Entries from 2009

cheval clark…

By billn on January 13, 2009 #other sites

domaine david clark

(Domaine) David Clark has gone the whole hog (or should that be mare?) and started ploughing his recently acquired plot of Vosne-Romanée with horse power (no F1 jokes please). I expect he will be burying cow horns full of …. (whatever) next!

“In many ways it is the logical next step in respecting the health of my soils: in 2008 ploughing was the only vineyard task I did by tractor, everything else (including hedging and spraying) was done by hand. By avoiding compaction the soil develops a structure and life that is truly beautiful to observe.”

You can read all about it in Anglaise here, and to get a better feel, see the pictures in Français here – there are many more pictures in this website, e.g. ploughing between the vines for Domaine Arlaud and even Romanée-Conti…

offer of the day…

By billn on January 12, 2009 #the market

DOMAINE THIBAULT LIGER-BELAIR 2007

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN Les Croix des Champs 75cl 45.00 Swiss Francs
NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES La Charmotte 75cl 47.50
VOSNE-ROMANEE Aux Réas 75cl 66.00
NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES Les Saint-Georges 75cl 85.00
CLOS DE VOUGEOT 75cl 109.00
RICHEBOURG 75cl 259.00

Observations? Well the villages wines are averagely priced except the Vosne, which, like the 1er cru Les St.Georges, is too expensive – though Thibault (and others) have applied to make this vineyard a grand cru; that said, versus may other producers, the grand crus are ‘better’ priced. It’s the first time in a while I’ve a seen a Richebourg below 300 SFr, and (for example) Mugneret-Gibourg’s Clos de Vougeot is about 25% more expensive – or at least the 2006 is! I have not rushed for my credit card though.

alex gambal 2006 les murgers des dents de chien

By billn on January 12, 2009 #degustation

alex gambal saint aubin 1er les murgers des dents du chien
Alex Gambal's St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien

Following on from yesterday’s Camille Giroud, here’s another updated label design that tweaks the old typeface a little, uses a smaller font size and generally looks very classy – well done Alex.  You will, however, probably require a magnifying glass to read ‘Appellation Saint Aubin 1er Cru Contrôlée’  in the very small and faint typeface that’s employed – but then you already know that this is a premier cru don’t you! A wine that I’ve been buying since Gambal’s inaugural 2001 vintage (I only missed the 2003), so here’s a first look at the 2006.
2006 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chientry to find this wine...
The colour is a medium, medium-pale lemon-yellow. Dense, though not lush, aromas that are supported with citrus fruit elements. In the mouth it’s round with nice concentration and in the mid-palate shows the typical extra dimension of this cuvée. It’s fair to say that (in the 2006 vernacular) that this is a little plump, but the acidity is enough that it doesn’t become wearisome. Nice length. Another good showing.
Reybuy – Maybe

camille giroud 2006 gevrey en champs

By billn on January 11, 2009 #degustation

2006 camille giroud gevrey chambertin en champ

The 2005 was just so good that I ‘needed’ to buy some 2006 – even without tasting! Actually the 2006 was the last vintage that Giroud had grapes from these 80 year-old vines – such a shame. This is much easier drinking than the 2005 – right from opening – as it seems to contain much less dissolved carbon dioxide. Anyway these are my first Giroud bottles with the new ‘livery’ – a cleaner and more contemporary design though not quite ‘there’ perhaps.
2006 Camille Giroud Gevrey-Chambertin En Champtry to find this wine...
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is a sweet concoction of very well dovetailed dark oak notes and equally dark cherry fruit. In the mouth you start softly, plenty of sweetness, though the fruit doesn’t seem too ripe. Tannin is only really ‘suggested’ quite late, as flavour that peaks in the mid-palate just keeps rolling along. If anything (versus memory) this wine seems slightly denser than the 2005, but the way it just lingers on the tongue is quite the same. A super, if seemingly slightly sweet wine that will drink beautifully for the next year or two, but then you should be patient as it will probably peak closer to 2020.
Rebuy – Yes

wine index ‘edges down’

By billn on January 08, 2009 #other sites#the market

livex

Who says wine is a safe haven in a downturn? – I suppose 15% is roughly the same drop as average house prices in the UK over the same period.
Source: Liv-ex

A related (I suppose) story which I failed to pick up before Christmas is the closure of Christie’s South Kensington wine sales department – after 30 years no less – clearly no razzamataz with that announcement, indeed, I expect Christies were rather hoping that no-one would notice.

Also related (I suppose) is the news that ‘Majestic’ have not sold as much champagne as usual…

bertagna 2005 clos saint denis

By billn on January 07, 2009 #degustation

bertagna 2005 clos saint denis

I’ve always had a ‘special’ love for Clos St.Denis, and a bottle such as this does nothing to assuage my predilection! It’s still surprisingly ‘wide open’ and ‘giving’, it’s really a beauty.
2005 Bertagna, Clos St.Denistry to find this wine...
Medium-plus cherry-red colour. Whilst not the deepest, the nose offers many layers of fruit; red, bluer and blacker and then with a swirl you release violets – it’s a real beauty – give it time and it does deepen, showing a musky edge to the fruit and a faint caramel note. In the mouth it’s not over-ripe, and the first attack comes from the acidity, dragging with it a lovely intensity that peaks on the mid-palate before slowly decaying in a very long finish. The tannin is all-but hidden in the all-enveloping, nicely textured, extract from the fruit – it’s currently more about texture and density than layers or complexity. There is a hint of oak flavour in the finish but it is a minor component next to the lingering creamy fruit. It may only be the 7th of January, but, drunk over two evenings, this is, by a very wide margin, the finest wine I’ve opened this year!
Rebuy – Yes

jacques frédéric mugnier 99 chambolle-musigny

By billn on January 06, 2009 #degustation

jacques frederic Mugnier chambolle musigny

A domaine that has become rather ‘over-hyped’ in the last couple of years, as a consequence availability is down and at the prices currently asked only the Nuits wines of the domaine continue to show value – perhaps that’s simply a function of the fact that they are the only ones that seem to be in free supply! Five or six years ago when the wines were well priced and not continuously on the lips of ‘opinion formers’, I bagged quite a few 98 and 99’s including a case of this wine in halves – it’s been a while since I opened one, so I’m interested to see how it’s getting along.
1999 J-F Mugnier, Chambolle-Musignytry to find this wine...
From a half bottle. Medium ruby-red colour. The nose shows understated but heavily perfumed notes of dark flowers over tight red fruit notes. In the mouth it’s fresh and shows almost no tannin. Initially linear, it slowly unwinds in the mouth with decent intensity and a slowly growing width of flavours – it seems just a little fatter as it reaches room temperature and there’s quite a nice high toned ‘mouth perfume’. The flavours in the almost good finish are becoming just a little secondary. Clearly it’s a little tight showing not even close to the extra depth of flavour you currently find in a good 2005 villages Chambolle or even what it showed itself 5 or 6 years ago. Clean, pretty, slightly acid forward and easy drinking is the report today – not too much here to set the pulse racing. Return in another two or three years…
Rebuy – Maybe

the widow clicquot, tilar j. mazzeo (2008)

By billn on January 05, 2009 #books, maps, magazines, films even podcasts!

The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It.

the widow clicquot tyler j mazzeoThe story of the redoutable ‘Widow’ who, despite the misfortunes of war and family loss, became the equivalent of a billionaire in her epoch. It’s another Harper-Collins’ title – following on from their very readable ‘Billionaire’s Vinegar’.

I read ‘The Widow Clicquot’ written by Tilar Mazzeo over the Christmas break. The style of the book left me cringing quite a few times, but, overall, it is clearly very well researched and provides quite some insight into the life and times of wine-makers (not only from Champagne) during the almost constant backdrop of war and upheaval in the late 1700’s and into the 1800’s.

The first thing to bug me was the language style – I found it so typical of US-sourced academic writing – as I persevered it jarred less and less, and indeed on re-reading the opening pages I didn’t get the same feel – perhaps I had immunised myself! The second thing that bugged me was the constant reference to Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin (The Widow!) as a woman in a man’s world, unique in a man’s world etc., etc. – even just once per chapter might have been sufficient! The third thing that bugged me was the peppering of the text with technical references to (for instance) TCA with some background or racking with no further info etc.; it was almost as if there was a list of things that would have to be in the book (because it was aimed at a wino audience?) regardless of whether it was part of the unfolding story or not. In my opinion the last, and worst, transgression is that despite us being constantly told by the author that little information personal to ‘the widow’ had survived, the author constructs a web of ‘make-believe’ and speculation for her storytelling, e.g.

Staring at the ceiling of her bedroom in the early morning hours of February 10th, 1806, Barbe-Nicole was perhaps already feeling queasy. The church bells tolled six o’clock, and without turning to look, she knew the horizon was still only a dim wash of early gray.

etc., etc.. I’m sorry but for such an evidently well researched book, I’m not looking for make-believe! Late in the book, there is some justification of the approach in the ‘Afterword’ where she points to the lack of surving personal information and describes writing the book as:

…an exercise in the oblique…

…The dilemma for any curious historian is a simple one: Without this sympathy there is silence.

If the larger explanation had been in the foreword, rather than the afterword, I’m sure I would have been less constantly annoyed whilst reading.

That was all the bad stuff I can think of, on the other hand you only need look through the notes section to get a feel for how extensive the research was and the historical backdrop to the narrative is fascinating. I have already taken up a number of references. Overall this is a book chock full of fact, many new to me, so despite having to weave your way through some fiction too, for the historical perspective alone of a wine-trade in such tumultuous, waring years, I’d rate this book as ‘close to’ indispensable.

There is also a ‘book review’ in the NYTimes; rather I would say it simply outlines the story of this remarkable lady as ‘pieced’ together by the author. As ‘reviews’ go, this is a better one.

2009 – “somewhat confusing”…

By billn on January 04, 2009 #other sites

A French négoce house decides to label their Burgundies with varietal indication. A Saint-Aubin Chardonnay is bottled – under Stelvin – and a small earthquake occurs in Burgundy when thousands of dead growers start rotating in their graves. Less successful is their Saint-Aubin Chardonnay sur Gamay, which is deemed “somewhat confusing” by notable Burgundy commentator Clive Coates.

Some classic predictions for 2009 from Doug

Burgundy Report

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