Tasted in Beaune with David Butterfield, 11 October 2018.
Butterfield Wine
24 Avenue du 8 Septembre
21200, Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 24 69 36
www.butterfieldwine.com
David on 2018:
“You know, in 2005 I didn’t have the experience to be so excited. But this year I’m so impressed with the potential for the reds in 2018.”
David on 2017:
“Well, it’s ripe by Burgundian standards – many in 2017 have 13 percent fully fermented – and that’s with no additions of sugar. I think that the wines are going to be accessible when young, whether they have incredible aging potential I can’t say – the reds are not so coloured but of course 2015, 2016 and 2018 are hardly representative. We needed to do zero sorting so used about 30% whole clusters as we also had millerande grapes – that’s the reds. The whites are very classic right now, a little more reserved. I’m having a harder time comparing vintages with the whites. 2017 had a cold January, the rest was warmer and had a longer growing cycle than the more compact 2018 cycle, budding was early.”
The wines…
“Reds will be bottling in the New Year – the only time bottled before a second winter was in 2006 and I regretted that – I think it has an important impact on the wines to wait. Yet the wines are already seemingly ready – I just have to keep vigilant that they don’t start to change – it could be June, lets see.”
A very succesful range of sleek, beautifully textured and well concentrated reds – very much a style preference for me. The whites are indeed very classic with a certain reassuring richness. They are fine.
2017 Beaune 1er Clos des Avaux
Medium colour. A slight firework reduction, quite a round nose. Mouth-filling, silk to the texture, some sucrosity, a good vibration of intense finishing flavour too. Lovely…
2017 Beaune 1er Bressandes
Making this cuvée since 2006. all organic, always cloudier than other cuvees, taking 6 months to settle out and usually a little more reductive too.
A wider, pure fruit nose, just a little darker red. More transparent, pure wine – I love the clarity and growing complexity as the flavour melts over the palate. Very fine texture. A sleek, beautiful wine, a little finishing salinity too.
Racked a couple of days ago into tank.
A particularly attractive nose of sweet fruit and flowers – super. Sleek, wider and more saline than the Bressandes though less concentrated too. Top wine without cushioning. Bravo!
2017 Nuits St.Georges
This on the vosne side – les charmots
A little reduction here, a darker fruit of good freshness. Like the others here, sleek, direct wine, this with a touch extra of tannin, lingering complex finishing flavour. Really persistent. Super wine.
2017 Nuits St.Georges 1er Aux Murgers
More width and some floral accents here, but a depth of mineral-inflected aroma too. Sleek but concentrated, good texture, slowly augmenting with very fine tannin. Sucrosity as the flavour leaches and melts over the palate. Lovely weight of fine finishing flavour too.
Les blancs…
2017 Bourgogne Blanc
From Meursault commune but not declared as Côte d’Or
Aromatically this is interesting, borderline spiced and with a nice width. Layers of flavour, fine concentration with excellent depth of finishing flavour – here its really excellent for the label – another thumbs up for 2017 Bourgogne!
2017 St.Romain Les Perrières
More width and fineness but less depth of aroma. More drive and freshness with a balancing cushioning to the texture. Moves well around and over the palate. Lovely wine…
2017 Meursault
It’s reductive right now so needs more elevage. Multiple lieu-dits assembled here.
Indeed there’s a depth that is reductive here. Mouth-filling, layered, the reduction less overt in the flavours. There’s drive and mouth-watering flavour here and it holds very well. Lots of potential here.
2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Embazées
Hmm, a lovely aromatic complexity here. Hmm (again), a little more latent muscle yet it’s perfectly cushioned. A lovely wide, wave of rippling, finishing flavour. Starts with modesty but just keeps growing and growing. Excellent, still with a touch of oak in the finish but that will quickly fade…
2017 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Folatières
Lovely nose of purity, flowers and yellow-tinged citrus. Round, perhaps less full than the last but starting with more energy. A little touch of finishing oak again, slightly better starting, but I like the finish of the Chassagne more.
2017 Meursault 1er Les Charmes
A big nose, some brightness of pure citrus fruit. Layered, some Charmes richness but balanced with a comfortable muscle. Layered delivery but complex too with a little salinity. Not a greyhound, but sumptuous delicious wine.
2017 Corton Blanc
A biscuity, mild reduction goes with lots of aromatic volume, augmenting with florals liberated by the oxygen. A certain richness again, more oak here, almost a base of tannin. Lovely wine, a modest mineral component that adds a little lift versus the Charmes.