I had a very nice lunch in Beaune last week, and it provides me with an opportunity to give you a nice new restaurant tip and also to mention an uncommon, but tasty wine. The restaurant was called Clé de Voûte. If you enter the ring-road around Beaune from the direction of the (Lyon) auto-route, almost immediately on your right is a large antiques shop with its own small courtyard. If you have the chance, park in one of the spaces directly in front of the antiques shop – if you subsequently buy something from them, I’m sure they won’t mind – and just another door or two further-on is the restaurant. You head down the steps into a nicely converted cellar and more importantly to very good food. The wine-list is modest, but well-priced.
Onto the wines; not your first choice maybe, but the wines of Albert Bichot are (in my opinion) becoming rather dependable choices. First up was a good value, tasty Mâcon (Domaine Clos de l’Eglise) which is about 20% barrel ferment and the rest done in stainless-steel. Of most interest was a lovely Meursault – a red one! Checking with Bichot who produce the Domaine du Pavillon wine; it seems that they could have made more money by replacing the 40+ year-old vines (close to Volnay Santenots) with chardonnay – I’m glad they didn’t – it seems that we both think that there’s a little too much personality in the wine for that. It’s a well coloured, fresh and pure pinot with real drive, it does show the cedar of 2004 but in this case it’s on very low register such that it adds a nice complexity. Apparently there’s not so many bottles made, so if your country doesn’t get any – c’est la vie – but it’s worth a try.

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

Frankly I drink almost no Beaujolais – two months ago there was that glass of ‘nouveau’, okay, half a glass – well, almost half a glass…

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!

Three of us decidied it would be a white wine night at the at the restaurant Le Chassagne. The service was both excellent and friendly, the wines were very well priced and the food was very well presented – but like our choice of wines, the food was good rather than great. The company was, however, ‘very fine’.

2004 Jean Chartron, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Pucelle
Medium lemon-yellow. The wide, high-toned nose shows a little citrus interest and some faint oak artifacts – it’s quite interesting, but could do with a little more density. The palate is delicate rather than dense – I feel there is something missing – perhaps the yields were a little high(?) The good acidity brings you quickly into the mid-palate, and initially a rather coarse showing due to the oak treatment. An hour from opening and the wine is much more comfortable in it’s own skin and quite Puligny; clean but missing 1er cru intensity. Good but not great.
Rebuy – No
2004 Coche-Dury, Meursault 1er Caillerets
Medium lemon-yellow. The nose is quite high-toned with faint, but not excessive, estery notes over a base of mainly pear fruit. The palate is a little fatter than the Chartron, quite silky and also shows good acidity. There is some intensity of fruit, but despite some minerality it is delivered in a rather dense and unyielding fashion. Excellent length. This is a very good and very well proportioned wine, but I miss some engagement.
Rebuy – Maybe

I bought a six-pack of this wine ‘en-primeur’ – without tasting – you can do that with a relative degree of confidence with some producers. From the first sniff I’m thinking: ‘maybe I didn’t buy enough…’

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

2004 Denis Bachelet, Côte de Nuits Villages
Deeper coloured and a little more purple than the Ecard Savigny that preceded it. The floral nose is wide and fresh with traces of cedar and a warm and sweet, slightly creamy and smoky depth. The palate is well concentrated for the appellation, flavour-packed and just a little sweet. Fresh acidity and grainy tannin combine to make this just a little more rustic than the Savigny, but the acidity pins you down for a reasonably long finish. That 2004 cedar note is also there on the palate, but in a modest fashion. It’s not the best example of this wine from the last years, but it’s a good example and as always, it shows lots of value.
Rebuy – Yes