Grivot’s 1999 Clos de Vougeot…

By billn on October 07, 2021 #degustation

1999 jean grivot clos de vougeot

I last remember attacking some 1999 Clos de Vougeots some 7 years ago – they were all young but some were still drinking enjoyably. Time to try another:

1999 Jean Grivot, Clos de Vougeot
This from a cheeky half-bottle – but not such a cheeky wine! The cork is tightly in place and needs some energy to remove – it’s robust but embarrassingly short for a grand cru – 44mm – did it have a role to play in my lack of enthusiasm? Probably!
Still deeply coloured though starting to show some browning. The nose is powerful and deep – but faintly oxidative and there’s a suggestion of brett too. Mouth-filling and with a super texture despite the structural architecture of the wine – impressive but also with a modest suggestion of oxidation in the flavour. Very concentrated and a little saline. For the first glass, I remain impressed by the shape and texture but not by the grace or any of the flavours of the wine. The finish is impressively long if also lacking any semblance of deliciousness. The second glass brings no relief. On the positive side, I didn’t pay for a whole bottle of this – though presumably, those longer corks may have done a better job…
Rebuy – No

2007 vosne 1er beaux-monts…

By billn on October 06, 2021 #degustation

2007 Daniel Rion Vosne Beaux-Monts2007 Daniel Rion, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Beaux-Monts
The cork comes out relatively easily and in one piece – not a given, even with wines of such youth!
The first couple of sips leave me with the impression that this is still a bit too oaky – but I shouldn’t be too hasty – within 5 minutes of opening this is singing; aromatically complex, involving and a spiced fruit invitation to drink. Likewise, the flavours unfold with beautiful balance and captivating layers – this is really showing impressively great. Day two – no faults – no brett or anything like that – but the wine is a little more compact and certainly less involving. Tasty, very good but modest versus the greatness it showed on day one – so don’t leave any for another day 🙂
Rebuy – Yes

Where to Stay and Eat in Burgundy in 2021(?)

By billn on October 05, 2021 #travel

This doesn’t come from me – and I only know two of the places on this list – the Abbaye de la Bussière and ‘Le Terroir’ in Santenay. The latter I like, the former I like a lot, so maybe I should look into the others. Make of these recommendations what you will…

Where to Stay and Eat in Burgundy in 2021

week 39: the last harvesting days, @louvre_lens & some wines

By billn on October 04, 2021 #degustation#travel pics#travels in burgundy 2021#vintage 2021

week 39 wines...We’ve just returned from a (necessary) week in the UK – so my harvesting this year was cut a little short – that said – my home team in Beaune still managed to finish in September, just!

The major part of the harvest was completed on Saturday (25th) and their Paulée followed on the Sunday. Their last parcel to be picked is always some vines high in Pommard – Les Vaumuriens – often 3-4 days after the rest of the harvest due to the altitude of these vines – but this year they were picked not for full maturity, rather they were picked to avoid the heavy rains that were forecast at the end of the week – 12.5° was not a bad result though and capped 10 days of harvesting for the team.

Apart from our Charlemagne that brought in 30 hl/ha, most of the rest were between 15-25 hl/ha. The Charlemagne was saved by 3 nights of using candles to counter the worst of the frost – at a cost of ~€5,000 per hectare per night – and the domaine owning just over 1/3rd of a hectare here – so that was at a cost of €5,000. Given a price of over €100 a bottle for this grand cru, that’s less than 5 cases of wine so a cost that could easily be absorbed but you can see how quickly that becomes uneconomical as the bottle price reduces.

The team were making their first ‘decuvage’ today and whilst it’s clearly a vintage where the triage was paramount, they are happy that it was done well as the latent wines taste good with no detectable taints.

Below, I include the notes of a few wines that were, mainly, drunk in the UK.

On the way back to Burgundy from the UK we decided to stop at the Louvre-Lens Museum. It more than breaks up the journey, it’s a super location – free to enter but, should you wish, you can make a donation – with a packed restaurant too which, next time, I’d like to try. The next stop was for a few plates of tapas in Chablis’ Why Not – here a bottle of Tribut from the list – more on that below. Finally, to Beaune to sleep and take in the very rainy Sunday!

1998 Guy Castagnier, Clos de la Roche
Not bright and clean but still an inspiring nose – on of purity of fruit and a decadence that implored me to drink – so I did. Deeply flavoured, beautifully fresh – just a little muddled in the long finishing flavours today. Probably to start drinking up but still with plenty of pleasure.
Rebuy – Yes

1996 Leroy SA, Bourgogne
Less depth of colour vs the Castagnier – but clean and bright – actually not so old looking. Complex, a little spice – racy red fruit too – another good aroma. In the mouth, I find unexpected concentration and depth of flavour. This is very, very good. Of course, simpler than the grand cru but with great personality and flavour. Great Bourgogne – bravo – luckily a few more remain at home!
Rebuy – Yes

2019 JC Fagot, Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles-Vignes
An impressive provenance – which I’m not allowed to reveal – that’s why JC had only one barrel – but it’s a beauty. Richly aromatic – ripe but pure – a certain impression of salinity too. In the mouth, the salinity is replaced with a slightly minty attitude to equally rich flavour – not a bruiser by any means though. Beautifully constructed wine – simply excellent.
Rebuy – Yes

2016 Laurent Tribut, Chablis
Ordered from the wine-list – and I’m a bit disappointed by this one – I suppose it serves me right for not being sufficiently adventurous as I’ve had a few of these and they have all been great. This wine, however, has a slightly apple-y hint of oxidation to it. Direct from the fridge (I took the rest home) you will barely notice until the wine starts to warm in the glass after which it’s as clear as day. Sub-standard vs all my previous great bottles.
Rebuy – No – though previous bottles were great.

2018 Château Rougeon, Bourgogne Passetoutgrains La Chapelle
Predominantly (72%) Gamay
What a simply delicious wine – from top to toe – aromatically interesting, beautifully textured, long and deliciously flavoured too. Great Passetoutgrains – bravo!
Rebuy – Yes

Some images from the week:

once more, the return of the grands jours de bourgogne…

By billn on October 03, 2021 #events

Grands Jours de Bourgogne 2022The 15th edition of Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne, after its covid-cancellations, has been rescheduled to 21-25 March 2022.

A wine-trade fair for ‘professionals’ (described as sommeliers, restaurants, wine-stores, importers, wholesalers & sales agents…) plus journalists.

There will be the usual 12 walk around tastings from Chablis to the Côte Chalonnaise via the Mâconnais the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune, representing 1,000 winegrowers and merchants plus 6,000 different Burgundy wines.

For more information: www.grands-jours-bourgogne.com

The date on the following video may not have changed, but the logos above have!

The 108th edition of the Tastevinage tasting

By billn on October 02, 2021 #degustation

As usual, my invitation to taste came too late for me to actually taste – but I do already have the date for the Spring tasting in March next year 🙂

This tasting was on Friday 10th September and included 411 wines assessed by 100 tasters.

136 of these wines were assessed as meriting the Tastevinage label, of which 43 wear a Bourgogne label, 48 villages, 41 premier cru and, finally, 4 grand crus – there are relatively fewer and fewer grand crus presented these days.

If you click on this link, you can find the list of successful producers and their wines.

offer of the day – Jacques Prieur 2019

By billn on October 01, 2021 #the market

From my local Swiss merchant. The first price is for 2019, then in the brackets, from previous years for comparison, the second and third prices are for 2018 and 2017, — means ‘not offered…’

Vins blancs
Bourgogne Chardonnay 75cl 28.00 (—, —) *Swiss Francs
Meursault-Santenots 1er Cru 75cl 74.00 (—, —)
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET Les Combettes 1er Cru 75cl 89.00, (89.00, 89.00)
MEURSAULT Perrières 1er Cru 75cl 155.00, (149.00, 149.00)
CORTON CHARLEMAGNE 75cl 215.00, (229.00, —)
CHEVALIER-MONTRACHET 75cl 415.00, (—, —)

Vins rouges
BEAUNE Grèves 1er Cru 75cl 59.00, (59.00, —)
VOLNAY Santenots 1er Cru 75cl 79.00 (—, —)
VOLNAY Clos des Santenots 1er Cru 75cl 119.00, (118.00, 109.00)
CORTON Bressandes 75cl 139.00, (129.00, 125.00)
CLOS DE VOUGEOT 75cl 145.00, (135.00, 129.00)
CHAMBERTIN 75cl 399.00, (389.00, 389.00)
ECHEZEAUX 75cl 415.00, (399.00, 399.00)
MUSIGNY 75cl 598.00, (598.00, 598.00)

As always, these are delivered prices, but excluding the Swiss purchase tax of 7.7%. Generally, upwards and upwards – and that’s before the lack of 2020 and 2021s begin to exert their price effects…

La Fête des Vins de Chablis – 2021

By billn on September 30, 2021 #events

Fete des vins Chablis - 2021

I’m still crowd-phobic in the post(?)-covid times, so I won’t make the trip myself, but if you are out and about on the 23-24th October this year, I’m sure you will be made very welcome and can taste lots and lots of Chablis, Irancy, Epineuil – etcetera!

More info here.

Hospices de Beaune 2021 vintage summary…

By billn on September 28, 2021 #vintage 2021

From Albert Bichot and the Hospices de Beaune – a harvest and vintage weather summary from this year:

And some images from their harvest here.

Burgundy Report

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