured with a nice underlying crispness. Les Suchots can be very long lived and while this wine will give a lot of early pleasure it will develop additional complexity after more bottle age – Outstanding Potential.
Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts 1er Cru
The production of this wine was less than 75 cases. Les Malconsorts is situated between Aux Boudots in Nuits Saint George and La Tache. It can produce wines of Grand Cru quality and this is a lovely example. It has a very nice color and a gorgeous perfume with floral nuances and a myriad of fruits. With lots of structure and depth this is also very well structured and will blossom some bottle age – Outstanding Potential.
Clos de Vougeot
Clos de Vougeot gets my vote for the most underrated Grand Cru in the Côte de Nuits. The reason: It is a large vineyard with some plots better situated than others and many producers some of whom are underachievers. For these reasons it is often a relative value. The Clos de Vougeot from this domaine has been at a very high level in recent vintages including this 2014. The production was about 325 cases. With a deep color the wine has a stunning floral tinged perfume and loads of supple rich fruit. It is beautifully balanced with impressive length on the palate and should age gracefully for many years – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Romanée Saint-Vivant
This vintage produced just over 200 cases. This is a stunning Romanée Saint-Vivant. It has a deep color and a great perfume that exudes a myriad of floral tinged fruit with a kiss of spice. The wine is impressively rich yet with a rounded suppleness that is backed by a nice underlying crispness. It will age beautifully – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Richebourg
The production of this Richebourg was under 150 cases. It is a gorgeous wine with a deep color and gorgeous floral tinges perfume. It has richness and depth with a firm underlying structure and lots of fruit and flavor. With several years of bottle age this wine will blossom – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier
The origins of this domaine begin with Francois Mugnier who was also known as Frederic. In 1856 he established a liqueur business in Dijon. Later he bought several vineyard parcels from the Marey-Monge family and in 1899 purchased the Chateau de Chambolle Musigny from them. The succession passed to Frederic’s son and grandson and then to a nephew, Jacques-Frederic, in 1944. The liqueur business was sold (if you like art deco advertising posters, and I do, there are several great ones from Mugnier) and the vineyard holdings were divided among several members of the family. Those were rented to a negociant under long term contracts. The vineyards were under varying arrangements for many years. Then in 1984, Frederic Mugnier, the son of Jacques-Frederic, changed professions and took over winemaking and management of the domaine. At that time, there were some nine acres of vines all situated in Chambolle-Musigny, including nearly 3 acres in Musigny which represent the second largest holding after Comte Georges de Vogue.
After tasting the 1985s, we began our visits which have continued each year since. Over the years we have tasted many fabulous wines here. Because the grapes had mostly gone to negociants, there were virtually no old wines at the estate when Frederic arrived. I had a few bottles of 1949 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Clos Vougeot. One year I took a bottle to Frederic as a gift. He generously said he would keep the wine until Geoffrey Troy and I could join him for dinner. The next year Geoffrey and I had dinner with Frederic and his wife, Josceline, at the Chateau. It was a fabulous evening. The 1949 Clos Vougeot was magical. Like many great old Burgundies, the color was very pale. But that simply does not matter. The perfume was stunning and the wine was like silk with incredible flavors. Frederic and Josceline were thrilled and a bit emotional. They had never tasted the wine. The Clos Vougeot parcel had been sold shortly after this wine was made. Frederic commented that the parcel was poorly located at the bottom of the slope and that perhaps some Musigny had been added! No matter. The wine was ethereal. Frederic then left for a few minutes and returned with two old bottles. They were 1945 Musigny Blanc from the domaine, two of the very few bottles that remained. One had a very low fill, but the wine was great. The low fill bottle was even a bit better than the other. Interestingly, they both had a little petillance which undoubtedly contributed to the freshness of the wines. They were simply amazing and among the greatest White Burgundies I have ever tasted.
Frederic believes in keeping things simple and that less is more. Age of the vines and the condition of the soil are the most important factors. He also believes that typical Burgundy vintages are always completely different. His goal is to always make wine that reflects the vintage. Therefore, Frederic likes every vintage for its unique character. And, Frederic is always quick to point out that he is less interested in making great wine every year than he is in making good wine every year. This, again, speaks to the wide diversity in Burgundy vintages. I love this approach. Vintage comparisons are difficult to make at a very early stage and the evolution of the wines over time often yields surprises both good and not so good. Frederic’s approach is to not to try to choose a favorite vintage or to try to make wine that is the same. His goal is simply to farm the vineyards in a natural way and let nature take its course. Once the grapes are harvested, then the job is to make the wine with minimal intervention. BRAVO! The wines made here are, for me, consistently some of the best in Burgundy.
Tasting with Jacques-Frederic Mugnier of 6 2014 Red Wines, 1 2014 White Wine, and 5 2013 Red Wines
Frederic said that production in 2014 was normal whereas production in 2013 was sharply lower. The weather in 2014 was just right, not too hot and not too cold whereas 2013 was a cold vintage. The 2014s are balanced wines that he feels will drink very well early. The 2013s have firm acidity that is now covered by the fruit. As such, he believes the 2013s could close down like Burgundies from this type of vintage often do. But, he thinks that they will be excellent as old wines. Frederic also had quite an announcement to make. Beginning with the 2013 vintage all the production of Musigny will be reserved for later sale. He will continue this for the next few vintages and then begin to release the wines beginning with the 2013 vintage. No date has been set and Frederic says he will only sell the Musigny “when it is ready”. That is a determination he will make for each vintage. By doing this he will make sure that no Musigny is consumed before it is time.
Chambolle-Musigny
This wine contains the portion of wine produced from the young vines of Musigny. It is a beautifully balanced Chambolle-Musigny that has lots of charm. The wine has a very nice color and a gorgeous floral tinged perfume. Soft, rounded, and supple it is full of fruit and very stylistic and delicious – Outstanding Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées 1er Cru
Les Fuées is located on the southern border of Bonne-Mares. The vines here are 55 years old and the wine is capable of aging for many years and really blossoms with bottle age. The wine has a very nice color and a lovely berry perfume. It is loaded with fruit and is well structured and bright with a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding Potential.
Bonnes Mares
This wine is made from grapes grown on a small part of the vineyard at the top of the slope. The vines here average around 40 years old. The wine shows a very nice color and a gorgeous berry perfume with faint floral tinges. It has great fruit that is very pure and balanced. With a firm underlying structure this is classic Bonnes Mares with a long life ahead – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru
Les Amoureuses is rightfully considered to be the best 1er Cru in Chambolle-Musigny. It is a wine of great finesse and charm. Here is how Domaine Mugnier describes the wine: For us, Les Amoureuses represents the very essence of Burgundy; the most Burgundian of Burgundy wines. No other wine in the world has that paradoxical union of exceptional richness (aromatic intensity, depth of texture and length on the palate) and such airy delicacy. The “nose” is a bouquet of flowers and red berry fruit.
The Domaine Mugnier parcel of Les Amoureuses consists of 1.3 acres and contains vines that are over 60 years old with an average age of close to 60 years. This 2014 exemplifies the finesse and elegance of Les Amoureuses. The wine has very nice color and a gorgeous floral tinged perfume and the fruit is supple and rounded with impeccable balance. It will evolve and develop over many years – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Musigny
The Domaine Mugnier parcel of Musigny is entirely situated in the part know as Grand-Musigny. It is 2.8 acres of which 85% consist of vines that are over 60 years old. The remaining 15% consist of vines that are 18 years old. The Musigny is made only from grapes grown on the oldest vines with grapes from the younger vines going into the Chambolle-Musigny.
With a deep color this Musigny has a great perfume with cherry fruit and floral nunaces. It is supple, lush, and rounded with intensity and depth and a firm underlying crispness. The finish is impressively long and this will make a great wine one day – Extraordinary Potential.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er Cru
The Clos de la Marechale has a surface area of nearly 20 acres. It is the largest Monopole (single owner) vineyard in Burgundy. It has been under the sole ownership of the Mugnier family since 1902. But, up until 2003, for the previous 53 years the vineyard had been leased to Faiveley. In more recent years the wines have taken on a purity and balance that gives them a different personality. The average age of the vines here is over 50 years old.
This 2014 Clos de la Marechal is a gorgeous wine. It has a very nice color and a deep perfume of red fruits with tinges of floral spice. On the palate the wine has lots of very pure fruit with depth and richness and beautifully balanced underlying structure – Outstanding Plus Potential.
White Wine
Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale Blanc 1er Cru
During the period that Clos de la Marechal was under lease, the tradition of the white wine was lost. But, the discovery of several exceptional old bottles in the cellar resulted in a white wine being made in 2005 and in each year since. I find the wine consistently unique and delicious and the 2014 is no exception.
Light yellow in color the wine has a gorgeous perfume with hints of almond and pineapple and a faintly floral undertone. It has lovely supple pineapple and citrus tinged fruit with a bright underlying crispness and a long finish – Outstanding Potential.
2013
Bottle
Chambolle-Musigny
This is a lovely wine with a lot of fruit and charm and a nice underlying brightness. It is supple and rounded with floral tinged berry flavors and is beautifully balanced with a very nice finish – Outstanding.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées 1er Cru
With a deep color and a lovely berry tinged perfume this wine has lots of supple cherry tinged fruit. It is rounded with good underlying structure and is flavorful and well balanced – Outstanding.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er Cru
This is a very impressive wine that is brimming with fruit. It has a deep color and a lovely berry perfume with faint hints of floral spice. The fruit is very pure and balanced by a nice underlying crispness. With depth and richness, this is a wine that will repay cellaring for an extended period – Outstanding Plus.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru
Wow! What a stunning wine. This is a very great example of the finesse, elegance, and depth of Les Amoureuses. It has a deep color and a gorgeous floral perfume. Lush and rounded with tremendous floral tinged fruit, the wine exudes elegance and finesse yet has intensity and a very long finish – Extraordinary.
Musigny
As mentioned earlier this Musigny will be held back and not sold for several years. Just now the wine is a bit closed, but with time it should emerge as a stunningly great wine. It has a deep color and a great cherry tinged perfume with floral nuances. With lots of fruit the wine has structure and depth and impressive intensity yet it is a bit closed with only hints of the balance and complexity that is yet to come. Patience here is not only required, but demanded since the wine will not be in the market for at least several years – Extraordinary.
Domaine Leflaive
The Leflaive family has been in Burgundy for more than 400 years. The expansion of the domaine began in 1905 when Joseph Leflaive inherited five acres of vines. Phylloxera and odium diseases plagued Burgundy in the late 19thcentury and many owners sold their land. This provided an opportunity for Joseph and by 1926 he had increased the domaine to 50 acres. In 1953, Vincent and his brother, Jo, took over the domaine after their father’s death. Vincent was instrumental in advancing the quality of the wines and expanding the domaine. In 1991, he acquired a very small parcel of Montrachet (0.2 acres). Vincent passed away on the eve of the 1993 harvest. Subsequently, Vincent’s daughter, Ann-Claude, assumed control. In 1990 she began biodynamic principles in the vineyards and by 1997 the entire domaine was converted. She was a leading advocate of both organic farming and biodynamic viticulture and a dynamic figure in Burgundy. Sadly, after a long illness, Ann-Claude passed away in the spring of last year.
For many years Domaine Leflaive has been the greatest white wine estate in Burgundy with wines that are very age worthy. Wines back into the 1970s can be gorgeous and I still have some in my cellar from the 80s that are drinking beautifully. However, like many White Burgundy producers, in recent years there have been some incidences of Premox (premature oxidation) with the wines. They have said previously that there have been some problems mostly with some 2002s and 2004s. They attribute those problems to the corks and the cork supplier was changed in 2007. But, in recent years we have had problems with the 2008s. Some of the problems may have been due to storage, but it is not entirely clear what is causing the problems. At this point the jury is still out.
Tasting with Eric Remy of 10 2014 White Wines
This year we again tasted with Eric Remy. Eric joined Domaine Leflaive as assistant winemaker in 2003 and became the winemaker in 2008. Today he is in charge of all wine operations at Domaine Leflaive. Eric says that despite the ups and downs of the weather in 2014 that September was very dry and the harvest began on the 10th under ideal conditions. He compares the vintage to 2010 and believes the wines will need some years of aging to show their full potential. As usual, we tasted the wines from tank where they were resting just before bottling. At the time of our tasting the wines were rather closed and racy. This is a good indication of potential given the underlying fruit. But, as Eric says, they will need time. And, hopefully, they will not be plagued by Premox (to read about Premox click here).
2014
Tank
Bourgogne Blanc
Pale yellow in color with a nice floral perfume this Bourgogne is bright and crisp with an underlying elegance – Very Good Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet
Pale yellow in color this Puligny-Montrachet is flavorful and mineral tinged. It has a lovely perfume and very nice fruit and is rounded with a bright crisp citrus nuance – Very Good Plus Potential.
Meursault sous le Dos d’Ane 1er Cru
Pale yellow in color this Meursault has a nice perfume and is bright and crisp with pineapple tinged fruit showing a citrus undertone – Very Good Plus Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet Le Clavoillon 1er Cru
Pale yellow in color with a lovely perfume this Clavoillon is delicate and finesseful. It is bright and crisp with nice citrus tinged fruit and a subtle underlying minerality – Very Good Plus Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres 1er Cru
Pale yellow in color with a lovely perfume this Folatieres has very nice fruit and is rounded with a nice citrus tinge. It has depth and nice richness with mineral nuances and a crispness on the finish – Outstanding Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet Les Combottes 1er Cru
This Combettes has pale yellow color and a lovely perfume with floral mineral tinges. It is rounded and expressive with very pure fruit accented by citrus and a underlying touch of minerality – Outstanding Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru
Pale yellow in color this Pucelles has a lovely floral tinge perfume with hints of citrus. It has very nice fruit and is rounded and quite elegant with floral citrus nuances and a nice crispness on the finish – Outstanding Potential.
Bienvenues Batard Montrachet
Bienvenues Batard Montrachet is always one of my favorite wines for its intensity and underlying acidity. This vintage shows a real elegance and finesse that balances the otherwise racy characteristics. The wine is pale yellow in color and has a subtle perfume of white peach and citrus with floral notes. Very flavorful with very pure fruit overlying the minerality it is showing hints of the greatness that should appear with 5-10 years of bottle age – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Batard Montrachet
This is an elegant Batard. It has a pale yellow color and a lovely floral citrus tinged perfume. Rounded with very pure citrus tinged fruit the wine is flavorful with an underlying minerality and a lengthy citrus tinged finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chevalier Montrachet
Already showing elegance this Chevalier also has an underlying raciness. It is pale yellow in color with a lovely faintly floral tinged perfume and has very pure fruit that is accented by a bright citrus tinge. The wine has richness and is flavorful with impressive length on the finish. It should come together nicely over time – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Domaine Liger-Belair
This domaine has a long and storied history. The beginning of the Domaine dates back to 1815. In the next 116 years the members of the Liger-Belair family expanded the vineyard holdings to include some of the most prestigious in Burgundy –- La Romanée, La Tache, and La Grand Rue, as well as portions of Malconsorts, Chaumes, Reignots, and Suchots in Vosne-Romanée, Les Saint Georges and and Vaucrains in Nuits-Saint Georges, Clos Vougeot in Vougeot, and Chambertin in Gevrey-Chambertin as well as others. In 1933 a death in the family forced a sale of the properties to comply with French inheritance laws. This resulted in the loss of La Tache and La Grand Rue as well as other vineyards. However, two members of the family were able to purchase La Romanée as well as portions of Vosne-Romanée 1er Crus Reignots and Les Chaumes and a few other parcels. Since there were no family members to manage the estate, the vineyards were turned over to local vignerons and sales to negociants. The production of La Romanée and Vosne-Romanée Les Reignots 1er Cru were marketed at various times by Leroy, Bichot, and Bouchard Pere & Fils.
From the 1970s my friends and I became acquainted with this domaine through the various bottlings of La Romanée which we loved. We bought and drank a lot of them as far back as 1915. I still have some very old bottles in my cellar. The wines can be remarkable! When we first started going to Burgundy we would often visit at Domaine Forey Pere et Fils where we would visit with Règis Forey and taste wines from barrel. Here we would taste not only his wines which included Echezeaux and Vosne-Romanée Les Gaudichots 1er Cru, but also La Romanée and Vosne-Romanée Les Reignots 1er Cru (Les Reignots is situated just above La Romanée). These latter 2 vineyards were farmed by Règis and he made the wines. After they were in barrel they went to Bouchard Pere & Fils where they were bottled and marketed. Domaine Forey is situated between Domaine de la Romanée Conti and the great chateau of Domaine Liger-Belair. We would visit Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Domaine Forey Pere et Fils as well as many other great domaines in the village of Vosne Romanée. But, Liger-Belair was always a mystery since there was no wine being made there. Little did we know that one day this would all change.
In 2000 Louis-Michel Liger-Belair assumed control of the domaine when he took back about 3 acres of vineyard in Vosne-Romanée La Colombière, Clos du Château, and Les Chaumes 1er Cru. In 2002 he took back another 3 ½ acres or so consisting of the great La Romanée vineyard and a parcel of Vosne-Romanée Les Reignots 1er Cru. The production was split with Bouchard Pere & Fils through the 2005 vintage when Liger-Belair assumed full control. In 2006, he rented over 12 additional acres including a large parcel of Echezeaux, Vosne-Romanée 1er Crus Les Suchots, Les Petits Monts and Les Brûlées, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Cras, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges. In this period since 2000, the wines of Liger-Belair have been very consistent and very successful. Louis Michel has done an amazing job in running all aspects of the domaine from farming to marketing and this domaine is now the source of many of the greatest wines in Burgundy. It is an amazing story. From a great beginning that lasted over a hundred years to a period of obscurity that lasted the better part of another century, Domaine Liger-Belair has once again claimed a place of prominence. Located in the shadow of Domaine de la Romanée Conti across the street, Domaine Liger-Belair now, once again, stands tall in the land of giants.
Tasting with Louis-Michel of 11 2014 Red Wines, 1 2014 White Wine, 1 2006 Red Wine, and 1 2008 Red Wine
At the time of our tasting all of the 2014 red wines were in barrel with the exception of 1 that was bottled. We also tasted a 2014 white wine and 2 older wines. Louis-Michel compares the 2014s as a blend of 2001 and 2008. The wines are balanced with lots of fruit and have good underlying structure. They should show well young, but also repay aging for an extended time.
2014
Barrel
Vosne-Romanée
The production of this Vosne-Romanée is 250 cases. It is a blend of 11 different vineyards. The wine has a nice color and a lovely floral tinged perfume. It is supple and rounded with very good fruit and is well balanced and flavorful – Very Good Potential.
Vosne-Romanée La Colombière
This is a lovely wine. It has a very nice color and a lovely floral perfume with a tinge of spice. It has very pure fruit and is rounded and supple with a lot of elegance and finesse – Very Good Plus Potential.
Vosne Romanée Les Suchots 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a lovely spice tinged berry perfume. It shows lots of fruit with a firm underlying structure and has depth and richness. Patience here will be rewarded – Outstanding Potential.
Vosne-Romanée Les Brûlées 1er Cru
The production of this wine is always only about 25 cases. It is sometimes donated to charity, but never sold. Always a wine with lots of concentration and flavor this 2014 is no exception. It has a deep color and a lovely berry perfume with floral tinges. Balanced, supple, and flavorful with loads of fruit this Les Brûlées is Grand Cru quality – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Cras 1er Cru
This vineyard is adjacent to Vosne-Romanée. The wine shares a similarity with Vosne-Romanée and is elegant and supple. It has a nice color and a lovely floral perfume. The fruit shows a faintly exotic nuance and the wine has depth and balance – Outstanding Potential.
Vosne-Romanée Les Petits Monts 1er Cru
Les Petits Monts is situated just above Richebourg. There were 50 cases of this wine produced. It has a very nice color and a lovely perfume. Supple, rounded, and sappy the wine has a lot of fruit and is balanced with a lot of charm – Outstanding Potential.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Grand Vignes 1er Cru
This wine has a deep color and a lovely spice tinged perfume. It has very good cherry and plum fruit with floral nuances and well integrated underlying tannins with a nice crispness on the finish – Outstanding Potential.
Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots 1er Cru
Aux Reignots is situated just above La Romanée. The Domaine Liger Belair parcel has very old vines that average 60 years old. The 2014 production was 200 cases. The wine has a deep color and a subtle and restrained perfume. With layers of intense blackberry fruit and hints of cassis it is supple and rounded with great balance and richness. This is a wine to lay away for some time – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Echezeaux
With a deep color this Echezeaux has a deep color and a gorgeous cherry perfume with floral nuances. It is lush, soft, and rounded with lots of beautifully balanced fruit and a nice underlying crispness. It will evolve beautifully and show even more complexity with time – Outstanding Plus Potential.
La Romanée
The production of this wine was 300 cases. As usual, it shows intensity and depth with elegance and complexity. The wine has a deep color and a great perfume with an exotic tinge. On the palate there is a myriad of fruits with faint exotic nuances and the finish is long and lingering. This great monopole (single owner) vineyard produces one of the greatest of all Red Burgundies and this along with the small size and production also makes it one of the most expensive – Extraordinary Potential.
White Wine
Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc Clos de Grand Vigne 1er Cru
With a light yellow gold color this wine has a lovely floral perfume with hints of coconut. It is supple and rounded with floral tinged fruit, a tinge of citrus, and a faint exotic tinge. Flavorful and very bright with a nice underlying crispness this is a distinctive wine with a lot of charm – Outstanding Potential.
Bottle
Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château
This wine is always bottled early to preserve the fruit and this 2014 is again really lovely. It has a very nice color and a lovely floral spice perfume. Rounded and supple with lots of fruit and beautiful balance this is a Burgundy with a lot of charm and early appeal – Highly Recommended Plus.
Older Wines
Bottle
2006
Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots 1er Cru
Showing beautifully now, this is a lovely finesseful wine. It has a very nice color and a lovely floral perfume with hints of plum. Elegant and rounded with very pure floral tinged fruit the wine is flavorful and has a lot of charm – Outstanding.
2008
La Romanée
The 2008s were slow to develop, but this 2008 La Romanée has evolved beautifully and is now very open and expressive. It is delicious now, but will have a very long life and continue to evolve for decades. With a very nice color the wine has an intense perfume with nuances of floral spice and faint exotic tinges. Structured and very flavorful it is impressively rich yet maintains a great sense of elegance. The fruit is accented by floral notes with an exotic undertone and the wine has a long lingering finish – Extraordinary.
Domaine Marquis d’Angerville
The history of this revered domaine dates back to the earliest times of the Dukes of the House of Burgundy. In 1507 this area was identified as the one abandoned by the Dukes of the House of Burgundy. Today Domaine Marquis d’Angerville is in almost exactly the one described in 1507. In 1804, Baron Du Mesnil acquired the Clos des Ducs. Also, around the Clos des Ducs were parcels of the famous vineyards of the 12th century Dukes of Bourbon (Taillepieds, Caillerets and Champans). In the second half of the 19th century, the estate of Clos des Ducs is passed on to Eugene du Mesnil, the son of Baron du Mesnil, and great uncle of Shem, Marquis d’Angerville, who is the grandfather of the current owner. A phylloxera epidemic ravaged the vineyards in the late 19th century and he does not take possession until almost 20 years later.
Shem, Marquis d’Angerville, begins the restoration and replanting of the property in 1906. He bases this on strict adherence to historical practices and becomes a strong advocate of “authentic wine”. He practiced non-interventionist winemaking which he learned from his father and believed in doing as little as possible to the wine. His dedication to quality and natural wines causes him to separate his business from the traders in Beaune and seek other ways to sell his wine. By necessity, he becomes on of the first producers in Burgundy to bottle and sell the wine from the estate. This includes marketing in the United States. Shem Angerville passed away in 1952 and his son Jacques assumed control of the domaine. He, like his father was a strong advocate of quality and traditions and was an ambassador not only for his domaine, but for the village of Volnay, and the area of Burgundy. He was involved with many organizations. And, amongst many other things, he helped create the University Institute of Vine and Wine in Dijon and was a founding member of the International Academy of Wine. His dedication to quality and authenticity lead him, along with Baron Leroy, to create the National Institute of Appellations of Origin (INAO).
With my friends, I first started going to this domaine in the 1980s when we first met and tasted wine with Jacques d’Angerville. He was a wonderful and gracious man. I remember tasting the 1990s here and marveling at the quality. I still have some in my cellar and they are remarkable today. Jacques d’Angerville died prematurely in July 2003. He vinified 52 vintages and dedicated his life to his domaine, Volnay, and Burgundy. An iconic figure, he will be forever remembered not only for his wines, but for helping to preserve the great legacy of Burgundy.
After Jacques death, the Angerville family wanted to continue the great tradition of the domaine. Guillaume d’Angerville, the son of Jacques, left his career in investment banking and returned to take over the domaine in 2003. He is assisted by his brother-in-law, Renaud de Villette, an agricultural engineer, who worked with his father for 15 years and has stayed on as a consultant. With Guillaume d’Angerville in charge there have been subtle but important changes in the last few years to improve the consistency and purity of the wine even more. These include such things as introducing a sorting table and a more delicate way of crushing the grapes. Recent vintages, although challenging and very small, have shown a very high quality. The estate is in good hands and it can be assured that the great traditions of this amazing property will be continued into the future.
Tasting with Guillaume d’Angerville of 7 2014 Red Wines, 1 2014 White Wine, and 1 1999 Red Wine
In recent years, the domaine has been ravaged by Mother Nature and produced only 50% of a normal crop in each of the 4 vintages from 2010 to 2013. And, for the first time in the storied history of this domaine, there was no profit in 2012. The production in 2012 was 1/4 normal. In 2013 it was about 1/2 normal. In 2014 production was up but still only 2/3 normal. 2015 looks to be about the same production as 2014.
2014
Barrel
Volnay
With a deep color this Volnay has a lovely floral perfume and lots of fruit. It is rounded and flavorful with very nice balance – Very Good Potential.
Volnay Clos des Angles 1er Cru
This wine has a deep color and lovely berry perfume. On the palate it is rounded with balanced floral tinged berry fruit and a nice underlying crispness – Very Good Plus Potential.
Volnay Fremiet 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a lovely berry perfume with a faint tinge of spice. It has lots of supple fruit again with a faint spiciness and shows very good structure with well integrated tannins – Very Good Plus Potential.
Volnay Caillerets 1er Cru
This Caillerets has a deep color and a gorgeous floral berry perfume. It has lots of supple berry fruit showing richness and depth and is balanced with a long finish – Outstanding Potential.
Volnay Taillepieds 1er Cru
This Taillepieds is a gorgeous wine. It has a deep color and a lovely perfume with great fruit. Flavorful and well balanced with good underlying structure the wine has richness and depth and a long finish – Outstanding Potential.
Volnay Champans 1er Cru
With a deep color this Champans has a lovely berry perfume. It has lots of fruit with a firm underlying structure and is flavorful with impressive depth and concentration – Outstanding Potential.
Volnay Clos des Ducs 1er Cru
This is a well situated walled vineyard of approximately 4 ½ acres that sits in the back of the d’Angerville house. It is a monopole (sole owner) vineyard with a history going back to the Dukes of Burgundy. The vines are approximately 45 years old. It is a wine of complexity and depth with long aging potential.
This 2014 is a gorgeous wine. It has a deep color and a lovely floral berry perfume. On the palate there is lots of fruit and the wine is supple and quite rich. Balanced and flavorful there is good underlying structure and impressive length – Outstanding Plus Potential.
White Wine
Meursault Santenots 1er Cru
With a light yellow color this Meursault has a gorgeous floral tinged perfume with subtle hints of citrus and pineapple. Beautifully balanced with very pure fruit showing a nice underlying crispness and a long finish this wine should blossom with some years of bottle age – Outstanding Potential.
Bottle
1999 Volnay Clos des Ducs 1er Cru
This is a gorgeous 1999 that is showing beautifully now. It has a deep color and a great berry perfume with faint floral nuances. Packed with fruit the wine is rich and deep with full flavors showing berry fruit, spice tinges, a faint foresty undertone. With great balance and lots of intensity this Clos des Ducs is slated for a very long life ahead and will gain even more complexity with time – Outstanding Plus.
Domaine Ponsot
The origin of this domaine began in 1872 when William Ponsot purchased vineyards in Morey Saint Denis, including a parcel of Clos de la Roche. In 1920, his nephew, Hippolyte Ponsot, succeeded him and was joined by his brother Henri. During this period additions were made in Clos de la Roche and in 1934 the decision was made to bottle the entire harvest at the estate. This was a very uncommon practice at this time since most growers sold their grapes or wine to negociants who would do the bottling and marketing. A few years later, Hippolyte Ponsot was one of the leaders of the AOC certification for wines in Burgundy.
In 1942, Jean-Marie joined his father Hippolyte who retired in 1957. Jean-Marie pioneered the clonal selection of vines in Burgundy in the early 1960s. During this period more vineyards were also added. As mentioned previously the first parcel of Clos de la Roche was purchased in 1872 and the first domaine bottling was 1934. Since 1936 Clos de la Roche has been greatly expanded from just under 10 acres to over 33 acres today. Today Domaine Ponsot is the largest owner of Clos de la Roche with holdings of about 8 acres all situated in the original plot that existed prior to 1936.
Laurent Ponsot joined the family domaine in 1981 and under his direction more vineyards have been added. Since 1982, Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes, Griottes-Chambertin, Clos Saint Denis, and Chambertin are made under an agreement with Domaine Chezeaux. Domaine Chezeaux owns the vines and Ponsot farms the vineyards and makes and bottles the wine. The production is then split between Domaine Ponsot and Domaine Chezeaux on the basis of 2/3 for Ponsot and 1/3 for Chezeaux. When the wine is bottled the casks are blended for each wine. Then Ponsot corks go in 2/3 of the bottles and Chezeaux corks go in the other 1/3. So, except for the labels, the wines are exactly the same. More recently, he has added Clos Vougeot Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, Corton Charlemagne, Corton Bressandes, Corton Cuvée de Bourdon, and Chambertin Clos de Beze.
Laurent is an iconic personality! After learning that fraudulent bottles of old Ponsot wines were going to be offered at a U.S. auction, Laurent personally came to the auction and demanded that the wines be withdrawn. Since then he has been a leader in taking precautions to prevent fraud. These include such things as labels with watermarks like bank notes, embossed bottles, seals between the glass and capsule, and a unique code on each bottle that can be matched against a list on the internet to verify the authenticity of the wine. Beginning with the 2011 vintage he added an electronic chip that can monitor the temperature and for the 2012 vintage the bottles have a chip that will record a 15 year history of the temperature and also tell the location of the wine! So make no mistake. Laurent is very serious about putting the wine fraud crooks out of business. Don’t mess with Domaine Ponsot!
In terms of winemaking, Laurent is the exact opposite if those who use all new oak and, in the extreme, double new oak. He believes in using no new oak. In fact, entering the barrel room here is like going into a senior citizens home for barrels. He jokes that his youngest barrel is 50 years old. And this is not too far off from reality. He is emphatic that Burgundy does not need new wood to achieve complexity. This is based on the theory that the nutrients in the grapes come through the roots and the wood structure of the vines and that this imparts some of the unique complexity of Burgundy. He also believes in old vines which produce less quantity and more concentrated wines. (The average age of vines here is 50 years!) And the wines speak for themselves. Year after year, the wines of Domaine Ponsot are among the best in Burgundy!
Tasting with Laurent Ponsot of 12 2014 Red Wines and 4 2014 White Wines
The yields here in 2014 were 25 hectoliters per hectare up from the severely reduced yields of 15 hectoliters per hectare in 2013. Yields here are always relatively low with 25 hectoliters per hectare being the average production over the last 20 years. This year for the first time we did not taste the 2014s from barrel. Rather the samples were drawn and placed in bottles for the sit down tasting. This allowed more time for conversation and Laurent was at his usual candid, irreverent, humorous, and informative best. And, as always, the wines were very impressive.
2014
Barrel
Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Grives
Grives means thrush in English. This wine is made from grapes grown on young vines. It has a very nice color and a lovely perfume and is balanced with very nice fruit – Very Good Potential.
Chambolle-Chambertin Les Charmes 1er Cru
This is a really nice wine. It has a very nice color and a gorgeous floral perfume. Supple and rounded with lots of supple rounded fruit there is a bright underlying crispness and the wine is balanced and very flavorful – Outstanding Potential.
Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Alouettes 1er Cru
Alouettes means lark in English. This wine has a very nice color and a lovely floral perfume with hints of cherry. With lovely cherry tinged fruit it is bright and crisp with very nice balance, depth, and concentration – Outstanding Potential.
Corton
With a very nice color this Corton has a lovely perfume with a tinge of mint. The wine is very lush, yet bright with lots of fruit and flavor and a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding Potential.
Corton Cuvée de Bourdon
Bourdon means bumblebee in English. With a deep color this wine has a gorgeous cherry tinged perfume. It has lots of fruit and is balanced and supple with a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding Potential.
Corton Bressandes
This is a gorgeous Corton Bressandes. It has a deep color and a great floral tinged perfume. On the palate there is lots of floral tinged fruit and the wine is very stylistic and beautifully balanced with a long lingering finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Charmes Chambertin Cuvée des Merles
Merles means blackbirds in English. This Charmes-Chambertin is a very stylistic wine with lots of elegance. It has very nice color and a deep perfume with floral tinged fruit. There is lots of very pure cherry tinged fruit and the wine is supple and beautifully balanced with a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Griottes-Chambertin
With a very nice color this Griottes-Chambertin has a lovely cherry tinged perfume and lots of fruit with floral cherry tinges. The wine is very expressive with elegance and lovely balance and has a nice crispness on the finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chapelle-Chambertin
With a very nice color this wine has a lovely perfume and lots of fruit. It is elegant and stylistic with very nice balance and good depth. Presently it is a bit subdued, but should open with time – Outstanding/Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambertin Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
The vines here are 55 years old. The wine has a very nice color and a lovely berry perfume with a floral tinge. It has lovely fruit and is rounded yet with lots of structure and balance and has depth and richness – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambertin Clos de Beze
With a very nice color this Clos De Beze has a lovely perfume and very good depth and richness. It is flavorful and shows a firm underlying structure with balanced tannins that will need some time to resolve – Outstanding/Outstanding Plus Potential.
Clos de Vougeot Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
This is an absolutely terrific Clos de Vougeot. It has a deep color and a great perfume showing a myriad of fruits. On the palate there is an abundance of complex fruit flavors and the wine is full, rich, and rounded with beautiful balance – Outstanding Plus/ExtraordinaryPotential.
Clos St Denis Cuvée Très Vieilles Vignes
This is a stunning wine of great intensity and richness. It has a deep color and a great floral berry perfume with a faint tinge of exotic spice. With layers of very complex fruit the wine is balanced and very flavorful with a long lingering finish – Extraordinary Potential.
Clos de la Roche Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
Domaine Ponsot is the largest owner of vines in Clos de la Roche. The first parcel was purchased in 1872 and the first estate bottling was 1934. The holdings total about 7½ acres of old vines. About 6½ acres are from the original Grand Cru plot of some 9 acres. Later the vineyard was expanded by adding portions of adjacent vineyards. But, the great thing about the Clos de la Roche is that unlike the other Grand Crus which are produced in relatively small quantities, production here is relatively large.
Always a wine of great intensity, this 2014 is very harmonious and layered. It has a very nice color and deep berry perfume. It is full and rounded with lots of plum and berry fruit and is balanced with depth and richness – Outstanding Plus/Extraordinary Potential.
White Wine
Laurent says that he uses no sulphur in his white wines. And, of course, he uses only old barrels. These factors he says prevent his whites from being affected by Premox (premature aging) which has plagued many White Burgundy producers since the mid 90s (to read an article on Premox click here). I do not have personal experience with aging and drinking old Ponsot white wines with the exception of the Morey Saint Denis Clos Des Mont Luisants Vieilles Vignes which is a wine that I know and love.
Saint-Romaine Cuvée de la Mésangs
Mesanges means chickadees in English. Saint-Romaine is located in a side valley to the west of Auxey-Duress. This is a lovely wine. It has a light yellow gold color and a very nice perfume showing hints of tropical spice. With lovely fruit it has nice richness and a nice underlying crispness – Very Good Plus Potential.
Morey St Denis Clos des Monts Luisants 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes
This is a monopole of Domaine Ponsot and is part of the estate’s original landholdings. It is a unique and rare wine made from 100% Aligote vines planted in 1911. Before the vine disease phylloxera ravaged Burgundy, the predominant white grape in Burgundy was Aligote. Very little remains today as the law now states that new plantings must be Chardonnay to be called White Burgundy. Therefore a plot like Morey Saint Denis Clos Mont Luisants is unique. It is consistently a wine of amazing complexity and has the ability to age for decades. In fact, Laurent thinks the wine always requires a minimum of 10 years of bottle age to show its full potential.
Light yellow gold in color the wine has a deep floral/herbal perfume and lots of fruit. It is full, rich, and rounded with citrus tinges and a long very crisp finish. Time will be required for the wine to develop its full complexity – Outstanding/Outstanding Plus Potential.
Corton Charlemagne
There were 200 cases of this Corton Charlemagne produced. There is lots of structure and potential here. The wine has a light yellow gold color and has a lovely floral faintly exotic citrus tinged perfume. There is lots of intense fruit with a citrus pineapple tinge and the wine has very good underlying acidity and a long finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Montrachet
The production of this Montrachet was 50 cases. The wine has a light yellow color and a gorgeous faintly honeyed perfume with floral citrus nuances. It is rich, full, and round with great intensity and honeyed citrus tinged flavors and a long crisp finish – Outstanding Plus/Extraordinary Potential.
Domaine Robert Groffier Père & Fils
The history of this domaine began in the nineteenth century with Frédéric Groffier. His son Jules acquired most of the parcels in the 1930s and was succeeded by Robert who began selling the wine in bottles. I started buying Robert Groffier wines in 1978. I still have some 1978s in my cellar that have aged beautifully. In the early 1980s when we first started going to Burgundy we visited this domaine. Robert was in charge then and we had many nice visits with him. Later on his son Serge took over and followed in his father’s footsteps. And, for the past 10 years or so Serge’s son Nicolas has been in charge, although Robert and Serge are still involved. Nicolas describes his job as following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and making Burgundies true to their terroir. For nearly 40 years I have been buying, cellaring, and drinking Domaine Robert Groffier Burgundies. They are very consistent and easy to drink young or old.
Tasting With Nicolas Groffier of 8 2014 Red Wines, 3 2013 Red Wines, and 3 2002 Red Wines
It had been many years since we had been to Domaine Robert Groffier so this visit was the first time that we met Nicolas. Nicolas told us that he is committed to making traditional style Burgundies like his father and grandfather. Yields are limited and the grapes are sorted after harvest. The amount of wood and the percentage whole cluster fermentation varies from vineyard to vineyard and from year to year. We tasted the 2014s and they were impressive across the entire range. The 2013s were also and the 2002s were fine representations of older Burgundy. Yields in 2014 were normal. Nicolas believes that the 2014s are wines for aging, but are more approachable than the 2013s which need aging. The yields in 2013 were 20-30% below normal whereas the yields in 2014 were normal. As for 2015, Nicolas believes it is a great vintage. The yields in 2015 were below normal, but slightly above 2013.
2014
Barrel
Bourgogne Passetoutgrains
This wine is made with 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Gamay. It is really fruity and delicious. With a deep color the wine has a lovely berry perfume and is supple and rounded with lots of early appeal – Very Good Potential.
Bourgogne Rouge
This Bourgogne is made from Pinot Noir grapes grown on 2 different vineyards. One is located next to Clos Vougeot and the other is located next to the vineyards of Morey Saint Denis. As with the Passetoutgrains the wine is aged only in old wood. It has a deep color and a great berry perfume and is very lush, rounded, soft and fruity on the palate – Very Good Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Les Serbets
This village Gevrey is from a single parcel just below Mazoyères-Chambertin and the route nationale and just north of Morey-Saint-Denis. It was aged in 1/3 new oak barrels and 1/3 was made with whole cluster fermentation. The wine has a deep color and a subtle berry perfume tinged with spice. On the palate there is lots of supple fruit with spice tinges and the wine is balanced and very flavorful – Very Good Plus Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Hauts Doix 1er Cru
Les Hauts-Doix is a vineyard down slope from Les Amoureuses. The vines here average about 35 years old. For this vintage, 20% of the wine was aged in new oak and 20% of the wine was made with whole cluster fermentation. It has a deep color and lovely berry perfume with floral spice tinges. Supple, rounded, and very flavorful with lots of spice tinged berry fruit this wine has a lot of charm and early appeal – Outstanding Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er Cru
Sentiers is a vineyard down slope from Bonnes-Mares and on the border with Morey-Saint-Denis. The vines here are 80 years old. The wine was made using 50% new oak and 80% of the wine was made with whole cluster fermentation. With a deep color it has a lovely berry perfume with spice nuances and is loaded with supple spice tinged fruit. Flavorful and beautifully balanced this wine shows a lot early charm – Outstanding Potential.
Bonnes Mares
Domaine Groffier’s holding in Bonnes Mares is next to that of Roumier and runs from the bottom to top. The vines are 80 years old. There were 420 cases of this wine produced and it was aged in 50% new oak with 80% of the wine made using whole cluster fermentation. It has a deep color and a great berry perfume accented by tinges of floral spice. Full, rich, and rounded the wine has depth and a firm underlying structure and should age beautifully – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru
Les Amoureuses is nearly 12 acres in size. There are some 13 owners with Domaine Robert Groffier having the largest holding at approximately 2 ½ acres. While officially classified as Premier Cru, the vineyard has long been regarded as Grand Cru in quality and the wines are priced accordingly. There were 500 cases of this wine produced and it was aged 50% in new oak with 50% of the wine made using whole cluster fermentation. The wine has a deep color and a great floral perfume tinged with berry fruit and a kiss of spice. It is rounded, supple, and lush with lots of floral tinged berry fruit and has elegance, depth, balance and charm – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambertin Clos de Bèze
There were 165 cases of this wine produced. It has a deep color and a great spice tinged berry perfume. With lots of rich, supple fruit the wine has intensity and depth with lots of flavor and should age beautifully over a long period of time – Outstanding Plus Potential.
2013
Bottle
Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a great floral berry perfume. It has depth and lots of supple floral tinged fruit with a firm underlying structure. Very approachable now, the wine will continue to evolve for many years into the future – Outstanding.
Bonnes Mares
This wine has a deep color and a lovely berry perfume with a tinge of mint. It has lots of fruit and has depth and richness with balance and well integrated tannins – Outstanding Plus.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a lovely floral perfume and is very expressive with lots of fruit backed by a balanced underlying crispness. Very flavorful with intensity and depth it is very seductive and should age beautifully – Outstanding Plus.
2002
Chambolle-Musigny Les Hauts Doix 1er Cru
With a deep color just faintly amber at the edge this wine has a complex perfume with foresty, exotic tinges and hints of plums and spice. Loaded with lush, supple, spice tinged plummy fruit it is flavorful and expressive with a long finish – Outstanding.
Bonnes Mares
With a deep color showing just a tinge of amber at the edge this Bonnes Mares is developing slowly. It has a lovely foresty tinged perfume with floral spice undertones and is flavorful and quite rich with foresty, spicy nuances and a faint underlying minty quality. Structured with a firm underlying backbone this Bonnes Mares has a long life ahead – Outstanding Plus.
Chambertin Clos de Beze
Drinking beautifully now this Chambertin Clos de Beze has a deep color with a faint amber tinge and a deep foresty floral tinged perfume with hints of spice. Supple and rounded with great balance and flavor the wine has a foresty quality with spice tinges and lovely fruit. Delicious now, the wine seems fully mature, but should keep for many years into the future – Outstanding Plus.
Alex Gambal
We first met Alex Gambal many years ago when he began working in Burgundy. We lost touch and in 2012 made our first visit to his winery. The story here is quite remarkable. Alex Gambal is an American whose background was in the real estate business. But, he fell in love with Burgundy wine. On a vacation to Burgundy with his family, he met another American, Becky Wasserman, who had moved to Burgundy years before. Becky had established a business as a Burgundy wine broker and she encouraged him to start by working with her. He accepted and moved to Burgundy with his family in 1993. During this time he also studied winemaking in Beaune for a year before establishing his negociant business in 1997. He first purchased wine and in 1998 began making his own wine from purchased grapes. In 2003 he was able to purchase his first vineyard and in 2004 to purchase a building which has been renovated into the current winery facility and offices. Many of the relationships that enabled him to make these initial purchases came from the parents of his children’s classmates who were in the real estate and wine business. In the succeeding years, Alex has continued to buy vineyards and establish financial partnerships (many of whom are with Americans) to buy vineyards in Burgundy. These arrangements often involve the partners receiving bottled wine produced from those vineyards at “market value”. By being able to effectively sell a portion of the production at a higher price than through a traditional marketing arrangement, Alex is able to pay more for vineyards that come up for sale.
So in 20 years, literally starting from scratch, Alex Gambal, a Burgundian “outsider”, has been able to establish a thriving business. Production today averages 5,000-6,000 cases per year and about 20 different wines are produced. Quite a number of these are produced in small quantities of under 100 cases. About 1/3 of the production comes from estate vineyards and 2/3s from wine made from mostly from grapes purchased under long term contracts with a small amount purchased as juice. Since 2009 there have been no purchased wines. The estate vineyards consist of vineyards that produce Bourgogne (red and white), Savigny-Les-Beaune Les Picotins, Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie 1er Cru, Chassagne-Montrachet L’Ormeau, Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseigneres and Batard Montrachet. The vineyards are now biodynamic certified.
This is how Alex describes the winemaking: “Our winemaking is practical and is based on Burgundy practices and tradition. That is to say that there are no great wines without great grapes; thus our focus is on the vineyard and the work necessary to harvest the ripest grapes as possible. Each growing season is different and we respect what nature gives; we harvest when the grapes are ready (not when it is convenient for us) and use the grapes indigenous yeasts. We understand that wine is as much a living product as is the vine.”
Both the red and white wines here show a lot of elegance and finesse. The 2014s will give a lot of pleasure at an early stage of their life and are very fine examples of wines from this vintage.
Tasting with Chief Operating Officer Alexandre Brault of 11 Red Wines and 9 White Wines
Red Wines
Domaine
Tank
Bourgogne
This is a very nice Bourgogne. It has a nice color and a lovely floral tinged perfume. With very good fruit the wine is supple and nicely balanced with a lot of early appeal – Very Good Potential.
Savigny Les Beaune Le Grands Picotins
This Savigny Les Beaune has a lovely floral perfume and lots of floral tinged berry fruit. It is supple and rounded with very nice balance and flavor – Very Good Potential.
Negociant
Tank
Chorey Le Beaune
This is a lovely wine. It has a very nice color and a lovely berry perfume. The fruit is supple and rounded with good depth and nice balance – Very Good Potential.
Vougeot
This wine has a very nice color and a lovely spice tinged perfume. On the palate the fruit has a floral tinge and the wine is nicely balanced and very supple – Very Good Potential.
Barrel
Volnay
With a deep color this Volnay has a deep color and a nice berry perfume. It has lovely fruit and is finesseful with very nice balance and a lot of charm – Very Good Potential.
Beaune Les Grèves 1er Cru
This is a lovely balanced wine with a lot of fruit and charm. It has a deep color and a lovely floral tinged berry perfume. On the palate the fruit is very pure and the wine is flavorful with a very nice finish – Very Good Plus Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny
This Chambolle-Musigny has a subtle perfume and nice supple fruit. It is rounded and flavorful with very nice balance and a lot of early appeal – Very Good Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Aux Echanges 1er Cru
Aux Echanges is a monopole (single owner) vineyard with grapes sold to several different producers. The vineyard is located at the bottom of the slope and only a part is classified Premier Cru. There were 50 cases of this wine produced. It has a deep color and a lovely floral tinged berry perfume. With lots of floral spice tinged fruit the wine has depth with very nice balance and a nice finish – Very Good Plus Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes 1er Cru
There were 50 cases of this wine produced. It has a deep color and a lovely floral perfume. On the palate it has lots of supple berry fruit and is balanced and flavorful – Very Good Plus Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
This is a very nice Gevrey-Chambertin. It has a very nice color and a lovely spice tinged berry perfume. The spice tinged fruit is balanced and the wine has depth and richness – Very Good Plus Potential.
Charmes Chambertin
There were 75 cases of this wine produced. It has a deep color and a lovely floral tinged berry perfume with a hint of spice. The wine has lots of fruit and is balanced and flavorful with nice persistence. It should age beautifully – Outstanding Potential.
White Wines
Domaine
Tank
Bourgogne Blanc
This is a lovely Bourgogne. It has a very light yellow color and a lovely floral citrus tinged perfume. It is fruity and bright with citrus tinges and shows a nice crispness on the finish – Very Good Potential.
Barrel
Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie 1er Cru
The vines here are 6o years old. The production of this wine was 75 cases and it is gorgeous. Light yellow in color it has a lovely floral citrus tinged perfume. On the palate there is lots of beautifully balanced citrus tinged fruit and the wine has concentration and a long finish – Outstanding Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseigneres
The vines here are 45 years old and the vineyard lies just below Bienvenues Batard Montrachet. The production was just under 90 cases. The wine has a light yellow color and a great floral tinged citrus perfume. Flavorful with a lot of fruit and it is lush and rounded with a nice underlying crispness and impressive length – Outstanding Potential.
Batard Montrachet
The production of this wine was just under 65 cases. It is a really lovely Batard. With a light yellow color the wine has a gorgeous floral perfume with honeyed nuances. It has very lush faintly honeyed fruit and is supple and rounded with a nice underlying citrus tinged crispness and a long finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Negociant
Saint Romain
This wine has a light yellow color and a gorgeous perfume. It has lovely citrus tinged fruit and is balanced and flavorful – Very Good Plus Potential.
Fixin Blanc
Light yellow in color this wine has a very nice perfume and lovely citrus tinged fruit. It is flavorful with a nice underlying crispness and is nicely balanced – Very Good Potential.
Chassagne-Montrachet
The grapes for this wine come from 2 separate parcels. It is light yellow in color and has a deep floral tinged perfume with hints of citrus. It has lots of fruit with floral citrus tinges and is nicely balanced and flavorful with a nice crispness on the finish – Very Good Plus Potential.
Saint-Aubin Murgers des Dents de Chien 1er Cru
This Saint-Aubin vineyard is situated just above Montrachet and Chevalier Montrachet. The name means “Walls of Dogs’ Teeth” and refers to the stone walls that a situated in the area. This is a lovely example. The wine has a light yellow color and a mineral tinged floral perfume with hints of citrus. It is rounded and elegant with lovely flavors showing hints of floral tinged citrus and a very nice crispness on the finish – Very Good Plus Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet
The fruit for this wine comes from 3 different parcels. The wine has a light yellow color and a lovely floral perfume. It has lots of very pure citrus tinged fruit and is flavorful with depth and balance and a nice crispness on the finish – Very Good Plus Potential.
Bouchard Père et Fils
The history of this negociant dates back to 1731. In 1995 Champagne Joseph Henriot acquired the property consisting of an extensive inventory of some 1,000,000 bottled wines including 2000 bottles of pre phylloxera wine, the largest vineyard holdings in the Cote d’ Or, the buildings and winery, and the name and brands. This looks to have been one of the greatest acquisitions in the long history of Burgundy.
Since Joseph Henriot acquired the property there have been major investments made in the property and vineyards with the focus exclusively on the wines of Burgundy. These include a new winery facility in 2005 and significant increases in vineyard holdings. The major vineyard acquisitions were Domaine Ropiteau, a major Meursault estate, in 1996 and William Fevre, one of the most important domaines in Chablis, in 1998. Today Bouchard continues to be the largest land owner in the Cote d’Or with 325 acres of vineyards, including 30 acres of Grand Cru and 185 acres of Premier Cru.
Historically Bouchard has had three types of bottlings:
1) Negociant – primarily buying grapes rather than juice or completed wines
2) Exclusive – where they do not own the land, but handle the wine including bottling and marketing
3) Domaine bottled from owned vineyards.
Today the majority of their production is Domaine bottlings, but negociant bottlings can go up to nearly 50% of the total.
We have tasted here for many years and, with the exception of premox problems with some vintages of their white wines, the wines have been consistently at a very high level. In recent years Bouchard has consistently reduced their use of new oak giving the wines a purer expression of fruit. And since 2009 they have used exclusively diam corks (a type of synthetic cork) for the white wines. The belief now is that the Premox problems are resolved. Since 2013 Frederic Weber has been the winemaker after previously working as assistant winemaker for some 10 years. The 2013 vintage here was very successful and the 2014s follow this trend with wines showing lots of balanced wine and purity.
Tasting of 12 2014 Red Wines and 13 2014 White Wines with Frederic Weber
Frederic said that in 2014 the sun came back at the end of August and a north wind dried the vineyards under shining sun. Overall production was down 35% in 2014. In the Côte de Nuits production was normal, but in the Côte de Beaune production was down sharply. Overall, the wines here in 2014 look to be very successful particularly for the white wines.
2014 Red Wines
Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils
Barrel
Savigny-Les-Beaune Les Lavieres 1er Cru
This is a lovely balanced wine with a deep color and floral spice tinged berry perfume. It has lots of fruit with floral spice nuances and is flavorful with a nice finish – Very Good Plus Potential.
Beaune Teurons 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a lovely perfume with hints of berry and plum and a tinge of spice. On the palate there is lots of supple fruit with a nice underlying structure and balance – Very Good Plus Potential.
Volnay Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot 1er Cru
The vines here are 45 years old and the yield in 2014 was greatly reduced. The wine has a deep color and a great perfume with floral berry fruit and a tinge of spice. It is balanced and very flavorful with lots of berry and cherry fruit and a long finish. This is really delicious and should have a long life ahead – Outstanding Potential.
Pommard Rugiens 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a lovely berry perfume with a kiss of spice. It has lots of fruit and richness with a good underlying backbone and crispness. It should evolve over many years – Very Good Plus Potential.
Beaune Grèves De L’Enfant Jésus 1er Cru
A relatively large vineyard just under 10 acres in size, this vineyard is a monopole (sole owner) that has been owned by Bouchard since 1791. It is consistently very special and is a wine that is capable of aging for a very long time. The yields in 2014 were greatly reduced and this wine has real depth and richness. With a deep color it shows a great perfume with berries and plums intermingled with floral spice nuances. On the palate there is an abundance of supple fruit with tinges of spice showing a faint exotic tinge and the finish is long and lingering. Very harmonious and balanced this is really lovely in all respects – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Le Corton
This is a gorgeous Corton. It has a deep color and a great floral perfume with hints of plums and spice. Soft and supple with luscious rich fruit showing a faint exotic tinge the wine is beautifully balanced with a long finish and should evolve over a long period of time – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Cailles 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has lovely perfume with hints of plums and spice. It has lots of very pure fruit and is flavorful and balanced with a firm underlying structure. This is a really nice Nuits-Saint-Georges – Outstanding Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru
There were 50 cases of this wine produced. It is made from grapes grown on vines that are over 60 years old and is an excellent example of Les Cazetiers. Les Cazetiers is capable of producing a Grand Cru quality wine and that is demonstrated here. The wine has a deep color and a gorgeous spice tinged perfume of berries and plums. On the palate it has lots of depth and richness with and abundance of fruit and great underlying structure. This is a wine that will be very approachable young, but will really blossom with some bottle age – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Echezeaux
Echezeaux is a large vineyard of 92 acres comprised of 11 different sections with some 80 different owners. The grapes for this wine come from a parcel of just under an acre in the En Orveux section. It has a deep color and a great floral tinged berry perfume. With lots of very supple fruit showing a faint exotic tinge the wine has great balance and flavor and shows a lot of elegance and complexity. This is a lovely example of Echezeaux – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Negociant
Bottle
Bourgogne Pinot Noir Reserve
This is a lovely Bourgogne that will offer good value. It has a deep color and a lovely berry perfume with a faint floral tinge. Soft, rounded, and supple the wine has very nice fruit and a lot of charm – Highly Recommended.
Barrel
Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots 1er Cru
With a deep color this wine has a lovely berry perfume with a faint floral nuance. On the palate it has lovely fruit with a faint spice tinge and is bright and flavorful with good underlying structure. It should round out nicely with additional bottle age – Outstanding Potential.
Chambertin-Clos-De-Beze
Just now this Chambertin-Clos-De-Beze is a bit restrained. It has a deep color and a lovely perfume of floral tinged berry fruit with a kiss of spice. It has very nice spice tinged berry fruit and a balanced underlying structure. With time it should round out and become more expressive – Outstanding/Outstanding Plus Potential.
White Wines
2014
Negociant
Bottle
Bourgogne Chardonnay Reserve
This is a really nice Bourgogne that should represent good value. It is pale yellow in color with a lovely perfume showing a floral tinge. With very nice fruit and balanced by a nice underlying crispness this is a wine with a lot of early appeal – Highly Recommended.
Barrel
Domaine William Fèvre
The 2014 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis are very crisp. They can be compared to 2007 and 2010 and should evolve with some additional bottle age.
Chablis Montée De Tonnerre 1er Cru
Pale yellow in color this Chablis has a nice stony, mineral, citrus tinged perfume with very faint floral undertones. It is very crisp and bright with nice fruit tinged showing a citrus and mineral nuance. Typically racy in style, this Montee De Tonnerre is particularly so this year – Very Good Potential.
Chablis Bougros Grand Cru
With a pale yellow color this wine has a deep floral citrus perfume with hints of green apple. It has very nice citrus tinged fruit and is rounded and flavorful with a very crisp finish – Very Good Plus Potential.
Chablis Bougros Côte Bouguerots Grand Cru
Pale yellow in color with deep faintly mineral tinged floral citrus perfume this Chablis is rounded and flavorful. It has lots of minerality and citrus nuances underneath and the finish is long and very crisp. This wine should age beautifully – Outstanding Potential.
Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru
This is a lovely Chablis. It has a pale yellow color and lovely citrus and mineral tinged perfume with faint hints of peach. The fruit is very pure and refined with citrus and mineral undertones and the wine has a very crisp finish – Outstanding Potential.
Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru
Pale yellow in color this Chablis has a subtle perfume of citrus with mineral tinges and a faint hint of almond. It is a wine of finesse with very pure fruit showing citrus and mineral undertones and a very nice crispness on the finish – Outstanding Potential.
Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils
Beaune Clos Saint-Landry 1er Cru
This is a very special vineyard that is solely owned by Bouchard. Chardonnay vines have been planted here since the 13th century. The yields were quite low in 2014 and this is a simply gorgeous wine. It has a gorgeous floral perfume with hints of peach and is very expressive, elegant, and bright with lovely fruit showing a pineapple tinge. Balanced and very refined this is a lovely White Burgundy with lots of appeal – Outstanding Potential.
Meursault Genevières 1er Cru
Made from grapes grown on vines 30-35 years old this is a gorgeous beautifully balanced Meursault. It is pale yellow in color with a lovely floral citrus perfume and a tinge of pineapple. A wine of great style and finesse it flavorful and exudes charm – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Meursault Perrières 1er Cru
Pale yellow in color this Meursault is rather restrained and will need several years of bottle age to open. It is pale yellow in color and has mineral tinged perfume with floral undertones. The fruit is presently masked by a citrus and mineral component and a firm underlying crispness. But, the wine has depth and is flavorful and just needs time to round out – Outstanding Potential.
Corton-Charlemagne
The grapes for this wine come from an approximate 8 ½ acre parcel of 50-55 year old vines. Pale yellow in color it has a gorgeous floral tinged perfume with a faint hints of peach and citrus. On the palate there is lots of floral tinged fruit and the wine is lush and rounded with very good underlying acidity and a nice crispness on the finish. This Corton-Charlemagne should age beautifully – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chevalier-Montrachet
The grapes for this wine come from a parcel of just under 6 acres of 30-35 year old vines.
It has a pale yellow color and a complex perfume with floral, citrus, mineral, and exotic fruit nuances. It has lovely fruit with floral, honeyed, and citrus tinges and is beautifully balanced with a long crisp finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte
From a small (under ½ acre) plot of vines that were de-classified from Montrachet this vineyard is a monopole (sole owner). The wine is named for the small house (Cabotte) that sits on the property. It is always a wine of great flavor, style, and finesse and this 2014 is a great example that will develop beautifully with additional age. The color is pale yellow and the wine has a gorgeous perfume that is honeyed with citrus nuances and a faint floral tinge. Impeccably balanced it has very pure fruit with faint honeyed citrus tinges and is very long on the finish with a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding Plus/Extraordinary Potential
Le Montrachet
With a plot of just under 2 acres Bouchard one of the largest owners of Montrachet. The wine has been absolutely gorgeous in recent vintages and this is yet another superb wine. Pale yellow in color it has a gorgeous floral perfume with an intermingling of citrus and a faint honeyed nuance. It has lots of fruit with floral honeyed tinges and has great balance and flavor with a very long citrus tinged finish – Extraordinary Potential.
Pierre Yves is the eldest son of Marc Colin. He was the winemaker at his father’s domaine from 2001 to 2005 and set up a negociant business with his wife Caroline Morey in 2001. In 2006 he left his father’s domaine and now concentrates on white wines both as a negociant and grower. The domaine has some 10 acres of vineyard located in St. Aubin and Chassagne Montrachet. Many of the vineyards have very old vines. Pierre Yves does not differentiate between wines made from purchased grapes or barrels and estate grown grapes. All the wines are treated the same.
In a very short time, he has established a reputation for making some of the best white wines in Burgundy. His wines are very pure and have great elegance and breed. His Saint-Aubins are consistently first rate. Saint-Aubin is situated in the hills just above Chassagne Montachet and Pierre Yves crafts wines from here that are the equal of many Chassagne Montrachet Premier Crus. His domaine and negociant Chassagne-Montrachets, Puligny-Montrachets, and Meursaults are also consistently at a very high levels. And his Grand Cru negociant wines are consistently superb.
This year we visited Pierre Yves at his impressive new winery facility. It is quite a contrast with the cellar underneath his house where we used to visit. Photos of the exterior and cellar are shown below.
Tasting with Pierre Yves Colin-Morey of 14 2014 White Wines Including 3 Saint-Aubins Tasted From Bottle
Pierre Yves Colin-Morey believes that 2014 White Burgundies are like 1985 or 1989. He also thinks they are better balanced than 2011, 2012, and 2013 with more fruit and good acidity. The grapes in 2014 had thick skins and not a lot of juice so yields were generally low. Also, some wines were not made in 2014 because of hail damage to the vineyards. The wines here are again brilliant in 2014. Pierre Yves Colin-Morey is making some of the very best White Burgundies and the wines are aging beautifully. These are wines to cellar and drink young or old.
Barrel
2014
Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ancegnieres
This wine is made from grapes grown on vines that are over 85 years old. These are the oldest Chardonnay vines in the domaine. The vineyard is situated next to Batard Montrachet. Pale yellow in color this Chassagne-Montrachet has a lovely floral tinged perfume. The fruit is very pure with floral nuances and the wine is rounded with a nice underlying crispness. Flavorful and beautifully balanced this is a really delicious village wine – Outstanding Potential.
Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chenevottes 1er Cru
This wine is made from grapes grown on vines that are over 55 years old. The vineyard is situated close to the northern border of Chassagne not too far from Montrachet. Pale yellow in color with a floral citrus tinged perfume the wine has lovely fruit with hints of peach and citrus and is balanced with a nice crispness. This is a lovely wine that has a lot of flavor, finesse, and early appeal and it should also age gracefully – Outstanding Potential.
Chassagne-Montrachet Abbaye de Morgeot 1er Cru
This approximately 1 acre parcel was purchased in late 2013 and 2014 is the first vintage. The Abbaye de Morgeot is a small vineyard situated within Morgeot that surrounds the Abbaye de Morgeot. The Abbaye de Morgeot today is a large residence that was once the home of an order of Cistercian monks. With a pale yellow color and a lovely perfume with a floral nuance the wine has lovely very pure fruit showing a nice underlying crispness. It is very elegant and rounded with beautiful balance and a lingering finish – Outstanding Potential.
Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er Cru
Les Caillerets is the largest Premier Cru in Chassagne and consistently is one of the best. This wine is made from grapes grown on vines that are over 65 years old. It is a stunning wine. Pale yellow in color it has a gorgeous floral tinged perfume with faint hints of peach. Beautifully balanced with lots of fruit showing peach citrus nuances the wine has depth and flavor with a long crisp finish. Typically Les Caillerets has very good aging potential and this wine should really blossom with a few years bottle age – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 1er Cru
This wine has a pale yellow color and a lovely perfume with floral citrus tinges. On the palate it flavorful and has very pure citrus tinged fruit. Balanced and flavorful with an underlying crispness on the finish this is a lovely wine that should age gracefully – Outstanding Potential.
Meursault Genevieres 1er Cru
This wine is made from grapes grown on vines that are over 35 years old. It is a wine of flavor and finesse that benefits from bottle age. This 2014 is gorgeous. It has a pale yellow color and a stunning floral tinged perfume. Very refined and flavorful with lots of fruit and great balance the wine is harmonious and long on the palate – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Meursault Les Perrieres 1er Cru
Widely considered the best vineyard in Meursault, Perrieres is a wine that repays extended time in the cellar. This 2014 certainly fits that mold. The wine is pale yellow in color and has a very nice perfume with citrus mineral tinges. It has lots of flavor and is well structured with the fruit backed by an underlying citrus crispness. With time the wine will round out and become more expressive. All it needs is time – Outstanding Plus/Extraordinary Potential.
Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru
This wine is made from 80 year old vines located close to Perrieres. It is always rounded and forward with lots of early appeal, but also ages very well. This 2014 is really delicious. The wine has pale yellow color and a gorgeous floral perfume with hints of citrus and mint. With lots of supple fruit it is lush and flavorful with impressive depth and is simply irresistible – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Corton Charlemagne
There are 50 cases of this wine. It is made with equal parts of grapes grown on the Aloxe and Pernand sides of the vineyard and is consistently very special. This 2014 is a wine of great substance and charm. It is light yellow in color and has a stunning perfume with faintly floral honeyed nuances and a citrus tinge. With great fruit, flavor, depth, persistence and balance the wine is long on the finish and will age beautifully – Extraordinary Potential.
Batard Montrachet
The production of this wine was only just over 30 cases. It is a stunning Batard. With a pale yellow color the wine has deep floral perfume with a faint citrus tinge. It has great fruit and lots of depth and richness with a balanced underlying crispness. Already harmonious and flavorful time will only accentuate the complexity – Extraordinary Potential.
Chevalier Montrachet
There were 25 cases of this wine produced. It is a definitive Chevalier combining flavor and finesse in seamless combination. The color is pale yellow and the wine has a stunning floral perfume with honeyed nuances. On the palate it has lots of fruit and flavor with purity and elegance and a very long finish. With extended bottle age this wine will be very special indeed – Extraordinary Potential.
Bottle
2014
Saint-Aubin Pucelles
This is a very finesseful and crisp village wine. It has a pale yellow color and a subtle perfume. The fruit is very pure with a citrus tinge and the wine is balanced with a nice crispness on the finish – Very Good Potential.
Saint-Aubin La Chateniere 1er Cru
Made from grapes grown on vines that are over 45 years old this Premier Cru Saint-Aubin is lovely. It has a pale yellow color and a lovely floral perfume with a citrus tinge. Rounded and very elegant with lots of fruit the wine is beautifully balanced and is very harmonious and flavorful – Outstanding Potential.
Saint-Aubin En Remilly 1er Cru
Made from grapes grown on vines that are 40 years old and situated near Chevalier Montrachet this Premier Cru Saint-Aubin has a lot of charm and a distinct minerality. The wine has a pale yellow color and a lovely floral tinged perfume with a stony nuance. On the palate it is rounded with lots of very pure fruit with mineral and citrus nuances. Underneath there is a tinge of citrus and the finish shows a balanced crispness – Outstanding Potential.
Remoissenet Père et Fils
This firm was founded in 1877 and was headed by Roland Remoissenet for some 30 years. In 2005 he retired and sold the firm to New York financiers, Edward and Howard Milstein with minority interests held by Maison Louis Jadot and Toronto based Halpern Enterprises. Included in the sale was a very large inventory of reportedly over a million bottles. Bernard Repolt, formerly President of Louis Jadot, is Managing Director and Pierre Rovani is President. Under the new regime things are on the upswing. The white wines are consistently very fine and the red wines have shown steady improvement with some really lovely wines both red and white in recent vintages.
Tasting of 12 2014 Red Wines and 15 2014 White Wines with Pierre Rovani and Bernard Repolt
The 2014 Remoissenet red and white wines are lovely. This continues the recent string of very successful vintages. These are wines to buy and many of them should represent very good value.
2014
Barrel
Beaune Les Teurons 1er Cru
This wine is made from grapes grown in a parcel of some 2 ½ acres which has vines over 90 years old and an average age of around 65 years. The yields in 2014 were reduced by hail and production totaled 200 cases. The wine has depth and richness and is very expressive. It has a deep color and great berry tinged perfume with floral nuances. On the palate there is lots of supple fruit and the wine is beautifully balanced with charm and early appeal – Outstanding Potential.
Beaune Les Marconnets 1er Cru
There were 350 cases of this wine produced. It has a deep color and a lovely floral perfume. A very elegant Beaune, it is soft, supple, and rounded with very good balance and a nice finish – Very Good Plus Potential.
Vosne-Romanée
The production of this wine was 500 cases. It is a lovely village wine. It has a very nice color and a lovely floral tinged perfume. Elegant with very pure floral tinged berry fruit the wine is supple and balanced with a nice finish – Very Good Potential.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Damodes 1er Cru
This wine has a deep color and a lovely perfume with a faint spice tinge. It is supple and rounded yet with a good underlying backbone and is flavorful with a nice finish – Very Good Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1 er Cru
This is a really lovely Cazetiers. It has a deep color and a lovely berry perfume with hints of floral spice. On the palate the wine is balanced with lots of fruit and has depth and richness. It should age beautifully – Outstanding Potential.
Chambolle-Musigny Aux Echanges 1er Cru
Aux Echanges is a monopole (single owner) vineyard with grapes sold to a few different producers. The vineyard is located at the bottom of the slope and only a part is classified Premier Cru. There were 75 cases of this wine produced and it is a lovely stylistic wine with lots of charm. The wine has a very nice color and a gorgeous floral perfume. Supple and rounded with lovely floral tinged fruit it has elegance combined with richness and has a lot of early appeal – Outstanding Potential.
Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots ler Cru
Only 25 cases of this wine were produced. It is a lovely seductive wine with a lot of elegance. The color is deep and the wine has lots of supple floral tinged fruit. Flavorful with lovely balance it will drink beautifully early on and age gracefully for many years – Outstanding Potential.
Gevrey-Chambertin Poissenots 1er Cru
There were 100 cases of this wine produced. It has a deep color and a very nice berry tinged perfume. On the palate the wine has very good fruit with a firm underlying structure and will need bottle age to round out and become more expressive – Very Good Potential.
Charmes Chambertin
This is a beautifully balanced wine with a lot of fruit and earl appeal. It has a deep color and a gorgeous berry perfume with floral nuances. The fruit is very supple and pure with floral spice tinges and the wine is beautifully balanced and very flavorful – Outstanding Potential.
Clos Vougeot
There were 100 cases of this wine produced. It is a gorgeous Clos Vougeot. The wine has a deep color and a great perfume with floral nuances. It is balanced and has lots of rich berry and plum fruit with tinges of floral spice. On the palate the wine has richness and depth with lots of flavor and it will age effortlessly for many years – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Chambertin Clos de Beze
There were 100 cases of this wine produced. It has a deep color and a great perfume with hints of cherries and a tinge of spice. The wine has lots of fruit with intensity and balance and is already very expressive. This is a wine that will continue to evolve for many years and provide a lot of pleasure – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Clos Saint Denis
There was only one barrel of this wine (25 cases) and it had been sold just before we arrived. Very little, if any, of it is likely to find its way into the marketplace. But, make no mistake it is a lovely seductive wine. The wine has a very nice color and a gorgeous perfume. Very elegant and flavorful with great balance it is supple and very expressive and will age beautifully for many years – Outstanding Plus Potential.
White Wines
Bottle
Pernand Vergelesses Blanc
Light yellow in color this wine has a lovely floral perfume. It is bright and crisp with citrus tinged fruit showing floral nuances – Highly Recommended.
Pouilly Fuisse
This is an attractive and very stylistic Pouilly Fuisse. It has a light yellow color and a very nice floral perfume. With lovely fruit the wine is rounded and flavorful with a nice underlying crispness on the finish – Highly Recommended.
Barrel
Savigny Blanc
Savigny Blanc is not often seen, but this is a very nice wine. It has a light yellow color and a lovely pineapple tinged perfume. It is crisp with citrus tinges and hints of pineapple. It is best to drink this wine very young for the fruit – Very Good Potential.
Chablis Fourchaume 1er Cru
There were 100 cases of this wine produced. It is a Chablis that has distinctive Chablis character. The color is light yellow and the wine has a mineral tinged stony perfume with hints of citrus and a faint floral undertone. It has lots of fruit with depth and richness and a mineral citrus tinge on the finish. This should reward a few years bottle age – Outstanding Potential.
Chablis Bougros 1er Cru
There were 75 cases of this wine produced. It has a light yellow color and a lovely citrus tinged perfume. On the palate there is nice citrus tinged fruit with crisp underlying mineral nuances. Just now the wine is a bit restrained, but it should open over time – Very Good Plus Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet
There were 450 cases of this Puligny-Montrachet produced. It is a lovely village wine. The color is light yellow and the wine has a nice floral perfume. It has lovely floral tinged fruit and is flavorful and well balanced with a nice crispness on the finish – Very Good Plus Potential.
Saint-Aubin Les Castets 1er Cru
This is a bright crisp wine. It has a light yellow color and a lovely citrus tinged perfume. On the palate the fruit is citrus tinged with a faint stoniness the finish is clean and crisp – Very Good Potential.
Meursault Blagny 1er Cru
There were 250 cases of this wine produced. It is a really lovely Meursault. The color is light yellow and the wine has a lovely perfume with faint hints of citrus and mint. Flavorful with lots of fruit showing a faint exotic quality it has intensity and depth with a long crisp finish – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Meursault Charmes 1er Cru
With a light yellow color this Meursault has a lovely floral tinged perfume. The wine is rounded with very nice fruit showing floral nuances and is a bit subdued, but should blossom over time – Outstanding Potential.
Chassagne-Montrachet Les Macherelles 1er Cru
This is a lovely elegant wine. It has a light yellow color and lovely floral tinged perfume. Balanced with lovely fruit showing a faint hint of peach and citrus the wine is flavorful and has a lot of charm –Outstanding Potential.
Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot 1er Cru
This is a wine with a lot of fruit and balance. The color is light yellow and the wine has a very nice floral tinged perfume with a hint of peach. It is very refined and elegant with very pure fruit showing citrus and peach nuances and a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding Potential.
Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er Cru
This wine has a light yellow color and a very nice faintly floral perfume. It is supple and quite lush with good underlying acidity and a nice crispness on the finish – Very Good Potential.
Corton Charlemagne
There were 125 barrels of this wine produced. It has a really lovely perfume with floral nuances and a very faint pineapple tinge. Rounded, lush, and supple with lots of fruit on the palate the wine is quite precocious. It will give a lot of pleasure early on – Outstanding Potential.
Batard Montrachet
The production of this wine was 50 cases. It is a beautiful wine that is already quite expressive. The color is light yellow and the wine has a lovely faintly floral perfume. On the palate it is rich and flavorful with lots of fruit and a nice underlying crispness – Outstanding Plus Potential.
Montrachet
There were 50 cases of this wine produced. It has a light yellow gold color and a gorgeous floral tinged perfume with a faint honeyed nuance. The wine has lots of honey tinged fruit with a kiss of citrus and is rich with intensity and depth. The balance is impeccable and the finish is long an lingering – Extraordinary Potential.
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