Catching up #2 – Transport & some bottles…

By billn on March 18, 2024 #degustation

It had to happen; after 19 years and 603k kilometres – bye-bye Scooby 2.

But all hail Scooby 3!

Scooby 2 was as strong as an ox – drivetrain – but 19x European salt-infused winters had left its corrosive mark on the underbelly of the car. Couple that to an almost certain cylinder head-gasket and timing chain replacement interval this year – the cost would have a multiple of multiples more than the worth of the car. It was time. My local dealer, for a time, will even display Scooby 2 in his showroom with a big sign proclaiming the mileage!

So Scooby 3: adaptive cruise, lane assist and so many other things ‘alien’ to me make for an annoying cacophony of beeps whilst underway – but I’m sure they will make me drive better – eventually! Plus there’s 35% lower fuel costs too. I don’t yet love Scooby 3 – but I have some grudging respect 🙂

WINE !!
You’ll be relieved to hear that, yes, there has been some!

I’ve only just opened the first of over a dozen bottles but my 20 years-on 2004 project has now opened – I’ll only publish my notes when all have been broached – wish me luck!

There have been others too. Some I took notes, others I left it too long so I can only remember if it was good, great or simply meh – but not give you a note. Anyway, how about starting with a small 2019-a-thon?:

2019 Frédéric Berne, Régnié Aux Bruyères
Oooh… A cushioned dark red fruit aroma to sink into, subtly with some graphite accents. In the mouth we have impressive scale – detail too – this is supple but also finely shaped. Great 2019s are ultra-wines – and here is one – Yes!
Rebuy – Yes

2019 Albert Grivault, Pommard 1er Clos Blanc
Dark, almost some old oak – a sweetness of red fruit too. Hmm, This melts over the palate, dark red fruit, sweetness. A full wine – deep and satisfying. Still plenty of barrel flavour and modest bitters too. Young oak but open and delicious.
Rebuy – Maybe

2019 Albert Morot, Beaune 1er Aigrots
A deep, dark dirty oak – it’s really attractive! – slowly with air, rounding and becoming more fruited. Hmm, this is direct and mouth-watering – super texture, Supple, concentrated – that’s got energy and flavour dimension. It’s a great Beaune!
Rebuy – Yes

2019 Digioia-Royer, Chambolle-Musigny
Plenty of colour. Higher-toned aromatic – airy, with implied silk, some violet flowers. Large scale, structured but nothing hard – no less intensity than the 1ers – the finish here is the youngest of all with plenty of oak bitters but what a delicious wine – and probably longer lived, it’s certainly younger, than the two from the Côte de Beaune.
Rebuy – Yes

All the wines show a little of their elevage but that’s three delicious wines. And the others:

2020 Jean Dauvissat, Chablis 1er Côte de Lechet
What a delicious wine. Textural, generous too – possibly a bit too much of both for Chablis – but ultra-delicious wine!
Rebuy – Yes

2021 Gautheron, Chablis 1er Montmains Vieilles-Vignes
Oh god that’s so good, so fine, so precice – so ‘one less bottle that I have in the cellar!!’
Rebuy – Yes

1985 Guillermard-Dupont, Pommard
A very oxidative smelling cork disintegrates during the removal process. Of course the last third drops into the wine – but how is the wine? Actually, it starts balsamic, but just gets better – I drink a glass on each of three consecutive nights – the wine staying (glass) stoppered in the fridge – and it’s just so robust and tasty. I think I may have 2-3 more bottles of this. More care and planning required for the next cork!
Rebuy – No chance

Catching up #1 – Beaujolais Reporting

By billn on March 16, 2024 #beaujolais#reports#travel pics#travels in burgundy 2024

So a couple of days of typing this week, post week number 4 in Chablis – but for now, let’s just talk about up-and-coming Beaujolais reporting.

Like in Chablis, there will be another week of visits in Beaujolais, as three weeks just doesn’t cut it in either place anymore – I’ve over 100 domaines to visit in both regions. But more visits means less time to type – such is life.

So I don’t want subscribers to wait around too long for reports just because I’m doing more. So I plan to split February’s monthly (Beaujolais) report into about 3 weekly issues until all is complete – then there is less tumbleweed on the site. As soon as at least 20 of the 80 visits are publishable, I’ll do that and let everyone know on the WhatsApp group (top right of this page) – and of course, with a post here.

Only to say, that at this stage of the wines’ lives – I think the greatest quality/value to be found in 2022 comes in Beaujolais – only a teaser 🙂

Hospices de Nuits St.Georges – their 63rd wine auction – the 2023s

By billn on March 11, 2024 #events#in case you missed it#warning - opinion!

Images Sunday 10th March – in the Clos de Vougeot

Yesterday, Sunday 10th March, for the first time since the auction moved to the Clos de Vougeot, I went along to the wine auction of the Domaine of the Hospices de Nuits.

Sales prices were a little down – but that’s the global market. By the end of the sale, the organisers could make some nice quotes and all the wines were sold – it was a good total for the organisation and the local charities linked to the sale – so well done for them.

The first lots were three barrels of 1er Les Murgers – one of the smallest cuvées of the Hospices – €20,000, then €21,000, the €18,000 were the winning bids – the latter a possible bargain for Domaine Henri Gouges. The villages wine that followed started at €10k slowly dropping to 8.5k then further to 8k – but this buyer took 4 barrels! For the next barrels of villages there was some discussion as there were no takers at the starting price of 7k – eventually the bid was ‘won’ at 6k but they – it was Bichot – took 5 barrels. Another winning bid of 6k came – this time the buyer taking 4 barrels – Boisset in this case.

The following lots brought the return to 1er crus and the next lot of Porrets St.Georges made 16k. The buyers were present but, it seemed, reticent – and so it continued.

The final result registered a total of 2,281,500 Euros, this was the third highest in the history of the Hospices de Nuits St.Georges – though behind that total was quite the large number of barrels in this vintage which masked a little the effect of lower prices.

The Pièce de Charité, known as the “Cuvée des Bienfaiteurs”, did indeed achieve a new record bid of €68,330 for the benefit of the Clément-Drevon Foundation – a medical research organisation. Also setting a new record was (in only it’s second appearance!) the Cuvée Hugues Perdrizet Nuits St.Georges 1er Cru Les St.Georges Vieilles Vignes which attained a winning bid of €60,000.

I remain convinced that the way forward for maximum returns for the Domaine of the Hospices de Nuits wines will be best developed if brought together in same sale as that of the Domaine of the Hospices de Beaune – it would be a win-win, I’m sure. But today, this is what we have…

Chablis 2022 – the sunniest vintage

By billn on March 06, 2024 #reports

Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles 2022It’s time for some Chablis 2022 !!

The sunniest vintage on record – maybe ‘on average’ the best vintage I ever tasted – but where are those elusive great wines?

63 domaines, with their 2022s and their thoughts on the 2022 and 2023 vintages. With another 30+ domaine visits to come in March and May

As a warm-up, how about 100 wines blind-tasted? The 2022s of Petit Chablis and just to turn the gums black – yes it’s one of those vintages – Irancy too?

My January 2024 report is here.

Enjoy !! Now I can concentrate on those 80 domaines already visited in Beaujolais 🙂

2022 Beaujolais are looking great…

By billn on February 14, 2024 #asides

2022 Burgundy Part 19 - domaines 207-215I’m only a dozen domaines into my 4 week tour of Beaujolais but things are looking excellent.

The average (high-)quality of the 2022s that can be seen, in general, across greater Burgundy – can be seen here too. But all the great wines that have gone AWOL in other areas seem to be waiting for me here. It’s not going to be a hard 4 weeks!

The 2022 Beaujolais Report – 3 of my 4 weeks – won’t be online until the end of March. First, dear subscribers, you will have digest the 2022 Chablis report that will be online by the end of this month 🙂

dipping a toe into the côte d’or

By billn on February 12, 2024 #picture gallery#travels in burgundy 2024

As a warm-up for my three weeks in Beaujolais I, last Friday, dipped my toes into the (mainly) reds of the Côte d’Or before a Beaune weekend with a wonderful Saturday ‘lunch’ in the Hospices de Beaune – my first!

Two domaines in Gevrey-Chambertin and one in Chambolle; Astrelles, Marc Roy and François Millet. It wasn’t weather for sunbathing but I still toured a few vineyards – interesting to see three different approaches in the vines – all within a stones-throw from the house in the Clos des Issarts.

Then it was cool to see that most of the decorations for the St.Vincent were still in place in both Morey and Chambolle: The estimate was 70,000 people attending the St.Vincent weekend – for a time the police had to stop people coming into Chambolle-Musigny as the streets are so narrow and there were queues forming!

And the lunch in the Hôtel Dieu? Yes, in La Chambre du Roy – I’ve had tastings in here before but it’s the first time that I saw it set with tables for lunch. Really a super Saturday afternoon – yes we were there for 4.5 hours!

weekend 5 2024 – Beaujolais training!

By billn on February 06, 2024 #degustation

a brace of 2019 Fleurie

I will start my tour of Beaujolais in a few days – so what about a little training in preparation?!

This was more a play-fight than a battle – both were wines that I would rebuy – but I was surprised how easily the Foillard won this particular match-up!

2019 Jean Foillard, Fleurie
A nice volume of aroma – and unlike the often ‘savoury’ nose chez Foillard that I was expecting, here is just cushioned pure fruit – and it’s lovely. There’s fine flavour here too – a little generosity to this silky texture and depth of fruit but all is balanced and absolutely delicious – particularly in the finish. That’s singing right now!
Rebuy – Yes

2019 Clos de la Riolette, Fleurie
A more direct nose, the fruit aromas are still welcoming though mixed with some herbed complexity today. In the mouth, I’m surprised how structural this wine has become – nothing worrying but it’s clearly a different beast to the comforting texture and fruit of the Foillard. It remains a delicious wine but one that’s certainly in a more structural phase – perhaps it will eventually become tighter too versus its youth. There’s no reason to think that it won’t re-emerge even better though.
Rebuy – Yes

Adieu Chablis – for now

By billn on February 06, 2024 #picture gallery#travels in burgundy 2024

Friday was my last day in Chablis – for my first tranche of visits!

I managed a little more than 60 domaines in my January tour but actually have a list of over 100 domaines that I could potentially visit. That means I will have to visit again in March, April and possibly May too!

There are worse things 🙂

The weather wasn’t bad and the Scooby (2) surged through the 600,000 km mark – just one day with a little rain but the last two weeks were incredibly mild for January – 10-14°C and no frosty mornings. At this stage, I think the vigneron(ne)s should be happy that they have some stock after two decent volume vintages!

Just a few pics from underway…

It’s already week 4 of 2024 – best celebrate with some wine !!

By billn on January 28, 2024 #degustation

2019 Boris Champy

2019 Boris Champy, Hautes Côtes de Beaune Altitude 421
A cushioned dark-red fruit cordial nose framed with some creamy oak – it really is a sumptuous invitation. With time in the glass – actually the second glass! – the oak us forgotten. In the mouth you have the same impression as the nose – cushioned, sumptuous fruit with a moderately overt accent of creamy oak. Super texture. What a far too delicious wine – clearly a great Bourgogne – and the bottle empties mysteriously quickly !!
Rebuy – Yes

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