billn
harvest – 5th october
An update from the home team Chambertin was harvested late on Friday 1st and Charmes-Chambertin on the 2nd October. Those grapes continued along the theme of healthy millerandes, and even a ‘positive selection’ of 10% whole clusters was used for the Charmes. The fermentations have, so far, been really slow. One Volnay cuvée and the Ladoix cuvée have almost finished their fermentations, the others are being roused by some gentle warming of the tanks. The only concern right now is that some of the tannins seem to have an aggressive edge to them – but they are expected to improve as the maceration continues but care will need to be taken with the extractions. Still waiting for pics – no pics, no toilet seat What [....]
david clark 2007 morey st.denis
2007 David Clark, Morey St.Denis Les Porroux Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is a lovely mix of dark berries and cherries, a suggestion of reduction but nothing like his bourgognes. Width, softly textured and super balance. There is a lovely sweetness to the dark fruit and it lingers very well in the finish. There’s even a suggestion of tannin in the mid-palate too – a surprise considering the ‘light-but-nice’ poise of the domaine’s 2006. This is a very, very above average 2007. Super – really! Rebuy – Yes
offer of the day – Domaine Faiveley 2009…
DOMAINE FAIVELEY 2009 – Nuits-Saint-Georges Premiers Crus 2009 GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN Les Cazetiers 75cl 58.00 (58.00 – 2008) Swiss Francs POMMARD Les Rugiens 75cl 59.50 NUITS-ST-GEORGES Les Saint-Georges 75cl 75.00 (75.00) CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY La Combe d’Orveau 75cl 89.00 (89.00) CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY Les Fuées 75cl 99.00 (89.00) Grands Crus 2009 CORTON Clos des Cortons 75cl 99.00 (89.00) CLOS DE VOUGEOT 75cl 105.00 (99.00) ECHEZEAUX 75cl 105.00 MAZIS-CHAMBERTIN 75cl 129.00 (118.00) CHAMBERTIN Clos de Bèze 75cl 179.00 (165.00) Domaine Faiveley are going for ~10% increase over 2008 for grand crus, but not for most 1er crus – interesting.
camille-giroud 2008 bourgogne cuvée lees
I know Jamie’s not a big fan of lenticels (!) but this one has no problems. The cuvée Lees is a blend of the lees of all the domaine’s red wines – Maranges, Chambertin etc. – so can only be a bourgogne. I think that 2007 was the first time they did this. Given the late malos and bottling of the 08s I think that this has been in bottle less than a month, clearly you need a long time for the fine lees to settle! 2008 Camille Giroud, Bourgogne Cuvée Lees Stood up in the cellar for 4 days before opening – it wasn’t enough to make the wine shiny bright. Medium, medium-plus colour, The nose has a wild young-wine freshness and immediacy, given [....]
sunday reading
http://online.wsj.com/drc-article/
fourrier 2004 gevrey-chambertin
2004 Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes Medium-plus colour. The nose starts a little, inky and earthy with plenty of background reduction – the reduction is a minor flavour component too – it neads to aerate a little, so I decant. An hour later and there’s a higher-toned red fruit note, faint alcohol too but the reduction is gone. The last drops have a lovely redcurrant lift. Decent impact, perhaps a little monolithic like some other Fourrier 04s, but the lingering flavours and the overall balance are very good. I don’t discern any vintage character, but I have the impression I’d probably rather drink a majority now than leave them all in the cellar. Rebuy – Maybe
hyde de villaine(?)
http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/501529/romanee-conti-and-napa-venture-aims-to-change-image-of-california Why?
harvest – 30th september
I read that the Morey domaines of Dujac and L&A Lignier have completed their harvests today – Jeremy Seysses bemoans the fact that he only ended up with 25hl/ha for his villages Morey, though no quality complaints – actually a little white Monts-Luisants is still to be picked on Friday by Dujac. At the home domaine there were no new grapes, just the last of the Santenay from Wednesday to finish which was triaged in the morning – the grapes are fine at 6°C overnight! The last grapes to be brought in will be Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin and some Hautes-Côtes. Maybe tomorrow or maybe Saturday – let’s see. The first fermentations have started; the grapes from the new contract for villages Volnay were ‘innoculated’ via the [....]
cork isn’t ‘green’
http://www.asiancorrespondent.com/uncorked-and-cultivated/cullen-rebuff-puts-cork-off-anti-green Made me smile – in some ways!
harvest – 29th september
This was a very busy – but dry – day for the home team. Grapes from Maranges, Santenay villages, Vosne-Romanée and finally Corton Clos du Roi. Maranges and Vosne were in great shape (photos later) the Corton Clos du Roi and Santenay needed more triage. The Corton had a similar amount of botrytis to the Ladoix and the grapes could perhaps have been picked a day or two earlier – but we generally hold on because of the tannins. The Santenay needed green and rotten fruit removing. It’s worth noting that maximum triage this year (reds!) is still only in the region of 6-7% the average being much lower; only 05 and 09 have been better in the last 7 vintages. Short but sweet – [....]
winner mondial du monde – world best pinot – donatsch 2008 ‘passion’
So let’s try that champion du monde. Shame it was delivered just after I left for Beaune – it would have been good to open with the team. 2008 Donatsch, Pinot Noir ‘Passion’ [Switzerland] The nose needs a bit of time to open, but when it does there’s a small impression of chalky fruit, then a reasonably concentrated and high-toned raspberry, finally a forward brûlée (mainly vanilla) note. Actually the fruit/brûlée mix is quite nice. In the mouth it is round, very well textured – very smooth – and like the nose has lots of additional mid-palate dimension that is vanilla oak derived. It reminds me of a Beaune – actually a slightly fatter version of the very good 2007 Beaune 1er Blanche Fleurs from [....]
harvest – 28th september
(in absentia as I had to come home to do something less manual!) The last thing I did before I left yesterday was to taste through some of the different cuvées. Of-course it’s only fruit juice right now, and with so much sugar the pH of 3.2 means nothing! Still the colours seem to be extracting nicely and the flavours are very clean indeed – interesting that of the two (vinified separately) Volnay villages cuvées, one seemed more powerful, the other to have more complexity. Despite one needing more triage they both seem spotlessly clean – in the end I guess it’s just down to how much you have to throw away! Today was a dry day in the Côtes. The home team brought in [....]
