climats du coeur

By billn on June 12, 2009 #other sites

For your info:

“Dear Madam, Dear Sir,

We are pleased to inform you of the creation of a charity, by some Wine Growers and Wine Merchants from Burgundy. Named “Les Climats du Coeur”, its goal is to collect money to help the poorer of our region.

We invite you to visit our website where we present our project: www.climats-du-coeur.com

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Sincerely
Les Climats du Coeur

climats du doeur

arnoux 1997 vosne 1er les reignots

By billn on June 12, 2009 #degustation

1997 Robert Arnoux, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Reignots
1997 Robert Arnoux, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Reignots

1997 Robert Arnoux, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Reignotstry to find this wine...
Starts with dark, slightly dirty oak and some forest floor – slowly the forest floor fades to leave the oak and a slight roast coffee ground plus much fainter, greener herbal note – there is a little spiciness, but this is interesting, rather than captivating . Some sweetness though it is ‘balanced’ by acidity that’s a little tart and a lick of slightly astringent tannin. The sweetness is associated with the fruit, mainly red shaded in this vintage and hinting at cream too. There’s enough here to make me interested to try other vintages, but this wine is a poster-child to ‘not quite there 1997’. I gave it a bit more of a chance and left the last third for day 3 (day 2 I was out!) – hints of red berry, less oak and more balance. Still far from worth the normal sticker price, but there is now some interest here. Another bottle will rest in the cellar until its 15th birthday or-so.
Rebuy – No
[Actually, everything is relative – looking at winesearcher on the green dollar icon above, you can buy this for £35 – put it in a decanter for 2+ hours and I think it’s maybe worth that!]

a new home in beaune

By Ray Walker on June 11, 2009 #ray's posts

Hey guys! Well, the great news keep on rolling in. A few months back I was told about this facility in Beaune that was available for my project. At the time, I was just a bit more interested in sharing a facility. Well, as things have a way of doing, something better came along.

This facility is from the early 1910’s. While attached to a home, the building has a great amount of character and charm. There is a main winery, attic for storage (not sure I want things stored above my head in an old building) and a well sized cave below ground. I am moving forward with this facility. Harvest is closer, and it simply feels appropriate for my humble needs.

Here are a few pics. Remember, think potential…

Mendocino Ridge: California’s Newest Home for Pinot Noir

By William Rusty Gaffney on June 09, 2009 #etrangers#rusty's posts

Manchester Ridge Vineyard
Manchester Ridge Vineyard

Mendocino Ridge in California is a relatively young American Viticultural Area (AVA), winning approval in 1997, yet it has some of the oldest producing vineyards in Mendocino County.  The first plantings, primarily Zinfandel, were established by Italian immigrants and date to the late 1800s.  Today, Zinfandel is still the pride of this AVA, but the region holds promise as a viticultural paradise for Pinot Noir.

The Mendocino Ridge AVA is a non contiguous trio of ridges that is defined by vineyards at least 1,200 feet or more in elevation and within 10 miles of the Pacific Ocean.  It is California’s first and only non contiguous AVA.  Because of the hilly terrain of the AVA, some lower elevations are not included, fostering the name, “Islands in the Sky.”

The climate in Mendocino Ridge is distinctly different from the neighboring Anderson Valley below.  Perched above the fog and frost threat, the vineyards in the Mendocino Ridge bask in the early morning sun, and early afternoon breezes cool down the fruit, never allowing the temperatures to rise as high as the valley below.  There is enough rainfall and ground water to dry farm vineyards.

The first winery in the Mendocino Ridge AVA was Greenwood Ridge Vineyards, founded in 1980.  Pinot Noir plantings here are the oldest on the Mendocino Ridge.  Other Pinot Noir vineyards include Perli Vineyard, Sky High Vineyard, and Manchester Ridge Vineyard (see photo).  Wineries producing Pinot Noir from the Mendocino Ridge appellation include Arista, Auteur, B. Kosugi, Baxter Winery, Drew, Ferrari-Carano, J. Jacaman, Marguerite Ryan Cellars, Phillips Hill Estates and Tandem.  I have had spectacular Pinot Noirs from several vineyards and producers in this AVA.

2006 B. Kosuge Wines Manchester Ridge Mendocino Pinot Noir try to find this wine...
14.5% alc., 300 cases, $40.  Byron Kosuge is a Pinot Noir and Syrah specialist who was the former winemaker at Saintsbury. 
A potpourri of scents including brambly cherries, candied apples, exotic woods, vanillin and winter spices.  Mouth-filling dusty red cherries that are nicely spiced with a subtle complement of oak.  The wine is velvety in texture with integrated tannins and a good acid cut.  A complete wine with excellence balance and length.  Is there an App for this?

02 fourrier griotte-chambertin

By billn on June 06, 2009 #degustation

2002 Fourrier, Griotte-Chambertin
2002 Fourrier, Griotte-Chambertin

I though this would make a nice counter-point to the Clos St.Jacques.

This is a wine that has become an icon. I could buy it relatively easily up until the 2005 (that vintage was problematic, though I managed to get a couple), but since then, and despite buying the wine since ’99 I’ve been shut out through merchants. I will have to live with the modest few cases or-so of assorted Griottes in the cellar I suppose…

This is a classic example of Griotte, and I think there are many parallels between this and Les Amoureuses; it shows grand cru concentration and power, though it is still very approachable – yet, what it offers in style, it so often misses in intellect – this is an ‘easy’ and currently one-dimensional wine. Clearly it will get better and better with age, but by comparison, at this age I would already expect to see much more character in its next-door neighbour, Chapelle-Chambertin. Maybe I am personally becoming more mature, but with more producers and a lower average price in Chapelle, maybe it’s time for me to dispense with the pretty Griotte face and buy more from ‘next door’ – wines I have more chance to converse with!

If you wish to open one of Fourrier’s ‘top 2’ from this vintage, open and decant the Clos St.Jacques – for the moment at least, it offers far more interest.

2002 Fourrier, Griotte-Chambertintry to find this wine...
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose opens with wide and forward and very, very young grapey fruit – it’s like a genie escaping from the bottle, but escape it does and what you are left with is a dense core of red fruit. The aromas remain solid and one-dimensional for the next 2 hours – no 02 CSJ sytyle reduction here. The palate is fatter and more concentrated than the CSJ and the balance is very good – the tannin is there only if you search it out. Like the nose, there is concentration but no complexity – it’s big and rounded and soft and somehow comforting, but it’s monosyllabic – typical young Griotte I suppose. Remaining bottles should wait at least until their 12th birthday I think, though 15+ is likely to be better.
Rebuy – Yes

faded beauty, or lady in waiting ?

By Peter Sidebotham on June 06, 2009 #degustation#peter's posts

1998 Confuron-Cotetidot, Clos de Vougeot
1998 Confuron-Cotetidot, Clos de Vougeot

1998 Confuron-Cotetidot Clos de Vougeottry to find this wine...
Medium pale ruby, just touched with garnet. Medium tapering rim, clear at the very edge. Paler than I expected from a “modern” producer in a robust vintage. Nose is robust and earthy, and also high-toned, with some sweet red cherry fruit sandwiched in the middle. It comes across as sappy and loose-knit, but quite oaky. Not really attractive – a touch of the beauty salon about it, but slipping behind the front. Mouth entry is also loose-knit, even dilute, and smoky. Mid-palate shows dark earthy tones and a little tannic grip. But those tannins – while not too big – turn bitter on the finish. There is so little delight here I wonder whether it is closed, but I suspect not and decide not to list it on this showing. Just about nice enough to suggest drinking up if you have it (though you may prefer to hold and hope), but not a buy if you don’t !
Rebuy – No

a new section – vines to buy – in puligny…

By billn on June 05, 2009 #vines for sale

Thought this might cheer you up:

€255,000 for approximately 380 bottles per year worth of villages Puligny. If you can get €700 per bottle, you’ll pay for it in only 1 year!

Oh, but don’t forget, you will also need somewhere to make wine…

02 fourrier, gevrey 1er clos st.jacques

By billn on June 05, 2009 #degustation

2002 Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos St.Jacques
2002 Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos St.Jacques

2002 Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos St.Jacquestry to find this wine...
Medium ruby-red colour that’s just turning to offer a hint of mahogany at the rim. The nose starts with red fruit but also a dark, reductive undertow that initially makes one (wrongly) think to oak – it takes a little over 90 minutes (without decanting) to disappear. Over time the nose becomes lovely and transparent, just a little powdery and young though. From the start there is sweetness coupled to perfect acidity – it’s relatively narrow at the entry but there’s a tight core of concentration in the mid-palate – this also shows a dark, reductive flavour for as long as the same lasts on the nose. This is about transparency rather than impact and is exactly to the Fourrier ‘template’, if arguably not to the terrior. The finish a good one, if not really remarkable. Very tasty, indeed I would say its balancing of sweetness and acidity make it delicious.
Rebuy – Yes

a day job in Burgundy

By Ray Walker on June 04, 2009 #ray's posts

While in Burgundy earlier this year we met a lot of new friends and contacts. While in Puligny Montrachet we met Olivier Leflaive. I had read about his hotel and wine bar on wineterroirs.com, a link that Bill links to from this blog.

Upon stepping into the hotel looking for food, Olivier showed up and we started to talk about wine. After about an hour we wanted to be shown around the hotel. Olivier took it upon himself to show us around. After a generous offer we were anxiously moving our things in to the hotel. While there, Olivier befriended us. We met for lunches, and toured the vineyards around Puligny. He was really generous with his time and genuinely interested in my humble project. After helping me with setting up my connection for the shared facility in Beaune we kept in touch.

A few short weeks ago I was speaking with Olivier and he offered me a position during harvest with him at his domaine in Puligny-Montrachet. Needless to say, I accepted. I will be leaving back to France in August, ready to get my hands dirty and back tired.

Burgundy Report

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