My reason was to try and get a perspective in the research of the BIVB into the phenomenon of ‘premature oxidation’ - or as the BIVB prefer to say - ‘pre-aging’.

If there is one thing about this whole episode that particularly rankles, it was the impression that the growers association was rather tight-lipped about the issue. Given that it became apparent that research was underway, I thought it pertinent to ask ’since when?’ and ‘what the trigger was to start?’:

Actually, concerning our researches we did it in 2 parts.

First, by the end of the 90’s, we started to have a closer look on the pre-aging problem. We do have a SAQ (Suivi Aval Qualité - a survey of our wines through France and the world - we pick bottles in shops and taste them to check whether they are okay and not - when they are not okay we make an analysis to find where the fault comes from, so that we may give advice to our producers). So with the SAQ we started to have a picture on the question of pre-aging and as soon as we found clues on where to start (in 2004/2005) the concrete research started in our labs.

We started concrete researches as soon as we were certain that the problem would have several factors and we could work on them.

So, even if the BIVB were ‘tight-lipped’ at least they were not turning a ‘blind-eye’!

I appreciate they do not want to spread alarm, but I’m sure some proactive discussion on their website, or an article in Bourgogne-Aujourd’hui might have been helpful - certainly once the vocal group of collectors that contribute to the forum on Robert Parker’s website began their mammoth discussion. The silence was not golden.

Coming back to the “several factors to work on”, these took in primarily;

• ‘generous’ yields
• must pressing
• use of sulfur dioxide
• ‘closures’

Summarising our discussion, Michel didn’t give the impression of wishing to pre-discuss the findings to-date, but seems to believe that no ‘one cause’ will be found. At the very least, he is hoping that they can come forward and express a framework for the growers that will minimise the risks factors for ‘pre-aging’.

The results should be delivered in mid 2007, but it was not exactly clear how the results might be diffused; Michel said that ‘of-course diffusion of the results in the form of recommendations would be important for growers, particularly as potential causes are (might be) eliminated’. My feeling is that they will benefit from an open appraisal of the results and the dialogue that should follow.

We discussed several issues in an informal way, but it was an interesting observation from Michel when he said ‘if, in the end it comes down to needing more sulfur dioxide, it will be interesting to see how the market might react to wines that need opening 2 hours before consuming - to avoid the bottle stink - this could be the choice…’

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2004 Domaine Clos de l’Eglise, Mâcon-Villages Rebuy - Maybe
2004 Domaine du Pavillon, Meursault (Rouge) Rebuy - Yes

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• Winemaker 1. “Yes I know exactly what you mean - it’s also there in some whites. We see this to a lower extent in many vintages, but I have to admit it’s on a much higher level since we bottled. I’m keeping my eye on it but fully expect it to fade - though for this vintage maybe not entirely - actually, there’s a good chance that this may give a very interesting component to those wines 5 years down the line.”
• Winemaker 2. Him: “Really? No I’m not aware of that”, me: “Well it’s kind of like we are tasting right now…” Hmmm - change of subject…
• Winemaker 3. Okay - to be fair this was a marketing guy: “Really! that’s very interesting, of course today we have much more control because we…”
• Winemaker 4. ” Yes we’ve seen exactly what you describe, thing is, it’s in this cuvée and that cuvée, but not in the others. I checked the analysis and I don’t see any meaningful differences. Just now I’ve no explanation, but given that it came from nowhere I’m hoping it will just be a phase.”

So, no insight, in the main some acceptance and the interesting observation that it could also be in the whites - I haven’t seen this.

That’s all for now.

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Putting aside the quality of the ‘nouveau’, it’s not for a lack of available quality that I don’t buy ‘Cru Beaujolais’, rather (for whatever reason) it’s just not in my mind while I’m handing over my credit-card details. Perhaps the merchants need to be more proactive and start listing Beaujolais with all their Burgundy offers - both ‘online’ and in print. Even the most expensive of the wines below will only retail for ~12 Euros - there is far more value here than most regional burgundies.

I had the chance to taste some of the Potel-Aviron wines again this year, wines made in the traditional burgundian way rather than by carbonic maceration. The wines from the 2005 vintage are much deeper coloured than the 2004’s and have an extra level of structure to match - they will need much more time to smooth out. This time last year, the 2004’s were already quite drinkable, I suspect these impressive 2005’s, which were bottled just after the 2006 harvest, will need at least another year before they start drinking.

2005 Potel-Aviron, Fleurie Vieilles Vignes
Deep colour. The nose today is hardly elegant - forward, sweet, angular black fruit - but with aeration it slowly takes on a smoother shape. The palate is dense and fresh with plenty of grainy tannin - the flavour completely covers your palate with a thin layer of interesting fruit. Medium length, this is quite unknit, very young and a long way from achieving the typical elegance of Fleurie. I suggest waiting about one year for this serious bottle to come round.
Rebuy - Maybe
2005 Potel-Aviron, Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes
Deep colour. The nose is a little more understated than the Fleurie but also more ‘together’. The palate shows quite the same level of tannin, but this time it’s a little finer and so shows just a little more astringent. There is more than a touch of chocolate to the fruit and this time there is an extra dimension of flavour on the mid-palate. Again this is very, very young and will require at least one year before it starts drinking. Should be super.
Rebuy - Yes
2005 Potel-Aviron, Morgon Côte de Py Vieilles Vignes
Again this is very dark. A deep, impressive and cohesive nose with fresh high notes and even a little creamy vanilla - very classy. Lots of fine grained tannin and a rush af acidity taking you through the mid-palate to the finish. This is mouth-filling wine that again has about a medium-plus finish.
Rebuy - Yes

Finally I bought some!

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Of-course that comment is aimed at the red wines of the vintage; whites are opulent and rich (2003 with acidity) - with the potential exception of Chablis they may not be everyone’s cup of tea - but don’t worry 2006 looks like being an even better 2004; perhaps these will define the whites for a generation, assuming they don’t oxidise…

The problem today is that it’s almost impossible to separate the annual hype from comments that may have some merit. From some producers there is much to validate such a suggestion; let’s take at a look at the competition for 2005:

• 1999 was a fantastic vintage but could have been even better if yields had been better managed
• 2002 was (in my opinion) not quite as good as 1999 - this time yields were no issue - but one problem was a less than ideal growing season that was only saved by September weather
• 2005 had a good growing season, was virtually problem free, has no more than an average yield and typically required little more than a cursary triage.

The only real negative I can see for the 2005’s is that today’s hype is based on the wines in cask - this has yet to be translated into bottles - many, many domaines will not make their final (and in some cases first) racking for another couple of weeks, afterwards making their assemblage and finally bottling (maybe) at the end of February. Typically they are looking to get the final polishing of their oak tannins, but you only have to look at the 2004’s to see that things don’t always develop as planned.

Just in case you wondered, that ‘generation’ comment can be attributed to the venerable house of Joseph Drouhin, who didn’t need any extra help selling their wines as they are close to sold-out even before the trucks start leaving Beaune…

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I will add more info as I visit the domaines this week…

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2004 Bouchard Père et Fils, Volnay 1er Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot
Medium, medium-plus cherry-red colour. From cellar temp (15°C) the nose shows several layers; high-toned jellied black fruit at the top, earthier, leathery notes in the middle and lower-down. Leave the glass for a while and it fills with cream and a faint smoke edge - mmm. The palate is quite a departure from the norm in 2004 - lots of faintly grained tannin - but there’s quite enough intensity of black-shaded fruit to match. The acidity takes a little-bit of backseat to the fruit and tannin, just slowly making your mouth water. I might wish for a little more expansion in the mid-palate, but the finish is long with hints of mocha and a bitter young-oak edge. Not the easiest of wines to drink, but no green notes here. This very young wine needs at least three 3 years before revisiting - but it will be worth it - it has the potential to be excellent.
Rebuy - Yes

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It is right that he is recognised and indeed rewarded for his effort and it is telling that it was Robert Parker himself that hired Neal - kudos, as he says. It’s just a shame that his back-catalogue of works is now withdrawn from the site, our only remaining tool the wayback machine, unless you want to pay uncle Bob of course! Funny thing is, we will probably see more of him now than we did before
- some you win, some you lose

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The Mercurey-based Burgundy Wine group Antonin Rodet, founded in 1875, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sequana Capital, has announced the acquisition of Maison Dufouleur Père et Fils located in Nuits-Saint-Georges. The acquisition covers both the wine brokerage business and the 10.5-hectare Domaine Barbier estate. With a tradition of wine production and trading passed down from father to son over more than 400 years, Dufouleur Père et Fils, through its name, its experience and its constant quest for quality, is a very well-established name in the Burgundy wine industry.
Philippe Vidal, Chairman of Antonin Rodet, noted: “This strategic acquisition is a major development in the history of Antonin Rodet and marks our return to the leading group of Burgundy wine houses. The strong values shared by both houses will help drive their growth whilst respecting their individual strategies, and will also produce operational synergies.”

Xavier Dufouleur, who will continue to be involved in the commercial activities of Maison Dufouleur Père et Fils, added: “I am delighted to be joining the Rodet Group. This will open the way to expansion for our house that would not have been available to us on our own, particularly in export markets.”The Domaine Guy Dufouleur estate, which was not included in the scope of the acquisition, has signed a contract to supply the new Rodet-Dufouleur Group.

Le Clos de Thorey becomes a Domaine Rodet.

Le Clos de Thorey Monopole, a 3-hectare Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru estate, has joined the Domaines Antonin Rodet family. Other notable member estates include the 30-hectare Domaine du Château de Rully and the 48-hectare Domaine du Château de Mercey.In 2008, Antonin Rodet will start selling the 2006 vintage. Nadine Gublin, the House’s Cellar Master, was enthusiastic about Le Clos de Thorey: “This magnificent hillside land faces due east and is located in a perfectly ventilated area at the northern end of the Nuits-Saint-Georges region. This allowed us to produce a thoroughbred, refined wine with very pure fruit for the 2006 vintage.”

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This wine started quite oaky and a little flat - it wasn’t looking good, but patience paid dividends.
2004 Maurice Ecard, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Jarrons
Medium cherry-red colour. The nose starts soft, sweet and quite oaky - though not very toasty - over one hour from opening and you have high-toned estery notes over what is frankly a super, griotte-like red fruit nose. As with the nose, some time is required before real interest is found - it starts rather flat - so-much so that I wondered if there might be a little taint. One hour of patience reveals a light-medium-weight wine of elegance and real complexity; the acidity is quite fresh and the wine is lithe rather than fat, but there is an array of red fruits and a little raisin edge to the subtle but long finish. Tannin slips by virtually un-noticed. This is a world away from dense, blockbuster wines and I suspect it will disappoint some drinkers, but for me, despite the wait, it delivered.
Rebuy - Yes

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Barcelona is a great place to spend 3 or 4 days - I can’t recommend it enough - there is all the culture that you can dream of and it has a nice facile side too!

Oh, and by the way, I also found time to work while I was there!

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Initially I felt compelled to say something, simply because I felt that others were (I felt) misrepresenting the wines (in general); by describing them as ‘green’ many were also taking the a logical assumption that the wines were unripe - many without even tasting them - and this was becoming accepted as fact by many others who also had not tasted nor would they based on this ‘fact’. I had my say, and it seems that we agree that there is something about these wines - let my try and explain.

This ‘vintage artifact’ is quite specific, and in quite a large percentage of wines it is also quite pronounced, let me try to define it:

Some people say green, some people say herbal, but I will define it as a type of cedar smell. At low levels it gives a pleasant cedar, or almost menthol edge; as it becomes more pronounced, it is more resinous, eventually resembling the well-known (in the UK) ‘coal-tar’ soap. What is really surprising, is that it is often quite pronounced on the palate too - though perhaps this is what burghound would better describe as ‘inner mouth perfume’.

So what isn’t it;

• I would say it is not the smell of rot - though lots had to be triaged at harvest.
• It is not the smell of stems - as many wines that were fully destemmed show the trait.
• It is not (in general) anything to do with unripe fruit - Claude Kolm makes the telling remark (in the discussion linked above) that few people added sugar in this vintage - because the sugars were high enough without. It is a rare wine the truly unripe 2004!

It is a conundrum for two reasons:

1. Wines tasted from barrel showed this only to a minor, let us say ‘normal’ extent, yet it has developed/amplified since bottling
2. Different wines from the same cellar - so same viticulture, ripeness and vinification - are not the same, some show it and others don’t.

So that’s not really great news; it came almost out of nowhere, and is now undermining/dominating the personality of many, otherwise vivacious, flavourful wines. At a lower level this aroma has been present in a number of vintages and was quickly subsumed into a mix of secondary aromas.

Hopefully this will be no more than an interesting and transient interlude in the evolution of these wines, but having spoken to several trustworthy sources, no-one is totally sure.
I will keep testing the bottles of-course

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