only 56 years age difference…

By billn on September 27, 2017 #degustation

I suppose that given the title, you might be forgiven for assuming that sub-title could be ‘A Las Vegas Wedding!’

Boringly, this is actually about wine, but certainly not about boring wines…

1959 Maison Roger Moreau, Gevrey-Chambertin “Clos Saint Jacques”
I bought a few of these at an auction in Switzerland – maybe 10 years-or-so ago. What can we make of the label? There’s no mention of 1er crus, and only ‘Gevrey-Chambertin Appellation Contrôlée’ though on separate lines. So it could easily be a villages Gevrey with a (not allowed) cuvée/brand name of CSJ – or it could actually be a Clos Saint Jacques – I will never know…
The nose starts with a note that makes me think ‘corked’ but it gets cleaner and cleaner, despite a little bloody iron and balsamic. With air the nose also offers flashes of beautiful florals – not enough for my taste – but sometimes – you never know what you’re going to get. The palate has weight, concentration and plenty of sweetness. It’s tasty enough, if never quite as nice as the (more and more) excellent nose – yet it’s a wine that’s very easy to take another glass – and I do! First question: Is it a real 1959? The weight and bulky sweetness, plus the lack of overt acidity are consistent with other wines from that vintage. Is it Clos Saint Jacques – well that’s anybody’s guess, but it’s holding up in excellent fashion – certainly more than you would expect from a villages wine – real or adulterated!

2015 Louis Jadot, Bourgogne Chardonnay
On 33% discount in my local co-op, so a logical choice at only 10.95 Swiss francs! DIAM sealed.
The first whiffs of aroma are classically, clichéd white burgundy; a toasty depth with a little side-plate of melted butter – time adding some weighty, ripe fruit – papya-style. Cold from the fridge this is both delicious and textured like silk. Some weight of modestly fat flavour but with fine balance – but only so long as keep it cool – not so much of a worry now we’re heading into the Autumn. Delicious wine for the price – really – bravo!
Rebuy – Yes
 

weekend wines – week 38 2017

By billn on September 26, 2017 #degustation

Another week/weekend of 1997 research for the forthcoming Burgundy Report – but I managed to slip in another bottle…

2011 Domaine Albert Joly, Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots
A little deeper colour than seems correct for such a (theoretically) youthful wine. Waxy lemon and a suggestion of caramel on the nose – but alive and attractive. Mouth-filling, fresh, mouth-watering too, plenty of density and but nothing hard or abrupt. Just a little caramel in the finish, like the nose. Tasty wine on which I wouldn’t take a chance by keeping longer – but it’s tasty enough today!
Rebuy – Maybe

cuvée magazine…

By billn on September 25, 2017 #books, maps, magazines, films even podcasts!

I bought this, because it’s about Chablis, and Chablis is my day-job! For €20 there’s virtually no advertising across Cuvée Magazine’s 120 pages of content, though the text is large and the pictures are page-filling. You could certainly buy a more in-depth book for that.

There is much about this magazine that reminds me of my dear and departed TONG. The concept seems very similar here; a premium-priced magazine with no advertising – or in Cuvée’s case, virtually no advertising. Where Cuvée differs, is that there seems just one writer/photographer behind this magazine – Épernay-based Stefanie Köhler. TONG had specialists/MWs for the writing though I was never sure about their images – but TONG’s was obviously a more expensive approach than the one taken by Stefanie’s Cuvée.

TONG lasted about 5-6 years in its hard-copy format before seemingly imploding / dying on the vine. I hope that Cuvée does a little better; some of the explanatory pieces are certainly bite-sized soundbites rather than offering much depth, but the domaine profiles – and there are 14 of them in this issue – are as good as you will find anywhere, as there is insight into the characters of the wine-makers themselves, not just their roots. I could complain that some of the tasting notes are too ‘adjectivey/flowery’ but others resonate.

I assume that, in the end, TONG failed because it couldn’t hold onto enough people willing to pay about €25 an issue – a premium price – with generalist content. Indeed, that was what finished me; I stopped subscribing after about 3 years as the content went further and further away from my zones of interest. I don’t know how long Cuvée/Stefanie can keep it up – Issue 1 was about Champagne, where Stefanie is based, and it seems that there is a ‘special’ in December about …Champagne – but it’s not issue number 3… I’m sure I will eventually understand what’s happening.

As a standalone issue, I would whole-heartily recommend this. And before people get on their high-horses about the price – it costs the same as a decent bottle of Chablis – which is 25% of the cost of a decent bottle of Burgundy these days! Just pay and enjoy…

marko de morey’s (hautes) côte de nuits harvest gallery – the last day

By Marko de Morey et de la Vosne on September 25, 2017 #vintage 2017

Monday the 18th was Marko’s last day harvesting this year – Saturday and Sunday were ‘off’ days due to a) the weather and b) waiting for the ripeness of the Hautes Côtes fruit – helpful for Marko as he was suffering from some man-flu. But Monday they attacked:

Thank-you Marko!
 

a little swiss cow action!

By billn on September 24, 2017 #picture gallery#travel pics

In Switzerland, like everywhere else, what goes up, must come down – but particularly in Switzerland, because that also includes the cows!

At the beginning of June the cows are walked up the hikers’ paths to the higher pastures of the Alps, and in September they are walked back down – before the weather changes. The journey’s are celebrated and the farmers and their family dress-up in their traditional costumes – but the cows are dressed-up too, with floral headresses and there are even cow ‘beauty contests’ – taken very seriously by the local folk.

It was a sunny day, so we took a trip out to the Freiburger-Alps and the nearby towns of Charmey and Gruyère for some cow action!
 


And then onto Gruyère – very pretty indeed!
 

marko de morey’s côte de nuits harvest gallery – days 8 + 9

By Marko de Morey et de la Vosne on September 24, 2017 #vintage 2017

Marko is back home and feeding me his remaining harvesting pics. Enjoy…
 

updated vintage chart – v.1.7

By billn on September 21, 2017 #site updates

Updated to include, among other things, my early thoughts on the 2015s.
Here.

The ‘other things’ include:

  • A small increase in the average score for 2007 reds – a nod to their opening out
  • Increasing the number of ‘red flagged’ white vintages – i.e. ones to drink up to minimise your exposure to oxidised bottles.
  • Lastly a small reduction in score for the ‘best’ 2013 whites. I still enjoy them very much, but they are clearly not as good as the same from 2011, 2012 and 2014…

And that’s about it!

1996 hospices de beaune corton charlotte dumay

By billn on September 21, 2017 #degustation

1996 Hospices de Beaune Corton Charlotte Dumay – Prosper Maufoux
Hmm, a miserly cork – about 45mm worth – I expect better from my half-bottles!
I had 4 bottles of this remaining from a whole case bought many years ago for a good price in Switzerland – but I’ve never seen anything even vaguely hinting at maturity, or overt drinkability come to think about it. Let’s see how it is, now that it’s more than 20 years old!

There’s a hint of smoke, and an almost vibrant quality of red, macerating, semi-mature fruit. Fresh and narrow starting in the mouth, but opening out very quickly. There’s the 1996 acidity, but it’s balanced. Broad waves of flavour that extend even wider as your mouth waters with just enough sweetness to make this a tasty thing. I’d say that, for the first time, this wine has transitioned from ‘impressive but too young’ to some semblance of enjoyable drinkability – very good!
Rebuy – Yes

tastevinage – version 100

By billn on September 20, 2017 #events#the market


The images for this post were stolen from the website of www.tastevinage.fr.

Next week I’ll be attending the 100th edition of Tastevinage tasting in the Château du Clos de Vougeot – as a little background, here’s what I previously learned and wrote about the Tastevinage tastings.

The twice-yearly tastings have been organized since 1950, but for the 100th edition, the organisers are trying add a little extra interest for the millennial generation.

The underlying question “Would you recommend this burgundy to a friend?” remains unchanged, but there is a more ‘modern’ approach to the labeling, and instead of the usual Coups de Coeurs – i.e. the wines liked unanimously by the table of tasters – will henceforth become, more internationally, the Majors – “And their should be not much more than 25 per session” notes Arnaud Orsel of the organising committee.

So, on the face of it, just a little tinkering – as the concept seems to work well in practice. The most interesting ‘change’ will be novel new tasting glasses – apparently specially designed for the tasting of burgundy wines – specially to cover both the reds, whites and crémants that are part of this tasting. You will even be able to buy the glasses at the shop in the Château du Clos de Vougeot – I’ll report back on what I think of them.

And, perhaps, in a nod to the general market aspirations of Burgundy, Jeannie Cho Lee will be the president of the day for this tasting number 100.

Burgundy Report

Translate »

You are using an outdated browser. Please update your browser to view this website correctly: https://browsehappy.com/;