Degustation

Chablis 2020 – trouble at’ mill – weekend 29 2022…

By billn on July 26, 2022 #degustation

weekend 29 2022 wines

At the risk of boring you, the hot weekend weather demands a cool bottle – or three – of Chablis. Unfortunately, this was a very unsatisfactory bunch. I feel a note to subscribers coming on – of the mea-culpa type – these 2020 pyrazines are becoming more and more invasive…

2020 Chablisienne, Chablis 1er Montmains
This was a bravo wine – pre-bottling – why else would I have ordered a dozen of them(?)
A nose of impact and good freshness but also of green-citrus skin and pyrazines. The palate is nicely structural in shape – those green-citrus bitters and energy are abundant but so are the more pyrazine style of flavours too. Ouch! So far, all bar one of my 2020 purchases – all of which I (obviously!) thought pyrazine free – are far from pyrazine free…
Rebuy No Only 11 more to go…

2019 Eleni & Eduard Vocoret, Chablis Les Pargues
Wine of the weekend but from a hobbled field! The problem with this wine today is the strongly visible oak – creamy, almost vanilla. Blind, I’m sure I’d be drinking something from the Côte de Beaune. If I’d wanted something from the Côte de Beaune that’s what I would have chosen, not a Chablis! On the other hand, this is delicious, perfumed, wine it’s just that the oak is wearing today. Wait for 3 years and I think it will be transformed…
Rebuy No

2020 Oudin, Chablis
A favourite producer – but! The cork was a little smelly but the tight nose seemed free of TCA. A muted aromatic, more of yellow citrus than the wine of the Chablisienne and only a faint suggestion of pyrazine. Tight, structural wine giving almost nothing away – but as it warmed in the glass the reason was apparent – faint TCA. After 3 such wines I cut my losses and instead of searching for a 4th bottle, I made some tea!
Rebuy – No

weekend 28 2022 – plus some wine…

By billn on July 18, 2022 #degustation

Niesen view...

I don’t need to tell you that it’s hot – and tomorrow might reach 40°C in Burgundy – but at the weekend I was able to enjoy brunch atop the Niesen with its 2,362 metres of altitude – to be honest, I needed a pullover! For a place that I love so much I’m astounded that it’s nearly 4 years since my last visit – where did the time go during the covid-period?

Unsurprisingly, I’m a big fan of the mountains and particularly enjoy running the trials – that was until 3.5 weeks ago when I rolled over my left ankle at quite high speed – head in the clouds, eyes certainly not on the trail. That was me limping – and definitely not jogging – for a time. I just completed my second comeback jog today and think I’m now okay for alternate days of running. If there was anything ‘fortunate’ about my injury, it was the timing – I did this deed on the last possible day that I could cancel (for free) my hotel for the mountain race that I’d trained for in Sedrun on the 9th. I was the 7th-fastest old person (ie over 50) in the race last year and running the same time this year would have given me 5th place – I was in better shape this year – apart from, it seems, my eyes 🙂 Anyway, I can’t wait to get back into those hills…

But there was also wine:

2020 Gauthier, Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
Crunchy, structural, slightly green – but tasty as always – this house cuvée…
Rebuy – No

2019 N&G Fevre, Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
Not more concentrated than the last, perhaps slightly less structural too – but more directly tasty without the small hint of green. I like this a lot – as could be seen how quickly the bottle was emptied!
Rebuy – Yes

2010 Nicolas Rossignol, Pommard Les Vignots
Medium coloured – and the colour’s starting to show a little age too. That’s a very appealing nose – almost touched with elegance despite a small graphite mineral accent. Even more elegance, and here is some silk to the texture too. The small note of graphite is also showing in the finish. I like the shape of this – it’s elegant yet has some proper structure. A delicious middleweight wine – yum!
Rebuy – Yes

more weekend wines – week 27 2020

By billn on July 13, 2022 #degustation

more weekend wines....

Even stretching into the start of week 28 😉

2019 Raphael Chopin, Beaujolais Funambule
The no sulfur cuvée of declassified BJV
A year ago this was so impressively delicious and juicy – a bravo wine. A year down the line it’s still delicious but just a little less juicy so showing more finishing sweetness. No faults, just a bit less ‘bravo’ – still a very tasty wine!
Rebuy – Yes

And because of the hot weather, plenty of Chablis:

2020 Wengier, Chablis
A wine with the merest hint of the characteristic 2020 pyrazines – but there is more to find in the flavours. Structural and this is a punchy wine of some class. Very drinkable despite the green notes – if I was less sensitive to the greens it would be a definite rebuy for its proper Chablis minerality and punch – but I am, so…
Rebuy – No

2019 Alice & Olivier de Moor, Chablis Clardy & Rosette
Oof – now this has a more obviously bracing acidity than the 2020 (despite the reverse ‘averages’ of the vintages) but my palate quickly makes the adjustment to get with the flow of this super wine. So mouth-watering with great Chablis intensity. That’s a really excellent 2019 – and completely delicious.
Rebuy – Yes

2018 Céline & Frédéric Gueguen, Chablis Cuvée 1995
Not the oldest vines of the domaine but made as a separate cuvée as it’s the birthyear of both Céline & Frédéric!
After the previous two wines, here was a sense of calm – both aromatically and in the flavours too. We could be cynical and presume that to be the high yields of the vintage on full display – yet – here is a wine with good concentration and just a little extra citrus bitters as you head into the finish. Easy-drinking Chablis but still a worthwhile drink. For what it’s worth, I also find the 2019 Côte de Beaune whites are currently more interesting drinks than their 2018 counterparts.
Rebuy – Maybe

2012 Comte Georges de Vogüé, Chambolle-Musigny
The first bottle from this 6-pack. 2012s (in general, not just at de Vogüé) were brilliant, pre-bottling, with their fine structure and mega-appealing clarity of flavour. Then the vast majority tightened and were obviously for the long-haul. It’s nice to see that some wines might be re-opening:
Lots of colour. The nose has a bit of oaky funk about it but it’s also very forward and welcoming – air reducing the oak a little and accentuating the smaller complexities – that’s a great start. In the mouth I’m reminded of the structural shape of the vintage – I like! – but also the impressive middle and finishing energy on display from this ‘mere’ villages (yes, it does contain some 1er grapes.) Some was left for day 2 and the obvious clarity of the flavour has not been dulled, nor are there any unwelcome developments like brett. I am very happy with this first bottle!
Rebuy – Yes

this week’s wines, including ‘Who is the new Domaine René Engel?’

By billn on July 07, 2022 #degustation#warning - opinion!

this week's wines

Dinner with friends in Pommard and some lovely, eclectic, wines.

The first bottle was a lovely 2011 Comtes Champagne – with some lovely menthol aromatic complexity. Then came the:

2012 Fontaine-Gagnard, Le Montrachet
Deeper colour and the first nose was more monolithic – some sulfur-reduction hardening things – affecting the palate too – but aeration brought more comfort, more dimension and less sulfur! Such a concentrated flavour and shape to this wine – it’s such a baby – still! Very impressed, rather than wowed – yet – it has the material that good bottles will easily outlast me!
Rebuy – Maybe

2014 Jean Chartron, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Folatières
So much more open and so much more aromatically direct – complex, citrus energy – just such a great invitation. Like the nose the flavours more open and energetic and accessible than the Montrachet but never with the weight and concentration of the older wine. But in terms of drinking, this was clearly the white to go for today.
Rebuy – Yes

1996 Vincent Girardin, Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
Plenty of browning but still a good depth of colour. The aromas reminded me of the many 1996 recently drunk – complex – not harsh – inviting, and unlike the reputation of the domaine at this time – not much oak influence is visible today. This was a very tasty wine – I’d be happy to spend an evening just with this bottle.
Rebuy – Yes

And now, here is the question…

Who is the new Domaine René Engel? Over the last few years, many people have asked me this question. More often than not they are looking for the next domaine whose wines could jump to the ‘superstar level’ of pricing so that they can jump in and later cash in! With pricing in mind, I rarely attempt to answer this question but there is another perspective.

For this other perspective, it’s important to define what was Domaine René Engel: Up until the loss of Philippe Engel in 2005 the wines of this domaine were never considered to be on the same ‘superstar’ or ‘sought after’ level as newly emerging domaines such as Comte Liger-Belair or older domaines such as Méo-Camuzet. But as a counterpoint to the more oaked and sometimes structural wines of Grivot and various domaines ‘Gros,’ the wines of Engel were always accessible and delicious – they were also very well priced when compared to his neighbours. Most were drunk young – as those of any ‘less expensive’ domaine. But those bottles that have been saved – helped by today’s prices shooting for the stars; €3k is now average for a bottle of 1999 Engel Grands-Echézeaux – have shown that accessible and balanced is no barrier to ageing with grace whilst remaining delicious.

With this latter perspective in mind, I’m always happy and open with my thoughts and was reminded of this during a tasting with friends in Pommard this week. One-time contemporary of Philippe Engel and Mr Consistent in terms of a similar easy deliciousness I openly suggest Frederic Esmionin. His Estournelles St.Jacques is an absolute cracker and his Ruchottes-Chambertin is all that you could wish for from a grand cru – but just look at his tariff – at least in the context of many neighbours in the Côte de Nuits. It’s a shame that his long-term lease of the Ruchottes-Chambertin parcel will come to an end in 2031 when it will return to the current (new) owners – Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy’s Domaine des Lambrays – the price of this wine will probably (at least) triple when grapes have to take the long trip to Morey Saint-Denis!

Confined to his wheelchair it is not Fred Esmonin who does the work in the vines or in the cuvérie – it is still mainly his father, André, who is also getting on in years – I hope that between them they can keep going until 2031!

Anyway, back to the wines:

1999 Frederic Esmonin, Ruchottes-Chambertin
MOre modest colour after the 1996 Girardin. What a great nose – open, a faintly smoky complexity but still a fine and complex red fruit style – zero issues with this fine, clean nose. The palate – yes – broad, mouth-filling, good energy and still just a small lick of the structural tannins. Absolutely delicious wine. Really in great shape and (red) wine of the night..
Rebuy – Yes

2001 Louis Latour, Corton
It’s so rare to see older Latours that I was really looking forward to this one. I find young Lators usually closed and uninteresting but my experience of older bottles is almost always positive – this one wasn’t going to change my mind on that.
Darker, younger colour. The nose a little more mineral and dark fruited. More structural scale – as you might expect from Corton – and a wine that’s clearly going to need a few more years to be as drinkable as the Esmonin – yet – here is good dark fruit, properly Corton in shape but without hard edges – and has a finish of wonderful, if still young, grand cru energy. A wine with so many positives – well done.
Rebuy – Yes

wines of weekend 26 2022 – including an ultra-rare Ponsot

By billn on July 05, 2022 #degustation

weekend wines 26 2022

First, something of a rarity – a Ponsot 1994.

Laurent Ponsot recounted to me this week that “In 1994 most of my neighbours picked a bit too early and had grapes full of rot. Me, (he said with a smile) I picked a bit too late and also had grapes full of rot! The wines were not very good and not something I wanted to put my label on, so I sent them all for distillation.” I pointed out that the de Chézeaux Griotte of 1994 proudly proclaimed him as the producer; “Yes, it’s true. I told the Mercier family (owners of his metayage parcels) what I was doing with my wines but they refused to follow – so for their contracted share of the crop, I had to deliver the bottles.

1994 des Chézeaux/Ponsot, Griotte-Chambertin
The colour is not bad – certainly no browning here. An intriguing nose – a suggestion of the balsamic but there was no real oxidative character – despite a cork that crumbled into pieces and did, itself, smell very sherried! Still there was a certain hardness to the aromas that couldn’t really be described as an invitation to drink. In the mouth, slightly metallic – but not blood/iron – quite mouth-filling and with balanced acidity – but still, like the nose, with a certain hardness. I drank only one glass and returned the bottle to the fridge. On day two the aromas and flavours were more relaxed – this was a very stable wine with no obvious faults and it was certainly better on day two when I could manage two glasses! Because of its scarcity, Griotte is exceptionally expensive these days but this particular bottle was worth no more than €20 – and only for the experience – so if you find one, you have been warned!
Rebuy – No

1995 Jean Grivot, Vosne-Romanée Les Bossières
The 95s and 96s of Grivot – for a long time – could only be described as monolithic wines. Despite (selling!) merchants describing new approaches and ‘wonderful clarity’ in the early 2000s. then the mid-2000s, then again in the early 2010s, etcetera, etcetera, for me it was the same-old, same-old story. Only in the last 2-3 years have I seen the stirrings of real extra clarity and accessibility in the hands of Mathilde Grivot that make me want to return to taste new vintages. But let’s return to the 95s and 96s: After years of being uninteresting, in the last couple of years I have found many of these Grivot wines to be opening and really delivering some impressive performances – at last. Memorably there was this Richebourg but others have begun to deliver too, such as a 96 Nuits Boudots at a tasting, last week, of 1996s (to come for subscribers) and this 1995 too. Note, another rather spongy cork that was never, ever, going to be released from the neck in one piece!
Medium, medium-plus colour with a very subtle browning at the rim. This nose shows a small suggestion of both caramel and spice – maybe even a little cigar – it is a good invitation to drink, having no obvious faults. In the mouth nicely – but not overly – structural with good balance and whilst still underpinned by a little tannin there is no-longer any harshness to this experience. Decent length and nicely clean finishing – another glass? I don’t mind if I do. Finally, this is very good and another stable wine – like the Ponsot – zero problems with the wine on day 2.
Rebuy – Maybe

2020 Jean Chartron, Puligny-Montrachet
A direct nose with some stone fruit that was accented with florals. Such flavour energy and a growing intensity to this flavour too – really a mouth-watering and energetic wine – tension indeed. It’s lovely – topped off with a vibrantly tasty finish. Excellent villages and very Puligny…
Rebuy – Yes

weekend wines – weekend 24 2022

By billn on June 20, 2022 #degustation

week 24 2022 - weekend wines

For everyone in Europe, it’s unnecessary to mention the heatwave of the moment but, for readers further afield, it’s worth mentioning the temperatures of 35-38°C. We see these temperatures for a day or two in most years (not 2021) but typically they come in the high summer of July-August – but these are record temperatures for June.

After a couple of covid years where the magnums were left untouched, we have guests again – and on a hot weekend, it was time to delve into the pile of magnums for something refreshing.

2018 Alain Geoffroy, Chablis 1er Vau-Ligneau
2018, despite its other-worldly yields, continues to offer positive surprises from Chablis – though I’m finding most Côte de Beaune whites a little bland at this stage. Here is a nose of obvious ‘northern freshness’ and a certain citrus twang – it’s a fine invitation. In the mouth, the surprises continue with fine intensity and a grapefruit and tannin style to the flavours and texture. Both delicious and interesting! Excellent wine.
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Chevrot, Bourgogne Aligoté Tilleul Mag
I loved this before bottling but the oak treatment was more generous than I like – so I ordered 6 mags but planned not to open one before it was 5 years old – here’s the first. Cork sealed. A lovely freshness of aroma – very appealing. On the palate there is direction and delicious mouth-watering flavour – still a hint of its creamy oak beginnings – but the oak is now almost in the background. Absolutely delicious young wine – a treat!
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Domaine Champy, Pernand-Vergelesses Mag
Also sealed with cork and herein came a problem. This was just fabulous at the domaine when a baby – today not. Darker colour than the Tilleul and a much more developed nose that suggested a slight oxidation. Over about 1 hour the oxidative note largely faded but the accent remained in the flavours. I’m hoping for better corks in the remaining 2 magnums – I’ve never previously noted any premature ageing with magnums but I won’t be holding onto these with the same confidence as the Chevrot…
Rebuy – No

2020 Gautheron, Chablis VV
One of my ‘house-wine’ purchases and only to note that with these warmer temperatures, the pyrazine was the most visible as for any of these 12 bottles. A shame, as the base wine is great.
Rebuy – No

rounding up some recent bottles…

By billn on June 08, 2022 #degustation

I have been lacking in my ‘home bottle’ notes of recent, mainly because I’ve been drinking plenty of my ‘home’ wines – ie ones that you’ve already seen too often in these pages – but here are a few different ones:

2020 Ardhuy, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Chaumes
It was nearly the end of the week and the tasting bottles were too numerous for the domaine to do anything with – so one was thrust into my palms:
This a wine with ripe, dark-fruited, moderately spiced aromatics – and fine clarity too. A wine with ample energy despite a generous demeanour – a delicious wine. Very stable too – it drank beautifully over three evenings.
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Murgurs des Dents du Chien
There’s still a little aromatic oak padding here but the nose is still an invitation. A wine of evident structure and fine mouth-watering flavour – but for my taste, the oak is still a little too dominant. I will return to this only in another 2-3 years – but with confidence given the DIAM seals.
Rebuy – Maybe

2012 Domaine Faiveley, Corton-Charlemagne
This was the last vintage (2012) where I long-term cellared any whites that were sealed with cork – having thrown away too many high-priced, potentially great wines, due to oxidation.
Rather a dark colour but happily no oxidation – indeed there’s more of a firework-style reduction here – and what a complexity of aroma too – not the full creaminess of an aged white – but it’s starting to appear – still with energy and plenty of ripe fruit too. In the mouth – oh yes – so complex. For the first years this was a wine that I found a little over-generous in shape and energy but today it’s taut – it has been in training – it’s a great, great wine – bravo!
Rebuy – Yes

La Table de Léonce

By billn on May 31, 2022 #degustation

Chateau du Clos de Vougeot

The Château du Clos de Vougeot proposes a new ‘offer’ for the summer month where they hope to combine (in their words) culture and gastronomy.

Their summer restaurant, La Table de Léonce, is offering lunch/winetastings where the diners can sample the cuisine of the château whilst discovering various (Burgundy!) wines.

Details:
A wine-tasting with 4 wines + lunch + visit: 75€ inclusive of tax
A wine-tasting with 6 wines + lunch + visit: 105€ including tax – this offer including 2 Grand Crus
A visit in the château plus lunch with a selection of fruit juices instead of wine (let’s call this the chauffeur’s option!): 55€ including tax
There’s also a children’s menu (under 17 years): 30€ including tax
And a vegetarian menu (with the chef’s choice of in-season ingredients) but this must be ordered 24 hours in advance

By reservation, private lunches are available on any day of the week, but for a minimum 18 guests:
latable@closdevougeot.info or +33 3 80 62 86 09

Saint’s day…

By billn on May 18, 2022 #degustation

Saint's Day

I planned a tasting of 2020 Saint Romain and Saint Aubin for this week in Beaune – little did I know that growers, stressed by a lack of vineyard workers and exponential growth of their vines just now, (more on that tomorrow) had better things to do than send samples to Beaune.

It’s not just me – re samples – Decanter this week were in the same position, Bourgogne Aujourd’hui and the Revue du Vin de France too, and even the BIVB’s Cave Prestige has seen a big drop in the number of samples sent by the domaines – estimating ‘half’ the volume of samples versus previous years would be generous!

So, I clearly didn’t have enough samples to make a single report for subscribers, so I’ll simply place the tasting notes here. Still, there are three domaines that I’d be interested to follow up on and, as always, the wines were tasted blind, their identities revealed only for the camera once done:

2020 Sebastien Magnien, St.Romain Sous le Château
Cork – broke in two
A forward and broad nose – citrus skins and relatively modest creamy oak. Broad, nicely vibrant flavour here. The oak is not excessive and fills out the palate, augmenting fine citrus bitters. This is very nicely mouth-watering and could be enjoyed today, though I’d perhaps wait 2 years. This is a lovely finishing wine.

2020 Géraldine Louise, St.Romain La Périère
A personalised cork – and I like the contemporary label very much
A little extra colour. A wide, if calmer, more compact nose in other directions – airy, faintly spiced, less visible oak. A wine that goes deeper, showing riper fruit too, more generous – almost rich. Here the oak is more visible in the flavours and whilst mouth-watering and showing a little mineral character in the finish, the previous wine is much more refreshing and has the better energy today. Give this 2-3 years in the cellar to see how it opens.

2020 Château Philippe le Hardi, St.Aubin En Vesveau
DIAM10
A more stony, mineral, freshness to this nose – narrower but quite deep. Hmm – flighty, energetic, relatively direct – tension – lots of rock and citrus, only faintly of oak and faintly perfumed in the modest length finish. I love the energy here – a super wine for today’s apéro…

2020 Larue, St.Aubin 1er Sous Roche Dumay
Fortunately to pad out this tasting(!) I had a glass of this the day before! I didn’t see the seal.
That has both a width and an energy to the nose – the oak is very modest and it’s the citrus complexity that’s in command. The first impression is of a direct wine, vibrant with mineral energy – no padding. Time in the glass widens the perspective. Another wine of tension and delicious flavours. This is very good!

2020 Pierre Brisset, St.Aubin 1er Sous Roche Dumay
DIAM10 – and a second Sous Roche Dumay – not that well-known a 1er!
A fuller nose – large in the depth too – almost a richness of fruit. Belying the richness of the nose is a mouth-filling wine of lovely energy. There’s a more than interesting, almost haunting, mineral width to the finishing flavour. That’s a beautiful finish – a wine with disparate parts but a very good wine – so wait for it to come together – it could become excellent.

2020 Prosper-Maufoux, St.Aubin 1er Clos du Chateau
54mm (long!) cork and a much too heavy bottle!
Lovely – complex, airy, citrus – a little lime in the mix too – such an inviting nose. Mouth-filling – a flavour that really expands over the palate – almost fizzing as it goes. Not quite the sherbet-style of Montagny but some comparisons. A finish that rolls over the palate as it slowly unwinds. My favourite so far and a wine that should get better and better in the cellar – excellent wine.

2020 Prosper-Maufoux, St.Aubin 1er Combes au Sud
DIAM10 and a lighter bottle – so it seems that I tasted these two in the wrong order…
There are aromatic parallels with the flavours of the previous wine – sherbet energy – here backed with a modest oak component. More silky and mineral – hmm – another level of ripe but balanced concentration here. This flavour is delicious though with an ‘apple-y’ oxidative style and more visible oak – despite that, it’s an impressive finish. That’s a good wine, with very good energy too – but for drinking today – for my cellar, I’d prefer the previous wine because of the oxidiative style of this.

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