2005 dubreuil-fontaine, corton-perrières

By billn on October 15, 2007 #degustation

corton perrieres dubreuil fontaine

Bought, it now seems, for a ‘song’ at en-primeur time at a mere 39 Swiss francs per…
2005 Dubreuil-Fontaine, Corton-Perrières try to find this wine...
Limpid medium, medium-plus cherry red. The nose starts tight and unyielding. It slowly releases mocha/espresso high-notes and even over 2 hours remains stable without ever revealing more than a glimpse of fruit. The palate is lithe and athletic but with unforgiving concentration – there is much depth but this is clearly not a wine for today. The tannins are very well covered and the length is also quite espresso without ever becoming overly oaky. Not really all that closed, but an impressive and muscular wine that needs at least 5-10 years in the cellar. I think it will reward that wait
Rebuy – Yes

a postcard from morey st.denis

By billn on October 14, 2007 #travel

morey st.denisFriday was picture-postcard perfect weather. At this time of year you finally get the mix of red and yellow leaves on the vines that delineate the vineyards so well – perhaps it will last as long as this pleasant 20° heat before the leaves will finally fall – it’s very pretty while it lasts. The late heat of this Indian Summer can be seen with renewed growth on many vines – new green shoots showing on the top of many.

Tasting mainly 2006’s but a few early 2007’s for good measure too, we started our day in Fixin, had a short visit in Gevrey, moved to Morey for lunch, then there was Nuits before stopping just north of Ladoix and finally in Beaune. It wasn’t planned that way, but the last call saw us leaving the cellars at 8:15pm…

Lunch was a simple affair sat, watching the world go by in front of the Boulangerie/Cafe in the centre of Morey – it’s where many of the locals eat at 6 Euros for the ‘warm plate’. Here you can also join in a little sport; counting the potential routes for cars to circumnavigate the small cross that acts as a tiny roundabout in front of the shop – then as part B you can count the apparent ways to park too – it seems anything goes!

1,500 and a brilliance of burgundies

By billn on October 11, 2007 #asides#other sites

I’ll have to open a bottle (2005 Corton-Perrières looks the favourite) as it’s the 1,500th (day) anniversary of the Big Red Diary – hola! Anyway, today on the airwaves:

  1. A brilliance of burgundies – now why didn’t I think of that! Sounds Like the author was at the recent Corney & Barrowde Vogüé tasting.
  2. Rare wine finds to be uncorked; found in a brewery?

Tomorrow, visits in Fixin, Gevrey, Nuits and Beaune – I’m hoping for sunshine – even though I’ll be in cellars!

varia

By billn on October 09, 2007 #asides#site updates

It seems like not much is happening – and you could be right.

I’m currently travelling in Holland, though on Friday I have some visits in the Côte d’Or and I expect my lingering cold will by then be forgotten. I tried to make a visit at one relatively well-known producer and was for the first time in about 12 years of making appointments, rebuffed – “he says he’s too busy said his wife” – that was at the point of the the third possible date. I don’t yet feel like ‘naming and shaming’.

Of-course some other things happen – I updated the NoteFinder, now to just under 1,750 notes. Also, buying opportunities often (too often!) present themselves; last week I received an offer that contained 6x Clos Frantin 2001 Vosne 1er Malconsorts. I’ve tasted that wine, and it’s a good one – for 36 Swiss francs each, I bought the lot. That’s a lot of value when set in the context of 2005 pricing…! There was also some 2000 vintage but I didn’t have the cash for both. Maybe they are still left next month!
Ciao for now…

more in notefinder + a few new & interesting articles

By billn on October 03, 2007 #other sites#site updates

As I have nothing useful to say for myself, and my (slowly abating) cold precludes opening bottles – and even worse, no travelling to the Côte d’Or this week – I shall instead scrape around for a few interesting stories for you.

burgundy report notefinder tasting note search

For this site, I’m slowly updating the NoteFinder database. There are today about 50 notes more than last week, and over the next week or so I will be adding ~150 more. I should be close to up-to-date by then.

Looking further afield, I found some articles worth reading:

becky wasserman le serbetLastly, let me recommend to you a site which is packed with info despite it’s ‘work in progress’ status. There has been little under this URL for the last months (years), but it seems that Becky has finally ordered her troops (or could it be vice-versa!) into line.
Already a great resource.

Cheers

bookending the 2007 harvest

By billn on September 29, 2007 #other sites#vintage 2007

My cold has intensified so no bottles, I just round up a few loose-ends. If it carries on, by Tuesday I’ll have to cancel my appointments in Burgundy, set for Friday 🙁

Anyway, I thought I’d ‘book-end’ the 2007 burgundy harvest report with a round-up of some producer reports. We have here the last of the reports from Domaine de la Vougeraie and interestingly for a predominantly négociant, Alex Gambal who had the luxury for many cuvées to pick his own harvesting dates, turns out to be one of the latest of the late pickers – so a great summary of not just the process, but also here the trials and tribulations of the decisions from Alex too, amongst a few memorable quotes I particularly like:

“All the mumbo jumbo about physiological ripeness and the quality of the tannins are but words for the “experts.” What it comes down to is how ripe are the seeds and thus how ripe are the tannins; here is where the farming comes in”

For grand cru watchers, here’s the brief summary of Louis-Michel Liger-Belair from the Château de Vosne-Romanée:

We made the harvest between September the 1st and the 4th. We made a hard triage but easier than ’04 !

Last but not least, the balance of the reports from Domaine de la Vougeraie:

snap

Finally, a little lite Sunday burgundy reading.

2005 nuits 1er clos st.marc – bp&f

By billn on September 28, 2007 #degustation

I’m starting with a cold. Today it’s only a sore throat but it might be my last bottle for a few days if it spreads to my nose.

Context notwithstanding, this is a wine I’ve been looking forward to open, particularly after tasting the 2006 with Patrice Rion. Here is the last of the run of Bouchard Clos St.Marc cuvées, the 1998 was stunning on it’s last outing – I’m just sad that there’s only one more of those 1998’s in the cellar. This bottle is expensive – 70 Swiss francs – it’s not particularly great value at that, but there is certainly quality and it’s hardly one of those shy, retiring 2005’s right now…
2005 Bouchard Père et Fils, Nuits St.Georges 1er Cru Clos St.Marc try to find this wine...
Medium-plus cherry-red colour. The nose starts with a forward blast of oaky and mineral tones. Time in the glass gives red fruit and a coffee, mocha-tinged almost texturally furry nose – it just shades more blue with time, and it never stops improving. The palate is muscular though the tannin is buried by the concentration, but what is discernable is finely textured. Excellent acidity with good dimension in the mid-palate. The finish has decent length but is currently one-dimensional. It’s an excellent Nuits – no question, approaching grand cru – though it’s definitely 2nd class in terms value versus the previous Daniel Rion.
Rebuy – Yes

full-on 05, daniel rion vosne 1er beaux-monts

By billn on September 26, 2007 #degustation#other sites

After three 2005’s tinged with a measure of disappointment, normal service is resumed.
2005 Daniel Rion, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux-Montstry to find this wine...
Medium-plus cherry-red colour. Initially a nose of deep, soft and sweet medium-toast oak and a little peppery dark fruit, time bestows more caramel and red fruit. Mouthfilling and concentrated yet remaining athletic rather than fat, the tannins are buried beneath the fruit. The mid-palate is expanded in the mouth by lush acidity. Finally it’s a very low-key, but long finish. Here is a 2005 that is not yet guarding its wares. An out-and-out bargain at the en-primeur purchase price of 43 Swiss francs per, that’s 26 Euros. Who says there is no value in Burgundy?
Rebuy – Yes

snap

  • How the Robert Parker Wine Dogs rating system works: Buddy by RMP – excellent!
  • But what about global warming?

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