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a short beak in the côtes…
When I last drove to the Côtes – about 4-5 weeks ago – the sunflowers in the fields were just bowing their heads, now they are blackened and need harvesting. If the sunflowers have lost their beauty, to balance, the Côtes are resplendent; 26°C+ every day (for a few days already) and more to come. Frankly I’ve never seen the vines and scenery so picturesque – such a shame then that in the last two days I’ve had so little time for photos, but hopefully I can make amends tomorrow… Just a few snaps:
jean-claude bachelet 2008 puligny-montrachet…
This wine followed a Gilles Bouton 2009 St.Aubin 1er, Dents du Chien – and was clearly a better wine despite the premier cru label of the former – but it costs twice as much, so that’s fair I suppose… 2008 Jean-Claude Bachelet, Puligny-Montrachet Medium yellow. The nose is fresh though with a ripe slab of yellow fruit at the centre-stage. In the mouth this has a slghtly oily, fat texture – absolutely not a negative with such a buffer of very good acidity. There is understated power and a very good energy, particularly I like the gooseberry flavoured finish. Fine Puligny villages. Rebuy – Yes
thomas morey 2008 santenay 1er grand clos rousseau
2008 Thomas Morey, Santenay 1er Cru Grand Clos Rousseau Deep colour. Forward red and black cherry – shaded towards black with some background herb. In the mouth there’s balance but ebullience too. Plenty of punchy fruit-led flavour – again a dark shade of red – but far from rustic. Juicy, nice acidity. I must confess, a bottle that was finished rather quickly. Fine value wine here. Rebuy – Yes
tollot-beaut 2008 savigny 1er les lavières…
This is a wine that I (unfortunately) often forget about; but every time I return I am reminded that I should have bought more. 2008 Tollot-Beaut, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Lavières After the Bachelet, here is also some oak, but rather than a smothering sweetness, it’s delivered with a spicy element that is more than amply buffered by a growing, crooning floral aromatic – perfect violets. The last drops in the glass offer a beautiful ‘come-hither’ red fruit. In the mouth there is sweetness, but the acidity urges you into the mid-palate where you have the impression that the wines bursts further into life. Long with a mineral end-note. I might buy a magnum or two for rainy day – if I’m not too late! Rebuy [....]
harvest – nicolas rossignol (volnay)
A vintage summary and some nice pics from Nicolas Rossignol: Many pictures and stories ! A tricky vintage in all the world , a winemaker from NZ came to work with me and he told me hard vintage in NZ this year, see the best and the worst ! As in france ! I spent time with Olivier Lamy, Thomas Bouley and Davis Croix in the vineyard before harvest, to taste our grappes, to decide when to start, and we saw the grapes of some neighbours …. not the same vintage for everybody, for people how worked hard in the vineyard vintage will be easy, beautifull small grappes, small berries, black and blue, ripe ( even with a low level of sugar, 11.5 12 % [....]
2008 jean-claude bachelet st.aubin 1er derrière la tour
This domaine gets a lot of good press, though from what I’ve seen it’s for their whites – let’s see what a red looks like… 2008 Jean-Claude Bachelet, St.Aubin 1er Derrière la Tour The nose starts with quite a lot of sweet toasty oak, eventually there’s a higher toned sweetness that’s not particularly oak-based. Given time (totally blind) I could be convinced by the aromas that this a white wine, with a Meursault-style gingerbread note in evidence. In the mouth the first impression is of a rather thin wine but there is quite some intensity welling up. Good acidity with a faintly sweet medium finish. In the end this is a very tasty drop, but also a highly stylised drop of wine that talks of [....]
harvest – closer to home…
Just to show what an egalitarian I am Here are some pictures from ‘Emmental’ an occasional commenter here – he picked his own pinot noir on the 15th September (only about 90 miles from my house) in Vully. Vully is in the Swiss Canton of Fribourg, close to lake Neuchâtel. Emmental in his comment here notes that the physical characteristics of his grapes were similar to those of the Côte d’Or this year, and he notes a yield of 600 grams per square metre – I’m sure he will correct me, but I roughly calculate that to be the equivalent of 2.43 tones per acre, or (not surprisingly!) exactly 6 tonnes per hectare. Now according to wikipedia, one hectolitre of red wine needs 130 kg [....]
harvest – at drc…
Courtesy The New York Times:
offer of the day – henri boillot 2010s…
VILLAGES BLANCS 2010 BOURGOGNE Chardonnay 75cl 20.00 (Swiss francs) CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 75cl 38.00 MEURSAULT 75cl 39.00 PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 75cl 42.00 PREMIERS CRUS BLANCS 2010 MEURSAULT Les Genevrières 75cl 68.00 MEURSAULT Les Perrières 75cl 69.00 PULIGNY-MONTRACHET Clos de La Mouchère 75cl 68.00 PULIGNY-MONTRACHET Les Caillerets 75cl 69.00 PULIGNY-MONTRACHET Les Pucelles 75cl 72.00 GRANDS CRUS BLANCS 2010 CORTON CHARLEMAGNE 75cl 98.00 CRIOTS BÂTARD MONTRACHET 75cl 159.00 BIENVENUES BÂTARD MONTRACHET 75cl 178.00 BÂTARD MONTRACHET 75cl 235.00 CHEVALIER-MONTRACHET 75cl 349.00 MONTRACHET 75cl 399.00 VILLAGE & PREMIERS CRUS ROUGES 2010 VOLNAY 75cl 39.00 VOLNAY Les Fremiets 75cl 55.00 VOLNAY Les Caillerets 75cl 66.00 POMMARD Les Rugiens 75cl 69.00 GRANDS CRUS ROUGES 2010 CLOS DE VOUGEOT 75cl 98.00 BONNES MARES 75cl 159.00 CHAMBERTIN 75cl 159.00 Concern is bubbling about the potential for even [....]
familly gaddafi’s favourite wine – drc of-course…
From Andrew Jefford’s weekly blog; probably not part of Aubert de Villaine’s target market or PR! We are resigned, as a footnote, to selling a little less Domaine de la Romanée Conti next year than last, since it seems unlikely that younger male members of the Gaddafi family will be dining out in London much over the coming year – and they were devoted customers. But if any of our clouds has a silver lining, that’s the one. Andrew Jefford
a brace of barthod – 2008 chambolles…
I suppose anniversaries often require a little over-consumption, that being the case we started with Pol Roger’s ’96 Rosé; not exactly pink at this age, but also not with the line of oxidation that our last bottle showed – this was my last one, but a good one. Next, call it an amuse bouche, was a half-bottle of Ghislaine’s 2008 villages before the main course, her Charmes. 2008 Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny Good colour. The nose starts in a good way and just keeps getting better; adding dimensions of violet flowers and eventually a raspberry and recurrent impression. Energy and acidity in fine balance with a melange of red fruits. Good in the finish too – this is very lovely right now. Rebuy – Yes 2008 [....]
